Warrenton projects focus on livability

Apr. 19—WARRENTON — A pedestrian walkway connecting downtown to the high school has been a goal of the city for decades. Now, a state grant will help get the project off the ground.

The city hired OTAK Inc. in February 2020 to create a conceptual plan for two pedestrian routes — a Main Avenue corridor connecting downtown to Warrenton High School and an E. Harbor Drive corridor from downtown to Fred Meyer. The estimated cost for both walkways is $3.4 million.

The City Commission last week accepted $500,000 in grant money from the state Department of Transportation's Safe Routes to School program to construct a portion of the Main Avenue corridor from Ninth Street by Warrenton Grade School to 11th Street. The target date for completion is September 2022.

Collin Stelzig, the city's public works director, said the city is planning on constructing the walkways one segment at a time as funding becomes available. He said the city is hopeful U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici will designate the project for funding in the upcoming surface transportation reauthorization bill.

Warrenton is requesting more than $1.3 million to continue the walkway from N.W. 11th Street to the high school, along with bus stop and crosswalk improvements.

"It's been a want of the city for just forever, but they've just never really been able to afford it," Stelzig said. "We feel pretty good about maybe getting this money to complete it.

"I guess time will tell."

A safer walk

Mayor Henry Balensifer said the pathway will make it safer for students to walk to and from school. The mayor said it is one of many projects coming down the pipeline that will improve the city's livability.

"Main Street is the primary corridor for the majority of our residents to connect them to services like Main Street Market, to the post office, to our parks," Balensifer said. "And having safe routes for kids to get to our parks is pretty important, and to traverse basically the downtown corridor.

"I think the commission has really prioritized livability," he said. "And the commission has really made a concerted effort to ask the question, 'What's it like to live in Warrenton?' Not just to build or do business. Those things we've answered pretty well already. But as we've grown, there — except for in like the last three years — there hasn't been a really tough asking of, what's it like to live in Warrenton and how do we want to live in our town?"

Warrenton is the fastest growing city in Clatsop County. In recent years, the City Commission has placed increased emphasis on livability and development paying for itself.

The city's Urban Renewal Agency in March selected a design for a food truck pod in the lot between City Hall and Arnie's Cafe. The pod will be designed for up to seven food carts and will include a dining area, trees and a canopy. The city also plans a paved parking lot and moving utility lines underground along Main Avenue.

The Planning Commission in early April approved designs for Trillium House, a 42-unit affordable housing project in Chelsea Gardens. There is hope the development will spur more projects in the area.

The city has hired Murraysmith Inc. to come up with a plan to replace an aging raw water pipeline that provides drinking water for the city from the Lewis and Clark River. The city hopes to receive federal funding for the project.

There are plans to add a kayak rental park along the Skipanon River and a beach volleyball court in Hammond.

'A better place to live'

Balensifer said there is also an effort to emphasize the city's history by designating historic districts. He is also planning on bringing a resolution forward to redesignate the city's flower from the phlox to the daffodil, which has historical significance in the Clatsop Plains area.

"There's just a lot of cool stuff that's going to make Warrenton that much more of a great place to live and a safer place to live, for that matter," Balensifer said. "They're all singular projects that are interconnected.

"They all tie into the idea of just how do we make Warrenton a better place to live for our existing residents and the ones to come.

"Everything that we're doing isn't to chase a tourist," the mayor said. "I mean, the byproduct will be that more people may want to come to Warrenton, but the first thing we have to do to build up our community is to make sure that people are tied to the place they're from, to give them a sense of place, and not just a hodgepodge of development.

"And, you know, I can't change what was built or not built in the past or how things were laid out. But what we can do is we can enhance what we have and help tie people to their past."