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More paths and sidewalks? Comment now!

When I began to write about Cedar Mill in 2003, Washington County powers-that-be would say that “the county doesn’t provide urban services.” They expected and encouraged the existing cities to expand and provide sidewalks and other urban amenities. Times change, and the county is increasingly finding ways to provide safety improvements in our urban unincorporated neighborhoods. (See Urban Needs, Rural Government for background.)

Two interlocking programs, Minor Betterments and increased Urban Road Maintenance District funding, have been providing both temporary asphalt paths and permanent, full-featured sidewalks in urbanized areas around the county. Cedar Mill has several examples, including the path along 143rd between Cornell and West Union—Marty Moyer, a member of the URMD Advisory Committee (URMDAC) calls it their “poster child.”

Prior to that, almost all new sidewalks were required to be built by developers as part of their new projects, or by the county as part of a major road project. Now, public comments and studies of gaps guide the expenditure of an increased budget in both programs.

URMDAC has been working through a very long list of suggestions. Their honed list of projects for fiscal year 2015-16 has just been published. The county has created an interactive map to make it easy for anyone to comment on these proposals. Out of 22 total proposals, nine are in Cedar Mill or nearby. Of course, there’s never enough money to fund all the projects, typically six or seven are built throughout the county.

We urge you to take a few minutes, look at the map, and make comments about the proposed projects. The members of URMDAC do pay attention. All comments submitted by February 13 will be included in materials they use to make their final recommendations to the Board of Commissioners.

Information on each of these proposals is available by clicking the links to the left of the map on the county website. Here are the Cedar Mill area projects. (Numbers were assigned as the projects came in and many of them didn’t make it onto this list!)

• 197–90th Avenue:  Sidewalks/pathways along 90th Avenue between Stark Street and Leahy Road.
• 213–Saltzman Road:  Fill gaps in existing sidewalks/pathways along Saltzman Road between Hartford and Creekview.
• 228–Saltzman Road:  Paved pathway along the east side of Saltzman Road.
• 241–Leahy Road:  Paved pathway along the south side of Leahy Road.
• 245–113th Avenue:  Fill gaps in existing sidewalks/pathways along 113th Avenue between Anderson and Rainmont.
• 281–Lakeview Drive:  Paved pathway along Lakeview Drive between Keenan Place and Laidlaw Road 338–McDaniel Road:  Paved pathway along McDaniel Road between Appellate Way and 116th Terrace.
• 287–Thompson Road:  Fill gaps in existing sidewalks/pathways along Thompson Road between Knollview Drive and Sunset View Terrace.
• 309–Filbert Street: Paved pathway along Filbert Street between Murray Boulevard and Saltzman Road.

URMDAC recommended and the Board approved the following Cedar Mill area projects for funding in 2014-2015 (these are among many countywide):

• Pedestrian path on Cornell Road between 97th and 102nd;
• Pedestrian path on Thompson between Evergreen and 143rd;
• Pedestrian crossing at 119th Avenue at Lovejoy.

The 2015 projects are currently in the preliminary design phase. Expect to see various crews on site gathering data in order to commence design. Construction is anticipated to begin summer 2015. Estimated completion date: 12/31/2015

The Minor Betterment Program (MBP) is funded by an allocation from the Road Fund (gas taxes).  About $500,000 is allocated to this program in fiscal year 2014-2015 to fund small-scale interim improvements which are beyond routine maintenance but not large enough to be programmed as capital improvements. An MBP project is a site-specific enhancement to the county's transportation system. An MBP project is typically interim and is intended to supplement routine maintenance and capital improvements.

To propose a URMD or Minor Betterment Program candidate, complete and submit the form on this web page. Candidates eligible for funding as URMD Safety Improvements will also be considered for URMD funding.

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