Ashland Emergency Management Coordinator Kelly Burns: What we learned from the Almeda Fire is that we need each other; no one gets through this alone. Ashland is better prepared today because we faced one of our worst times together. We’re not done learning or preparing, but every step towards preparing together, at any level, makes us more resilient.
Mayor Tonya Graham: We have seven unions as well as a group of city employees who are not represented by unions. That group is called the “management pool.” It includes general clerical workers, parks employees, supervisors, department heads, our city manager, and our city attorney, among others.
Although recent changes to FEMA’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities grant may have raised concerns, the project is fully funded through a long-term, low-cost federal loan. Additional grants are still being pursued.
To help maintain services in the face of rising costs, the city of Ashland relies on fees to pay for specific programs. These fees show up on your monthly utility bill. The City Council has voted to increase specific fees this year, recognizing that the programs the fees support have gotten more expensive over the years.
City Corner: It’s more important than ever to be proactive and prepared when it comes to wildfire. We’re excited to present the Better Prepared Wildfire Series, a unique opportunity to gain the skills and strategies to safeguard your home, loved ones and the community. Through workshops that will include practical tips and collaborative discussions, you’ll gain the knowledge you need to reduce wildfire risks and build resilience.
City Corner: Starting on Monday, March 31, City Manager Sabrina Cotta and Finance Director Mariane Berry will begin discussions with City Council on how to adjust service levels and revenue streams to ensure a balanced budget and fiscal sustainability in the future.
Mayor Tonya Graham: I take my green bag from the Ashland Food Project to the store and fill it with emergency food. When I get home, I rotate my stock by putting the new food in the back of the emergency supply section of my pantry like grocery stores do.
City Corner: The 2024 city of Ashland list of accomplishments highlights numerous advancements and initiatives across various departments. Following is a summary of the key achievements, including completion of the wastewater treatment plant outfall relocation and UV system upgrades.
Councilor Bob Kaplan: Our housing problem may still feel intractable, and progress is slow, but we are focused on removing obstacles and creating opportunities that weren’t on the table five years ago.
City Corner: The Homeless Services Assessment Report … evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of the current homeless response system. It identifies the most pressing needs and suggests potential opportunities for improvement.
Ashland School District plans to contract with a Eugene-based firm to “shore up” the 1948 wing of the shuttered Lincoln School building, which the city fire marshal ordered shut days before the beginning of the school year in August.
The Rogue Theater Company will bring to life Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot,” opening Thursday, Oct. 16. The production features a cast of celebrated Oregon Shakespeare Festival actors.
After having to adapt on the fly during the Almeda Fire five years ago, agencies across Jackson County now have a shared wildfire evacuation plan that spells out each group’s duties. Law enforcement leads the way In the event of a citywide wildfire evacuation, while local fire departments and the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) will focus on fighting the fire.
Jim Hatton: There is only one thing that causes unhappiness: attachment. Attachment comes when we hold on to something for fear of losing it because we believe that we can’t be happy without it.
Herbert Rothschild: Is it possible to write columns about torturing people in Guantanamo or eliminating the U.S. Agency for International Development without alienating those who are OK with such actions?
Nearly 600 people packed the Angus Bowmer Theatre in Ashland Monday for a talk by internationally recognized civil rights expert john a. powell and the launch of a new local initiative aimed at fostering collaboration.
(It’s free)
