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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Menu Guide Wedding Weather Subscribe Contact Us October 12, 2005 Three designs offered for public input on new park land By Jennifer Squires Ashland Daily Tidings Basic & Discretionary programs People want walking paths, minimal parking and an expanded community garden to be elements of the new city park on West Hersey Street. Approximately 50 people came to examine three design ideas for the park, a six-acre former hayfield sold the to Parks and Recreation Department three years ago by Pete and Virginia Vogel. The Vogel family did not receive any guarantees about the use of the property, except that the land will be retained as a park. “One of the only constraints is we’re not going to do ballfields here,” Parks Commissioner JoAnne Eggers told the group, noting the new park would have the feel of a neighborhood park but be much larger. “There were no promises made to have any particular feature in this park when it was purchased.” All of the plans preserved a large fig tree at the front of the property, which is bounded by Ashland Creek on the west side. The designs retain most of the trees and added improvements near Hersey Street, then let the park transition into a more natural setting. Restoring the riparian area and keeping the barn, which houses two horses on-site, were also priorities on all designs. Maintaining the 42 community gardens, which were planted at the site three years ago, was not a mandatory element of the designs even though 42 of 54 residents surveyed earlier this year listed the gardens as “important” to the new park. “Yeah, there was a strong desire, a strong reflection,” Parks Director Don Robertson said. “But remember, the survey was done in a non-scientific way.” However, after people broke off into small groups to critique and alter the plans, the community gardens emerged as an essential piece of the new park, which has been called Vogel Park, Hersey Street Park and Ashland Creek Park. “The garden is an amenity that’s not replicated in the parks,” said Patrick Marcus, an Ashland resident who helped found the community garden three years ago. “We have everything else.” Suggestions to shift the gardens north to create a parking lot were shot down because some of the six-acre area was washed out by the flood of ’74 and filled in with debris that included cement chunks and large rocks. “Community gardens are one of the few park amenities that build communities through the bonding of strangers,” Marcus said. “People from all walks of life find common purpose, share food and information and work towards a common goal of a sustainable healthy planet — one plot at a time.” Most people asked that the play structures be replaced with natural play areas, such as boulders. They gave up a parking lot for on-street parallel or head-in parking. Bathrooms were reduced to a unisex toilet, shelters moved into the center of the park to invite people to enjoy the facility, and the barn was slated for eventual development as an educational facility. “I think the design process went well,” parks commission Chair Mike Gardiner said. “We’ve got our work cut out for ourselves.” The team of designers will revamp their plans with the input they received Tuesday night and return to the Parks Department with a master plan proposal. At that point, costs will be estimated and a timeline will be developed, according to Robertson. “Part of it depends on how elaborate the plan is,” Robertson said. Staff writer Jennifer Squires can be reached at 482-3456 x 3019 or [email protected]. 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 Deep Muscle Stimulator Free Music Downloads Slippers Ceramic Piggy Banks Online Casinos FREE Entertainment Guide Calenders 2006 Calendar Women's & Men's Slippers Accelerate Weightloss Products best online casino tcg student loan consolidation teleconferencing cortisol; weight loss Diamonds Vegas Travel Guide Search Engine Optimization Southern Oregon Loans Sportsbook Ztech Media Hosting Student Loans Hotel & Airline Reservations African Safari Myspace Layouts Helzberg Diamonds Online Casinos Community Student Loans Bonus Casino ink cartridges Mortgage Calculator Security Systems Mailing Lists Canadian Pharmacy Casino Gambling Sites Backpacks Click Here .:Advertisements:. Site Search: RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams