HomeMy WebLinkAboutAshton Eaton Blvd Proposal MemoDate: October 11,2012
To: Board of County Comm issioners
From: Erik Kropp, Interim County Administrator
Re: Ashton Eaton Boulevard Proposal
The City of La Pine sent a letter (attached) to the Board asking the County to take formal action
to amend its road maps to reflect the City of La Pine's action to rename the portion of Highway
97 located in the City to Ashton Eaton Boulevard.
The Board asked staff to provide input into the request in terms of how the change would impact
County operations. 1 checked with the Sheriffs Office, County Legal Counsel, Community
Development Department, the Road Department, and Deschutes County 91 I.
From conversations with the departments listed above, the operational impacts of the name
change to the County would be minimal. If the change is approved by the Oregon Department of
Transportation, staff at 911 would convert all of the impacted address points in the Master Street
Address Guide and the Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system. 911 could also discuss the
name change at a Central Oregon Fire Operations Group (COFOG) meeting which would update
the fire departments and ambulance services.
c: Sheriff Larry Blanton
Chris Doty, Public Works Director
Rob Poirier, 911 Director
Tom Anderson, COD Director
Mark Pilliod, Legal Counsel
Mayor
Ken Mulenex
Council Members
Don Greiner
Stu MartinezCITY OF LA PINE Kathy Agan
Dan Varcoe
September 8, 2012
Deschutes County Board of Commissioners
1300 Northwest Wall Street Suite 200
Bend,Oregon 97701
Tony DeBone Commission Chairperson;
Tammy Baney Commissioner, and;
Alan Unger Commissioner
Subject: Road map renaming request
Lady and Gentlemen:
The City of La pine is asking the Deschutes County Commission to consider taking a formal
action to amend its Deschutes County road maps to reflect the City of la Pine's action to
rename Highway 97 as it traverses through La Pine to Ashton Eaton Boulevard.
The La Pine City Council took action to rename this roadway after Ashton Eaton in honor of the fact
he is a world class athlete, world record holder, and Olympic Decathlon Gold Medalist and arguably the
best track and field athlete in the world today. Also the fact that Ashton grew up in La Pine, his family
lives here and he was taught and coached in the local schools.
Our effort to rename the roadway runs deeper that an effort to recognize his talents. This renaming is
also intended to honor the fact it takes a community to raise a child. Accordingly, this action honors his
mother who raised him as a single mother, his grandmother, the community's youth and their
aspirations, the many coaches and teachers of our community that provide youth counsel and
inspiration and the community itself.
The action to rename the highway running through La Pine also helps establish and solidify this young
community's identity and locational presence and noting La Pine is physically disconnected north and
south as well as east and west because of our settlement patterns, geography and a highway that
separates the community in two. Therefore, this unified naming action helps the community coalesce
both in terms of strengthening its sense of identity, while also addressing land use and transportation
connectivity issues.
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~ However, the reason we are asking the County to join us in this recognition effort has to do with health
and safety considerations: If the highway through our community is renamed after Ashton and a call
goes out for emergency service dispatch and the caller relies on the name Ashton Eaton for orientation I purposes -it is important the emergency responders know where to go and relying upon correctly
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id ntifying road maps. For example, a person calls emergency services [911] stating: "grandpa is choking I,
[ rning blue] on Ashton Eaton Boulevard -it is important the emergency responders timely attend to
h needs because they know where to go and relying accurate road maps.
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Steven as n, AICP
City Ma ger City of La Pine, Oregon
appreciate your consideration of this request.
len ex
Mayor City of La Pine, Oregon
PO Box 3055, La Pine, OR 97739 Phone #541-536-1432 Fax #541-536-1462