By Don Murtha
Cleveland Street in Mount Angel will be paved in time for Oktoberfest.
The Mount Angel City Council voted Aug. 1 to contribute $6,000 to the project with property owners on the street and Oktoberfest contributing the remainder of the $35,115 price of the paving the road plagued with potholes and dust.
Cleveland Street has had a long-standing problem with potholes, dust and general over-use, especially during Oktoberfest.
The project will include a two and one half inch overlay 550 long and 30 feet wide from East Church Street to the south side of the Marion County Housing Authority property. From there the paving will be 18-feet wide and 230 feet long to the new Community Center building gate.
The Community Center’s gate has already become controversial with some residents objecting to it. In a letter to the Mount Angel City Council, property owner Carol Piatz said since the problems of dust and potholes will be eliminated by the paving everyone should have access to their property.
At an earlier meeting, Pete Wall, a representative of Oktoberfest, said people will have to get used to not having access. The gate is at the edge of the Oktoberfest property leading toward Cleveland Street. Wall said it would be open from Sept. 5 until Sept. 19.
The cost of the project will be shared among the property owners on Cleveland Street and the city, as follows: Highland Labs $20,000; City of Mount Angel $6,000; Oktoberfest $2,800; Fran and Carol Piatz $4,000; Marion County $1,500; Tom Bauman $500; and neighbors $2,000. Mike Zollner will contribute help with preparing the road for paving by H&H Paving of Salem, the contractor. Any money saved will go to the approach to Zollner’s driveway and toward a maintenance fund for the street.
The city’s share of the project will come from a city contingency fund, as approved by the city council.
Public Works Supervisor Dan Bernt said the paving should last 20 years.
In other business, the Mount Angel City Council directed City Administrator Susan Muir to prepare a license agreement with Woodburn Ambulance Service to replace the existing franchise agreement now in place.
Shawn Baird, representing the ambulance service, said about three-quarters of their patients are on Medicare and Medicaid. They have reduced their coverage to ambulance services by about 40 percent in the past 10 years.
Baird said Woodburn Ambulance coverage extends from Champoeg to Silver Falls, whereas Salem Ambulance covers only within the city limits of Salem with the hospital within their coverage.
Baird said the Woodburn Ambulance rate is based on a variety of categories, including a base rate, a mileage rate, basic life support, advanced life support and emergencies. He said rates are driven primarily by Medicare and Medicaid.
The City Council also approved a new agreement with Oktoberfest, which City Administrator Muir said will benefit the city.
Muir said in the past Oktoberfest has paid only a portion of what is due the city in property taxes.
Oktoberfest is now a non-profit corporation and has no tax obligation to the city. However, under the new agreement, Oktoberfest will pay the city $1,500 as a capital project contribution. The city will also recover attorney fees, street closure and park reservation fees under the new agreement. Oktoberfest will also cover the costs of public works and police services. Oktoberfest will pay an amount to the Mount Angel Fire District and the Mount Angel School District.
Credit Card payments
Traffic fines, water bills, overdue book fines and other fees can go on your credit or debit card soon under an action by the Mount Angel City Council.
Until now, all fines, fees and other charges where paid only by cash, check or money order. Under the current system, when traffic offenders who couldn’t pay their fines could establish a payment plan. However, with the use of a credit card they may be able to pay the entire fine.
When water users are unable to pay their water bills, their water is shut off and to have service restored, they must pay the water bill and an additional fee.
Muir said the small cities the staff has contacted have seen an increase in payments and an ease in processing payments. Benefits she cited are: an increase in revenue for the city, especially with court fines; improvement in customer service; and less staff time in processing payments.
The down side of the proposal, she said, is the cost to the city, which could be $500 to $800 monthly. The law prohibits the city from charging a fee for credit card or debit card payments, but the city can increase all charges to cover the additional processing cost. The staff proposes a $1 fee per transaction on average utility bills.
Muir was given the green light to go ahead with the project by the city council.
