MOLALLA CURRENT NEWSLETTER

October 2025

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Hello Molalla,

Thank you for taking an interest in your community! The Molalla Current Newsletter pairs with the Molalla Current engagement platform to keep you informed, solicit your input on community initiatives, and answer your questions about the goings-on in Molalla.

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NEWS (Monthly Newsletter)
ALERTS (City Emergency Alerts)
EVENTS (Monthly Calendar)
JOBS (City Job Openings)
NOTICE (Public Notices)
TRAFFIC (Traffic Impacts for Public Projects)

Sincerely,

The Molalla Current Project Team

CITY MEETINGS

Planning Commission:

Wednesday, October 15, 2025 at 6:30pm
- ***rescheduled from October 1, 2025***

OPEN POSITION on the Planning Commission!!

For more information click the image on the left.

To apply, recorder@cityofmolalla.com

City Council:

Wednesday, October 8, 2025 at 7:00pm
Wednesday, October 22, 2025 at 7:00pm

City Council and Planning Commission meetings are held at:
Molalla Civic Center - 315 Kennel Avenue.

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Can't make a meeting in person? Livestream meetings by clicking here, or watch past meetings on YouTube.

You can also view the meetings here.

Beautification and Culture CPC (Community Program Committee):

Monday, October 20, 2025 at 5:30pm
City Hall Conference Room, 117 N. Molalla Avenue

Beautification and Culture CPC meetings are held the 3rd Monday of every month.

PARKS

We’re excited to announce the grand opening of Chief Yelkus Park! Join us as we celebrate this beautiful new community space with friends, neighbors, and family. The event will feature a Grand Opening ceremony, fun activities for all ages, and the first opportunity to explore the park’s new amenities.

Come be part of this special day as we honor Chief Yelkus and create lasting memories together. Everyone is welcome—we can’t wait to see you there!

CHIEF YELKUS PARK

300 MOLALLA FOREST ROAD.

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT & PLANNING

Street Surfacing Update

By the time this report goes out, the City’s paving contractor should be close to completing all paving projects for this fiscal year, and the City’s crack and slurry seal contractor should be about half way through their work for the year. The City’s surfacing program will continue each year and provide as much surfacing as the budget allows. The City is spending nearly $1.5 million on surfacing this fiscal year, but will not be able to sustain anything close to this level of expenditure under current revenue conditions. If you agree that Molalla’s streets are in need of substantial investment in surfacing, you are encouraged to visit the Molalla Current’s Street Surfacing Program – Funding page to learn about potential revenue enhancement options, ask questions, leave comments, and see how similarly situated communities fund their street surfacing programs.

N Molalla Ave. & Frances St. Crosswalk Update

Construction on this project is set to get underway this month on October 6^th! This project was delayed due to several issues with right of way (ROW) ownership and non-compliant end points for the previous crosswalk. The engineering section worked diligently with the neighbors in the area, who were very gracious in negotiating proper ROW dedications and other adjustments to their frontage for the benefit of the greater Molalla Community. This crossing will now be legally compliant, and enhanced with a pedestrian beacon to help ensure the safety of school children and others crossing N Molalla Ave in this area.

WATER TREATMENT PLANT

PROJECT UPDATES

Water Intake Project. The City Council recently adopted the pre-design report for the new Molalla River Water Intake structure. The project is now moving into the design phase with City Staff set to present to potential funders at Business Oregon on October 3^rd!
PFAS Mitigation Study. The PFAS mitigation study continues to progress and is funded by a grant from Business Oregon. Though the City has only ever had one positive test for one PFAS chemical at 11 parts per billion, this result made us eligible for this mitigation study grant. The study is being conducted by Tetra Tech, who is also the design engineer for the City’s new intake system, and will provide a set of projects and considerations for mitigating future PFAS contamination if it becomes present.
ASR Feasibility Study. The Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) Feasibility study is set to kick off in mid-October and is funded by two grants from Oregon Water Resources Department and Business Oregon. In summary, this project will analyze several wellheads to determine whether an ASR is feasible and what some potential design options might be to accomplish this. At its core though, this project is aimed to identify and establish a secondary source option for the City of Molalla to create resiliency in our water system. ASR’s are also beneficial to the replenishment of groundwater, especially in high agriculture areas where groundwater has been used for irrigation.

WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT

PROJECT UPDATE

The Wastewater Treatment Plant project continues to progress on time and on budget. For those who aren’t familiar with this project, the City is replacing its existing facultative lagoon treatment process with a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) due to Molalla’s facultative lagoons nearing their full capacity to treat wastewater. This project will provide the City with enough treatment capacity for the next 20 years and is modular in nature, additional chambers can be added as needed without having to overhaul the entire treatment process and works. The image (above) shows the miles of rebar that go into an SBR wall and the new floor being poured in the biosolids processing area (below).

WE'RE HIRING

Patrol Officer

New Police Station Update

Construction of the new Police Department is continuing as expected - on time and under budget! The sidewalk and entry paths have been poured. Landscaping area's are being prepared for vegetation and boulders are in place. We are awaiting the placement of a special art project. Drive by and look at the changes, they are happening fast! Please remember to watch for workers and do not enter the site.