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Council supports '95 camping ban By Myles Murphy Ashland Daily Tidings The Ashland City Council is unlikely to lift the city's camping ban any time soon, with at least five of the six councilors agreeing that the overall homeless issue is too complex to heal with a single motion. Councilors John Morrison, Kate Jackson, Alex Amarotico and Chris Hearn shared similar views on the issue, arguing that directing city efforts more toward coordinating and funding local social service organizations would be more of a help to the homeless than just lifting the camping ban. "I would not immediately take the step of changing the camping ordinance in the city," Morrison said. "I really don't think it addresses the problem. "Homelessness is a very complex problem. While it seems like an easy answer to say we'll relax the ban on camping, it's a simple response that doesn't deal with the complexities involved," Morrison said. "We might be able to take the lead in some ways in helping (the homeless) make connections (with social services)." Councilor Cate Hartzell attempted to bring the issue up at a recent council meeting, but was met by firm opposition. "I want to meet with folks, look at the array of problems and the array of solutions," Hartzell said this morning. "If the camping ordinance is something we think can bring realistic relief to a situation, we should look at that. It's not sacrosanct - we revise ordinances all the time. It can't be done without a conversation, but it's definitely on the table." Jackson's take on the issue was more like Morrison's, and she also cited safety issues involved in allowing unrestricted camping in and around the city. "In my mind, I don't think it would be a good idea to repeal (the camping ban)," Jackson said. "It's a public health issue with sanitation issues and the need for people to have an uncontaminated water supply." "It's also a fire hazard," she added. Transients camping in and around the city have been implicated in numerous fires over the years, including a fire in the Ashland Watershed in November 2002, and a fast-moving, five-acre grass fire in the Railroad District in October 2002 - a fire which resulted in a transient man being charged with reckless burning and second-degree criminal mischief. "We need some other way to deal with (the issue of homelessness)," Jackson said. "With the economy in the bad state it's in, we have to look harder than ever at social service needs. As a councilor I'm willing to look at the city's health and human services plan, but we need some other way to deal with it (other than lifting the ban)." Amarotico is on the same page - opposed to lifting the ban, but open to looking for other ways to help. "I don't think (lifting the ban) is the answer, that's for sure," he said. "We should continue to support groups like the ICCA, but I don't feel there's room for negotiation on (the camping ordinance) right now." Amarotico said he would be interested in hearing ideas from the transient population on ways they might be willing to help out the city - such as volunteering to clean up sidewalks - to develop a mutually beneficial relationship. "If I heard that sort of dialogue I'd be more willing to discuss it," Amarotico said. The camping ban issue is essentially closed for Hearn, who recalled the reasons it was instituted to begin with in 1995. "It's certainly not because we're not empathetic to the issue of homelessness," Hearn said. "I think the camping ban was in reaction to a problem. There were circumstances where camping and aggressive panhandling were getting out of control (in the early 1990s)." Recalling a conversation with then Ashland Police Chief Gary Brown, Hearn remembered the concern was that Ashland was considered a Mecca for transients - a rich tourist town where panhandlers could do well begging from the tourists. "The feeling was it was affecting the economy," Hearn said. "You need the tourists, I need them. We have to be careful as to the city changing from the charming sort of idyllic small town (the tourists expect)." If the ban is lifted, Hearn fears a return to those days. "What's changed in seven years?" he said. "Word gets around. We have 50 today, but we could have 250 next week." Hearn said he would push for council support of a camping area with facilities on county land outside the city, but noted the problem is larger than just Ashland. "It's a national problem that needs to be addressed, but Ashland can't solve it," he said. Councilor Don Laws was unavailable for comment. LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Business | 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 -