Juniper Drive to be temporarily closed

MOSES LAKE — It is more likely the Moses Lake council will make a decision in August whether to vacate a portion of Juniper Drive.

The Moses Lake Clinic requested the vacation to expand their facilities across the street.

Council chose to conduct an informal traffic study involving a one-week traffic count with the roadway open, a three-week temporary closure of the drive with a traffic count and an additional one-week traffic count after the roadway is reopened. Traffic counts will be conducted throughout the five weeks and include surveying Juniper Drive and eight other surrounding roadways.

The traffic counts began Monday.

Once the traffic counts are completed, council will decide if the closure is acceptable and will see if other roadways need improvement regardless of closing Juniper Drive.

Citizen William Bishop was the lone voice during the public comment period. He is against the vacation.

He suggested building a high-rise walkway over the street from the clinic to the area where they want to expand. He said people who live on Juniper Drive might begin to sell their houses if the drive is vacated.

Councilmember James Liebrecht said he didn't understand why the traffic count and closure is being conducted because citizens don't want the vacation to go through.

"The testimony we had from the people in that area said 'no,'" he said.

"I believe at the study session there was a mixed opinion," councilmember Bill Ecret said. "There was a considerable number of people on both sides."

Liebrecht said the people who were in favor of the vacation had a conflict of interest because they had an affiliation with the clinic.

City Attorney Jim Whitaker said it is not a conflict of interest.

Ecret said the people who work at the clinic are citizens of Moses Lake too and their input counts.

At the study session and previous council meetings, numerous citizens attended and spoke in favor of the vacation who had no affiliation with the clinic. Those in favor consisted of people living on Juniper Drive and the surrounding roadways.

They insisted on the vacation citing reasons such as the clinic needing to expand to serve the community better and some said the closure would slow traffic and result in fewer accidents in the Juniper Drive area making it safer.

Councilmember Richard Pearce said the traffic counts and closure are necessary for council to make an informed decision and to help citizens decide if the vacation acceptable.

Councilmember Dick Deane said if the counts are not conducted there are no facts to make a decision with and the decision would be limited to public comment and opinion.