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57 °F 5 Day Forecast Monday, October 20, 2003 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | eSouthernOregon | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend October 8, 2003 Ski area comments go to USFS Mayor casts tie-breaking vote as Ashland council rejects extending data-gathering process By TONY BOOM Mail Tribune ASHLAND — A deeply divided Ashland City Council decided Tuesday night to forward recommendations on a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Mt. Ashland ski area expansion to the U.S. Forest Service. Mayor Alan DeBoer cast the deciding vote after more than two hours of discussion among council members. Cate Hartzell, Kate Jackson and John Morrison voted against the motion. They advocated waiting until the Oct. 21 meeting to gather more information and to further develop the recommendations. But other council members noted a lack of time to review a new proposal and meet the Oct. 23 deadlines for comment. The vote drew unfavorable reaction from some audience members, who wished for further deliberation. Advertisement "It’s tough to sit up here and make those decisions," said DeBoer, following the audience reaction. "But we have to do it sometimes." "The council’s decision to ramrod the decision on Ski Ashland undermines hundreds of people’s public input," said Ryan Navickas, before he spoke on another matter later on the agenda. "I think the city really shot itself in the foot tonight." The vote came about after Chris Hearn offered to withdraw the motion, but Alex Amarotico — who had seconded — refused, forcing the issue. Amarotico, Hearn and Don Laws voted for the motion. "I think our division on the council is representative of the community," Hearn said prior to the vote. Council had debated for several months whether it should comment on the DEIS that proposed five different expansion options for Mt. Ashland. The city holds a permit from the forest service to operate the area, and it leases the area to the Mt. Ashland Association. A public council hearing Sept. 30 drew an overflow crowd to city hall to provide input. The session lasted more than four hours. Council members received hundreds of comments. Advocates of the expansion cite crowded conditions and a lack of beginner and intermediate runs as reasons for the expansion. Opponents say an increase might harm the environment and potentially affect the city’s water supply. Comments to be submitted by the city include: A requirement for the Mt. Ashland Association to hire an independent quality assurance quality control team of 2 to 4 persons to monitor effects of expansion on soils and hydrology. Six to nine community members should select the team. The team should evaluate whether any work should be allowed in the mapped wetlands area. Mt. Ashland Association should insure that corrective actions will be taken. The final environmental impact statement should quantify reclamation costs for both the existing area and for any selected alternative in the event the ski area ceases operation. Requirements for reclamation should also be spelled out. Fire protection features should be built into new structures created by the expansion to prevent fire spread to wildland. Hartzel wanted the council to attempt to gain information on how some of the expansion proposals might affect water flow from a wetland. Jackson asked for consideration of phased development in some areas so that results could be monitored in more sensitive areas "I’m sitting here still kind of stunned by the council’s action," Hartzell said. Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times