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MINUTES <br /> <br /> Eugene City Council <br /> Work Session <br /> McNutt Room--City Hall <br /> <br /> June 14, 2004 <br /> 5:30 p.m. <br /> <br />COUNCILORS PRESENT: Bonny Bettman, George Poling, Nancy Nathanson, Scott Meisner, David <br /> Kelly, Betty Taylor, Gary Papd, Jennifer Solomon. <br /> <br />His Honor Mayor James D. Torrey called the meeting of the Eugene City Council to order. <br /> <br />A. ITEMS FROM MAYOR, CITY COUNCIL, AND CITY MANAGER <br /> <br />Mr. Poling noted a recent article and editorial in The Register-Guard referring to a paper reportedly <br />produced by City staff regarding the issue of a new hospital. He asked if there was a way for the council to <br />receive such papers when they were provided to the media as a part of a public information request so the <br />council was prepared to respond to questions. He had not seen the paper in question. City Manager Dennis <br />Taylor indicated he was not aware of the paper in question but would follow up. He suggested the <br />information referred to could have been drawn from many sources, including e-mail messages. He <br />acknowledged the appropriateness of ensuring that such documents were made available to the council when <br />requested by the media. <br /> <br />Mr. Poling referred to a letter the mayor and council had recently received from the Business Roundtable, <br />which represented a wide range of citizens. The letter included several recommendations regarding the <br />commercial and industrial buildable lands inventory. He asked what the follow-up would be given that there <br />were so many people of different political persuasions calling for a response. Mr. Taylor noted some of the <br />issues mentioned in the letter were being addressed in the Planning and Development Department work plan <br />and through the fiscal year 2005 budget, and indicated he would follow up. <br /> <br />Ms. Solomon arrived. She said that on June 5, the annual Bethel Celebration had occurred, and it was very <br />successful and a lot of fun. She reported that on Saturday, Bethel Community Park had opened near the <br />comer of Legacy Street and Barger Drive, and the opening ceremony was enjoyed by all who attended. She <br />thanked the voters for their support of the 1998 parks and open space bond, which made construction of the <br />park possible, and also thanked City staff for being responsive to the residents of that area. <br /> <br />Mr. Meisner concurred with the request of Mr. Poling regarding media information requests. <br /> <br />Mr. Meisner said he attended a June 11 meeting of the Passenger Rail Council in Portland, during which the <br />council discussed the time of service. An analysis indicated that Union Pacific was largely responsible for <br />most of the delays experienced by Amtrak. He had learned that Union Pacific, when it acquired Southern <br />Pacific, made staff reductions that led to some of the problems that were being experienced, and in addition <br />to recruiting new staff, Union Pacific was reconsidering its decision about whether to maintain the Eugene <br />yard. <br /> <br />MINUTES--Eugene City Council June 14, 2004 Page 1 <br /> Work Session <br /> <br /> <br />