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that there were stories of Whole Foods Grocery stores in New Jersey firing and replacing staff for attempting to organize. Based on this information, she did not believe Whole Foods to be a good employer. John Keith Geiger , 86289 Lorane Highway, said he worked for a co-op in Austin, Texas in 1980. He related that the arrival of Whole Foods Grocery had caused a great deal of concern on the part of the co-op; but, in fact, the co-op had kept its basic clientele. He had been able to work with the Whole Foods distribution house and rather than hurting the co-op, it had helped. Both stores still existed in Austin. He favored Whole Foods Grocery coming to Eugene as he had seen them encourage local farmers to turn away from commercial production to local organic production. The council discussed whether to move to extend the meeting. Councilor Ortiz predicted, based on the number of people yet to testify, that the meeting could last until midnight. City Manager Taylor stated that the council operating agreements allowed for completion of an item once it began. Mayor Piercy called for a short break at 10 p.m. The meeting reconvened at 10:08 p.m. Kevin Jones , 4740 Wendover Street, encouraged all people to read ingredient lists and to avoid foods that were either not grown with organic farming methods or were genetically modified. He did not support having a Whole Foods Grocery in the city of Eugene. He believed there were other options that would better serve the community. He related that he had shopped in a Whole Foods store when visiting his parents in the east. He knew the store to be committed to organically grown foods. He enjoyed supporting local stores, however. He asserted that corporate chain stores demanded huge community investments and were fragile in today’s economy. Tracy Olson , 795 Willamette Street, stated that he resided downtown. In talking about projects that were designed to bring people downtown, he wished to note that he was one of the “few people crazy enough” to live downtown. He indicated he would shop at a Whole Foods Grocery. He said in order to go grocery shopping at present he had to get in his car and drive somewhere. He averred that those who think the city has plenty of parking downtown either do not live or work downtown. He underscored that there was a need and encouraged the council to move forward with the project. Leroy Marney , 3460 Avalon Street, said he had lived in Eugene for 45 years and provided for his family by working as a laborer in the construction industry. He supported the use of a no-bid contract. He stated that all construction contracts should be awarded to the most responsible contractors providing a living wage and benefits to its workers. He related that it had been his experience that Lease Crutcher Lewis paid its construction craft workers the prevailing wage, contributed $45 an hour to the pension plan, $4.80 to the health insurance premium. He said this kept working families from seeking public assistance and becoming a burden on taxpayers. He felt that allowing this contract to go to a responsible contractor, such as Lease Crutcher Lewis, would help the local community. Jozef Siekiel-Zdzienicki , 1025 Taylor Street, wondered why an above-ground parking garage was a priority over every development project in the downtown area. He asked if this was the primary goal when building. He commented that he had yet to find a parking garage that was full. He questioned the notion of the parking structure meeting, in part, the needs of the federal courthouse, as it was not on the east side of Franklin Boulevard. He opined that the no-bid contract sounded much like the contracting of Halliburton in Iraq. MINUTES—Eugene City Council -- March 13, 2006 Page 19 City Council Meeting