Long-anticipated project faces $500K overrun, officials seek public input
Ashland.news staff report
Ashland Parks & Recreation will hold an open house from 5 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 14, at the Ashland Senior Center to update the public on the East Main Park project — now $500,000 over budget in its first construction phase.
In a Wednesday, Aug. 6, news release, city officials said staff will present an overview of the 6.5-acre park planned for East Main and Clay streets, near Exit 14.
The first phase, originally budgeted at $2.5 million, is now estimated at $3 million. Additional funding would require a formal budget amendment, according to the city’s website.
The proposed park would include a bike pump track for cyclists to build skills, a dog park, and street improvements, according to the city’s website. With rising costs, the city is weighing several cost-cutting options — and seeking community input, the news release noted.
According to the city’s website, the Rogue Valley Mountain Bike Association will pay for a “majority” of the pump track and skills park with grant funding. The city also received a $1 million state grant last year to ensure the creation of the park.
Among the options being considered:
- Shifting park access to Abbot Avenue to lower street improvement costs
- Eliminating the construction of a parking lot in the project’s first phase
- Installing portable toilets instead of restrooms
- Reallocating capital funds or cancelling other capital projects
“The goal is to gather input from the community to inform the City Council and the Parks Commission on potential future decisions on this project,” the news release noted.
Those who cannot attend the meeting at the senior center at 1699 Homes Ave. in Ashland can email parksinfo@ashlandoregon.gov up until Aug. 21, the release noted.
Email Ashland.news associate editor Steve Mitchell at stevem@ashland.news.
Aug. 8: Corrected to say on Thursday, not Wednesday.
