PUBLIC COMMENT Period Extended through October 31, 2023 - Learn more. 

Original News Post: 
Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) Meeting with DEQ to discuss the cleanup of the Ashland Railyard.
 
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) will host a meeting to discuss the future of the Ashland Railyard. The railyard is located between A Street and Hersey Avenue. The property is owned by Union Pacific, who has contracted with DEQ to strategize cleanup for the 20-acre parcel. The meeting will take place on Wednesday, September 27, 2023, at 5:30 p.m., in the Gresham Room of the Ashland Public Library and the public is invited.

The cleanup plan includes a proposal to excavate and encapsulate contaminated soil to ensure the safety and viability of the land for subsequent development according to urban residential standards. About 2,800 cubic yards of contaminated soil are proposed to be excavated from the western 9-acre portion of the railyard and moved to the eastern 3-acres, where it will be covered with an overlay of clean soil. The DEQ hosted meeting will provide the opportunity for local residents, stakeholders and other interested parties to hear the plan details, ask question and express any concerns.

For detailed information, as well as links to relevant documents, please visit the City of Ashland’s webpage for the Union Pacific Railroad Property Proposed Cleanup and DEQ’s page. For questions regarding the cleanup proposal,please contact Margaret Oscilia, DEQ Project Manager, at 503.726.6522 or by email at margaret.oscilia@deq.oregon.gov.

Public comments will be accepted through Friday, September 29, 2023, 5 p.m. in the following ways:

• In person: At the DEQ Open House Meeting on Wednesday, September 27, 2023, 5:30 p.m., at the Ashland Library, Gresham Room, 410 Siskiyou Boulevard., Ashland
• By mail: Send comments to Margaret Oscilia, Oregon DEQ Project Manager, 4026 Fairview Industrial Drive SE, Salem, OR 97302
• By email: margaret.oscilia@deq.oregon.gov

“We are Better Together!”  

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CITY OF ASHLAND CONTACT:
Veronica Allen, CFM, Associate Planner
541.552.2042
veronica.allen@ashland.or.us