TO: Mayor and City Council
THROUGH: Krishna Namburi, Interim City Manager
FROM: Brian D. Martin, PE, Public Works Director
SUBJECT:
title
Selection of projects for the sidewalk infill portion of the 2022 Safety and Livability Bond.
Ward(s): Ward(s): 1, 2, 5, 6
Councilor(s): Councilor(s): Tigan, Nishioka, Brown, Vang
Neighborhood(s): Neighborhood(s): ELNA, Highland, NEN, NESCA, Northgate, SESNA
Result Area(s): Result Area(s): Safe, Reliable and Efficient Infrastructure.
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SUMMARY:
summary
The 2022 Safety and Livability Bond allocated $6 million for sidewalk infill projects. The Bond Oversight Steering Committee recommended nine projects to be included in the sidewalk infill package.
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ISSUE:
Shall City Council approve the sidewalk infill package recommended by the Bond Oversight Steering Committee, listed below?
• Hawthorne Avenue SE (near the intersection of Hawthorne Avenue SE and State Street)
• Park Avenue NE (Fredrick Street NE to Center Street NE)
• Fisher Road NE (Ward Drive NE to White Oak Court NE) - grant matching funds only
• Kay Street NE (17th Street NE to 19th Street NE)
• Brenner Street NE (Cypress Street NE to Weathers Street NE)
• 38th Avenue NE (Manor Drive NE to D Street NE)
• Hickory Street NE (Liberty Street NE to 4th Street NE)
• Northgate Avenue NE (Intersection of Northgate Avenue NE and 30th Avenue NE)
• Church Street NE (Pine Street NE to Spruce Street NE)
RECOMMENDATION:
recommendation
Approve the sidewalk infill package recommended by the Bond Oversight Steering Committee, listed below:
• Hawthorne Avenue SE (near the intersection of Hawthorne Avenue SE and State Street)
• Park Avenue NE (Fredrick Street NE to Center Street NE)
• Fisher Road NE (Ward Drive NE to White Oak Court NE) - grant matching funds only
• Kay Street NE (17th Street NE to 19th Street NE)
• Brenner Street NE (Cypress Street NE to Weathers Street NE)
• 38th Avenue NE (Manor Drive NE to D Street NE)
• Hickory Street NE (Liberty Street NE to 4th Street NE)
• Northgate Avenue NE (Intersection of Northgate Avenue NE and 30th Avenue NE)
• Church Street NE (Pine Street NE to Spruce Street NE)
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FACTS AND FINDINGS:
The 2022 Safety and Livability Bond allocated $6 million to address gaps in the City of Salem’s sidewalk network. City Council approved the process and criteria for identifying and selecting projects in this category on October 23, 2023, Agenda Item 5.b (Attachment 1). The process generally included the following steps:
1. Seek public input on possible locations.
2. Evaluate locations against Council-approved criteria.
3. Develop cost estimates.
4. Determine preliminary recommendation (Bond Oversight Steering Committee).
5. Seek public input on preliminary recommendations.
6. Make recommendation of projects to advance (Bond Oversight Steering Committee).
7. Obtain City Council approval.
Between January and April 2024, residents submitted over 200 locations where sidewalks are missing. Staff evaluated the requested locations to identify the highest-priority projects. Cost estimates were developed for the top 20 projects, with an estimated total cost exceeding $50 million. To align with available funding, the Bond Oversight Steering Committee made a preliminary recommendation on March 27, 2025, to fund a package of ten projects, with an estimated cost of approximately $6 million.
City staff conducted outreach to ensure community input was incorporated into the final recommendation. Staff attended neighborhood association meetings for each neighborhood with a proposed project within its boundaries. Additionally, staff contacted residents and owners of properties adjacent to the project areas to gather feedback. For neighborhoods without proposed projects, staff offered to attend neighborhood association meeting.
Of the ten proposed projects, nine received positive feedback from neighborhood associations and residents. One project, located on Ladd Ave NE, received unfavorable feedback and has thus been excluded from the recommended infill package. The nine remaining projects are listed below with additional detail provided in Attachment 2. The project locations are also depicted on a vicinity map in Attachment 3.
• Hawthorne Avenue SE (near the intersection of Hawthorne Avenue SE and State Street)
• Park Avenue NE (Fredrick Street NE to Center Street NE)
• Fisher Road NE (Ward Drive NE to White Oak Court NE) - grant matching funds only
• Kay Street NE (17th Street NE to 19th Street NE)
• Brenner Street NE (Cypress Street NE to Weathers Street NE)
• 38th Avenue NE (Manor Drive NE to D Street NE)
• Hickory Street NE (Liberty Street NE to 4th Street NE)
• Northgate Avenue NE (Intersection of Northgate Avenue NE and 30th Avenue NE)
• Church Street NE (Pine Street NE to Spruce Street NE)
The Fisher Road NE project was submitted for grant funding consideration through the Salem Keizer Area Transportation Study (SKATS). This would be a joint application with Marion County since a portion of the project is outside City limits. If grant funding is awarded, the funding allocated through the 2022 Safety and Livability Bond will be used as matching funds for the City portion of the project with Marion County contributing their portion of the required match. The Fisher Road NE project has been included in the draft funding package through SKATS. Staff anticipates final adoption of the SKATS funding package in May 2026.
The Bond Oversight Steering Committee recommended moving forward with these nine projects in the sidewalk infill package. The total estimated cost of the nine recommended projects is $5,550,000. To account for potential cost adjustments during construction that exceed planned contingencies, the Committee further recommended reserving the remaining $450,000 until after construction begins. Once actual costs are better understood, the Bond Oversight Steering Committee will revisit the requested project list and recommend allocating remaining funds to additional priority locations.
BACKGROUND:
Residents of Salem approved a $300 million community improvement bond measure in November of 2022. Of this amount, $157 million was allocated to address transportation infrastructure needs. Most of these projects were identified by location; however, the bond included three transportation-related categories to address pedestrian crossings, sidewalk infill, and sidewalk replacement, with specific locations to be determined by City Council. The bond funding available for each of these categories is included in Attachment 4.
Robert D. Chandler, PhD, PE
Assistant Public Works Director
Attachments:
1. City Council staff report, October 23, 2023, Agenda item 5b
2. Spreadsheet of recommended projects
3. Recommended projects vicinity map
4. Bond category funding table