CC Minutes - 10/13/03 Mtg - Laserfiche WebLink

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Mary Blackburn, 3914 Shasta View, expressed disappointment that the council had not restored funding for the cattery in the Lane County Animal Regulation Authority shelter. She stressed that there were not enough homes for all of the cats in the community, noting that when the cattery was functioning approxi- mately 3,000 cats were humanely euthanized per year. She asked the council to consider how many cats there will be in the next breeding season. She alleged that people were already using inhumane methods to dispose of unwanted cats. She wanted to know what to tell people who had found strays, stating that most veterinary clinics would not euthanize healthy cats that were not owned. She said that even if this were possible, it would cost nearly $70 per cat. Ms. Blackburn asked if it would take a minority group to "get ugly, threaten, and boycott" to move the City to action. She reiterated that steps needed to be taken to prevent the health and safety issues that cat over- population presented the City. Gene Humphreys, 2035 Alder Street, spoke as a representative of the Executive Committee of the South University Neighborhood Association. He conveyed the neighborhood's opposition to the cell tower that was planned for Hayward Field. He related the concerns of the neighborhood, as follows: · The proposed 120-foot structure would be taller than the modestly sized buildings of the neighborhood creating a visual impact. · The 1,000 square foot footprint represented a significant loss of space in the area, especially given the plan to build the new basketball arena on Howe Field. · There was a risk to the migratory population of swifts which descend on the area, as per- ceived by the Audobon Society. Mr. Humphreys said the City had agreed to revisit the telecommunications ordinance and, so far as he had heard, this had yet to happen. He requested careful consideration of the project, a chance for the neighborhood to be informed before decisions were made and an opportunity to respond to such decisions. Mona Liustromberg, 87140 Territorial Road, Veneta, encouraged the City Council to proceed with its effort to reconsider the telecommunications ordinance. She acknowledged the many issues waiting in the wings, but stressed the issue should not languish. She conveyed her belief, having reviewed approximately a dozen applications for cell tower permits, that something could be done in the interim should the City implement an existing provision of the current ordinance. She asserted that Eugene Code 9.5750(11) allowed for independent peer review of the technical applications at the expense of the applicant. She related that she had e-mailed the comments of Steve Nystrom, principal planner, regarding his position and her response to him, to the council. She noted that she disagreed with him, in that she felt the applications in question should be reviewed and he did not. She reiterated that peer reviews of cell tower applications should be used as a short-term solution and, in the long term, the City Council should review and update its telecommunications ordinance. Martha Johnson, 110 East Hilliard Road, stated that she and her neighbors had spent two years and several thousand dollars fighting the application for the Autorama cell phone tower, planned to be installed 120 feet from her home in the suburban River Road area. She related that she and her neighbors pleaded with the City in the fall of 2000 to institute E C 9.5750(11) and subject cell towers to independent technical review. She opined that Planning staff did not have expertise in telecommunications and currently relied on MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 13, 2003 Page 2 Regular Meeting