APRC makes it official: Rocky Houston hired, expected to start work Monday

By Morgan Rothborne, Ashland.news

Ashland Parks & Recreation Commissioners voted unanimously Wednesday to select Rocky Houston to fill the position of director during an APRC business meeting, alongside statements and announcements regarding best practices for meetings in the city of Ashland. 

Ahead of the vote, Assistant City Attorney Carmel Zahran gave a statement referencing the June breach in executive session law regarding the director hire, as previously reported by Ashland.news. 

“Any final decision should be — as we all learned — by a motion, a second, and a vote. My apologies for not being clear on that process and not chiming in,” she said. 

The motion to hire included a reference to altering the employee contract in connection with the confusion surrounding the finalization of Houston’s position. 

“I move we appoint Rocky Houston as director of parks and recreation and we acknowledge that the city manager executed the employment agreement prematurely and the HR director tendered the document to management and we ratified the Ashland employment agreement for hiring Rocky Houston,” said Commissioner Rick Landt. 

Commissioners seconded, then voted unanimously to approve the motion. Commission Chair Jim Bachman said Houston is anticipated to start work on Monday. 

Bachman also said there is a “joint effort” underway with APRC commissioners, city staff and the city’s legal department to review the charters of advisory committees with an eye for “the extent” public meeting law and Robert’s Rules of Order are being consistently followed. 

“It’s an important improvement in the way we’re running the city,” he said. 

Route set for David’s Chair, offering disabled access in Lithia Park

In other APRC business Wednesday, Deputy Director Rachel Dials and Recreation Manager Lonny Flora presented a route and map for a new David’s Chair program in Lithia Park — personally tested by Flora and Dials. 

The nonprofit David’s Chair provides special mobility chairs with tracks rather than wheels, allowing access to the outdoors otherwise impossible for those with certain health challenges, Dials said. David’s Chair as a program and its chairs should not even be spoken of as connected to Americans with Disabilities Act compliance because the chairs are “above and beyond,” the act’s dictum of minimum access and avoiding discrimination, she said. 

The route was designed to guide those using the chair to scenic points they otherwise would not be able to access — such as the duck ponds — while accounting for the chair’s width and other limitations.

With Flora operating the chair and Dials walking alongside, some obstacles were discovered and noted on the map, such as a large boulder where Flora said he got the chair “high centered.” But with efficient reverse capacity and a tight turn radius, navigating the park was easy, Flora said. Rather than miles per hour, the chair’s speed is controlled by settings one through five. At its top speed Dials said it was no faster than a slow walk. The chair will also be outfitted with a brightly colored flag. 

APRC volunteers will be trained to check out the chairs and walk users through the map and other instructions. One volunteer, Tim Muser, has already volunteered to “champion” the program, Dials said. 

The program is expected to begin around late August to September, she said, as the city is still working out details related to the waivers and legal considerations. The public will likely be invited to see and test the chair at some to-be-determined date after its arrival, she said. 

Ashland Communications Officer Dorinda Cottle also gave a presentation on the “thoughtful redundancies” in the city’s new website and its practical application for APRC. Visitors and residents alike can explore APRC offerings in multiple ways. 

“Because we all think differently, we search for things differently,” she said. 

Parks events can be found on the city’s new calendar, parks and trails has a dedicated heading under the “Experience Ashland” heading, under the “Residents” heading are more links to parks and trails and recreation program registration, parks meetings and other information can be found under the “Government” heading and the I want to… link leads to multiple additional links for APRC offerings and information, she said. The website’s new Maps feature also includes continuously updated maps of the city and its parks. 

Dials also presented a report as acting director. The first of two “Summer Sounds” concerts in the Butler Bandshell drew over 1,000 people. 

“Any issues we had were around capacity,” she said. 

The shortage of restrooms and food trucks will be amended for the upcoming and final show for this summer, July 29. 

A recent break-in at the Japanese Garden resulted in some damage and the theft of a leaf blower and the donation box. The box had been recently cleared out and was empty at the time of its theft. APRC is working with the Ashland Police Department regarding the incident, Dials said. 

Email Ashland.news reporter Morgan Rothborne at morganr@ashland.news.