FERNDALE - The city has hit a bump in the road on the way to improving the west end of Main Street. A lone property owner is unwilling to negotiate the sale of a swath of lawn the city needs for the project, but that won't cause a delay, Public Works Director Janice Marlega said.
The city council at its Tuesday, Jan. 3, meeting will consider condemning 1,422 square feet of a property owned by Homer Hughes at 2353 Mountain View Road. The action would ensure that the road project starts on schedule in June, Marlega said. The city's take would not include any part of an occupied rental house on the lot.
The city council meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. at 5694 Second Ave.
If the order to condemn is approved Tuesday, that doesn't close the door on a possible sale agreement. Mayor Gary Jensen said at a public works committee meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 28, that he expected Hughes "to come around" and agree to sell the 12- to 15-foot strip of land the city would use to add sidewalks, a center turn lane and extra space for bicyclists on Main Street.
One way or another, the city must secure the property before April, Marlega said. That's when Ferndale plans to call for bids on construction of the project, which runs from Douglas Road to Church Road and has an overall cost of $4.3 million.
The city has made Hughes an offer, but he has yet to respond, Marlega said Thursday.
Hughes, who lives near Sedro-Woolley, said in a phone interview the day before that he's not haggling over price.
"It's about the public money that's going to be dumped into that (project) for no good reason," he said.
The project wasn't adequately studied, he said, and it includes unnecessary expenses such as a landscaped strip between the road and the sidewalk - a strip that will come from property owners along the project site.
Marlega said Main Street needs to be brought into compliance with current city standards. The planter strip, she said, is a response to demand in the community.
"We get requests from different groups," Marlega said. "They don't like just asphalt and concrete. They want to see some green grass and trees."
City officials say they are virtually assured of taking over the needed portion of Hughes' property through condemnation, if it comes to that. Hughes knows this but said he has no intention of selling willingly.
"I know how it's going to come out, but I'm at least going to get to say what I want to say," he said.
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