During 2021, the Baker City Council voted to repave the west end of Indiana Avenue. At this meeting it was agreed that no money had been budgeted that year, but money would be budgeted in 2022, which was then done. This year, 2022, with several new members, they reversed the prior city council’s decision and voted to not pave this section. Here are the facts, and I challenge anyone to dispute them.

Several years ago a trench was dug and a pipeline laid on this section of Indiana Avenue. At that time the road was paved and a picture of it had been provided to the 2021 council after a special committee had been formed to study the problem, and the chairman of this committee who had previously worked for the city stated it had never been paved! Instead of the city paving over the trench, the whole road was plowed up and turned into a dusty gravel road and when it rains or snows it gets muddy and tracks into driveways and garages. This in turn devalues our homes and properties.

There is a lot of traffic on this road including UPS, Federal Express, cable companies, and Baker City water works and local homeowners. I find it hard to comprehend how one city council through majority vote can vote to pave and the next one cancels the funding for it which had been budgeted, especially after they probably weren’t aware of the actual facts. The local homeowners were never given the courtesy or contacted for input and weren’t even aware of the reversal until Aug. 23. This is a very poor way to run the city!

If each of the city council members lived on a paved street and one day the city turns it into a gravel road with dust and mud I would imagine they would be as upset as the homeowners are in this area of Indiana Avenue. The current city council should restore the funds and get it paved!

Gary McManus

Baker City

Chairman, Sally’s Addition homeowners association