CC Minutes - 04/28/03 Mtg - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

citing several examples. The Natural Resources Study was, she said, another example of a City action affecting her from which she saw no benefit. She said that superior customer service should be considered by the council with each decision it made. She asked that each councilor give clear and unconditional support to the new City Manager and his staff. Greg Arisen, 4594 Parsons Avenue, thanked the councilors who responded to his e-mail. He opposed the renaming of Centennial Boulevard to Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard because the road was named for a reason. He said that Dr. King was worthy of honor and he supported renaming the Ferry Street Bridge to that end. He had asked how much the street name would cost as no one had been able to provide him with that information. Peg Morton, 510 Van Buren Street, spoke in support of renaming Centennial Boulevard in honor of Dr. King. She spoke of her own encounter with racism while traveling in the south. She said the country had come a long way but there was still considerable racism in the country. She spoke of Dr. King's accomplishments and said the community needed to honor him as the greatest person in recent history. There being no other requests to speak, Mayor Torrey closed the Public Forum and invited council comments. Councilor Pap~ said he spoke to a couple of Planning Commissioners, and they indicated that they had to either reject or accept the Centennial Boulevard name change and were not allowed to consider other options. He asked City Manager Dennis Taylor to confirm that fact. Councilor Nathanson said that the council had responded to a request and recommendation from both the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Board of County Commissioners. The council did not initiate a process directing the commission to do an exhaustive search for appropriate facilities to rename in honor of Dr. King. Councilor Bettman thanked those offering testimony, particularly Ms. Morton. She explained that the motion passed by the council was to initiate a public process to rename Centennial Boulevard in the city limits of Eugene in honor of Dr. King. She said that the council would not be held to the same limits as the commission, given the council's charge to the commission. She hoped the council voted to accept the recommendation of the commission as she thought it an appropriate way to honor Dr. King. Councilor Meisner requested information regarding the costs associated with the renaming of Centennial Boulevard in terms of public resources required, including signage and map changes. Mayor Torrey said that there were people in the community who appeared to believe that if the City failed to rename Centennial Boulevard in honor of Dr. King it was dishonoring Dr. King. He voices his support for renaming the Ferry Street Bridge in honor of Dr. King, noting that it was traveled by many more people than Centennial Boulevard. MINUTES--Eugene City Council April 28, 2003 Page 2 Regular Meeting