Recently, the city of Pendleton closed the staircase at SW 13th Street and replaced it with a gravel path that is meant to be temporary. While the path functions as designed, the city did not install a handrail or a lighting system. This decision has caused some discussion among the citizens of Pendleton so on December 16th 2016 I sat down and talked with Bob Patterson, Director of Public Works for the city of Pendleton.
The first thing that Mr. Patterson stressed to me was that the new walkway between SW 12th Street and SW 13th Street is not currently a replacement for the now closed stairway on SW 13th Street. It is merely an alternative route for foot-traffic until funding is procured for replacement or repairs on the aging staircase. The staircase is currently closed, and pedestrians are technically trespassing if they continue to use the staircase. The city is not liable for any injuries on the staircase, since anyone injured on them is trespassing in the first place.
Mr. Patterson could not locate records pertaining to the age of the staircase. He says that the staircase was likely built at the same time that Hawthorne School (now Pendleton Early Learning Center) was built, in 1905.
Being that the staircase is quite old whether it was built in 1905 or not, it would stand to reason that inspections would be a high priority for the city. When asked, Mr. Patterson replied that the stairs had only been inspected “a couple” of times during his time with Pendleton Public Works. He said that there has not been a lot of activity to inspect the stairs, and that the tread-plates are about a decade old.
To put things into perspective, Mr. Patterson explained that the estimated cost to replace the SW 13th Street Staircase is $210,000. To repave a city block it costs about $80,000. Pendleton citizens have been complaining about the quality of their streets for years, so spending enough money to repave 2.6 city blocks which will be used by many more people than the stairs ever will be is simply out of the question. Pendleton Public Works is currently looking at grants and other sources of funding to lessen the impact on voters.
With the budget deficiencies we are currently experiencing in Pendleton, I had to ask if the new alternative route is a viable replacement for the stairs. Mr. Patterson explained that the City Council will weigh that option in due time, but as of right now alternate funding sources are being explored that could be used to rebuild the stairs. The cost of the alternative walkway is not currently known, but basic costs were covered by in-house resources.