Uproar over street project in Medford

Medford Mayor Lois Nelson is ready to rebuild the city’s main drag, but residents have been attempting to put the brakes on the project that they say is too costly for the city to absorb.
The project on a five-block stretch of the downtown area has been kicked around for five years. It initially started at $2.7 million, but has been modified several times with the current proposal scaled back to $2.1 million. Steele County would pick up 75% of the total cost as the roadway is a county highway while Medford would be responsible for the remaining 25%.
The Medford City Council is scheduled to meet tonight (Wednesday) at 5:30 p.m. to consider the latest proposal, which offers two major changes: curb and gutter would remain in place and a bike trail would be added on the west side. City Administrator Andy Welti said the most recent changes would reduce the overall assessment to property owners, but he did not what to give out any amounts because homeowners would see varying reductions. There are 59 businesses and residents that would be affected by the assessment, according to the city.
“There is still an uproar,” confesses Nelson. A formal petition of 144 residents voicing opposition was presented to the city council earlier this year. “Some signed it out of fear of others becoming pissed off at them,” she said.
And Nelson is afraid the issue will spill over into the voting booths in a few weeks as she makes her quest to become re-elected as mayor.
Nelson points out that the roadway is simply in dire need of replacement. She said there have been eight breaks in the line, which is only 4 inches and not legal by current state standards, over the past 11 years. Each repair typically costs between $4,000 and $7,000, according to Nelson. “We have a 70-year-old leaky and corroded water main under the road,” she said. “All costs are going up and it's time to fix it. “It’s the best 75/25 split we can get with the county,” she added.
Officials want to replace it with a 10-inch pipe, which would last up to a century.
Residents have been fighting to have just a generic mill and overlay of the roadway done. But Nelson is convinced with the heavy truck traffic on the roadway that cement is the best alternative. “Cement has a history of lasting longer,” she said.
Asked why people are against her efforts to improve the roadway, Nelson responded, “It’s change and of course, nobody wants to pay for anything.”
But Nelson says it’s important to replace aging infrastructure. “Our responsibility as elected people is that we have to look ahead to the next generation,” she maintains. “Not everyone is going to agree with you all the time. You have to think progress,” she said.
Danny Thomas, who is also a former mayor, is making another run at the top spot. “Main Street blown up got me back into the ring of politics,” he said, noting community members approached him about running again for mayor. “People told me they haven’t been heard and it made me feel I needed to run for mayor.”
Thomas wants to make the project “affordable for the citizens.” He maintains the water line doesn’t need to be 10-inches and no turn lanes are needed in the residential area. He also feels a mill and overlay will be sufficient.
“I think the community needs to have input and the input listened to by the council and mayor,” said Thomas. “If we can't be heard and understand it, how can we make a decision. We want input, it’s our street.”
Thomas says he’s not throwing stones at anyone in particular, but feels there is a “huge disconnect” between the community, city administrator and mayor. “I want to be a part of the fix and solution,” he said. “I want to try and lead the team in a different way.”
Thomas agrees the street project needs to happen, but at what expense to taxpayers.
He also points to two other major issues, including the fire hall and city hall and wastewater treatment plant. “All three issues are very important to our community,” he said. “How much we spend on those projects will tell us how affordable it will be for people to live in Medford.”
Nelson is not shy when it comes to controversy. She had been mayor when she lost the 2000 election by five votes because of her support for the new school. She came back to the mayor’s job in 2012 inheriting a $250,000 deficit.
She blames previous councils for putting the city into the position it now faces. “I came along and we had no street maintenance,” she said. “They didn’t spend anything.”
The current mayor says she is still poised to lead the city in the direction it needs to go. “We want to grow in a managed fashion,” said Nelson, who has lived in the community for 43 years. “Growth means expanded tax base. We want to be known as a good small town to work in and have businesses in. I feel a mayor’s main duty is to be a cheerleader of the community.”