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--> --> Talent council OKs hillside repair costs By Maggie McGehee Ashland Daily Tidings TALENT - Despite disagreement over who will eventually pay for the work to stabilize the hillside adjacent to the city's two reservoirs, the City Council has given approval to begin repair work. The hillside gave way on Memorial Day weekend, sending large boulders dangerously close to the new reservoir. The landslide was caused by the presence of a hard claystone rock that softens when it becomes saturated with water. The claystone is also resting on top of argillite, another material that weakens when wet, according to Arlan Rippe, president of Squier Associates, the geotechnical firm which inspected the site following the landslide. No damage was reported, but it cost about $12,000 for workers to break up the large rocks that came to rest near the reservoir. It also cost another $12,000 to bring in Squier Associates to evaluate the hillside and come up with a way to stabilize it, according to Ed Barnhurst of Montgomery Watson, the engineering firm the city contracted with to build the new reservoir on Belmont Street and connect Talent to Medford's water system. Though these costs came out of contingency money for the city's connection to the Medford Water Commission, there is still some dispute over who will pay for the estimated $286,000 to repair the hillside. "Simply said, both sides have agreed to proceed again and get the work done," City Attorney Bill Mansfield told the council Wednesday. The council unanimously agreed Wednesday to build a buttress between the new reservoir and the hillside, backfilling it with material that will strengthen the hillside and prevent water from seeping into the argillite base. Councilors Katrina Hill and Brian Roberts were absent from the meeting. "I want to emphasize this construction does not compromise the overall safety of the slope," Rippe said. "We will restore the slope as good as if not better than its original form." COMMUNITY HALL Faced with ever increasing clean-up and maintenance costs and thefts from the Talent Community Center, the City Council agreed Wednesday to only rent the facility to community groups. "I think we should not rent the hall at all," Councilor Don Steyskal said. "Not to say that we can't use the hall for community services, but the usage should be restricted to where you have to petition the council and tell us what the potential impacts to the building are ... It's for community activities, not private families." In the past, the Community Center - located at 206 E. Main St. - could be rented for weddings and parties in addition to community classes. In recent months, the city has incurred costs by the private parties. In the absence of Councilors Hill and Roberts, the council unanimously voted to only allow community activities at the Talent Community Center. Ongoing activities like the Food and Friends senior lunch program and Garden Club meetings will be allowed with a deposit. Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing