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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Guide Weather Subscribe Contact Us November 4, 2004 Alder comes down By Jennifer Squires Ashland Daily Tidings The first visual indicators of the Haines Project, a 8,325-square-foot proposed building, crashed into view on Tuesday morning as crews worked to remove a 40-year-old alder tree from the deck area of the Ashland Creek Bar and Grill at 88 N. Main St. During removal, the trunk of the alder tree next to the Ashland Creek Bar and Grill remained Tuesday before workers finished taking the tree down completely. Denise Baratta | Ashland Daily Tidings "We're trying to see it through," Ashland resident Rivers Brown said. Brown and Randall Hopkins, who was the leader of an effort trying to stop the tree removal, spent Tuesday morning sitting at the window counter in Brothers restaurant, across the street from the cutting. It took crews more than seven hours to carefully bring down the alder tree in the middle of the proposed building site, at the begining of the one-way streets downtown, north of the Plaza. However, Tuesday was not the last people will see of the tree. Haines has recruited local artist Russell Beebe to carve a 20-foot-tall sculpture honoring the Takelma Indians from the trunk of the tree. The "very beautiful" statue will live on the west end of the Haines Building along the proposed Ashland Creek walkway, near the intersection of North Main, Helman Street and Lithia Way. "It makes me feel better just minusculy," Brown said. "Overall, I think it would be hard to be on board with condoning it." With the tree gone, the exposed deck of the Ashland Creek Bar & Grill will be demolished so engineers can lay plans for the foundation of the three-story building, which will include space for a restaurant, office and retail space and two residential units, even though the project has not been OK'd by the city. "He does not have a building permit yet," City Administrator Gino Grimaldi said, explaining the city attorney ruled that, in general, developers do not need building permits to move ahead with tree removal at the site of a proposed project. The project plans still must be approved through a city review process in order to receive the proper building permits. "I think we're not going to be ready to break ground until the spring," Ashland developer Lloyd Haines said. "The deck is being dismantled. We're hoping to start construction in, give or take, March. We're finalizing plans." Although rumors of the demise of the Creek have circulated around town for 18 months, the restaurant and bar will remain open despite the loss of the deck space that reduces the establishment's size by about 50 percent. "The covered deck's going to stay and that'll be there forever," Ashland Creek owner Peter Hunkele said. "The exposed deck is in the process of being taken out." The Creek is a popular watering hole among locals, many of whom are mourning the loss of the multi-tiered, outside decks, which border Ashland Creek. The lowest and highest levels of the exposed deck - those that edged the creek - have already been removed and the deck was closed to patrons after Halloween celebrations on Sunday night. The stairs and walkway that give the restaurant street access from North Main Street will remain for the time being. Eventually, the entrance will be reconfigured to accommodate the Haines Building. DailyTidings.com Home Page Archives | Revels | Classifieds | Real Estate Guide | Weather | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2005 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Slippers Isotoner Slippers Dsw Shoes Ceramic Piggy Banks Fanny Mae Eloans Calenders 2005 Calender 2005 Accelerate Weight Loss Programs Citibank Student Loans Acs Loan Matchmaking & Dating Scripts Adventure Travel Conference Calls - $50/Month Security Systems student loan consolidation helzberg diamonds Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams