Herald photo Oakridge City Hall
By ANDREW GRIFFIN/for The Herald — On July 18, the Oakridge City Council held a meeting in which they primarily discussed a feasibility study for restoring the trestle bridge across Salmon Creek near the fish hatchery, and passed a motion to send off the proposed new City Charter for legal review.
Salmon Creek trestle bridge sees changes to pedestrian and bike use
Early in the meeting, the council passed a motion to approve a professional services contract to conduct a feasibility study to restore the Salmon Creek Trestle Bridge for recreational use. If converted, the bridge will help to serve as a connector for pedestrians and cyclists to easily reach neighboring communities, parks and trail systems.
Efforts for the project started in 2023 when the Oregon Recreation and Parks District awarded Oakridge a $40,000 grant to fund the study. From there, the city received a proposal to conduct the study from McMullin Engineering, with whom the council approved the professional services contract.
“McMullin and his team are very knowledgeable and well qualified,” read the agenda for the issue authored by City Administrator James Cleavenger and Salmon Creek Bridge Committee Chair Sue Cathcart. “We, the Bridge Committee, are very excited that this team of experts seems like a perfect fit for this project.”
The Council also passed a motion to send the proposed new City Charter to City Attorney Matt Dahlstrom for legal review and to compose a ballot title for when it appears on Oakridge’s November ballot. This follows two public hearings that were held at Oakridge City Hall on July 11 and July 18.
After Dahlstrom has finished his review and created a ballot title, the proposed Charter will be sent back to the city council to be presented on August 1 for the Council to make a final recommendation for it before it is sent to the November ballot. “When the charter is returned to the City Council, it should be closely reviewed before resolving to send it to the ballot box,” wrote Oakridge Mayor Bryan Cutchen in an email to the Herald. “The council needs to do their homework on this.”
Andrew Griffin is a fourth-year student at the U of O School of Journalism and Communications. Andrew has experience as a freelance writer, having published work for the Clackamas Print, Daily Emerald, and Pamplin Media. Andrew also has experience in graphic design/web design.
