News
2/26/13
South 3rd Street Improvement Project Underway
Work will begin shortly on a major street improvement project on South 3rd Street from a point about 150 feet south of Laneda Avenue to Pacific Lane. The main purpose of the project is to replace a failing storm drainage line, replace the main water line, install concrete gutters and repave the street. The dipping of the road in numerous places along the west side of the street demonstrates why it is important to replace the storm drainage line as soon as possible. Sand is leaking into the failing storm drainage line which causes the water line above it to buckle and the road surface to cave in.
Pacific Excavation Inc was awarded the contract for the project and plans to start work during the first week in March. The work is scheduled to be completed by June 1, 2013. The contractor plans to work only Monday through Friday, and no weekend work is anticipated.
Although South 3rd Street will be closed to through traffic, all property owners along South 3rd Street will be able to have access to their driveways nearly all of the time. The contractor will notify affected property owners in advance if the access to their lots must be temporarily closed for work in front of their property.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding this project, please contact Public Works Director Bret Siler at 503-368-5347 or at bsiler@ci.manzanita.or.us .
2/26/13
Plans Progress for Visitors’ Center and Public Restrooms near beach
Plans are moving forward for construction of a visitors’ information center and public restrooms at the corner of Laneda Avenue and First Street. The City had planned to remodel the existing building at 31 Laneda Avenue, which was originally the home and real estate office of Ben Lane, one of the City’s founders. However, an inspection by a local contractor revealed that the building had significant structural problems. The cost of trying to retrofit the building to meet current handicapped accessibility standards and to move it on to a more stable foundation would be significant. The City now plans to build a near replica of the original building with the public restrooms on the east side and the visitors’ information center on the west side.
The City is paying for the new visitor facility with part of the increased revenue from an increase in the City Transient Lodging Tax, which was raised from 7 percent to 9 percent last October.
State statutes require that at least 70 percent of net revenue from a new or increased local transient lodging tax shall be used to fund tourism promotion or tourism –related facilities. A low interest loan has been secured to cover the property acquisition and construction costs. The loan will be repaid from the new revenues dedicated to tourism promotion and tourism- related facilities.
In December, the City staff was instructed to move as quickly as possible to get the replica building constructed and on line by the beginning of the tourist season. In early February, some citizens approached the Council and suggested that it would be better in the long term to take more time and design a new building specifically designed to be a visitors’ center rather than to replicate the old building. The Council discussed this idea further in meetings over a two week period and finally decided that the work on the replica building should continue. The Council concluded that many members of the community supported the decision to build the replica building, and the City had already invested in architectural fees to make it happen.
The City hopes to call for construction bids for the visitors’ center/public restroom building in late March. It is anticipated that the new building will be open for use in late summer.