Portion of 2200 Ashland St. building offering 24/7 shelter will close March 31

By Morgan Rothborne, Ashland.news

After a protracted discussion over the limitations imposed on the funds, the Ashland City Council voted 5 to 1 Tuesday to decline a grant from ACCESS to continue emergency shelter operations at 2200 Ashland St.

Councilor Bob Kaplan voted in opposition to the motion, while councilors Dylan Bloom, Paula Hyatt, Jeff Dahle, Eric Hansen and Gina DuQuenne voted in favor. 

Interim City Manager Sabrina Cotta stated that $1.8 million in funding was available from ACCESS for the renovations necessary to maintain 30 beds at the 2200 Ashland St. location past the March 31 expected closure date for the shelter and into the next 10 years. 

Without significant renovations, the building could not continue as the emergency shelter because it does not meet the fire code or have enough restrooms, and is missing key amenities such as laundry and shower facilities, she said. Until the city hired an architect and obtained a design plan, it is impossible to know how many renovations the building will need, but it is known changes to ingress, egress, and possibly the height of the windows for first responder access would likely be necessary. The building also needs an improved alarm system for emergencies in addition to upgrading amenities. 

The emergency shelter offers up to 32 beds 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for people who would otherwise be homeless. It’s currently under the same roof, but separated from the periodic severe weather shelter, which offers up to 28 beds on an overnight basis when weather is extreme.

“What is the likelihood people could be inhabiting the building by the end of the biennium?” Mayor Tonya Graham asked. 

Cotta responded it could take up to 15 months to complete the process of obtaining an architect, a design and construction. 

Council was required to make a decision Tuesday evening or ACCESS would award the funds to other regional organizations. Cotta stated she had attempted to reach ACCESS that day to seek an extended timeline for response but her email went unanswered. 

“We brought it to council as quickly as we could while doing due diligence,” she said.

Acting City Attorney Doug McGeary stated communication with ACCESS, which is managing regional homelessness continuum of care issues, has been spotty, often involving brief, vague emails and offers issued with limited time to respond.

Bloom offered a motion to vote to refuse the funds and close the shelter by March 31, stating the vote was an opportunity to correct previous mistakes. 

“It is unfortunate that we find ourselves in this position — the process from the beginning was flawed,” Bloom said, referencing the purchase and establishment of the emergency shelter in August 2023. 

“We must have a comprehensive plan and support of the community before we act; at this point we have neither,” he said. 

Dahle seconded the motion and expressed disappointment in the process to purchase the building. The funds would be better used by others, he argued. 

“I’m just not comfortable spending $1.8 million on construction costs when there are organizations that know what to do, they can do it, and they’re qualified to make those decisions. I would rather give them the funds immediately to do immediate work,” he said. 

Graham stated she was proud of the city’s purchase of the 2200 Ashland St. building, despite conceding it was a less-than-perfect process, because the building solves the city’s long-term problems with its severe weather shelter. Previous to the purchase, the shelter ran on volunteer support, moved from one location to another if space could be found and was unreliable. 

“Without the building, we would be scrambling to find a place tonight to find a place to put the people who have nowhere to go in the weather happening right now,” Graham said. 

Hansen said he had personally made commitments to Ashland residents that the emergency shelter would close March 31 and intended to “make good” on his word. He also believed the city would be better served using the building to expand the severe weather shelter’s capacity. 

Kaplan argued the city should decline the funds for renovations, but press ACCESS to allow the city to use the $1.8 million that had been “earmarked” for Ashland in another way. The city could use the funds to support other means of shelter, he said, such as the pallet houses it already owns that were “sitting in the rain down the street,” he said. 

“To turn our backs on the need for shelter in our community, I don’t want to be associated with that. So I’m going to be voting no,” he said. 

In light of Kaplan’s opposition, council engaged in a lengthy session of questioning Cotta and McGeary if the city could accept the funds for an alternative use. Cotta stated the funds were only offered for renovations to support maintaining 30 beds at 2200 Ashland Street. 

Hyatt and Bloom then made a series of amended motions, including provisions to direct staff to work with ACCESS to find alternative options to support shelter, or to decline the funds only as they related to the shelter and to ensure the city did not accidentally obligate itself to accept the funds and the 10-year timeline for shelter operation. 

After an hour of debate and quibbling over the wording of the motion, council voted 1 to 5 to refuse the funds and close the shelter March 31. 

In other council business Tuesday, councilors voted unanimously to approve the Vision Zero program for safer transportation systems and a construction contract to rebuild the Alice Applegate Piel Stairway. Council voted 1 to 5 to approve a federal loan (legally termed a bond) to help fund the Water Treatment Plant project. 

To see the agenda for the Tuesday, March 5, City Council meeting (including links to staff reports), click here.

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