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e Mr. Farah then gave an explanation of technical and ownership issues. He used a wall map to describe the general location of the area and property ownership. Agripac, EWEB, and the University are the major property owners of 67 percent of the 145 acres in the study area. The refinement study will bring together the interests of the three groups. Mr. Farah reviewed background regarding previous site plans, completed devel- opments, and project integration with the City's Six-Point Economic Diversifi- cation Program, as contained in the aforementioned memo. Some of the technical issues would be rezoning, access, and services. The Planning Department would like to proceed with a draft work program upon City Council approval. After approval of the initial work program, the six-month refinement work can take place. Mr. Obie said that this was an important project for economic development because it is tangible and marketable to outside industry. VI. CITY'S RESPONSE TO UNIVERSITY e Mr. Obie said a new science building is included in the university's budget, and would have a large impact on this project. There has not been a new science building on the campus for several years. Mayor Keller and Mr. Obie have met with the Governor, who is positive about the building and the higher education budget, and is cognizant of its impact on economic development in this area. In addition, there has been a Federal allocation to develop plans for a $32 million science building. These two buildings would be most important to the River Front Project. Mr. Olum gave credit to City Manager Mike Gleason for originating and following through on the River Front Project concept. In response to councilors' questions, University staff said the following: --Gave an explanation of how the University Foundation could be used in a "corporation" sense for development undertakings. --The University does not do classified defense research. Funds from the Department of Defense are funneled through the National Science Foundation or other entities, and are used for basic research. --Help is needed in getting out the message to create a broader aware- ness of the funding problems. Councilors could be most helpful in this work. Mr. Obie suggested that councilors organize and focus collectively on Eugene's legislative delegation regarding the importance of the higher education budget. Work should be done before and after the election on this issue. Ms. Schue suggested that the thrust of the appeal for higher education funding be enlarged to include the southwestern area in addition to the Eugene area. Other councilors suggested that the focus be even larger--to the entire state --with the thought that the entire state can benefit from better funding. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council Dinner Meeting May 29, 1984 Page 3