Public Input

Jo Jenner, 257 Greenbriar Place, discussed the geology and hydrology at the garden location and said flooding occurred over the past two years. She said that if the garden were shifted further north (downslope) on the site, the area would turn into a marsh, and she didn’t want her garden to be flooded in the winter. She asked the commission to create more garden spaces for community members.

Bryan Holley 324 Liberty Street, said there were ongoing maintenance issues at the Hersey Street community garden and asked that attention be given to them. He said the barn at the site was an asset and asked for its preservation. He said the commission previously promised that: 1) gardeners would be given advance notice about construction at the site; and 2) a subcommittee would be formed to work with design staff before finalizing the garden portion of the park plan.

Patrick Marcus, 813 Leonard Street, said modeling was fine but the commission might find value in speaking with community members knowledgeable about flooding and soil quality to hear their perspective. He asked for the barn to be incorporated into the design and possibly used as a potential revenue source, and he asked for the formation of a subcommittee of commissioners and community gardeners to help with the final design and to keep the design organic.

Next Steps

Commissioners directed contractors to proceed with modeling and asked staff to maintain contact with the gardening community to keep them informed about the development timeline and any potential decisions.

GOLF COURSE IMPROVEMENTS DISCUSSION

Robertson reviewed the three-year capital improvement proposal (commenced FY 2006-2007) and reported on the items that were completed. He said the untouched and partially completed items were behind schedule due to time and money constraints. He indicated that funds had not been set aside for cart paths and Gardiner asked that the item be removed, with the tree master plan moved up on the list. He suggested convening the Golf Course Subcommittee to develop a new three-year plan. Rosenthal agreed and stated that several elements at the course, including cart paths and irrigation, were of major concern, but said the subcommittee needed to focus on creating a list of improvements that could be accomplished. He expressed the necessity for beautification at the course.

Noraas asked about the possibility of installing a walking path around the course and the commission agreed to continue considering that possibility and to allow additional cross country meets to be held at the course. Robertson suggested installing a gravel trail for use by walkers and joggers and as a cart path, with signs indicating proper etiquette for the multiuse amenity.

Next Steps

Teige was directed to schedule a subcommittee meeting for members Rosenthal, Gardiner, Gies, Moyers, Haney, and Teige within the next thirty days and to invite members of the public to attend.

OTHER COMMISSION BUSINESS

Eggers expressed concern about the Westwood property tour and asked the commission to think about the tours in advance to determine what they expected to accomplish.

ADJOURNMENT – By consensus, Gardiner adjourned the meeting at 9:00 p.m.

Respectfully submitted, Susan Dyssegard, Ashland Parks and Recreation