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OAKRIDGE CURRENT VOLUNTEER COMMUNITY PROJECTS:
- MERIT (Medical Research Interest Team) is seeking ways to expand the current remaining medical facility to provide more medical services to Oakridge. We are interested in also finding a reliable funding stream for an urgent care clinic in our community.
- HUB (Highway United Businesses) is concerned with the beautification of Highway 58 running through town. They are working with ODOT on permits for hanging banners and baskets and generally improving the aesthetics of our main traffic arterial.
- Arts Council of Oakridge is seeking to provide venues and markets for the marketing of our artists’ productions.
- UBRA continues to make progress in the Uptown area by improving storefronts and attracting new businesses.
- Snowflakes Committee is working on fundraising to continue buying large snowflakes to hang from the utility poles along Highway 58 and eventually uptown.
- GOATS (Greater Oakridge Area Trail Stewards) is hard at work with the IMBA funding to improve several trails and the signage leading to the trails.
- The Oakridge/Westfir Leadership Committee (OWL) is working with the Ford Family Foundation and the Meyer Memorial Trust to develop an Oakridge Community Foundation to prioritize community projects. This would be a steering committee for projects seeking large foundation funding grants.
- Safe Routes to School Committee is working on infrastructure projects and programs to improve the safety of our youngsters as they walk or bike to school.
- Historic Signage in Uptown: Through the efforts of the History Class at the High School wonderful maps have been produced that catalog the historic buildings in the Uptown area. The City has taken that information collected and is making plaques to place on those buildings (or near their locations if they are gone). As you walk up and down East First you can recapture some of the history.
CURRENT CITY PROJECTS
- New Library: We have received an $800,000 CDBG grant to build a library. We have just signed the contract with the architect. Anticipated completion is the second quarter of 2012.
- Levee Reconstruction: The flooding of the weekend of January 15,2011 caused severe damage to the levee next to our well field and to the Salmon Creek Mobile Home Park. We are working with Division of State Lands, Army Corps of Engineers, US Forest Service, and others to affect the repairs. The repairs have been completed and we have a great new segment of trail on top of the north side levee and a great new section of “beach” to enjoy the water from.
- OEDAC is working on updating the City website with economic development information that would be accessible to anyone who looks for it.
FUTURE POTENTIAL CITY PROJECTS
- WAC Refurbishment: An architectural study identified $1.825 million of repairs and upgrades to bring the WAC into compliance with current building code requirements and energy efficiency improvements.
- OIP Rail Spur Refurbishment: An engineering study identified $2.2 million is needed to rebuild the rail spur and support the bridge over Salmon Creek which would allow the Union Pacific to service the Oakridge Industrial Park.
- Phase II of Water Project: The City needs $2.5 million to build a million gallon storage tank on TV Butte overlooking the OIP. This would bring the City up to standard as far as water storage is concerned and allow sufficient water storage and pressure for businesses locating in the OIP.
- Inflow and Infiltration Project: The City needs $3.0 million to completely refurbish 60 year old sewer pipes to stop the inflow of stormwater into our sewer collection system.
- After the adoption of the Parks Master Plan, potential funding opportunities need to be explored so the Master Plan could be implemented over the next ten years.
- ODOT Highway 58 Access Management Plan: $120,000 is needed from ODOT to fund an access management plan as the next step in improving Highway 58 so that our main street could be improved for traffic flow and traffic calming.
- Emergency Services Department Funding: We are down one employee with the retirement of a senior paramedic. Our ambulances are getting older with more mileage by the day. We need $450,000 for new ambulances and an increase in annual revenue of at least $90,000 to fund an additional paramedic.
- Skateboard Park Upgrades: A project that may develop is the search for funding to build a large concrete skate park at the WAC to replace the temporary structures currently there.
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