USU given full access to 700 North
The Logan City Council voted to relinquish ownership of 700 North to Utah State during their Sept. 21 meeting. Ensuring safety on the section of that road between 800 and 1200 East will now be the university’s responsibility.
The council voted 4-1 in favor of granting the right of way to the university. Mark Nielsen, Logan Public Works director said the only member to vote against the change was concerned that the university would eventually close the street to motor vehicles.
“We had some planners years ago that proposed they (Utah State) take over Seventh North and own it and cut it off, but that never came to bear,” said USU Attorney Craig Simper.
Discussions to initiate a change came about over the concern for pedestrian safety on the street. Logan City was adamant about risk management and expressed its desire to make a change, Simper said.
Nielsen said the representatives of the university believed the crosswalks handled traffic effectively, but drivers usually expect crossings at corners.
“The city wanted to eliminate those crosswalks. There is some pressure from the residents every now and then, it can be extremely frustrating,” Nielsen said.
The university’s main concern was ensuring that students are able to get to where they need to go, Simper said. Utah State and Logan City negotiated an agreement for almost a year before the final proposal went to a vote.
Simper said the university was willing to take responsibility for safety, but it was important that maintenance and upkeep remained a city duty.
The street has always been an area of coordinated efforts, between USU and Logan City, and maintenance items caused a delay in finalizing the official language of the agreement, Nielsen said. The city agreed to continue painting, sweeping and removing snow from the street.
The four-block section of 700 North is the site of several utility lines. The City of Logan has a “utility easement” in the final agreement, which allows maintenance for things like water and power lines, Nielsen said.
“I don’t believe there is a good solution, but because it’s so heavily university-oriented, I believe this compromise is the best we could come up with,” Nielsen said.
Utah State was not actively pursuing control of the street, said Simper. In past years, plans of converting the street into a walking mall were discussed, but these plans have since been abandoned.
“There would be some serious impediments … it wouldn’t make any sense at all to cut off all of Seventh North,” Simper said.
Closing the street to traffic would hinder access to parking lots and restrict emergency vehicles such as fire trucks, ambulances and police cars, he said.
Utah State Fire Marshal Steve Bell said safety is always a concern, and closing off the street would cause logistical complications.
“The rule is, you can lose a structure within five minutes of a fire starting,” Bell said. “After that, the students wouldn’t have a school to go to … until that structure was rebuilt.”
USU Police are also prepared to adapt to any changes, Chief Steve Mecham said. In the event the road is closed, police are ready to cross sidewalks and use shortcuts to respond to an emergency.
For activities such as the recent concert or block party, the university police have meetings to discuss the event and how many officers will be on location, he said.
“We expect things to happen. We gear up and have more officers on duty,” Mecham said.
During special events that exceed 3,000 attendees, the fire department will have emergency vehicles on standby, Bell said. If the street is barricaded, fire code requires an unobstructed area at least 20 feet wide.
“I know the students want to have fun, but we need to worry about their safety,” Bell said.
In the past, the university would have to ask permission to close 700 North for events, Simper said. Under the new agreement, Utah State would still notify the city so police and fire personnel would be aware. Any closings for events would be temporary, he said.
“We want to help the city out and be good citizens,” Simper said. “We didn’t want to sacrifice safety, so we said we’d assume the safety responsibility.”
USU Police agreed, several years ago, to handle all accidents on the four-block section of street, Mecham said. Injuries are rare and are usually caused by collisions between cyclists and motor vehicles.
Mecham said a woman was severely injured a couple of years ago at 700 North and 1100 East, but no injuries have been reported this year.
“When you consider the number of people who use that street, you’d expect more,” Mecham said.
– dan.smith@aggiemail.usu.edu