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ASHLAND Mayor: Emergency preparedness, climate change and travelers should be priorities Stromberg spoke at State of the City gathering Monday Comment By Bert Etling Ashland Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Bert Etling Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Jan. 13, 2016 at 7:58 PM By Bert Etling Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Jan. 13, 2016 at 7:58 PM » Social News “It is time for Ashland to do something,” city Mayor John Stromberg declared Monday evening in his State of the City address at the Community Center, about three “tipping point” issues: earthquake preparedness, climate change and “disruptive behavior on the streets and helping our local people in need.” Stromberg spoke for a little more than 20 minutes to a packed house of about 120 people gathered for the second annual State of the City gathering. Other program highlights included presentation of the James M. Ragland Volunteer Spirit Award to Soroptimist International of Ashland and recognition of state Rep. Peter Buckley, who has announced he will not run for reelection. The evening opened with a social half-hour with a spread of appetizers and closed with councilors and the mayor offering trays of cookies to the public. Councilor Rich Rosenthal gave a brief recap of some of the issues the council faced over the past year, including the proposed cutting down of a cottonwood tree to make room for affordable housing units, the “travelers” downtown, cleanup of the railroad property north of the Railroad District, drought issues, Ashland Fiber Network, a new police chief and development of a climate action plan. His address is the most important of the eight he’s given, Stromberg said. “The world is really changing and ashland is changing with it,” he began, and he wants to “give you the opportunity to participate in the transformation of our community … people are not going to put up with the status quo anymore.” He cited the Black Lives Matter, anti-gun violence, gay marriage and climate change activist movements as national examples of tipping points. Locally, he said the New Yorker article in July about “The Really Big One” — about the significant chance that a magnitude 9 earthquake will strike the Northwest in coming decades — was yet another reminder Ashland needs to make preparations, especially considering that, experts say, it could take one to three months to restore electricity, a month to year to restore drinking water and sewer service and six months to a year to restore major highways. Stromberg said he thinks the first step is ensure employees’ families — 70 percent of whom live outside city limits — are prepared to be self-sufficient for at least two weeks so they can concentrate as quickly as possible “to assume their responsibilities to the city and its citizens.” These plans, he added, could also serve as a “template for the community.” Other preparedness steps, Stromberg said, could include using locally generated electricity for emergency communications and looking at use of electric vehicles and railroad tracks for emergency transportation. On climate change, Stromberg noted that an inventory of local greenhouse gas emission sources is nearing completion and the next step will be working to reduce those emissions, perhaps through more energy efficient homes and vehicles. Finally, “disruptive behavior on the streets” diverts resources from helping people in need, Stromberg said. “These two things go hand in hand ….” “Ashland is becoming known as an attractive destination (for travelers),” he said. “The problem is how many people can we absorb in a six-block downtown. Disruptive behavior is a problem and we need to attack it. We need to deal with individuals and their behavior, with mental health, substance abuse and assistance finding work. It’s a very complex issue.” The council will hear ideas on providing a greater “uniformed presence” downtown at Tuesday’s meeting, Stromberg said. Other ideas include renting beds in the county jail so when someone is booked there, he or she actually stays there for a period of time, rather than being quickly released due to make room for someone else, and re-enacting some version of an aggressive panhandling ordinance taken off the books in “about 2010.” Progress on any of the three priorities he discussed “will bring us closer” as a community, Stromberg said, adding that, “These relationships have to be truthful and have integrity.” He also cautioned against too much reliance on “Internet devices that allow us to treat each other in ways we wouldn’t face-to-face.” During his six terms in office, Councilor Pam Marsh said of Buckley, “he brings Salem to our community,” offering locals the chance to give their input on legislative measures that could become laws. As a token of his willingness to share time over coffee, Marsh presented a grinning Buckley with a wooden chair from the Rogue Valley Roasting Co. Coffeehouse in Ashland, complete with a brass plaque that reads: “Representative Peter Buckley Chair of Honor.” Ashland is “five square miles of heaven surrounded by reality,” Buckley said. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve … I’m dedicated to this community and hope to be of service in the future.” Councilors Stefani Seffinger and Mike Morris presented the Ragland Award to the local Soroptimist chamber for “improving the lives of women and children in Ashland” through a number of programs. Councilor Greg Lemhouse gave the closing remarks, saying “It’s going to be a very interesting and challenging year … I hope we remember we have something in common: we all live here in this beautiful community and are all Ashlanders.” Email Tidings Editor Bert Etling at [email protected], call him at 541-631-1313 and follow him at www.twitter.com/betling . By Bert Etling Ashland Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Bert Etling Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Jan. 13, 2016 at 7:58 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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