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Councilor Meisner shared the concern of the Jefferson neighborhood on the weight and speed of traffic <br />along Jefferson Street. He felt many other streets had similar concerns, but that it was not easy to resolve. <br />He conveyed his eagerness to see the petition and to see what sort of response the Public Works Depart- <br />ment could come up with. He noted that traffic enforcement patrols had lost staffing for several reasons <br />and the City was currently conducting patrol recruitment. <br /> <br />Councilor Meisner remarked that he had not heard any other criticisms of the Kesey statue, but rather had <br />only heard positive responses to it. <br /> <br />Councilor Meisner said, regarding the proposed land swap, that it was hardly a ;;slam dunk." He called it a <br />difficult issue, noting there were many sides. For as many people who would be concerned about the loss <br />of Class 1 soils, there were an equal amount of people who had voiced support of preservation of Moon <br />Mountain. He felt the council was ;;besieged" with concerns about various land types and whether to <br />preserve them or not. He reiterated that the City had spoken in favor of redevelopment and the intensifica- <br />tion of infill. <br /> <br />Councilor Bettman concurred with the analysis of the Jefferson Street neighbors that it was not the volume <br />of the traffic that was causing the problem, but rather the speed at which the traffic was driving by. She <br />was unsure what sort of traffic calming strategies would work for an arterial. She conveyed her apprecia- <br />tion for the attention given to the area by the traffic patrol. <br /> <br />Councilor Bettman thanked Mr. Adkinson for farming and producing food for the community. She referred <br />to the hierarchy of human need: air, water, and food. She asserted it was often overlooked or taken for <br />granted. She believed there were other ways to develop a park for the Santa Clara neighborhood that <br />would not cover over Class 1 soils. <br /> <br />Councilor Bettman stressed that agriculture created jobs, noting that community money was being spent <br />toward that end. She felt this to be one incentive to keep such high-grade soils in use for food production. <br /> <br />Councilor Kelly thanked all those who spoke in the Public Forum. He asked staff to provide a memoran- <br />dum on possible solutions for the Jefferson Street traffic speed issue. <br /> <br />Regarding the land in Santa Clara, Councilor Kelly said there were hearings yet to come, both before the <br />Planning Commission and the City Council, and the hearings would not be scheduled until the property <br />owner initiated a formal request to the City. He commented that, though the land swap would expand the <br />UGB by 120 acres in one part of the City, it would subtract 120 acres in southeast Eugene. There would <br />be no net change in developable land. He supported the development of a park in the Santa Clara area, as <br />it was under served. He felt the key to finding an alternative way to do the land swap was a matter of <br />finding a different way to develop the park. He agreed with Mr. Adkinson and Ms. Perle on the issue of the <br />value of Class 1 soils. <br /> <br />Councilor Taylor thanked all who testified, especially those who reminded the council of the importance of <br />agricultural land. <br /> <br />Mayor Torrey arrived. <br /> <br />MINUTES--Eugene City Council December 1, 2003 Page 3 <br /> Regular Meeting <br /> <br /> <br />