Residents raise concerns about safety, access and representation in the planning process
By Steve Mitchell, Ashland.news
Conversations continued about the future of the East Main Park project on Monday, Aug. 18, during the Ashland City Council’s study session.
Ashland Parks & Recreation Director Rocky Houston updated city councilors on the progress of the 6.5-acre park planned south of East Main Street just east of Clay Street which has seen costs for the first phase balloon from $2.5 million to $3 million.
Houston told city officials that the park was originally designed to include a dog park, a pump track for bicyclists, a playground, a sports court, and a community garden. In the first phase of the project, Houston told the council that the plan was to construct a parking lot, dog park and pave the pump track for cyclists.
Now $500,000 over budget in its first construction phase, he said, the city faces tough choices as staff weigh options to reduce scope, increase funding, or move some aspects of the project to a later phase.
“We had to make lemonade out of that sour budget number,” Houston told the council.
Making that lemonade could include removing or modifying elements like the restroom and parking lot, to save costs. However, he added that such changes could jeopardize a $1 million state grant the city received to help build the park.
The project’s financial woes are compounded by city code requirements triggered by the annexation of county land, which mandate costly street frontage improvements along East Main. Houston said if the city could leave the street improvements “as is,” the price tag for the project’s first phase would be roughly $500,000 less.
City councilors and residents express frustration about the delays and escalating costs.
“I am personally extremely disappointed that we didn’t start building this thing this year,” Councilor Eric Hansen said. “We are a city that gets to ‘yes’ and that gets things done. And this one drug (out), in my opinion, and now we’re having to deal with escalating costs.”
Those who live near the park also expressed concerns about the park’s design and accessibility.
Mary Ann Shank, an Ashland resident who lives on Clay Street, said she attended the Thursday, Aug. 14, open house about East Main Park at the Ashland Senior Center. Shank said the Thursday meeting was “packed” with mainly members of the mountain bike group, Ashland DEVO. Despite raising her hand to ask a question, Shank said only members of the biking group were called on.
“I feel like I’m being blocked out and pushed into something that I don’t know, and it’s a very uncomfortable feeling,” Shank said.
Shank added that she is not critical of the bike club and said it does good work with young people.
She said her concern is that the neighborhood is primarily made up of elderly people and young children.
“Children can be hurt,” Shank said. “I, as an old person, if I saw a biker coming toward me, and not necessarily one in the club, but just a biker coming toward me, I’m not agile enough to get out of the way anymore,” Shank said.
Houston said the Thursday meeting represented the community. He said East Main Park is intended as a community park, designed to serve both nearby residents and the broader Ashland area. Survey data presented at the meeting showed that trails are the most popular feature among park users, reinforcing the park’s broader appeal.
Another resident voiced concerns about the park’s design and its limited access, along with fire safety, and whether the park would truly serve local families or attract visitors from across Jackson County.
Mayor Tonya Graham said that it is easy to look back in retrospect and have criticisms. Sometimes, she said the criticism can be “warranted” because they provide opportunities to learn. However, she said that there has been uncertainty over the last four years that has impacted price increases due to the pandemic, and now with impending tariffs.
“I would encourage us to to look at this situation and see what we might learn,” she said.
Meantime, budget uncertainty continued to top the conversation, with councilors and staff acknowledging the challenges of predicting costs.
The council and Houston mulled funding strategies, including the possibility of borrowing against future food and beverage tax revenues—a move that could impact other park projects.
City Councilor Dylan Bloom asked Houston about such potential impacts.
Houston said, much like taking out a loan for a car or getting a mortgage, it would reduce the department’s ability to manage other projects.
The timeline for the park remains uncertain, Houston said. He said the hope is to begin construction in early 2026 if approvals proceed smoothly. However, he said, delays in planning or permitting could push the project further out. The state grant funding for the park’s pump track has a deadline of July 1, 2027, he said.
Going forward, the department is preparing detailed information and will continue to incorporate public comments until Thursday, Aug. 21, according to Houston. The Parks & Recreation Commission will review the latest information and public feedback and make a final recommendation to the City Council in the coming months.
Ashland Fiber Network
City councilors tentatively approved a plan to expand high-speed internet, using a hybrid strategy that would encompass standard cable upgrades and fiber, according to officials with the city-owned utility.
Councilors agreed to officially appropriate $1.6 million, an amount already in the current biennial budget, to expand the infrastructure.
“This is an investment in infrastructure, and critically, one that I think government is set up to do,” Councilor Dylan Bloom said. He said the broadband expansion is much like the federal investment in the 1950s in the interstate highway system.
The plan also includes provisions for regular progress reviews and the flexibility to adjust funding or strategy as needed.
Email Ashland.news associate editor Steve Mitchell at stevem@ashland.news.
Related stories:
Open house: Public weighs in on East Main Park’s $500K budget overrun (Aug. 18, 2025)
Parks director: ‘Regardless of the outcome, it’s going to be painful’ (April 12, 2025)
Ashland Parks & Recreation: ‘Sort of our best case scenario wishlist’ (Nov. 15, 2024)
$1M grant awarded for long-awaited East Main Park (Sept. 27, 2024)
