SCC eBulletin - A Third River Crossing for Salem?

January 28, 2013, Volume 45, Issue 10

A Third River Crossing

for Salem?

A Presentation in the Series

Looking Ahead:
Grassroots Ideas for Downtown Vitality, Transit and
the Future of Salem

Friday, February 8, 2013

Any serious discussion of Salem’s transportation needs must consider the Third Bridge issue, the so called SRC or Salem River Crossing. To build or not to build? That is the question, and has been for the past 40 years.

Join us Friday, February 8^th at noon when we will host a four person panel consisting of state, county and city professionals who will share their opinions and expertise about this ongoing concept. As we continue with our transportation series, the February 8 session will be reviewing the history of the SRC, the population and economic growth that continues to drive the discussion, and the 8 design alternatives currently seen as options. Adding more fuel to the debate is rush hour traffic congestion at the bridges and a perceived need for a Salem bypass to the West Valley.

Not surprisingly then, the SRC project has led to the participation of multiple governmental agencies, many public figures, and the Salem City Council. Please join us on February 8, as the 40-year debate continues.

Our guest panelists:

Scott Bassett is the Performance Measurement Manager for the Oregon Department of Transportation. The views expressed at the Salem City Club are his personal opinions as a member of the No 3^rd Bridge community group. Prior to working at ODOT, Scott was a Budget and Management Analyst for the Oregon Executive Department and a commercial real estate broker for Coldwell Banker. He has an undergraduate degree from the University of Oregon, where he was Student Body President, and an MBA from Willamette University. Scott is a native Oregonian who has lived in Salem for 32 years where he and his wife Janet raised twin sons who are now grown. Scott served on the Friends of Silver Falls State Park Board and has been active in efforts to protect Fairmount Park and Minto-Brown Island Park.

Dan Clem is now in his third term on the Salem City Council, with

membership on a number of transportation committees, including a lead role in the Salem River Crossing project. His other priorities as councilor include jobs and economic development. He also serves as instructor of business and marketing at Chemeketa Community College and is the Marketing/Business Manager for Evolution Paving Resources, a private firm marketing environmentally-preferred pavement surfaces.
He has held previous positions as: Director, Oregon Dept. of Aviation; State Fleet Manager; State Contracts and Procurement Manager; Administrator of the House Commerce/Smart Growth Committee; Corps of Engineers Officer and Enlisted, U.S. Army for 19 years.
Dan has served and serves on numerous community boards including, but not limited to the Governor's Task Force and Greenhouse Gas Emissions, and as Chair of the Salem-Keizer Area Transportation Committee (SKATS). Currently he serves on: the Mid-Willamette Valley Area Commission for Transportation; the Oversight Team for the Salem River Crossing; and as Co-Chair, Community-Transit Task Force. Mr. Clem has a Masters in Business Administration from OSU and a B.S. in Management and Communications from Concordia University. He also attended the U.S. Army Command General Staff College.

Mike Jaffe has been a transportation planner with the Mid-Willamette Valley Council of Governments since 1993. His background includes coordination of population and employment forecasts; land use scenarios; travel demand modeling and forecasts; work on the Bridgehead Engineering Study and the Salem River Crossing Study; bicycle, pedestrian and transit projects; and Greenhouse Gas policy. His current position is Program Manager for the Salem-Keizer Area Transportation Study. Mike has lived in West Salem since 1995.

Julie Warncke is the Transportation Planning Manager in the Public Works Department at the City of Salem. Julie has been with the City for 10 years. Julie previously worked for the Oregon Department of Transportation and the Lane Council of Governments. She holds a Masters in Environmental Studies and Public Administration from the University of Oregon. Before moving to Oregon for graduate work, Julie worked for the National Security Agency in Maryland and earned a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Arizona in Russian and Soviet Studies. Julie has served as the City’s project manager for the Salem River Crossing since 2006. The Salem River Crossing project is a joint project between the City of Salem and the Oregon Department of Transportation. The Federal Highway Administration is the lead federal agency developing the Environmental Impact Statement for this project.

Please join us Friday, February 8, 2013, at Willamette Heritage Center at the Mill in the Dye House, as we continue our series, Looking Ahead: Grassroots Ideas for Downtown Vitality, Transit and the Future of Salem. Our guest panel will discuss: A Third River Crossing for Salem? For lunch reservations email rsvp@salemcityclub.com before noon Wednesday, February 6, 2013. Parking is free. Doors open at 11:30 AM. For more information on this program please go to www.salemcityclub.com.