By Steven Sandberg
June 24, 2011
MEDFORD, Ore. -- More than $12 million are being spent to give a jump-start to new projects in the city of Medford, but the debate continues over whether the money goes far enough.
The Medford Urban Renewal Agency approved its budget for the next year. The MURA board says it likely will never have an opportunity to invest this kind of money again. In order to make it count, they decided to compromise.
The Medford Urban Renewal Agency has had 12 and a half million dollars burning a hole in its pocket. Instead of deciding which new projects will strike it rich, MURA is giving a chunk to all 17 of them. Some of the plans include $2.8 million for parking structures, $200,000 for the Holly Theater, and $750,000 for downtown facade improvements.
The Heart of Medford Association got $50,000 for marketing downtown Medford, and says the compromise will pay off for Medford.
But not everyone's sees the payout as a form of urban renewal. Scott Henselman resigned from the MURA board in early June after disagreements over funding for projects like Hawthorne Park improvements and $100,000 for streetlights. He says those should have been taken care of by their respective departments instead of MURA funding.
MURA board members say they had to look at the big picture, and they say the current projects helps stretch the money the farthest.
The MURA board says the current funding amounts for the 17 projects could change, once the specifics for each plan are discussed and finalized by the board.