Elimination of dam creating swimming reservoir would open upper reaches of Ashland Creek to migratory fish

By Morgan Rothborne, Ashland.news 

The 100-year master plan for Lithia Park will need to be continually updated as conditions change, but offers a good, flexible guideline of ideals, Ashland Parks & Recreation commissioners agreed during a Wednesday evening study session. 

The master plan, approved by commissioners Oct. 9, was then subjected to a process of identifying potential plans, projects and prioritizing those actions according to a rubric developed by staff, said Parks & Recreation Commissioner Rocky Houston. For the first time since the document’s approval, commissioners discussed listed priorities Wednesday and identified a few as notable, meriting further discussion. 

Ahead of commissioner discussion, Ashland resident Larry Cooper offered public comment on recommendation 14 of the plan, the potential removal of the dam responsible for the swimming reservoir in the park. 

“I think that this proposal is an extremely important one. … I think we have a huge opportunity in Ashland to do something with Ashland creek that has needed to be done for almost 100 years, which is to take that dam out,” he said. 

A mile and a half of creek has not been available as habitat to migratory fish for a century due to the dam, with additional problems for people using the swimming area due to build up of silt that has been hindered from naturally flowing downstream. Dredging out this silt would be exorbitantly expensive. Instead, the commision could seek grant funding to support removal of the dam and creation of natural swimming pools more consistent with overall stream health, Cooper said. 

Commission Chair Jim Bachman asked Houston if the 37 recommendations listed and graphed in the included meeting materials were data-driven, staff-created project and priority recommendations. Houston confirmed this was the case. 

“These are projects that we are considering or are planning for this current and next fiscal year,” he said. 

For the fiscal biennium of 2026 and ’27, some of the projects included in the recommendations are already “folded in” to the capital improvements plan and budget for APRC, Houston said. 

Fuels reduction work with Ashland Fire & Rescue has been identified as a top priority, as well as removal and relocation of a restroom within the floodplain and nearest to the pickleball court. Improvements including greater disabled access to restrooms throughout the park are also considered of imminent importance, but may be “out a few years” and require more study before being completed, Houston said. 

APRC is seeking to hire someone to manage an overall environmental education program, as well as replacing interpretive signs to guide visitors through the park. New signs would not be numbered, lest one be knocked down by a falling tree, and would include QR codes with downloadable educational pdfs, Houston said. The city’s GIS team is also expected to be enlisted to create an updated map of the park with emphasis on identifying walking routes for disabled users. 

Greater access for disabled users at the Japanese Garden is already underway, while a parcel has been identified near the park to potentially expand accessibility for bicyclists. A project to improve and alter Winburn Way for traffic safety and accessibility is also on the horizon. 

Commissioner Rick Landt remarked that the 100-year master plan was already out of date with regard to its consideration of traffic speed due to the proliferation of electric bicycles since the plan’s creation. This form of travel combines aspects of a bicycle in its locomotion and the speed of a vehicle, complicating the need to reevaluate traffic patterns and road diet on Winburn Way. 

Landt also stated the plan stipulates an “either/or” option for increasing access for mountain bikers. The creation of a skills park at the East Main Park could fill the need for bikers. If the park becomes overwhelmed in use due to the popularity of biking, the commission could consider acquiring property adjacent to Lithia Park for that use, he said. 

Commissioner Stefani Seffinger stated mountain bike users have hoped for a safer and better way to move from higher in the watershed into the downtown area. The plan, she said, does not account for their needs as well as it could or for those of dog walkers. Seffinger stressed the old park is changing and the plan would need to remain adaptable. 

“It seems like the use of Lithia Park is changing a lot with pickleball with the inclusion of racing and beer events, stuff like that. … “To have the park there for everybody’s use. It’s been expanded for more and more uses. It’s not really a nature preserve anymore. It’s a regional park that people are using for lots of different reasons. Picnics, hiking, walking; a lot of different things,” she said. 

Commissioner Justin Adams responded that he and Landt have shared some rich conversations regarding these things, but determined to, rather than hold the plan back by adding potentially controversial and complex issues such as changing park uses, it would be better to implement the master plan as it has been created and treat it as a living flexible document with ongoing outreach to the public. 

“I think the recommendations are dynamic and as we move forward with projects or work at Lithia Park, trying to make sure we’re thinking about those recommendations or themes and integrate those operationally and into projects,” Houston said. 

Bachman agreed ongoing public input and outreach would be important and the master plan should be a dynamic document sparking dynamic conversation. 

In other commission business Wednesday, through a brief discussion, some agreement was reached surrounding bylaws for the Trails Advisory Committee. The committee’s meeting schedule needs to maintain some flexibility to ensure the frequency of meetings are not burdensome, but the committee can convene as issues related to trails arise, Landt said. 

Adams pressed that, among the wishlist of representatives for the committee — such as a hiker or runner for pedestrian needs, a bicyclist for cycling needs — that someone could represent the perspective of disabled people with either direct lived experience or by proxy, understood through a disabled loved one. 

Landt countered he could see this need filled by someone working as a landscape architect or a planner, as these types of professions come with a level of knowledge regarding access challenges, and filling a committee with enough volunteers is difficult enough without making categories too rigid. 

It was also agreed the committee should have five voting members with a voting quorum of three. Further discussion of the committee’s bylaws is anticipated at a future date, Bachman said. 

Email Ashland.news reporter Morgan Rothborne at [email protected].