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Remodel underway: Ranger district gets face-lift; Welcome Center seeks new digs By Vickie Aldous Ashland Daily Tidings The Ashland Ranger District will soon have a new look, and a new neighbor. But in the meantime, visitors should use a temporary rear entrance as the building undergoes an estimated four-month remodel. Following years of staff cuts to U.S. Forest Service ranks in the Pacific Northwest, the Ashland Ranger District at 645 Washington St. needs less space. The building is being remodeled and split into two offices, according to Forest Service officials. Reconstruction of the Ashland Ranger Station is making forest service office space dramatically smaller, and adding a dental office to the former visitor welcome center. Ashland Daily Tidings/ DENISE BARATTA "We apologize for any inconvenience the construction will cause," said Acting District Ranger John Schuyler. "However, the final results will be an upgraded facility designed to efficiently house district employees and serve visitors to the Ashland area, plus some cost savings." The rest of the building will be occupied by a doctor's office, according to Bill Henie, the Ashland manager of the property owned by a California-based company. Since 1996, the ranger district had shared the building with the Siskiyou Welcome Center, operated by the Oregon Tourism Commission. But with the legislature unable to agree on a final state budget, the commission was unable to sign a lease to continue operations at the site and shut down the welcome center in July, according to Julie Curtis, assistant director for the commission. Curtis said on Friday that the commission hopes to work with the Travel Information Council, the Oregon Department of Transportation and local tourism representatives such as Ashland Chamber of Commerce staff to find a new location for the welcome center. The groups could develop a request for proposals to send out in September to entities that might be interested in partnering to reopen the center, she said. "It could be a business with existing space that could be renovated, or it might be new construction," Curtis said. Although space requirements for brochures, other material and a small staff are not large, the site needs to be easily accessible from Interstate 5 and have restrooms and parking for cars and recreational vehicles, she said. "The location is very, very important," Curtis said. While the welcome center looks for a new home, the forest district looks ahead to an improved facility before the year's end. The remodel will take about 120 days, Schuyler said. Remodeling began in the last week of July, according to Forest Service officials. Visitors still can park in front of the building, but should walk around the east side to access the new entrance. Signs have been installed to guide visitors, Forest Service officials said. Office hours will remain from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, with a 1 to 2 p.m. closure for lunch. The phone system was not working on Thursday due to lightning storms, but was operating again on Friday, Forest Service staff said. 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 -