Salem City Council Chambers. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
The Salem City Council meets Monday to consider reopening the record on a controversial subdivision, money for homeless camp cleanups and a new process to get speedbumps on neighborhood streets.
The council will consider reopening the record to allow public record on a proposed subdivision at the Meyer Farm property, which the council rejected at its Feb. 28 meeting.
The applicant has proposed a revised plan that would reduce the number of significant trees they plan to remove from 17 to six and lower the lot count from 138 to 125.
Councilors will consider allocating $475,000 from a state grant to fund a city-staffed team to respond to homeless camps, and to provide a grant to a nonprofit that would hire and supervise people who have experienced homelessness to “engage with individuals in unmanaged camps” and clean up litter.
The money would fund three months of operations for seven staff positions, the nonprofit program and one-time equipment purchases.
Staff positions include two sworn Salem police officers, four people to clean and one person to coordinate.
They will consider acquiring property for an improvement project on Northwest 2nd Street between Northwest Gerth Avenue and Wallace Road to construct new curbs, sidewalks, lighting and stormwater facilities.
They will also consider acquiring property for a project that would construct bike lanes and left-turn lanes on Southeast Hilfiker Lane.
Councilors will consider adopting their annual policy agenda. This year’s priorities are concentrated on responding to the sheltering crisis, planning for the future, engaging the community and sustaining infrastructure and services.
The council will consider applying for a $750,000 Oregon Parks and Recreation Department Local Government Grant to fund construction of the first phase of Brown Road Park, a 4-acre neighborhood park in northeast Salem.
The first phase includes a playground, picnic shelter, community garden beds, drinking fountain, bike rack, entrance area and benches.
Jose Gonzalez wants to create an alternative process that would allow residents to get speed humps if their street is residential, gets more than 600 vehicles per day and half of them are traveling faster than 25 mph.
The council will also hear a report defining what mobile crisis response is and how it works in most communities and a summary of available resources in Salem.
They will also consider allocating $230,000 in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds to construct kitchenettes within shelter rooms at the Mosaic Motel run by Center for Hope and Safety. The shelter serves survivors of domestic violence.
How to participate: View the meeting on YouTube or watch on CC:Media Channel 21. Submit comments on agenda items by 5 p.m. on the day of the meeting at [email protected]. Public comment and testimony may also be provided during the meeting via Zoom. Pre-register between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. on the day of the meeting at the following link: https://www.cityofsalem.net/Pages/Public-Comment-at-Salem-City-CouncilMeeting.aspx.
-Saphara Harrell
