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RESOLUTION NO. 5129 <br />A RESOLUTIONSUPPORTING THE REOPENING OF WILLAMETTE <br />FALLS LOCKS. <br />The City Council of the City of Eugene finds that: <br />A. <br />On January 1, 1873, the Willamette Falls Locks opened to allow passage around <br />the waterfall at Oregon City, thereby providing access to a one river system. <br />B. <br />In 1915, the Army Corps of Engineers purchased the Willamette Falls Locks from <br />the private operator, thereby ensuring free public passage through the Locks. <br />C. <br />In 1974, the Willamette Falls Locks were listed on the National Register of <br />Historic Places; it was the first significant facility built to improve navigation on the Columbia- <br />Snake River Inland Waterway system and,through 1939, the most important. <br />D. <br />In 1991, the Willamette Falls Locks were designated as a State Historic Civil <br />Engineering Landmark by the AmericanSociety of Civil Engineers. <br />E. <br />In 2006, Governor Kulongoski designated the Willamette Falls Locks as an <br />Oregon Solutions project, and the Willamette Falls Locks Oregon Solutions TaskForce was <br />formed, which continues to the present as the One Willamette River Coalition coordinated by the <br />Willamette Falls Heritage Foundation to preserve the Locks and support its continued operation. <br />F. <br />From 2006 through 2010, funding provided to the Army Corps of Engineers from <br />the Oregon Department of Transportation, Clackamas County and the U.S. Congress allowed for <br />seasonal operations and selected structural upgrades, including $2.2 million in funds from the <br />American Recover and Reinvestment Act of2009 (PL 111-5). <br />G. <br />In November 2011, the Willamette Falls Locks were placed into "non- <br />operational" status and on short notice were closed to vessel passage based upon an engineering <br />assessment that identified safety concerns of potential failure. <br />H. <br />Closure has placed a severe hardship on commercial, recreationaland tribal river <br />users. <br />I. <br />In March 2012, the National Trust for Historic Preservation declared the <br />Willamette Falls Locks as one of the most threatened National Treasures, thereby providing <br />technical assistance. <br />J. <br />The Historic Preservation League of Oregon (now Restore Oregon) named the <br />Willamette Falls Locks as one of its 10 “Most Endangered Places.” <br />Resolution -Page 1of 2 <br />