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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Our View: New tool saves lives ... Zipcar rolls onto SOU campus ... DEQ warns Mountain View Paving to cease operations ... Our View: New tool saves lives ... Zipcar rolls onto SOU campus ... DEQ warns Mountain View Paving to cease operations ... COUNCIL CORNER Council Corner: Ashland deserves respect, not a just a rest stop Comment DailyTidings.com Writer Posted Apr. 14, 2015 at 12:01 AM Posted Apr. 14, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News For the past six years, I have been dealing with the issue of the proposed welcome center, and the community has made its concerns very clear. As a council, even those supporting the project have voiced concerns and requested that they be addressed before moving ahead. Let me first explain why I oppose this project. The logic at the beginning was that travelers entering Oregon would see the beautiful welcome center and stop to rest and then discover all the attractions available. However, a lot has changed in 15 years. Almost nobody writes a check anymore, the Red Sox finally won a World Series, millions of people have over 1,000 “friends” they have never met, America has fought two wars, cars can park themselves and we will soon be able to use a wrist watch to make calls, send e-mails and watch our favorite cat videos on You Tube. What has also changed is that almost no one who ventures out on a road trip uses a paper map or knows exactly where their destination is and where the best restaurants are nearby. It seems pretty obvious that a “Welcome Center” that will actually draw people to cities is as obsolete as using a flip phone. Nevertheless, we have been unable to stop the state from pushing forward on this multi-million dollar idea. But this is about much more than a tourist-oriented welcome center. This is also about a rest area. In their testimony this year, Oregon Department of Transportation officials were unambiguous about the directive the federal government has given them, to build a rest stop at that location or risk losing federal highway funds. This is what appears to be the driving force behind pushing such an unpopular project. As a result, Ashland must be sacrificed. What must also be remembered is that this proposed rest area is different than any other that I am aware of. It is located near a large, established neighborhood in Ashland, making those residents vulnerable to all the problems rest areas are known to attract. Additionally, any dollars that would have been captured by our businesses on the south end by travelers looking to make a quick pit-stop will be lost by those using the welcome center/rest area instead. The City Council has made several requests and offered solutions to make the situation a bit more palatable for Ashland. Several of these have been made at our meetings many times over the past six years, without a hint of disapproval or objection from ODOT or Travel Oregon. Yet, in response to the council's proposed conditions, the state's answer was a clear no. Not much of a negotiation. The state's clear message: Now that they have water from Ashland, they will simply roll ahead, with no accommodations for Ashland, despite what our community will sacrifice. Instead we are told our request to at least highlight Ashland’s tourist options goes against standing policies of Travel Oregon and will not happen. Nor will Travel Oregon use Ashland volunteers to staff the site. In fact, Travel Oregon will make no commitments for hours the site will be staffed. Additionally, ODOT rejected adding a sprinkler system that costs less than the median price of one of the nearby homes destroyed by a man-made fire. In other words, even though Ashland is giving away a great deal of livability, safety and economy, ODOT and Travel Oregon will give us nothing except a multi-million dollar rest area that no Ashlander will ever use. Ashlanders (even those who generally support the project) must be willing to join in a common voice to ensure our concerns are addressed and we are viewed as partners by the state, for this is likely not the last time we will stand in the way of this juggernaut. We must be willing to send a clear message that our quirky little town will not be simply ignored and pushed aside for the interests of the state, but instead we play a vital part to the success of our state and that we should be treated as such and not simply as a rest stop on the way to the state capital or Portlandia. Greg Lemhouse is a member of the Ashland City Council. DailyTidings.com Writer Posted Apr. 14, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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