Keizertimes., March 18, 2016, Page B7, Image 21

MARCH 18, 2016, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE B7
Roundabout on track for June
start at Chemawa and Verda
By CRAIG MURPHY
Of the Keizertimes
Construction is still on
schedule to start in June for
the new roundabout at Che-
mawa Road and Verda Lane.
The Oregon Department
of Transportation project, with
a total cost of approximately
$1.8 million, should be open
sometime in September.
“Construction is expected
to start in early- to mid-June,”
said Bill Lawyer, Public Works
director for Keizer. “It will
take about three months to
complete it enough to open it
for traffi c.”
Once the roundabout is
open for traffi c, Lawyer noted
fi nishing work like putting in
plants could be done later.
Bids for the construction
for the project were opened in
November, with North Santi-
am Paving Co. submitting the
low bid of $838,731.60. That
was about $140,000 less than
engineering estimates.
Recently, the trees on the
southeast corner of the inter-
section were taken down. The
Herber family farm property
across Verda was proposed to
be turned into apartments in
2014, but the plan was denied.
A revised proposal is expected
to be submitted to the city
soon.
Even with that, Lawyer said
the roundabout project won’t
be impacted.
May the force be with you at KHC
The Keizer Heritage Mu-
seum at the Keizer Heritage
Center next to Keizer Civic
Center is displaying a Star
Wars exhibit from the collec-
tion of Keizerite David Sher-
man.
The Star Wars exhibit runs
through June 1. Museum
hours are 2 to 4 p.m. Tuesdays
and Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 4
p.m. on Saturdays.
The Keizer Heritage Cen-
ter is celebrating the 100th
birthday of its building this
year which will include spe-
cial events in August and No-
vember.
A life-size Storm Trooper
(left) is the centerpeice
of the Star Wars exhibit.
KEIZERTIMES fi le/Craig Murphy
Trees at the corner of Chemawa Road and Verda Lane were
taken down recently, in advance of roundabout construction.
“Because of the denial of
their application, it did affect
the project in that we didn’t
have the right of way we
needed,” Lawyer said. “Part
of their application was that
they give the (right-of-way)
rights. The project needed to
purchase the property, so that’s
all done.”
In other words, whereas the
necessary land on the corner
would have been given to the
city had the application been
accepted, ODOT instead had
to purchase the necessary
property.
“It was planned for in the
beginning of the project,”
Lawyer said. “The project
originally planned for having
to purchase that.”
According to Lee Crone-
KEIZERTIMES/
Lyndon A. Zaitz
miller with ODOT, the proj-
ect was fi rst included in the
2010-13 Statewide Transpor-
tation Improvement Program.
Lawyer said and others on city
staff – predecessor Rob Kissler
and Nate Brown – were in-
volved starting in June 2011
to help ODOT review plans
from its consultant.
The project has been de-
layed twice, most recently be-
ing pushed back from last year
to this year.
“It’s not uncommon a proj-
ect misses the original sched-
ule,” Lawyer said. “When
there is acquisition necessary,
as much as you would like it
to go smooth and quick, it
never does. Schedules are put
together with an optimistic
outlook on acquisition.”
puzzle answers
Doing his civic duty
KEIZERTIMES/Andrew Jackson
Max Marshall takes out a load of debris during the fi fth annual Civic Center Clean-up last
Saturday, March 12 at Keizer Civic Center. Find more pictures on our Facebook page.
Mural
progress
Wendy Lusby works
on a design for Keizer’s
next public mural on
March 7. The mural will
be done this summer at
Town & Country Lanes
on River Road. The
next mural meeting is
March 22 at the Keizer
Heritage Center.
KEIZERTIMES/
Craig Murphy
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