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Woodrich suggested that rather than build an EmX route to get people to Wal -Mart ten minutes quicker for $200 million, the City should lobby for improvements to the Beltline instead. He believed that those who used the bus were largely the young and the elderly, who had more time to ride the bus. He said that those who had cars had them because they needed to get somewhere. George Cole, 2760 West I V Avenue, owned property on both 7 th and 8 th avenues. He said those opposed to the EmX project were for public transit but wanted smaller buses and better routes that served the people who needed them. He said he had previously been "gored" by LTD for $160,000. LTD had intended to use his property for a park and ride but the lot they decided on was Fred Meyer's lot now. He had checked the lot weekly since discussion of the West EmX route began. The 42 -space lot averaged three to six cars daily, although that day there had been nine cars. That property was off the tax rolls and was not achieving what it was intended to achieve. That made him question LTD's projections that EmX would bring enhanced business to the area. He asked for an example of that, adding he found none in downtown. Don Peck, 2911 West 11 Avenue, noted an article in The Register -Guard indicated the cost of the EmX extension would be $105 million, and he heard figures up to $140 million. He said that LTD had not stated a need for the expansion. He discussed the impact of the project on private investment, saying the project would leave six inches between the sidewalk and his building. He said that LTD staff had indicated there would be five feet, but he could see where it would come from. Mr. Peck said his property was identified as the site of an EmX station, and the station's northern line would be within a foot of his building. He would lose five parking spaces. Mr. Peck also thought the building would be more susceptible to vandalism with closer proximity to the sidewalk. Mr. Peck spoke to the need for the system, saying he had never seen more than three or four people on the buses during off peak hours and most times they seemed empty. In the absence of a proven need for the project, he asked why it should be done, or if the rationale was the availability of federal money. If that was the case, he thought it a poor reason to support the project. Kimberly Gladen, 361 West Broadway, #4, said she heard people say there were no garage cans or toilets downtown and she disagreed. She noted the existence of both garbage cans and public toilets in downtown. The cans were sometimes full and she suggested the City empty certain cans twice daily. She suggested that the garage cans be repainted in brighter colors to make them more visible to the public. She also suggested the City paint a green "T" on buildings with bathrooms to identify the location of toilets. She also suggested the City consider installing a map on the wall next to toilets identifying the location of other toilets downtown and the hours they were open. The City could also arrange for people to receive texts when bathrooms or garbage cans were nearby. Ms. Gladen further recommended elderly ladies be hired to tell drinkers to urinate in the drinking establishment they were patronizing before they departed. John Brown, 500 East 4 th Avenue, chair of the Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB), said he planned to attend Public Forums regularly to update the council on EWEB business. He said that each EWEB commissioner was available to the council on a 24/7 basis. He provided an update, announcing the Roosevelt Operations Center Open House on October 16. Mr. Brown also announced upcoming rate increases for water and electricity that he attributed to the need for repair aging infrastructure, poor snowpack, and Bonneville Power Administration rate increases. He said that EWEB was also considering a secondary source of water. Mr. Brown concluded by reporting Lane County considering ordinances related to water quality protection and septic tanks in the McKenzie corridor. MINUTES— Eugene City Council September 27, 2010 Page 4 Regular Meeting