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Council extends expansion timeline Deadline moved to Oct. for public input on ski area proposal By Vickie Aldous Ashland Daily Tidings People struggling to get through the 1,000-page Draft Environmental Impact Statement on the Mt. Ashland Ski Area expansion by the Sept. 23 deadline have been granted a reprieve. Earlier this month, the Ashland City Council voted to ask the federal agency for an extension of the public comment period. "The Forest Service did grant the extension," City Administrator Gino Grimaldi told councilors at a Tuesday night council meeting. Grimaldi said he learned on Monday that the comment period would be extended by a month to Oct. 23. The extension paves the way for the council to take an in-depth look at ski area expansion issues, collect public input and prepare council comments for the Forest Service. At the request of the council, city staff - including Ashland Public Works Director Paula Brown, who is responsible for the city's water treatment facilities - are reviewing the DEIS and will give reports to councilors about possible expansion impacts. The ski area is in the Ashland Watershed, source of the city's drinking water. In the DEIS, the Forest Service named Alternative 6 as its preferred option. That alternative, a variation of a Mt. Ashland Association proposal, calls for 65 acres of new ski terrain primarily west and downhill of existing runs in an area known as the middle branch. The alternative includes two chairlifts, two surface lifts, a second lodge, an expanded parking lot, a snow tubing area, maintenance roads and other facilities. Many environmental groups oppose expansion into the middle branch area. Councilors will hear staff reports on the issue during a study session noon on Monday in the Ashland Civic Center Council Chambers, 1175 E. Main St. The session is open to the public, but opportunity for public input will be limited by the length of staff reports and the need for council discussion. The council will hold a hearing to gather public input on the ski expansion in the council chambers at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 30. Council will have two meetings in October to consider its position on the expansion. Opponents of the expansion plan did not delay comment. Several used Tuesday's meeting to voice their opposition to an expansion as proposed by the Forest Service or the Mt. Ashland Association, the board that governs the non-profit ski area. "I'm glad to see the city putting together meetings," said Eric Navickas, an environmental activist. "These are clear-cuts that funnel into the source of our drinking water. It's our obligation to stop this project." But Jeff Hanson, general manager for the ski area, welcomed the close inspection of expansion plans. "We certainly support the city's plan to provide public comment," he said. "We contacted (Rogue River and Siskiyou National Forest Supervisor) Scott Conroy supporting the city's extension request." The Forest Service is planning its own public outreach on the expansion issue. A series of four hikes begins on Saturday, and an open house session is set for noon to 3 p.m. Sept. 2, at the Ashland Windmill Inn & Suites, 2525 Ashland St. A formal public hearing will follow from 4 to 7 p.m., with people allotted three minutes each to provide oral comments. For information on the hikes or meetings, call Steve Johnson at the Ashland Ranger District at 482-3333. In other business, the council directed city staff to develop language to alter a city ordinance governing large-scale, or "big box" buildings. Councilors indicated they do not want buildings inside the Downtown Design Standards Zone or in the Detail Site Review Zone to exceed 45,000 square feet in total floor area. Parking areas beneath buildings will not count toward the total, although the council has yet to determine how much of an underground parking level can be visible. Because of Ashland's slopes, a parking area could be at ground level and be invisible from an uphill location but visible from a downhill location. The council rejected exceptions for larger buildings if the structures included housing, as well as exceptions for roof-top parking. The council also: o approved levying charges for three Local Improvement Districts. o heard that lack of demand for business Internet services from the Ashland Fiber Network caused total revenue to fall $130,980 below projections despite strong residential demand. o learned the city Finance Department saved approximately $373,500 by refinancing city water revenue bonds and that the Hargadine Street parking structure is generating more than enough revenue to cover debt service and maintenance costs. 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