Plans for homeless services, affordable housing, public art projects and more made progress

By Morgan Rothborne, Ashland.news 

At the final Ashland City Council study session of the year Monday evening, the city’s many committees and commissions shared their recent accomplishments and plans for the coming new year as part of an annual review. 

The Social Equity and Racial Justice Committee could report a success a long time in the making in the form of the city’s recent Diversity, Equity and Inclusion evaluation and report, said outgoing Committee Chair Emily Simon. First discussed and planned in 2022, the committee hopes to ensure the plan is implemented and followed for metrics of success in the coming year. 

The committee also intends to table at events and be more proactive in promoting awareness of events related to its mission in the coming year, said co-chair Tara Houston. Simon said efforts to send members of SERJ into other city committees to ensure their work has an available equity lens will also be coming to fruition in the new year. 

The Housing & Human Services Advisory Committee has seen a busy year and will likely step into more of the same next year, said Chair Echo Fields. 

The committee oversaw the creation of the hefty Homelessness Services Master Plan, awarded grant monies to social services organizations after hearing presentations, took on a student member from Southern Oregon University and has been working with the Sunstone Housing Collaborative in the new nonprofit’s effort to create more affordable housing. In the coming year, Fields said she looked forward to seeing what could happen with land banked by the city in the Beach Creek Subdivision. 

“Figuring out how to get shovels in dirt is the great challenge of course with affordable housing,” Fields said. 

The committee will soon be planning a summit for housing insecurity resources, keeping an eye on the ongoing planning for the 2200 Ashland St. property and hearing requests for proposals related to the city’s banked land. 

The Public Arts Advisory Committee saw some colorful successes in 2024 with the painting of Oregon Department of Transportation boxes and crosswalks, said Chair Cassie Preskenis. 

The committee has also enjoyed the viewpoint of their SOU student member as they have planned and discussed projects this year. The committee continues efforts to support the proposed installation “Crystalizing Our Call,” and a mural project “Where the Crow Lights.” The committee also oversaw the ongoing installation of bronze medallions for the Playwright’s Walk project which the committee hopes to expand to 100 medallions in time for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s 100th anniversary. The coming season will be OSF’s 90th, according to its website. 

A recent repetition of vandalism at the “Say Their Names” T-shirt memorial prompted a discussion of some permanent city installation to mark the site of the memorial, Preskenis said. Mayor Tonya Graham asked what kind of installation the committee had in mind and Preskenis responded these discussions were as yet extremely preliminary. 

Dale Shostrom said as a member of the Historic Preservation Advisory Committee for the preceding 26 years he has seen some changes. Notably, the emphasis on promoting housing density seems to mean more accessory dwelling units are moving through planning, design and construction without passing through the Historic Preservation Advisory Committee. The city has also rolled back funding to the committee to such a state of slim support that committee members are largely focused on education through pamphlets. Shostrum requested additional funding for the committee. 

The Climate and Environmental Policy Advisory Committee has made inroads with policy related to continued development of the city’s electrification ordinance for new construction, said Mark Morrison, a CEPAC member appearing in place of the chair. 

The committee has also oversaw a discussion around a possible phasing out of small gas engines on gardening tools such as leaf blowers. In the coming year the committee hopes to work on waste reduction such as composting efforts in addition to continuing ongoing outreach and policy work. 

The Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) assisted in making the city’s transportation infrastructure better accommodate bicycles with new bike lanes and bike boxes, a citywide assessment of availability of bike racks and an associated dedicated street sweeper nicknamed “the mini zamboni,” said Chair Linda Adams 

TAC also held public hearing on the final design of the North Mountain Avenue rehabilitation project, a review and recommendations for Climate Friendly Communities, obtained a grant to assist Rogue Valley Transportation Department in expanding the hours and range of bus Route 17 and a review and recommendations of a type 3 planning action better known as the ongoing work at the Croman Mills site, Adams said. 

In the coming year the committee will assist in the city’s transportation system plan update and consider e-bike safety, she said.

The city’s two commissions — the Planning Commission and the Parks & Recreation Commission — function slightly differently than committees but would close out the evening of presentations, said City Manager Sabrina Cotta. 

The Planning Commission conducted a number of public hearing and assisted in various items coming before council throughout the year in its work alongside the city’s Community Development Department, said Chair Lisa Verner. 

The commission reviewed the Climate Friendly Communities plans and will review annexations proposed for the coming year along with additional planning actions. Councilor Paula Hyatt said, as liaison to this commission, it is difficult to put their work into a list as this commission is committed to large volumes of reading, research and site visits. 

Parks & Recreation Director Rocky Houston said the Ashland Parks & Recreation Commission has expanded and seen a fuller bounce back from pandemic lulls over the previous year. 

In a slideshow, Houston pointed to six new hires — including himself, a new janitorial team and a new golf program manager. The Oak Knoll Golf Course is intended to continue climbing back from the impacts of a drought two years ago while the new chiller for the ice rink will likely be “early for next year.” Other divisions of APRC such as the Senior Center have seen a dramatic increase in user engagement and revenue. 

Councilor Dylan Bloom said it doesn’t take long to recognize that in Ashland and the wider Rogue Valley opportunities for things to do for families and young people are limited. He asked what could APRC do to amend this? 

Houston responded that upcoming planning efforts in the new year would hopefully result in enough community input to create “a whole life cycle of recreational activities.”

Many of the city’s committees and commissions have vacancies and, Graham noted, are particularly eager to take on students. To learn more about how to volunteer time as a committee member, visit the city’s page. 

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