Residents of NE 8th Avenue in Battle Ground are voicing their frustration over the removal of a long-standing road barricade, submitting a petition with over 30 signatures to city officials.
The petition, delivered on Sunday, March 22, urged the city to reconsider the decision and explore alternative solutions.
David Mullins, a resident of the neighborhood and co-organizer of the petition, expressed concern about the lack of communication from the city.
“Why would you open this dead-end street off 3rd street just to get to the stormwater, which was never on the plan,” Mullins said. “It was arbitrarily changed by an engineer in Battle Ground with no notice to us, which made it a through street. Even if they need access, you can have access, but don’t make it through the street.”
According to Mullins, the road’s opening would increase traffic and speeding through the narrow street, creating safety risks for children and pets.
“The North side of the ditch is a very narrow street,” he said. “This means the residents would only be able to park on one side. Residents on the South side would suffer increased traffic and speeding, risking the lives of children and animals.”
Residents also say they were blindsided by the city’s decision to move forward with the project, learning about the changes mid-March.
“We talked to [the] assistant director of public works,” Mullins said. “He told us that in a final engineering review, they changed it, and I said, ‘Well, why didn’t you let us know?’ Well, no answer.”
The city, however, maintains that the project has been part of long-standing development plans. Alisha Smith, Battle Ground’s Communications Manager, pointed to the Grace Meadows Subdivision plat map, which includes plans for a “35-foot temporary turnaround” where the barricade currently sits.
“This final plat was approved in January 2004,” Smith stated in an email. “In addition to providing additional entrance and exit access to the homes on the northern leg of NE 8th Avenue, this north/south connection will provide additional access for emergency service vehicles and improve the connectivity of the transportation network in this neighborhood.”
Mullins and other residents dispute the necessity of the change, particularly for storm pond access.
“The reason they told us they needed to build a road, a 12-foot-wide gravel road, was to get to a storm pond,” Mullins said. “Well, we said that’s not necessary. There are two alternatives. You can go to Clark Avenue, or you can go to 3rd Avenue and get to the storm pond.”
Shortly before press time, the city removed the barricade on NE 8th Avenue. Mullins expressed frustration with the decision and said neighbors are now reviewing the prospect of installing speed bumps to curb traffic.
“We lost ... Well, I don’t think we have any next steps other than putting in a couple of speed bumps, which we have to pay for,” Mullins said. “But the engineer said, yeah, that’s fine as long as you submit a plan and all that, go ahead, so that’s what we plan to do.”
