Split votes add additional ELEA along Ashland Street, opt for cheaper, quicker fix at historic structure on Winburn Way

By Morgan Rothborne, Ashland.news

Repeat offenders can be banned from a second area in Ashland after the City Council on a 5-1 vote Tuesday approved the second reading of an ordinance establishing an Enhanced Law Enforcement Area on the south side of town along Ashland Street. A long-established such zone in the downtown area has proven effective in limiting problems with repeat offenders, according to city law enforcement authorities. 

Councilor Bob Kaplan voted against the second reading as he had against the first, while Councilors Gina DuQuenne, Paula Hyatt, Eric Hansen, Dylan Bloom and Jeff Dahle again all voted in favor. 

Kaplan said good policy comes from good analysis of the right data, but did not believe enough data had been presented during the first reading of the ordinance. 

“I hear folk’s concerns, I don’t condone the behaviors, but I’m not convinced that establishing an expulsion zone will solve the problem. I have asked for better data repeatedly and I hope there will be regular reports of complaints in ELEA and track whether or not measures are working,” he said. 

The second reading was slightly modified by Deputy City Attorney Carmel Zahran to specify each ELEA operates independently and that traveling through the ELEA is permitted for expelled persons. The full amended ordinance was made available with the city staff report.

Committee gives Community Center recommendation

Ashland’s historic Community Center could reopen as soon as the spring of 2025 after council voted 5-1 to approve an advisory committee’s recommendations to proceed with the original plan with minor modifications. 

The renovations will include replacing door hardware to be in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act while retaining the original doors. Some foundation piers will be replaced while the water proofing will also be improved around the foundation access area, according to an Management Advisory Committee’s recommendations as presented by Public Works Director Scott Fleury. 

That work should cost about another $980,000.

A second option considered included bringing the building’s walls and floor fully into plumb with one another and large scale restoration at a cost of about $1.5 million.

Option three would have been to demolish the building and build new at a cost of about $1.9 million.

Councilor Eric Hansen asked Fleury to remind them what staff’s recommendation had been prior to the MAC’s recommendations. Fleury said staff recommended option three because the resulting building would be in line with seismic code, more energy efficient and could be purpose-built to better accommodate recreational uses. 

“It was a meeting hall that’s been converted to a recreation space. …. From a recreational usage, you can only have one user in that facility whereas if you were to design a new facility you could probably have a couple of users in that building at the same time,” he said. 

Hansen said he would have preferred option three as the best investment for the future and he alone voted against a motion to follow the MAC’s recommendations. 

Parks & Recreation Commission to become Parks & Recreation Department

In other council business Tuesday, council unanimously voted on the first reading of an ordinance to create a Parks & Recreation Department. Acting City Attorney Doug McGeary said the ordinance was intended to stay true to the charter and be clear to all parties, particularly for positions such as the parks director. 

“The commission is, if you will, the navigator of a ship, the director is really the captain, and the city manager is the chief engineer … This ordinance is designed to prevent more than one person taking hold of the steering wheel and trying to direct the ship according to their own particular ideas and what they want to do,” McGeary said. 

Parks Commissioner Rick Landt and newly reelected Commissioner Mike Gardiner both spoke in public comment with appreciation for the ordinance’s intent but misgivings about its implementation. 

Landt requested an alteration in the language he said could lead to confusion in the event of considering termination of the director and potentially require the commission to hold a public meeting for such a conversation. Mayor Tonya Graham asked to alter wording ahead of the vote and reminded everyone parks commissioners will consider the ordinance at their first meeting in the new year. Both suggested changes were included in the ordinance’s final language.

New fire truck

Council also unanimously voted to approve a request to go into a contract for a new fire truck. Fire Marshal Mark Shay explained the city’s current ladder trucks are too short to reach the tallest buildings in town, including buildings such as some dormitory buildings at Southern Oregon University and some buildings near the Plaza. 

The new ladder truck will enable Ashland Fire & Rescue to fight fire or perform rescues up to three and four stories without calling on the Medford Fire Department for aid — a 17-minute wait in the best of circumstances — but the truck will not be ready for five years and the cost will be spread over the next two budget bienniums. City Manager Sabrina Cotta explained this kind of long forethought for procurement of equipment is becoming normal for municipalities as supply chain problems persist. 

Kind words for departing councilor

Mayor Graham asked that a motion be put on the floor to legally allow the meeting to continue past its mandated stop time to allow time to honor the exit of Council Chair Paula Hyatt at what was her final meeting as councilor. As Councilor Dylan Bloom expressed gratitude, Councilor Eric Hansen ducked into a hallway and reappeared with a bouquet of flowers. 

“I can only hope to be as good a councilor and servant to this community as she has been,” Bloom said. 

Councilor Jeff Dahle said he would express the bulk of his sentiments in a private card but publicly he could agree with Bloom. 

‘You’ve been my north star, you’ve been my mentor. … You’ve just guided me through with your grace and your patience,” he said. 

Councilors Kaplan and Gina DuQuenne expressed gratitude for Hyatt’s ability to be concise and help the group come to consensus, while Graham said she always appreciated Hyatt’s focus on championing “our little ones.” Hansen expressed it was an “honor” to work with Hyatt as two members of the 2200 Ashland St. Ad Hoc Committee took the microphone. 

Debbie Niesewander said Hyatt “had a good head on her,” while Jan Calvin said Hyatt was “exemplary in bringing brain and heart together.” 

Hyatt began service to the city of Ashland as a member of the budget committee in 2016. She ran for and was elected to a council seat in 2020. Hyatt had also served as a member of the ​​Economic, Cultural, Tourism, and Sustainability (ECTS) Grants Committee and as a Neighborhood Coordinator for the Ashland Food Project, according to a campaign website.

Who you going to call? SeeClickFix

A new online reporting feature was also presented by Lea Richards, the city’s GIS manager. Minor problems such as graffiti, potholes or problems on trails in city parks can all be reported in the new SeeClickFix feature on the city’s website or through the app store. The city of Ashland can be located in the “generic” Seeclick fix app, Richards said, while the tool is also accessible on the city’s website. 

Finance Director Marianne Berry also presented the city’s annual audit, which showed no deficiencies and a clean report. The full report was made available with meeting materials. 

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