CCMinutes - 12/06/04 Mtg - Laserfiche WebLink

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Bob Cassidy, 1401 East 27th Avenue, expressed his unhappiness in the City's decision to use tax dollars to "subsidize the profit-making hospital." He felt a move to the Eugene Water & Electric Board site would ultimately result in the ratepayers subsidizing the move. He opined that the EWEB headquarters would be better used for a City Hall. Zachary Vishanoff, Patterson Street, thought the Prisoner Of War/Missing in Action (POW/MIA) flag should fly year-round on top of Skinner's Butte and not just on holidays. Mr. Vishanoff shared that he had participated in planning sessions regarding the EWEB site and no one had suggested locating a large hospital at the site. He thought the hospital move would benefit from more citizen input. Mr. Vishanoff suggested the City inventory Eugene's empty storefronts. Mr. Vishanoff opposed razing either the Civic Stadium or the old Agate School. He recommended the new University of Oregon (UO) arena should include design input from students and members of the public. Rob Handy, 455-½ River Road, related that the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) had produced its West Eugene Parkway (WEP) evaluation report. He said the report indicated that the cost had nearly doubled to $169 million. He averred that the report also indicated that nearly twice the original estimate of wetlands acreage would have to be mitigated, that an interchange would be built instead of an intersection, and that maintenance of the WEP east of the Beltline Road would fall onto the shoulders of the City. He opined that little remained the same from the old plan. He felt it merited a new discussion, especially given that the parkway was "$152 million short." He noted that Mayor Torrey had called Beltline Road the City's # 1 transportation funding need at a council meeting in September. He asked the councilors to consider how their constituents felt about transportation needs. He commended the Mayor for the good deeds he had done for the children of the City. He asked the Mayor if his legacy would be that of "saddling the community with a $169 million boondoggle." Dave Hunt, 6208 North Ensign Street, Portland, spoke regarding the proposal to deepen the Columbia River Channel. He acknowledged that it was not an immediate concern of the City, though Lane County was the third largest user of the channel in the State of Oregon. He reported that every $1 invested in deepening the channel from 40 to 43 feet deep would result in a $1.66 savings to local farmers. He underscored that the project had passed all of its environmental reviews and State funding from both Oregon and Washington had been appropriated. He said the last piece to fall into place was the federal funding and expressed hope that the City Council would join many cities in passing a resolution in support of the project. He averred the project would help to keep the local economy viable in a world market. Mayor Torrey closed the Public Forum and called on the council for responses and comments. Councilor Pap~ thanked everyone for testifying, especially given that it was a wet night. He agreed with comments made by Councilor Kelly regarding the need for park parity in the Santa Clara area. Noting that a community park would need approximately 40 acres, he welcomed proposals from those opposed to the current proposal. He said the Santa Clara Elementary School property was not large enough to meet the needs of the community for a park. MINUTES--Eugene City Council December 6, 2004 Page 3 Regular Session