The Salem City Council will vote on whether to remove and replace the Salem-Keizer “Working Together” monument — a brick wall on the city’s border that has crumbled from multiple collisions involving drunk drivers.
The sign at the Stark Street N-Broadway Street NE-River Road N intersection was built in 1993 in collaboration with private individuals and Salem and Keizer city leaders.
It quickly became known as a magnet for drunk drivers and was hit at least eight times. The damage from the most recent crashes has yet to be repaired.
Current repairs are estimated to cost $39,510. Past repairs have cost tens of thousands of dollars.
Salem officials said repairs to the sign have become “cumbersome.”
The City Council will vote on whether to remove the brick structure and replace it with a welcome sign that is easier to repair.
“Since construction, the access road has spent considerable time in a state of disrepair, rather than serving as a welcome amenity to the community,” city staff said in a report to council. “Removal of the circular brick structure and replacement with conventional welcome signs on the access road will ensure lower replacement costs if the area is again affected by motor vehicles in the future.”
They said staff will also consider sidewalk markings such as lane arrows and additional signage.
City leaders said Keizer officials support the proposal to replace the brick structure. The final design of the board will be discussed with Keizer before the choice.
Other Salem City Council agenda items
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A vote on whether to request $20 million in funding from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grant Program to create a resiliency hub network and improve energy efficiency for low-income households improvements, including offering portable heat pumps.
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A vote on appointments to the Citizens’ Budget Committee.
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A motion by Councilor Virginia Stapleton on directing staff to prepare a report on creating a business licensing requirement in the city.
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A quarterly informative report on economic development.
How to Join the Salem City Council Meeting
The meeting is at 6:00 PM. The meeting will be held in person at the Salem Civic Center City Council Chambers, 555 Liberty St. SE, and can be viewed on Comcast Cable CCTV Channel 21 or on the Salem YouTube channel in English/American sign. Language and Spanish.
Anyone who would like to provide personal comments can register for the schedules at the room entrance before the start of the meeting.
Written public comments on agenda items can be emailed to cityrecorder@cityofsalem.net by Monday at 5 p.m. Or pre-register Monday between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. at cityofsalem.net/Pages/Public-Comment-at-Salem-City-Council-Meeting.aspx to speak during the meeting via Zoom.
Statesman Journal reporter Capi Lynn contributed to this report.
For questions, comments and news tips, email reporter Whitney Woodworth at wmwoodworth@statesmanjournal.com, call 503-910-6616 or follow @wmwoodworth
This article originally appeared in the Salem Statesman Journal: Salem-Keizer ‘Working Together’ sign could be replaced
