Rogue Valley
Two of our Municipalities had City Council meetings convene on a rare Monday night as the 4th of July Holiday and important business prompted meetings outside the regular schedule. The City of Medford Urban Renewal Board (which is made up of City Councilors) put the proposed joint purchase of the Red Lion hotel property on Riverside Avenue on hold. City leaders needed to know that the 1.6 million dollars for the 3.3 acres they intended to purchase in conjunction with DHD LLC was in line with the overall purchase price for the 8 acres total. Details were not disclosed to the public, but after an Executive Session the Council voted in Monday nights special 7pm meeting to go forward with the project. The City plans to use the 3+ acres for more downtown parking and are excited for the opportunity to clean up the west side of Bear Creek across from Hawthorne Park.
The Ashland City Council was also busy Monday night with a televised Study Session and regular Council Business meeting together. Economic development projects, Council Goal Setting process, and a discussion of the Plaza enhancements were on the Study Session agenda. The approval of the plan for the Plaza was the lone new business item on the regular meeting agenda. Both meetings are available today on the respective city websites for review.