HomeMy WebLinkAboutPark_Commission_Seat_3
1/7/2013
To: City Recorder, City of Ashland
From: Mike Gardiner
Re: Application for City of Ashland Park & Rec Commission, Commissioner Position #3, vacancy
To whom it may concern -
I am interested in being considered for the current vacant Parks Commission, Position #3.
Please accept this document as my application.
1. Largest issues currently facing the Park & Rec Commission.
• The pending decision by the city to transfer a portion of the Parks current reserve fund
to the city's general fund.
• Dwindling autonomy of the Parks Commission from the decisions devised and executed
by the City Administrator, Mayor and City Council.
• Funding for a permanent cover for the Ashland Rotary Ice Rink.
• Inability to fund future capital improvement projects due to shrinking budget and
competition from other city departments.
2. Experience.
• Ashland Planning Commission 1996- 2002
• Ashland Parks & Recreation Commission 2002- 2010
• Ashland Transportation Commission 2012 - current
3. Other relevant experiences.
• Current board member of the Bear Creek Greenway Foundation
4. Why I am interested in the position.
• To support a healthy parks department.
• To support Park staff in planning for the future.
• To initiate and support projects that will benefit the citizens of Ashland for generations
to come.
Best Regards,
Mike Gardiner
349 Orange Avenue
Ashland, OR 97520 541-890-2487
January 6, 2013
Barbara Christensen
Ashland City Recorder
City Hall
20 East Main St., Ashland OR 97520
Dear Barbara:
I am applying to serve out the term for the vacant Parks and Recreation Commissioner Seat 3. I
am interested in this position because I think serving on the Parks and Recreation Commission
would be a way I could contribute a lot to Ashland. I have worked in parks, have planned,
managed and developed properties and facilities used for education, research and recreation, and
I have managed a number of complex budgets. Since retiring from SOU, I have been looking for
ways to be more personally active in helping to maintain the excellent quality of life in Ashland
and in Southern Oregon. Knowing the importance of parks and recreation to the citizens of
Ashland, this seems a good way to maximize my contribution. My responses to individual items
requested are given below.
What do I think are the biggest issues facing the Parks & Recreation Commission?
I look forward to learning much more about all the issues facing the Commission, but based
upon news reports and the web site, I see several areas that might require careful deliberation. I
read the mission of the Parks & Recreation Commission and the core goals of the Department as
stated on the web site. They contain many tall orders and require stable, long-term sources of
funding and careful planning and processes to balance the needs and provide mechanisms for
input of potentially affected groups and individuals. So, at the top of my list of issues for close
attention include the proposed change in the funding mechanism for Parks and Recreation that
could potentially make it less independent of the City, dog access to parks and buildings
overseen by the Commission, the necessary re-routing of treated water from the Sewage
treatment plant to Bear Creek that may go through park lands (note: though I served on the
Wastewater Technical Review Committee, neither I nor the committee had or have any
preconceived notions about the exact new route for the treated water), and generally ensuring
that the Department makes best use of resources available to it.
My experience working with local governments, paid or volunteer.
I served on the City of Ashland Wastewater Technical Review Committee (worked with
consultant to develop a master plan for the Ashland Sewage Treatment Plant and wastewater
system to address regulatory and other issues). I also was a citizen observer of the Ashland
Water Advisory Committee (AWAC); I attended all meetings and helped city staff and
committee members with presentations.
I served for ten years as a member of the Jackson/Josephine Regional Investment Board
(appointed by the County Commissions), and served as Chair of the Board for one year. This
Board made recommendations on economic development funding based upon proposals from
non-profit organizations in the two-county region.
I was a summer employee for five summers in the Parks Department of the City of Rocky River,
Ohio, as a High School and then College student. This job taught me what it is like to work in the
parks and how to get along with fellow employees and citizens, an eye-opening experience for a
young student. I also met many unforgettable characters. My many jobs included parks
maintenance (buildings and grounds), landscaping, grounds-keeping of city baseball fields,
staffing skating rink, tree work, etc.
My past non-governmental or occupational experiences either paid or volunteer, that may
be relevant.
I was a board member of the Mount Ashland Babe Ruth Baseball League for, I think, two
seasons.
I was an Academic Administrator at Southern Oregon University (Dean of Sciences, 12 years)
and Kansas State University (Head of Geology Department, 10 years). As SOU Dean of
Sciences I was responsible for a complex budget for seven academic programs and was
responsible for an 88,000 sq. ft. building. I worked with others on planning for an arboretum in
Roca canyon above the campus (not completed because of budget cuts) and on planning a
remodel and expansion of the Science Building on campus. I also participated in several national
searches, including two presidential searches.
I was a founding Board member of the Siskiyou Field Institute (a non-profit environmental
education organization located in the Illinois Valley) and founding Board member and President
for six years of the Deer Creek Center (a non-profit founded jointly by the SFI and SOU, that
owns and manages an 850 acre property near Selma, OR, for field education and research).
I served as a Board member (four years) of the Jefferson Center (a small, local non-profit) and
served as Treasurer of the organization for the past three years.
Because of my background, experience and interest, I am sure that I can make a positive
contribution to the Parks and Recreation Commission. I am a quick learner when it comes to
budgetary and programmatic issues and look forward to helping the Commission and the
Department reach win-win solutions to its challenges and seize its opportunities.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
9-/*k ~~A
Joseph Graf
1160 Fern St.
Ashland, OR 97520
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541-488-8429
OWMETM CITY OF
A - ~ 2013 ASHLAND
APPLICATION FOR APPOINTMENT TO
BY: CITY COMMISSION/COMMITTEE
Please type or print answers to the following questions and submit to the City Recorder at
City Hail, 20 E Main Street, or email christeb ®,ashland.onus. If you have any questions,
please feel free to contact the City Recorder at 488-5307. Attach additional sheets if
necessary.
Name ~c c 2 7-0
Requesting to serve on:~Q S _ (Commissionfeommittee)
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1. Education Background
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2. Related Experience
What prior work experience have you had that would help you if you were appointed to
this position?
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5. Additional Information
How long have you lived in this community? C2 Is- S/ A10-7 S
Please use the space below to summarize any additional qualifications you have for this
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