The Downtown Safety and Streetscapes Project’s latest construction phase has obviously slowed down vehicular traffic on Main Street and Applegate Street as road infrastructure efforts continue. But what about pedestrians who are either walking through the area to simply get from point A to point B or trying to visit a local business.
Philomath City Councilor Jessica Andrade said during the April 8 meeting that she had heard from several community members with concerns about public safety around open areas within the streetscapes project zone.
“It’s easy to trip and fall and there’s some things that look like you might be able to impale yourself,” Andrade said while asking City Manager Chris Workman if he could provide any insight into safety measures that might be possible.
Workman said the city has voiced safety-related concerns to the Oregon Department of Transportation and asked the agency to look at implementing additional safety precautions.
“We’ve noted the open pits and the open areas,” he said. “I will say typically at night when they’re done, it’s not as bad but when they’re there during the day … there’s quite a bit that’s open. So we have had the discussion with ODOT and we’ve made the request that they look at it a little bit closer.”
Workman said that in general, the public should probably just avoid the construction site areas when possible.
“When you have to be there, just be very, very cautious of your surroundings because it’s a construction zone and they can take every precaution and people can still get hurt just because you’re in the wrong spot,” Workman said. “So I would just avoid the area on foot as much as you can — still get into your businesses and shop local as much as you can — but there’s a balance there, right? Obviously, if you don’t feel safe then just be very, very cautious.”
2. Water reservoir project
In another city-related area, the $4.2 million water reservoir construction project on the east side of South Ninth Street appears to be ramping up again based on Workman’s latest update.
For those not following this very closely, the water reservoir project started last spring and on June 28, a delay of materials had a negative impact on the pour of a massive concrete slab. Fears about the slab’s structural integrity surfaced and an independent consultant was brought in for testing. Meanwhile, the project was on hold for months as city councilors worked through issues with legal counsel in executive sessions. In January, Workman reported that an agreement was in place for the reservoir to be repaired at the expense of HP Civil Inc., the contractor, and that a warranty would go into effect for future protection.
At the time, the agreement was to be reviewed by legal counsel and signed by both parties.
“We did get a signed change order for the water reservoir project,” Workman said early this week. “(Public Works Director) Kevin (Fear) is working with Pivot Engineering — he’ll be working directly for the city to do their repairs to the slab.”
Pivot Engineers, out of Austin Texas, determined that a repair could be completed with the end result being a reservoir that will be as strong or stronger, Workman said in January.
“They’ve got a time frame they’re working within and then once those repairs are done and acceptable, then we’ll proceed with the final construction of the reservoir project,” Workman said on April 8. “So, I won’t say that it’s back on schedule but I will say the obstacles that were in the way have been removed and we will be moving forward on the repairs to the slab.”
When completed, the reservoir will have a capacity of 1.5 million gallons. It’s the first phase in a modernization and overhaul of the city’s aging water system that also includes a new treatment plant, a system to collect water from the Marys River and a high-service pump station.
3. Local filmmaker’s adventures
Peter Wickliffe, the Summit-based filmmaker that we’ve featured in the past, wrapped a project in Hawaii recently and headed to Denali, Alaska.
“The Cabin,” a Revelation Pictures series about “country living and returning to our roots — all while building a cabin in the woods” ended after 21 episodes over two seasons. Wickliffe’s earlier series included “Black Friday” (2022, nine episodes) and “The Fairfield Boys” (2020-22, six episodes) and he has completed several other film projects, including “Speculatin” (2021), “Field of Death” (2021), “Cut It Out” (2021) and “My Name is Kringle” (2023).
Wickliffe’s project on the Big Island of Hawaii, called “The Paniolo,” was filmed over February and March.
“A man washes up on the shores of Hawaii with no memories of his past life,” a teaser of the film reads. “He soon finds his way to a small ranch and is put to work as a paniolo, where slowly his memories start to return.”
A paniolo is a Hawaiian ranching term for a person who herds cattle.
According to Wickliffe’s IMDb page, other projects currently in production include:
- “Clive” — A three-part miniseries that is a continuation of “The Fairfield Boys” saga.
- “You Are Weak You Are Strong” — A short horror-mystery film based on the original stage play of the same name.
- “David” — An adventure-drama short film about a man who unplugs from life, sets off into the unknown and experiences an unexpected accident that “brings him face-to-face with his mortality and a true testing of his faith.”
(Brad Fuqua is publisher/editor of the Philomath News. He can be reached at News@PhilomathNews.com).