The La Center School District Board of Directors recently approved an interlocal agreement with the city that will mark a pivotal step in improving local transportation infrastructure.
In a June 11 special meeting, the board unanimously voted to allow the city to expand a stormwater pond located on La Center Elementary School grounds. The upgraded pond will mitigate increased stormwater expected from Fourth Street, north of the school, which will undergo widening construction next year.
The road is the only point of access for the elementary school and connects La Center’s east region to its downtown area. From East Stonecreek Drive to East Ive Avenue, the project will include the construction of 7-foot-wide sidewalks and buffered bike lanes for easier pedestrian access. Fourth Street currently has no sidewalks on its north side and no dedicated bike lanes. Superintendent Peter Rosenkranz said the road enhancements will make traveling to and from school safer.
“The Fourth Street widening would allow for better pedestrian bike and traffic… and they’re adding additional signage for school zones,” Rosenkranz said.
The city is required to ensure stormwater capacity for the widened road under state law. Years before the current proposal, the city suggested building a new stormwater retention pond on the campus’s southwest corner of the East Fourth Street and East Ivy Avenue intersection. Because the plan would require building in the site’s softball field, the city and school district renegotiated the recently approved proposal.
“One [benefit] is that we can retain the use of our fields for school and community events,” Rosenkranz said.
La Center’s Fourth Street Widening Project to build a sidewalk and bike lanes is now set to begin in 2025. On June 11, La Center School District’s Board of Directors unanimously approved an interlocal agreement with the city. Under the agreement, contractors working for the city will expand La Center Elementary School’s stormwater retention pond to accommodate water for its fourth street widening project.
Before the road widening project commences, the will construct a four-way traffic signal at the intersection of East Fourth Street and East Ivy Avenue / Northeast Highland Avenue. Construction will begin later this year and will be completed in early 2025 in time for the road widening project.
“Another benefit is to have Fourth and Ivy be a safer interchange for pedestrians, cars and buses,” Rosenkranz said. “... At that specific intersection, we’ll get crossing lights for pedestrians.”
The Fourth Street widening project will begin in early 2025 and is expected to last two years. The Breeze Creek culvert underneath Fourth Street and east of the elementary school will be replaced with a bridge during the widening project. This would allow for salmon to pass through the creek safely. The improvements are projected to cost $13 million, and city staff will seek state and federal grants before groundbreaking. The East Fourth Street and East Ivy Avenue / Northeast Highland Avenue intersection will cost $1 million, with over $950,000 funded primarily through federal grants.
