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Waldorf property hurdle cleared Ashland council OKs extending water service By Wendy Siporen ASHLAND � The Ashland City Council Tuesday approved a request from the Ashland School District to extend city water services to the former Waldorf School property, now plagued by a contaminated well. The district plans to relocate its Community Learning Center for homeschooling students to the 40-acre site. First approved by the school board in August, the $865,000 purchase of the property is still contingent on two remaining lien holders agreeing to the sale, said school superintendent Juli Di Chiro. Because the sale price won�t cover the amount that is owed on the property, the current owners and others who have loaned money to the Waldorf School won�t recoup all their investment. On the other hand, if the school district purchase doesn�t go through, the property may go through foreclosure. The current sale agreement expires Friday. City Council discussion of the water extension focused on whether it would be a good idea to begin the annexation process on the land that lies outside the city�s urban growth boundary. Councilwoman Susan Reid spoke in favor of annexation because any future development or redevelopment by the school district would fall under Ashland�s planning regulations rather than Jackson County�s. In the end, council members agreed with the sentiments of Ron Roth who spoke in favor of the extension. "Annexation is a major can of worms," said Roth. "The issue is pure water for school kids." Council members agreed to several staff conditions for the extension and added another requiring the district to follow the recommendations of the city fire chief pertaining to fire safety. It was this sixth condition that caused Councilman Don Laws to vote against the extension. Laws said it was an abrogation of council authority to allow a staff member to determine what was appropriate. He favored requiring a fire hydrant be installed instead. Other conditions include: The water will not be used for landscaping. The service will end when the school ceases to use the property. The district will pay a water connection fee and almost $20,000 in system development charges. The district will agree to a future annexation and a deed restriction preventing the subdivision of the land prior to any possible future annexation. Councilman Steve Hauck was absent. In other action, the council voted to amend the way the city distributes unbudgeted funds generated by the hotel/motel tax. City staff will bring a formal amendment back to the council at its next meeting. Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA