No changes in back-in parking

Folks in Sisters may bless or curse back-in parking on Main Avenue, but the city won't be making any changes in the immediate future.

Responding to concerns over back-in parking voiced in the March 14 city council meeting, Mayor Brad Boyd requested that Public Works Director Paul Bertagna to determine the legal and technical issues involved if the city were to consider reversing the back-in parking requirements associated with the 2012 Main Avenue upgrade project.

Grant funding for the Main Avenue renovation project came from ODOT's Bicycle and Pedestrian Grant Program.

Bertagna reported back to the council Thursday indicating that the ODOT grant includes a clause that requires the back-in parking to remain in place for at least 24 months. The city is currently nine months into that cycle.

The city engineer also determined that reversing the striping to front-in parking would eliminate 45 of the 314 parking space due to the direction of the current bulb-outs.

Boyd indicated that there would be no further consideration given to reversing the back-in requirement until after the 24-month cycle is complete

In other council business: The award for the city's $250,000 Hood Avenue/Fir Street water line project remains stalled due to an appeal of the bid award. The city attorney is currently reviewing the appeal and is expected to make recommendations to council by

April 4.

Bertagna has expressed concerns that extended legal wrangling over the bid process will delay the project's completion into the tourist season. The project must be complete before the Cascade Avenue project work begins this August

(see www.nuggetnews.com "City's bid process draws a challenge" for details).