City may block logging on Mt. Ashland

The Ashland City Council is sending its strongest message yet to the Mt. Ashland Association: Hand over a detailed business plan or there will be no expansion logging.

Even councilors who think expansion opponents have overstated the risk to the environment and the city watershed joined the effort. Ultimately, as holder of a permit for the ski area, the City of Ashland is financially responsible if the resort fails and doesn't have enough assets to pay for the mountain's restoration.

"My biggest concern is financial liability and we haven't made enough progress on that," Councilor Kate Jackson said Tuesday night.

The council voted unanimously to send a letter to the U.S. Forest Service revoking authority the city had given for the Forest Service to deal directly with the Mt. Ashland Association on ski area issues. That means the Forest Service will have to work with the city on a timber contract for felling trees in the expansion area, said City Attorney Mike Franell.

The city could stop the timber sale until it gets the financial information officials want from the Mt. Ashland Association, he said.

"We need to move on this prior to the timber being cut," Mayor John Morrison said.

Councilors also voted to send a letter to the Mt. Ashland Association asking again for a business plan and other financial information on the $3.7 million expansion. The council passed a resolution in 2005 seeking a business plan.

The council did extend one olive branch to the association.

In September, councilors voted to appoint two members of the environmental community to an expansion advisory group and made reference to the Sierra Club.

The Mt. Ashland Association then asked the city not to include representatives from groups that sued to block the expansion.

The Rogue Group Sierra Club is among the groups that tried unsuccessfully in U.S. District Court to stop the expansion. Group representatives said they plan to appeal to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.

On Tuesday night, the council voted unanimously to take out any reference to the Sierra Club as a group that should have representatives on the expansion advisory group. Instead, the city will ask local environmental groups to submit names of advisory group nominees, who will be selected by the council.

Staff writer Vickie Aldous can be reached at 479-8199 or vlaldous@yahoo.com.