Ashland commissioners vote to place conference center on Paramount Arts Center parking lot

The City of Ashland Board of Commissioners voted to place the new conference center on the city‑owned Paramount Arts Center parking lot, approving a motion to build at that site after months of study and public input.

The vote came after commissioners discussed maintenance and operating cost projections, parking and hotel‑room availability, and the size and footprint of each proposed site. The commission motioned to build on the Paramount lot and carried the motion in open session.

Commissioners and the city’s owner representative presented data showing the two primary sites had different projected operating deficits. The analysis used by consultants estimated an initial operating loss of about $270,000 in year one and about $350,000 in year five for the hotel‑adjacent site, compared with an estimated…