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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-08-06 Council Mtg MINASHLAND CITY COUNCIL BUSINESS MEETING MINUTES Tuesday August 6, 2024 5:00 p.m. Executive Session Mayor Graham and Councilors Hyatt, DuQuenne, Bloom, Dahle, Kaplan, and Hansen were present. Assistant City Attorney Carmel Zahran and Human Resources Director Molly Taylor were also present. Attending from the media was Morgan Rothborne of Ashland.News and Susan Hiland from the Grants Pass Daily Courier. Items discussed were: 1. To review and evaluate the employment -related performance of the chief executive officer of any public body, a public officer, employee or staff member who does not request an open hearing pursuant to ORS 192.660 (2)(i) 6 p.m. Regular Business Meeting* I. CALL TO ORDER Mayor Graham called the meeting to order at 6:01 PM a. Land Acknowledgement** Councilor DuQuenne read the land acknowledgement. II. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Councilor Hyatt led the pledge of allegiance. III. ROLL CALL Mayor Graham, Councilors Hyatt, Dahle, DuQuenne, Kaplan, and Hansen were present. Bloom was absent. IV. MAYOR'S / CHAIR OF THE COUNCIL ANNOUNCEMENT a. A Proclamation in Honor of Hiroshima & Nagasaki Day Mayor Graham read the proclamation into the record. V. APPROVAL OF MINUTES None VI. SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS VII. CITY MANAGER REPORT Sabrina Cotta presented highlights of the City Manager's Report (Included in packet). The City's Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) course, 'Better Together', will be offered through City Council Business Meeting August 06, 2024 Page 1 of 10 Southern Oregon University and will run September 19 through November 12 on Thursdays. The City of Ashland Staff Compensation and Class study is underway and results will come to Council in a few months. Construction is underway at Pioneer Hall and the Community Center. The City Band plays Thursday nights at the Band Shell this week and next, which will conclude the concerts for the summer. The Consumer Confidence water quality report was released at the end of June and can be found on the City's website. VIII. PUBLIC FORUM-15 minutes - Public input or comment on City business not included on the agenda John Maurer/Ashland- Concerned about healthcare in the Ashland community. Maurer wants the community to know about the status of the Ashland Community Hospital (ACH). The City has a contract with Asante - ACH needs to stay open or default on the contract. Suzanne Haveman/Ashland- Haveman was a nurse at ACH for over 33 years and spoke of patient -centered care provided. ACH is essential and must remain part of the community. Caren Caldwell/Ashland -spoke as a member of Southern Oregon Housing for All in support of the action items listed in the homeless masterplan report. Caldwell recommended assigning the action planning to the Housing and Human Services Advisory Committee. Lill! Malan/Ashland - member of Southern Oregon Climate Action Network (SOCAN). Malan expressed frustration at slow local government response to requests for climate action and requested the City to enact the Rogue Climate Action's Clean Air Policy. Jackson Bangs/Medford - Support of Ashland electrification to move away from natural gas. Amy Brown Prefontaine/Ashland - Spoke support of Clean Air and Climate Policy package and requested staff to draft ordinance language for the study session on September 30, 2024. B. Monte Stewart/Medford- Concerned about the future of ACH which was on -edge before the pandemic. ACH fills an important service and Stewart is concerned the Council and City's citizens are not aware of this circumstance. Stewart offered his group's expertise beyond a two -minute conversation and listed services that are no longer available or are in crisis. IX. CONSENT AGENDA Council DuQuenne requested both items be removed from the consent agenda for discussion. a. Budget and Audit Committee Appointments Finance Director Mariane Berry took the microphone. DuQuenne asked if the Budget and Audit Committee appointments could wait until there are more applicants so the council can vote on all the applicants at once. Berry responded that the urgency is in establishing the Audit Committee since the audit has already begun. The Audit Committee requires that one member is from the Citizen Budget Committee and one member is from Council and then the remaining seats are open for future applicants. Kaplan clarified with Berry that establishing the two applicants to the Budget committee would not impede future appointment of the four remaining open seats. Kaplan also clarified with Berry there is one applicant for the Audit Committee. Dahle asked if there will be two citizens on the Audit Committee and Berry City Council Business Meeting August 06, 2024 Page 2 of 10 confirmed that one position is vacant. Dahle asked when the role of that committee will end. Berry responded that the audit committee work begins ASAP and most of the work is done in October and November and ending by December 31, 2024. Graham suggested establishing a formal procedural process so that in the future appointments can be conducted as a voting process. DuQuenne spoke in favor of a formal process. Hansen asked when the audit information comes to council. Berry responded that after the audit review, information will come to council around November or December depending on when the Annual Comprehensive Financial report is submitted. Councilor Dahle/Kaplan m/s to approve the appointments of the budget and audit committees as indicated. Discussion: Dahle thanked the individuals who applied to these important committees. Roll Call Vote: Councilor DuQuenne, Hyatt, Dahle, Kaplan, and Hansen. YES. Motion passed. b. Letter of Support: RVTD grant for ODOT Statewide Transportation Improvement Funds Linda Peterson Adams, Chair of the Transportation Advisory Committee, took the microphone. DuQuenne expressed appreciation for the letter and asked if the Route 17 hours could be expanded from the current 9AM - 4PM timeframe. Peterson Adams spoke that the intention of RVTD is to expand hours to accommodate more riders including students. DuQuenne asked if the Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) has encouraged RVTD to expand Route 10. Peterson Adams replied to the affirmative adding that TAC often recommends expansion of services to Adam Gomez who represents RVTD. Hansen stressed that increased public transportation is an investment, and this grant will increase the return on investment to help the City meet its climate friendly goals. Peterson Adams encouraged council to approach state legislators to increase funding for transit which is coming up for federal funding. Hansen encouraged businesses to incentivize the use of public transportation. Councilor Hansen/Hyatt m/s to accept this support letter from the Transportation Advisory Committee and give full support from the City of Ashland and the Council. Discussion: Hansen thanked TAC and RVTD. Hyatt spoke of being happy to support the letter and thanked TAC for the continued partnership with RVTD. Dahle thanked TAC and Peterson Adams for the work on this. Kaplan also thanked TAC and encouraged increased ridership opportunities through expanded service. Roll Call Vote: Councilor DuQuenne, Hyatt, Dahle, Kaplan, and Hansen. YES. Motion passed. X. PUBLIC HEARING a. City Urban Growth Boundary Map Correction Request - 375-475 E. Nevada St. Brandon Goldman, Community Development Director, and Aaron Anderson, Senior Planner for the City, provided context on the urban growth boundary. The City entered into an Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) Management agreement with Jackson County in 1982 where a delineation was established. That agreement lacked precision in detail resulting in discrepancies in interpretation of the boundary line. In 2017 the City received an application City council Business Meeting August 06, 2024 Page 3 of 10 for a 23 lot subdivision at 375-475 Nevada Street which was granted. Subsequently the County determined it could not subdivide a property that was less than the minimum lot size for County zoning, even though it was within City limits. The Planning Commission reviewed this issue March 8, 2022, and as part of planning action PA-T2-2021-00031 found the City maps were consistent with the adopted boundary from 1982. Staff's assessment of the applicant's current proposal is that aligning the UGB line with the property boundaries will correct the discrepancy in favor of the County's map delineation and allow the urbanization of the property as expected. Anderson provided maps and more detail (included in packet). Anderson spoke that the staff request for direction is to prepare an ordinance to be brought back for adoption while the County also prepares a parallel ordinance to correct the error. Hyatt asked Anderson to provide the specific recommendation from the Planning Commission to the Council about this issue. Anderson spoke of the March 8, 2022 memo that recommended Council correct this error so that development could occur. Mayor Graham opened the public hearing. Sydnee Dreyer - Representing the applicant. Spoke that staff did a great job explaining this issue in a concise manner. This has been going on for the applicant since 2017 and what should have been a simple issue has taken six years to get back before Council. The applicant contends that the original 1982 boundary line map was a cartographic error itself because the line was hundreds of feet wide whereas Oregon Administrative Rules state that an Urban Growth Boundary line must be detailed enough to determine what properties are covered. Alternatively, it is an error by omission in that it failed to describe which parcels were included and which were excluded. The applicant advocates for moving the boundary line to allow for development rather than leaving the line where it is. Garrett West - Representing the applicant. Spoke that currently this land cannot be developed, though it is accounted for in the City's Buildable Lands Inventory as potentially developable. The property owners and community deserve a final solution that makes sense. Kaplan asked Goldman and Anderson if adjusting the UGB to follow property lines in general could fix more issues than just this one. Goldman described other scenarios that would bring in much more land than this application addresses. Anderson spoke of reviewing the entire perimeter of the UGB and it generally follows property lines with few exceptions such as Goldman outlined. Andeson spoke that staff's opinion is this error should be corrected rather than exploring other errors which do not have the urgency related to development. Graham asked if this decision would create precedent for future errors to be corrected more quickly. Goldman responded it will still require the Council to adopt an ordinance to correct the error and modify the UGB. Dahle spoke of the benefit of having this as precedent. Hyatt asked if the County would adopt this once the City passes it's ordinance. Goldman clarified the County Planning Department directed the applicant to first seek approval from the City Council before bringing it to the Jackson County Commission. Mayor Graham closed the public hearing. City Council Business Meeting August 06, 2024 Page 4 of 10 Hyatt/ Dahle m/s to approve the modification of the Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) to correct a mapping error, aligning the City of Ashland's UGB with the Jackson County maps to ensure consistency and facilitate urban development within the City limits and direct staff to come back to Council with an ordinance in support thereof. Discussion: Hyatt spoke that this represents 23 units of housing and spoke of the Council's desire for more housing and to facilitate this kind of development moving forward. Dahle spoke in support of the motion and thanked staff. Hansen thanked the applicants, wished them the best moving forward, and thanked staff for these recommendations and the work of the planning commission. DuQuenne thanked the applicants for their patience and resilience. Graham spoke in favor of regulations that make sense to support property development. Roll Call Vote: Councilor DuQuenne, Hyatt, Dahle, Kaplan, and Hansen. YES. Motion passed. II. UNFINISHED BUSINESS III. NEW BUSINESS a. Signal Box Public Art Project Goldman and Cassie Preskenis, Chair of the Public Arts Advisory Committee (PAAC) presented the project (included in packet). PAAC requested Council approve three artwork designs for Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) signal boxes as a community art project. Grant funds were not received for the original plan of 20 boxes, so it has been reduced to three. Funds cover artist honorariums, paint, and sealant to protect from graffiti. The request is to approve the artwork and add them to the City's public arts collection once completed. Preskenis reviewed the three locations and the related art pieces for approval. Hansen spoke in favor of the project and encouraged business support. Dahle asked if there is any place folks can donate to fund more boxes. Preskenis spoke of PAAC not being able to receive donations at this time, but discussion is underway about forming a non-profit organization to do so. Graham asked if there are more boxes planned for South Ashland near Exit 14. Preskenis spoke that there are not as many signal boxes on that end of town, but PAAC is considering South Ashland for the crosswalk project and spoke of the potential for a painted piano installation. Hansen/DuQuenne m/s that the Council approve the proposed designs for the three Oregon Department of Transportation utility boxes as identified by the Public Arts Advisory Committee and approved by the Oregon Department of Transportation staff and accept them into the City of Ashland's Public Art Collection upon completion. Discussion: Hansen thanked PAAC, the artists, and the communities working on this. DuQuenne agreed and thanked the communities that collaborated on this. Roll Call Vote: Councilor Hyatt, Dahle, Kaplan, DuQuenne, and Hansen. YES. Motion passed. b. Wildfire Hazard Map & Rules Ashland Fire and Rescue Fire Marshall, Mark Shay, and Forestry Officer Chris Chambers provided a presentation on the State Draft Wildfire Hazard Map and potential impacts to the City. Chambers spoke that in 2018 Council adopted staff's proposal to designate the entire City Council Business Meeting August 06, 2024 Page 5 of 10 City Limits along with the Urban Growth Boundary as Wildfire Lands as a planning overlay to implement two proactive codes regarding land use and building codes. In 2021 the City adopted R327 for buildings to be built to home hardening standards for wildfire prevention. Senate Bills 762(2021) and 80(2024) required a statewide Wildfire Hazard Map be adopted, which is open for public comments. The proposed rules that go along with both Bills and the Wildfire Hazard Map state "Only properties that are both high hazard AND in the wildland- urban interface will be subject to defensible space or fire -hardening building codes. Properties that do not meet both criteria will not be affected by the regulations.". The current proposal means that areas designated as moderate and low hazard would not be able to adopt or enforce building code R327 to require wildfire protection standards. Defensible space standards under the land use code would still be enforceable. Chambers reflected this would result in regulations similar to the 1993-2018 time period. Staff is requesting Council to endorse a letter commenting on proposed rules and asking for language that would allow cites to locally adopt state -approved standards for wildfire protection in areas designated as low and moderate hazard, or to approve language grandfathering all previous adoptions of R327, regardless of hazard level. Kaplan clarified that Staff's concern is about being able to enforce building codes within areas defined as moderate to low risk by the State map. Hansen asked if there were alternatives such as the City determining its own rating. Chambers responded this was a State determination. Dahle asked if there were other considerations. Cotta spoke of the concern from developers about increased building costs. Chambers agreed increased cost is a perception albeit not accurate given context. Hyatt spoke on the related figures when this was proposed in 2021: the cost increase was around $3,000 per unit, half of which was if there was a deck, and improvements had longer lifespans and reduced maintenance costs. Hyatt reflected on the R327 and land use code, vegetation management and emergency preparedness efforts work together for the City to be wildfire prepared. DuQuenne clarified this was for new structures only. Kaplan asked if the Senate Bill would necessarily mean the City could not adopt the higher standard and Chambers responded the interpretation from the Building Code Division was that it could not be enforced. Chambers spoke of staff recommendation to go on record during this commenting process with the City's position of wanting the higher regulation. Graham asked if there is support with the League of Oregon Cities who advocates for local government for such flexibility in self -regulation. Hyatt/Kaplan m/s support the signing of the letter proposing that local governments be provided the option to retain the application of R327 as adopted prior to the implementation of the new state wildfire rules. Discussion: Hyatt spoke that this is about strengthening the community's priority of wildfire risk reduction. Kaplan appreciated the intention of the state map to identify areas of high risk and spoke that the rules should be set by the community to stay safe. Dahle spoke of the importance of the rules. Hansen spoke in full support and suggested copying the LOC and BCD for more group political pressure. DuQuenne spoke in support. Roll Call Vote: Councilor Hyatt, Dahle, Kaplan, DuQuenne, and Hansen. YES. Motion passed City Council Business Meeting August 06, 2024 Page 6 of 10 Recess from 7:52 to 8:00 pm c. Municipal Judge Resignation and Appointment Process Cotta announced that Judge Turner submitted her resignation effective Friday, August 30, 2024. Cotta spoke that the municipal judge is an elected position and Council must appoint a new municipal judge within 60 days of resignation per the City's charter. Staff recommends advertising the position for review and appointment by Council. Discussion is underway with qualified individuals to act as interim judge to continue operations. The position must be appointed by November 4, 2024, per AMC. Staff recommends posting the position August 19, 2024, with an application deadline of September 3, 2024. The goal is to have appointment recommendation at the regularly scheduled Council Meeting in October. Public Comment Debbie Neisewander/Ashland - spoke about her experience with the court as a homeless advocate and that Judge Turner made things fair and accommodating. Neisewander spoke in favor of an elected judge as opposed to an appointed judge. Without a judge in the courtroom there are more warrants, less people attending, and it is hard to track outcomes. Graham clarified the Ashland Charter dictates the appointment of a judge to finish out the term, and Cotta confirmed. DuQuenne asked if having an appointed judge would mitigate some of the issues with the homeless being able to attend in person. Cotta clarified that the judge has discretion in how they would like to run the court, while the City Manager can set up municipal court operational expectations. Hansen asked Cotta if the City has the ability to request the elected judge to operate in the manner this community would like. Graham asked this question be held until the next agenda item. Kaplan confirmed with Cotta that the remainder of the term in question is through 2026. Kaplan/Dahle m/s to adopt the proposed timeline and the proposed hiring standards and criteria and direct staff to begin the process of recruitment for a municipal judge. Discussion: Kaplan spoke this needs to be done expeditiously and Dahle agreed. Roll Call Vote: Councilor Dahle, Kaplan, DuQuenne, Hansen and Hyatt. YES. Motion passed. IV. ORDINANCES, RESOLUTIONS AND CONTRACTS a. Resolution 2024-23: A resolution of the City of Ashland submitting to the voters at the November 5, 2024, election a proposed amendment to Article III, Article VI Article XV of the Ashland City Charter. Cotta spoke of a recent assessment of municipal court operations and workload at the request of the Citizen's Budget Committee which passed a motion to consider a charter amendment. Cotta summarized that currently the Charter sets the requirement for a full- time judge at full salary as dictated by the Charter whereas the City does not have a full time workload. An appointed judge will allow the City the flexibility in meeting the City's needs through contracts. Hansen asked if the City is able to request that court is operated in a manner the community desires with an elected judge. Cotta responded that an elected City Council Business Meeting August 06, 2024 Page 7 of 10 judge is answerable to the voters, whereas an appointed judge would be guided by the Council in a manner similar to the City Manager and City Attorney positions. Cotta explained that having multiple judges on contract would provide more room for responding to changing City needs such as handling recusals, vacations, and changing workflows. It could also represent potential cost savings for the City. Hyatt asked for the current general schedule of the court. Cotta responded that court is held on Tuesday mornings and sometimes in the afternoon. Hyatt asked if that means an eight -hour work week for at full time salary with benefits, which Cotta confirmed. Hyatt asked what the cost savings would be to adjust this to satisfy the actual need of court operations. Cotta responded it could be significant when considering PERS savings, but may require extra contracting up front to catch up with already scheduled trial dates, etc. Cotta suggested court operations run Monday through Thursday. Much of the work can be handled by court clerks and the requirement of the judge can be spread out over more days. Hyatt asked if this would be more responsive to those summoned to court in a timely fashion, which Cotta confirmed. DuQuenne clarified with Cotta that the motion just made was to fill a term until 2026, unless the charter changes. Cotta clarified that the current motion is separate from the resolution to amend the charter and is also separate from consideration of how to operate the municipal court moving forward. Kaplan asked how this recommendation varies from the Citizen's Budget Committee's recommendation to abolish the municipal court operations and transfer jurisdiction to the County Circuit Court to handle traffic tickets and municipal code violations. Cotta spoke that for the City to enforce its Municipal Code it needs to maintain municipal court with local jurisdiction for local violations. Graham mentioned community conversations around policing that hasn't included conversations about the court which is an integral part of that whole process. Graham summarized this would be a way to respond to the Budget Committee's recommendation while allowing the city to adjust municipal operations. Graham clarified with Zahran about the language in the resolution. Hyatt/Dahle m/s to approve Resolution 2024 -23, A Resolution of the City of Ashland Submitting to the Voters at the November 5, 2024 Election A Proposed Amendment to Article III, Article VI A, Article XV, and Article XIII of the Ashland City Charter. Discussion: Hyatt spoke of not taking this lightly but wanting to respond to the request of the community. Dahle and Hansen agreed. Kaplan spoke in support of better service but was apprehensive at more officer appointments by the Mayor and Councilors. DuQuenne spoke wanting to be responsive to community concern and responses, and felt the timing is right to put it before the voters. Graham spoke that the language put forward will be what goes on the ballot. Graham proposed clarifying to: Amended Language for SEL 802: Ashland Charter Amendment: Municipal Judge as an Appointed position. Amended language for SEL 805: Shall the City Charter remove the Municipal Judge as an elected position and have it appointed by Mayor and Council. City Council Business Meeting August 06, 2024 Page 8 of 10 Hyatt/Dahle m/s to amend the language in the previous motion Roll Call Vote: Councilor Kaplan, DuQuenne, Hansen, Hyatt, and Dahle. YES. Amendment passed. Vote on main motion. Roll Call Vote: Councilor Kaplan, DuQuenne, Hansen, Hyatt, and Dahle. YES. Motion passed. b. Resolution No. 2024-24 A resolution of the City of Ashland submitting to the voters at the November 5, 2024, election a proposed amendment to Article VIII, Section 2. Cotta spoke that currently the six numbered council seats do not represent a ward or district, and that councilor candidates must run for a declared seat. This proposal would remove the seat numbering and have the highest vote recipients elected to the open seats. This would discourage campaigning against individuals and encourage running on platforms. The change would not go in effect until the subsequent election if this was voted for in November. Dahle asked why this topic is coming up now. Cotta spoke of hearing from the community and there is a trend in other cities towards top vote -getters for council seats instead of having districts or wards represent a geographic area. This changes the focus from running against another individual which can turn negative towards running for an open seat to better ensure electees are advocating for the good of the City. Graham asked how this factors in positions that currently have different term lengths. Cotta clarified this happens by vote ranking so that the longest -term positions are filled by the top vote getters and filled likewise. Councilors discussed how to articulate this in the motion, for the SEL 802 and for the SEL 805. For the SEL 802: Shall the City of Ashland Charter change its election protocol to have open seat election for City Council Members? For the SEL 805: Adding a line that if there are more than three open council seats, then the highest vote recipients will be elected to fill the vacant seats in the order of number of votes received. Hyatt moved to approve Resolution 2024 -24, A Resolution of the City of Ashland Submitting to the Voters At the November 5, 2024 Election a Proposed Amendment to Article VIII, Section 2 of the Ashland City Charter Including language changes to the question and summary as outlined: Shall the City change it Charter election protocol to have an open seat election for City Councilors. And add the language that if there are open seats... Motion withdrawn. City Council Business Meeting August 06, 2024 Page 9 of 10 Hyatt/Kaplan m/s to approve Resolution 2024 -24, A Resolution of the City of Ashland Submitting to the Voters at the November 5, 2024 Election a Proposed Amendment to Article Vill, Section 2 of the Ashland City Charter such that the question reads: " Shall the City change its Charter election protocol to have an open seat election for City Councilors." Discussion: Hyatt spoke this is responsive to what the community is requesting at this time and is compatible with what other communities are doing elsewhere to shift the focus to why those are running as opposed to why their opponents shouldn't. Kaplan agreed and wondered why this hasn't happened earlier and is happy to support. DuQuenne, Hansen, and Dahle concur. Roll Call Vote: Councilor Hansen, Hyatt, Kaplan, DuQuenne, and Dahle. YES. Motion passed. Hyatt/ DuQuenne m/s to include in the language of Resolution 2024 -24, A Resolution of the City of Ashland Submitting to the Voters at the November 5, 2024, Election a Proposed Amendment to Article Vlll, Section 2 of the Ashland City Charter to include the following language "if there are more than 3 open seats the remaining open seats will be filled by the next subsequent vote earners." Discussion: This is important for when this is needed in the future, so it is clear. DuQuenne agreed. Roll Call Vote: Councilor Hansen, Hyatt, Kaplan, DuQuenne, and Dahle. YES. Motion passed. V. OTHER BUSINESS FROM COUNCIL MEMBERS/REPORTS FROM COUNCIL LIAISONS VI. ADJOURNMENT DuQuenne/Hyatt m/s to adjourn. All were in favor. The meeting adjourned at 9:09 pm. Respectfully Submitted by: City Recorder Alissa Kolodzinski Attest: Mayor Tonya Graham City Council Business Meeting August 06, 2024 Page 10 of 10 14IL"4 E I WA 0 r C1 J 11 Introduction A request for a "correction of error" to the City of Ashland's Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) for four properties located at 375 & 475 East Nevada Street. (tax lots 1000,1100, 1200 & 1300 of Assessors Map 39-lE-04-A) 1 � -�, 306 315 325 33F345 356 375 _ 994 993 176 385 g86 4CIO 985 978 cr 988 994 336 346 356 356 9T7 984 970 969 "Q 978 97 974 q66 O 968 967 9E5 964 345 355 365 956 958 955 QC Urban Growth Boundary r. Tax Lots 2017 Approval 20 lot with 23 dwelling units (4 affordable) Proposed development within city limits :., o EAST NEVADA STREET EAST NEVACA ST, Jackson County GIS i -z City of Ashland GIS ills legend Udw Growth Boundary Ce■nty Boundary Tax Lou City Umib Urban Growlh Boundary n, �.i Tax lets i RR ASH L A N D u--j/�//ya►tu fttu14u/!y�\d/�� E y\��f71ilU1tIW�`,+P+\\ '%ice 4� '�x�-f A ..+ a . imnnw+ :V �C' - '\SRO 4-1 L Y +++++ URBAN GROWTH BOUNDARY �IIIIIIIl11111111l�11111111' .. � / \\ IIfl11U111G ... - •- - -- Request If Council feels that there is an error to correct, then staff requests direction to prepare and ordnance to be brought back for adoption. I T Y Q F A'S"LANI Jackson County GIS City of Ashland GIS Urban Growth Boundary n,t 2Ya i`x T75 275 d LFM J-CITY OF ASHLAND Traffic Signal Box Artwork August 6, 2024 ODOT Traffic Signal Boxes The Public Arts Advisory Committee is seeking Council approval of: - three artwork designs selected to be painted on three separate Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) signal utility boxes as part of an artist led community art project. - the use of not more than $5,000 of allocated funds or the artists compensations, signal boxes prep work, paints, painting supplies and sealant. MOT Traffic Signal Boxes - 'Neighborhood Public Art Works' Project HistM Phase 1: • Beautify Ashland by painting utility boxes • Completed between 2009 and 2015 • Identified twenty utility boxes throughout Ashland Phase 2• • Envisioned by the PAAC in 2022 as a neighborhood public art works project • Call for Artists and selection of artists to paint three Oregon Department of Transportation traffic signal boxes Objective • To build community awareness of the value of public art and community participation in the creation of public art. • Inclusion of people of all ages in the painting of the ODOT boxes. • Artists to create designs that incorporate community participation in painting the ODOT boxes. #1. Design for SOU box: the ODOT box at the corner of OR99 Siskiyou Rlxrrl rinrl \A/irihtmrin CtrAAt Mlill ha nriintAri hxr Cni ithinm nrorrnn #1. SOU ODOT box: design by Sidney Reha, BFA student at SOU. iv� ki Colorful and abstract design featuring hands, flowers and eyes, meant to #2. Design for Church and Montessori School box: the ODOT box at the corner of OR99 Siskiyou Blvd and Walker Avenue will be painted by families in the First Presbyterian Church and Children's World Montessori School. #2. Church and Montessori School ODOT box: design by Adele Hiles. HANDS ON, RIBBONS OF LIGHT This is a near approximation of my design. The number of life-sized handprints collected from actual community members will dictate spacing adjustments. None will not be repeated as they are in this depiction. All four sides of the box will feature unique colorful flowing ribbons, and individual handprints. If participants, especially the children, color in their handprint, I will try to emulate their uniqueness. Adele Hiles #2. Church and Montessori School ODOT box: Mock-up design by Adele Hiles #3. Design for Ashland High School box: the ODOT box at the corner of OR99 Siskiyou Blvd and Beach Street will be painted by Ashland High School art students and faculty. 0AIN" /ligh School IMnINn 0 Q Val OG o T�Eor wfe� Q PO = #3. Ashland High School ODOT box: design by Junie Christopherson. Door 24" �' Side 30" 'r Door 24' 15" The purpose of this proposal is to leave a moment in time to remember the class of 2024.1 have contacted art teachers at Ashland High School and asked them to consider taking their students on a "field trip" across the street for a few classes to add to the box. Max Malcomb and Alan Parowski have both agreed to participate with their classes in this project. This would signify community involvement. The students would add names, signatures, and even smaller art pieces to the box. We could make this happen in a free -form style, or in a grid formation. Although . a theme would bring the piece to a higher cohesion level, it would dull the individual spark of each student. This is �r why I would propose the absence of a theme - or, if strongly suggested, a broad guideline, such as "community' or "peace." All four sides would be filled with art pieces to avoid any unwanted graffiti.