Council OKs Mt. A safeguards

Mt. Ashland Association upset with exclusion from resolution process; city gains oversight

By Vickie Aldous
Ashland Daily Tidings

An Ashland City Council majority voted to work with the Mt. Ashland Association on ski area expansion safeguards, but the negotiations may be off to a bad start before they even begin.

Mt. Ashland Association Board of Directors members said they were not asked to help develop the city resolution concerning expansion issues that the council adopted by a vote of 4-2 on Tuesday night.

Mt. Ashland Association President Greg Williams said U.S. Forest Service and association representatives should have been invited to sit down and work out arrangements with city representatives.

“I never recall such a smoke-filled, back-room process,” said Williams, a former Ashland city councilor.

But Paul Copeland, a resident who proposed the list of expansion safeguards that was then honed by City Attorney Mike Franell, said there were public city council meetings last month on the topic and city representatives have talked to association members.

The council majority agreed to take steps to estimate the costs of restoring the ski area to a natural state if the Mt. Ashland Association fails financially. The council then would try to reach a mutual agreement with the association to maintain cash reserves, bonding or some other security to cover restoration that previously has been estimated to cost $200,000.

Additionally, the council majority voted to ask the Mt. Ashland Association for a business plan detailing the costs and funding sources for the planned expansion. Councilors also want to cooperate with the association to appoint a Quality Assurance/Quality Control team of soil and hydrology experts to oversee ski area construction and protection of the municipal watershed.

Councilor Russ Silbiger, who voted for the items contained in the city resolution, said the City of Ashland is seeking to adopt expansion safeguards and is asking, not forcing, the Mt. Ashland Association to comply.

“It’s a resolution about city obligations. There’s not a thing in here that requires the Mt. Ashland Association to do anything,” he said.

The City of Ashland holds the Special Use Permit for the ski area and leases facilities there to the Mt. Ashland Association, a nonprofit organization that runs the ski area. The city ultimately is responsible for restoration costs if the Mt. Ashland Association fails financially, according to Franell.

After the council’s decision, Williams said outside the meeting that the term “business plan” was not adequately defined. He said the Mt. Ashland Association plans to publicly release details of how it will fund the expansion, but would not want to turn over details of the ski area’s competitive position in relation to other ski areas.

Community members have been complaining that the Mt. Ashland Association board has been conducting the bulk of its meetings behind closed doors lately, apparently to discuss expansion plans.

Williams also said he had concerns that the city council could want the association to set aside so much money in reserves to cover any restoration costs that it could impact the ski area’s ability to operate or fund the expansion. Additionally, he said he had questions about the make-up of the Quality Assurance/Quality Control team.

After years of study and heated community debate, the Forest Service granted approval in September 2004 for the association to add 71 new acres of ski runs, a second lodge, a tubing facility and additional parking.

Councilors Silbiger, Cate Hartzell, Jack Hardesty and David Chapman voted for the expansion safeguards, while Councilors Kate Jackson and Alex Amarotico voted against the resolution. Jackson cited concerns about not involving the association from the beginning, while Amarotico said he could have supported the resolution if the request for a business plan was dropped. Mayor John Morrison votes only in case of a tie.

Staff writer Vickie Aldous can be reached at 482-3456 x 3018 or valdous@dailytidings.com.