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40 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, January 27, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Opportunities Moving to Southern Oregon? MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds 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 Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend December 22, 2004 Smith will favor lease of 9 acres for golf Commissioners will vote in January on proposal that affects Greenway By JONEL ALECCIA Mail Tribune ASHLAND — An incoming Jackson County commissioner said Tuesday he favors leasing public land near the Bear Creek Greenway to a private golf course developer rather than allowing a newly formed environmental coalition to manage it. "It sounds like this group is intentionally being a spoiler," said C.W. Smith, who was elected in November and begins serving Jan. 3. Smith’s comments came after two current Jackson County commissioners told members of the new Greenway Stewardship Alliance on Tuesday that they’ll have to wait until next year for a response to a proposal to assume guardianship of the disputed piece of Bear Creek Greenway property. Commissioners Jack Walker and Dave Gilmour said they wanted to wait for a new board to decide the future of about nine acres of public property prized by golf course developers and environmentalists alike. Outgoing Commissioner Sue Kupillas was absent from Tuesday’s study session. But the new commissioner left little doubt where he stands on the controversial question. Advertisement "My first inclination would be to see if there’s some feasible way for Mr. Billings to get his golf course," said Smith, reached by phone after Tuesday’s study session. At issue is what to do with county-owned land adjacent to the Bear Creek Greenway and a $10 million, 18-hole golf course proposed by rancher John Billings and his family. Developer Mike Peru, who represents Billings, wants to lease about six acres of the public land he contends is necessary to complete a financially viable championship course that will attract tourists and spark economic development. But members of the Greenway Stewardship Alliance, a newly formed group that seeks to block the lease, asked commissioners Tuesday to consider letting them serve as environmental guardians of the land. Granting public land to a private developer will compromise the Greenway’s value for animals and people, said Pepper Trail, an Ashland biologist heading the group. "You change it from wildlife habitat to landscaping," he said. Commissioner Jack Walker sharply questioned the group, wondering at the sudden interest in a nondescript piece of county land. He said he supports the golf course lease as a way to put the land back on county tax rolls. Commissioner Dave Gilmour countered that questions about habitat and public access are as important as economic considerations. "We have a clash in values here," Gilmour said. "To meet the needs of the public, you have to look at all values." Those contrasting opinions set up a split that could be settled by Smith. He said he hadn’t heard about the Greenway Alliance Proposal, but believed it was a move to impede the golf course lease. Smith, who said he’s known John Billings for years, said he favors the golf course as a way to preserve open space on land outside Ashland’s urban growth boundary. "That’s the better usage for that end of town," he said. "The potential is for it to go into subdivisions." Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers