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The city of Ashland and homeless action groups are still working on permitting the empty Rogue Valley Church on East Main Street as a seven-day-a-week winter homeless shelter — so, in the meantime, they will go with Pioneer Hall four nights a week (Monday through Thursday) and the large annex of the Presbyterian Church three nights a week (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) during the five-month “shelter season” from November through April. The main players in the project are due to meet with Jackson County planners Wednesday, Sept. 19, to try and bring Rogue Valley Church online as a shelter, overcoming its main deficiency — lack of fire sprinklers — said City Administrator Kelly Madding. Situated at 2082 East Main St. , it will be overseen by the nonprofit group Options for Homeless Residents of Ashland . It is located in the county and the permitting process is projected to take 60 to 75 days, or until somewhere between Thanksgiving and Christmas. However, Madding is a former Jackson County planner and, said Councilor Dennis Slattery, her experience will be vital in expediting the process. “We’re very positive this is the solution to provide winter shelter in Ashland,” Madding said in an interview, adding that the longterm goal is to focus on several winters, then a regional shelter 365 days a year. “Right now, we’re just focusing on this. There are still a lot of pieces of the puzzle that need to come together.” Councilors discussed the problem of how homeless can get to the East Main site, which is nearly 2 miles from downtown, in the freezing darkness. There is talk of a shuttle, funded by the faith community — and also lighting for walkers. It opens at 7 in the evening, when it’s dark that time of year. “We haven’t figured that out yet,” Madding said. Ashland is asking the county to issue a land use permit, a temporary use until the sprinkler issue can be resolved. To do that, Fire District 5 will have to approve it, which it can do for up to 90 days, says Madding. The project has received a $25,000 grant from ACCESS for a volunteer coordinator, but the funds can’t be used for sprinklers. Councilors Slattery and Jackie Bachman and city staff have been working with a group of groups: the Winter Shelter 2019 Work Group, which includes OHRA, the One Site group, the faith community, volunteer coordinators, and other homeless advocates. Slattery, who is a member of the exploratory group, said a main goal is to help people move out of homelessness, adding, “This is a new path and we’re all moving down and we’re moving as quickly as we can.” John Darling is an Ashland freelance writer. Reach him at [email protected] .