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Head Start-ASD talks continue By Amber Fossen Ashland Daily Tidings Although school's officially out at Briscoe Elementary, the site may continue to serve as an educational facility. Negotiations to lease the now-vacant campus continue between the Ashland School District and the Oregon Child Development Coalition. The OCDC intends to use the facility to operate a Migrant Head Start program geared toward preparing minority youths for K-12 education. Adrienne Graham, Jackson County director for the OCDC's Migrant Head Start program, said the agency is anxiously awaiting the Ashland School Board's decision. "I would love to be in yesterday but we have to wait for the school board to have a final vote on July 14," Graham said. The OCDC is interested in leasing one wing of Briscoe located along Laurel Street, according to school officials. A total of six classrooms - roughly 12,000 to 15,000 square feet - would be used to serve children of migrant agricultural families in addition to providing office space for staff. Students would also have access to the Briscoe playground. Graham said the program is designed to help integrate and prepare migrant students for their school careers. "The education component is really geared toward school readiness," Graham said. "A lot of it is to really be successful by the time they reach school age. It's also really helping the family become more successful and more participatory in the community." OCDC would like to begin moving the Migrant Head Start program in by July 15 - upon the school board's approval - with doors open Aug. 14-15 for half-day sessions. Full sessions would begin as early as Aug. 18. Ashland Superintendent Juli Di Chiro said the goal is to lease the Briscoe site as soon as possible to create revenue for the district. She said the proposal will likely go before the school board this month. If the board votes against the lease agreement, school officials will review alternate options. "We'll go back to the drawing board," Di Chiro said. "We have had others express interest." Briscoe Elementary is zoned R-2 or low-density, multi-family residential, according to Mark Knox, an associate planner for the City of Ashland. Permitted uses for the 3.43-acre site include single- and multi-family dwellings - limited to 46 units based on the low-density category - nursery schools, kindergartens and recreational facilities. Knox said under the zoning guidelines, the OCDC would not be required to get a conditional use permit, which takes up to two months to acquire. "If they go first grade and beyond, I would say it would be a conditional use permit category," Knox said. "A conditional use permit is really based upon the impact associated with the proposal compared with what's permitted outright in that zone." The Migrant Head Start program would be committed to a triple-net lease, according to school officials. That means it would be responsible for rent, as well as taxes, insurance and maintenance expenses that arise from the use of the property. "They are going to have to invest money in this facility for getting the building up to code for preschool," Di Chiro said, explaining that some fire safety modifications - like adding a fire wall - would be necessary. Graham said Migrant Head Start is eager to have a center-based program - it currently rents space from two Medford churches. If negotiations for the Briscoe site flop, Graham said the program may look toward leasing a wing at the Ashland Middle School. The district is continuing to negotiate a possible lease with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival for school outreach programs. However, according to Paul Nicholson, OSF executive director, the OSF board has not yet come to a decision. LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -