CC Minutes - 09/27/10 Work Session

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MINUTES Eugene City Council McNutt Room — Eugene City Hall 777 Pearl Street — Eugene, Oregon September 27, 2010 5:30 p.m. COUNCILORS PRESENT: Mike Clark, Betty Taylor, Jennifer Solomon, Andrea Ortiz, George Poling, Chris Pryor, Alan Zelenka, George Brown. Her Honor Mayor Kitty Piercy called the September 27, 2010, work session of the Eugene City Council to order. Mayor Piercy proclaimed the week of October 1 - October 10 to be Oregon Days of Culture Week. She called on Eugene citizens to participate in Oregon's culture, to celebrate its vibrancy and depth, and to give to the arts to ensure their future vitality. She emphasized the importance of the Oregon Cultural Trust, which had invested $502,000 in the City of Eugene since 2003 and which continued to contribute to the arts scene and economy. A. COMMITTEE REPORTS AND ITEMS OF INTEREST FROM MAYOR, CITY COUNCIL, AND CITY MANAGER Mayor Piercy reported that she had recently attended the "Rail Now" Conference in Salem, an effort pushing for action on high -speed rail. She had also attended, and she commended, the recent Bethel Talent Show put on by the Bethel Education Foundation to benefit the Bethel School District. Mayor Piercy recalled the memorial held in September at the Hult Center to honor former Mayor Ruth Bascom. Mayor Piercy reported that Eugene had hosted the League of Oregon Cities (LOC) Conference in September, and she commended City staff and Hilton Hotel staff for their work in support of the event. Mayor Piercy announced that Lane Independent Living Alliance (LILA) had opened a new peer support center downtown, and Fifth Street Market owner Brian Obie had unveiled his plans for a new hotel, "The Inn at Fifth." She also noted the recent ground- breaking ceremony at Alton Baker Park for the Nobel Peace Laureate Monument. Mayor Piercy spoke about a gathering in the West University Neighborhood that occurred over the weekend and had turned into a situation that required a police response. She said the University of Oregon (UO) played an important role in the state and local economy. The City welcomed UO students and asked that they be law- abiding community members. She emphasized that many of those involved in the event were not students, and the students who participated represented a small percentage of UO students. Mayor Piercy said the City took the event seriously and was working with a number of stakeholders, including the UO, property owners, landlords, students, and the Eugene Police Department to prevent future such events from happening. She anticipated the event would have legal consequences for many MINUTES— Eugene City Council September 27, 2010 Page 1 Work Session