Rathdrum Studies Paving East Main Committee Will Work On Mcdonald’S Project
When McDonald’s comes to town, it will be at the end of a 2,000-foot gravel road - for now, at least.
City Council members Tuesday night approved forming a committee to research paving East Main Street, making it safer for local school children.
The committee was formed as a result of city staff’s recent approval of Rathdrum’s first McDonald’s. The approval has met with residents’ apprehension because staff said the fast-food restaurant could be built between a traffic and pedestrian nightmare - railroad tracks, three schools and two state highways.
Local parents gathered 63 signatures last week, citing potential safety hazards in the area. City officials hope paving East Main Street and adding sidewalks will help ease some safety worries.
“McDonald’s was the catalyst because there was nothing down there,” said public works director Bob Lloyd, who presented the idea of forming the committee to the council.
In addition, council member Bill Swaghoven announced his plans to get rid of the 1995 ordinance that allowed city staff - not council members or planning and zoning commissioners - to approve McDonald’s site plan. He wants to bring the issue up with the City Council next month.
“Issues we had in 1995, they don’t work anymore,” Swaghoven said. Last week, Swaghoven said he was swamped with phone calls from concerned residents. People weren’t opposed to McDonald’s, but they were concerned about safety problems. More than two or three staff members need to make those future decisions for the community, he said.
“Everyone wants to build around the schools, let’s face it,” Swaghoven said.
The committee formed by the council Tuesday night will be comprised of the area’s four surrounding property owners - the Lakeland School District, Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway, McDonald’s and another private property owner. A representative from the city will also be included.
Councilman Mark Worthen said residents should also be included.
“Everyone’s going to be affected, and I think everyone needs to work together,” Worthen said.
Once established, the group will determine how to pay for paving the street, which would cost an estimated $300,000, Lloyd said. The effort would include new sidewalks and curbs, and improvements to nearby Washington Street.
Getting the job done and paid for will be a difficult process because BSNF has no incentive to pave the street and the school district has no money to contribute, Lloyd said.
Committee members will look at other ways to pay for the street, including federal grants.
Main Street needs to be a wider, quality street, because school buses eventually will travel there, Lloyd said.
The city also will consider extending East Main Street in the future, Lloyd said.
Although an attorney for McDonald’s has said the company will participate in the paving, it has made no written commitment to the city.
Last week, Jerry Kisselring, assistant construction manager for McDonald’s, said the company has no plans to pay for additional sidewalks or curbs.
This sidebar appeared with the story: ZONING Recycling business
In other business, council members voted to look at litigating a possible violation of a zoning ordinance. The city filed a suit against James McGovern’s recycling business several years ago. But the suit was thrown out last year when the area was cleaned.
City Attorney Rollie Watson said McGovern has violated a city zoning ordinance again by locating his business in an area zoned residential.
Charlie Dodson, McGovern’s attorney, said the property falls under a grandfather clause that excuses him from the ordinance.
“You’ve had your day in court,” Dodson said. “You don’t have the jurisdiction to say `No Jim, you can’t do that, no Jim, you have to clean it up.’ ”
Watson said he hasn’t decided if he will file a criminal or a civil suit against McGovern yet.
“There’s new uses going on there,” Watson said. “We need to pursue some way to stop those … from our perspective it’s been pretty much a junk yard.”