CC Minutes - 01/26/05 WS - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES Eugene City Council Work Session McNutt Room--Eugene City Hall January 26, 2005 Noon COUNCILORS PRESENT: Bonny Bettman, Chris Pryor, Andrea Ortiz, David Kelly, Betty Taylor, Gary Papd, Jennifer Solomon, George Poling. Mayor Kitty Piercy called the meeting of the Eugene City Council to order. A. WORK SESSION: Adaptive Recreation City Manager Dennis Taylor introduced Sue Harnly, Recreation Manager, and Ren~e Grube, Recreation Services Director for the Library, Recreation, and Cultural Services Department. He said this work session was an opportunity for Ms. Hamly and Ms. Grube to explain the City of Eugene's Adaptive Recreation Services. Ms. Harnly began by introducing the program supervisors for Adaptive Recreation Services, Molly Elliott and Patty Prather. She explained that the City was the primary provider of such recreation services and sought to encourage people with disabilities to lead active lives. She said the program had been formerly called Specialized Recreation Services, but had been renamed Adaptive Recreation Services to reflect the current feeling that %pecial" was a separation with somewhat negative connotations. Ms. Harnly outlined the core service areas of the program, as follows: 1) Program services, which provide a full spectrum of programs to a wide range of people, 100 differ- ent programs in 2004 that served over 800 people 2) Resource and referral services, which include fielding calls, networking, and providing information 3) Inclusion services, in that all people are entitled, regardless of ability, to participate in activities of their choice and the service facilitates this participation 4) The volunteer program, an integral element of the programs as they extend resources and help to offer quality programs. Volunteers come from the University of Oregon, Lane Community College, and some from community service and a substance abuse recovery program, among others. Part- nerships are also developed with other agencies in the community. 5) Community education and networking, a constant for adaptive recreation staff. Staff often is at the table when issues about people with disabilities are discussed. Ms. Hamly said approximately 17 percent of the population of the City of Eugene have a disability of one sort or another, as Eugene is a livable city for people with disabilities. She shared several stories of people whose lives had benefited from Adaptive Recreation Services. In closing, Ms. Harnly thanked the council and staff for their support and, in particular, Ms. Elliott and Ms. Prather for their work for the program. MINUTES--Eugene City Council January 26, 2005 Page 1 Work Session