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Homeowners of Native 31 Pub wish to put some out of doors seating in Bluebird Park close to the Plaza
Julia Stewart, proper, and Sean Mark Nipper in downtown Ashland’s Bluebird Park, which borders their enterprise, Native 31 Pub. [Morgan Rothborne / Mail Tribune]
Ashland Parks and Recreation is contemplating turning over a portion of a small park just under the Plaza to a pub so as to give the native enterprise a bit of extra elbow room.
Native 31 Pub is new to the cadre of companies in downtown Ashland, however in some ways the pub is also conserving with custom. Since Might 2021, Sean Mark Nipper and his enterprise associate, Julia Stewart, have tried to recreate fond recollections whereas establishing a dependable watering gap in downtown.
For generations the little constructing tucked behind the Plaza has been house to a sequence of pubs, Nipper defined with satisfaction, pointing to an vintage bar stool lashed to the wall close to the ceiling, from when Rogue Ales, now primarily based in Newport, received its begin in the identical house.
“I used to return right here 20 years in the past when it was Siskiyou Micro Pub; when the stage was over there, my band used to play right here. That is the bar I grew up going to,” Nipper mentioned.
“What I wished to do in opening this place is form of rekindle the recollections that I had — and have the brand new technology have those self same recollections.”
Simply earlier than Nipper and Stewart took over the house, it was briefly a bar referred to as Aqua, an experiment helmed by neighboring enterprise Taj, Nipper mentioned. COVID-19 restrictions made for a decent squeeze on all bars, and after a short while Taj was prepared to surrender the house once more.
“Right here’s form of the unlucky factor,” he mentioned. “The constructing proprietor gave them (Taj) the large deck that’s all the time been synonymous with this location. So all we now have is simply what’s out right here on the right-hand facet.”
Native 31 Pub is now restricted to seven out of doors tables and a small indoor house. The house owners see an answer of their yard, Bluebird Park, an area owned by Parks and Recreation.
The house additionally causes them some issues, they mentioned.
“You’ll get form of harassed round right here; there’s all the time trash round right here,” Nipper mentioned.
The house owners mentioned they’ve discovered individuals sleeping in an alcove beneath the steps connecting the park to the floor streets of downtown. They’ve discovered sleeping luggage, trash, human waste and even a cooking hearth. They’ve fished sleeping luggage and garments — and even their indicators — out of the creek a number of instances.
If they’d out of doors restaurant seating within the park, transients may be inspired to sleep elsewhere, Stewart mentioned.
Parks officers have been contemplating since July a proposal to let the pub use 100 sq. toes of Bluebird Park for out of doors seating, Rachel Dials, deputy director of Ashland Parks and Recreation, advised parks commissioners at a Sept. 7 research session the place the proposal was mentioned.
Commissioner Jim Lewis voiced a priority about workers time. That is so small — serving just one enterprise — would it not be well worth the workers time? Doesn’t it take a very long time to get permits for serving alcohol? Lewis requested.
“It looks as if a number of effort for fairly minimal acquire,” he mentioned
“Folks go and eat their lunch, learn a e book, ponder the creek — that’s actually what it’s used for,” Commissioner Rick Landt mentioned. “On this case, you’re truly taking a park, and also you’re principally paving paradise in a way.”
“It’s actually a candy spot, beneath avenue degree, subsequent to the creek; it has a number of facilities that we enable now. Maintain it casual fairly than formalize it with tables and drinks,” Lewis mentioned.
Because the commissioners mentioned the proposal, Parks and Recreation Enterprise Supervisor Sean Sullivan requested APRC to let a member of the Zoom assembly viewers converse. Landt allowed the weird request, and Nipper made his case to the commissioners once more.
“We’d make an enormous effort to make that as stunning as potential,” Nipper mentioned.
He mentioned the realm is overgrown, battling a transient downside, and he has noticed few having fun with the park as they’d said. It could be improved with the care of the restaurant, he mentioned, not just for himself however different eating places, and they’d all profit from elevated foot site visitors.
“We’ve a homeless downside all around the park system. It could be good if we may take care of a few of that ultimately,” Lewis responded.
“I feel there’s a price to having individuals in that space to attenuate use of the realm by homeless individuals,” mentioned APRC member Julian Bell. “If it might be a mixed-use house, that might be much more palatable.”
“I nonetheless have a philosophical situation whether or not we need to convert parks to business use,” Commissioner Jim Bachman mentioned.
Dials mentioned she and different workers will go to the realm and take into account the proposal once more, and the commissioners agreed to discover the proposal with extra info in October.
Earlier than any motion is taken on the park, an indication might be posted within the space with an e-mail handle for public remark, Dials mentioned in an e-mail.
Attain Mail Tribune reporter Morgan Rothborne at mrothborne@rosebudmedia.com or 541-776-4487. Observe her on Twitter @MRothborne.
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