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<br /> <br />City of Eugene <br />125 East 8 Avenue, 2 Floor <br />thnd <br />Eugene, Oregon 97401 <br />(541) 682-5010 <br />(541) 682-5414 (FAX) <br /> <br />www.eugene-or.gov <br />EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER <br />February 5, 2015 <br /> <br />IN THIS EDITION <br /> <br />NEW STUDY VALUES EUGENE’S PARKS AND NATURAL AREAS AT OVER $42 MILLION PER YEAR <br /> <br />CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM (CIP) DISCUSSED <br />"THE SOIL WILL SAVE US" AUTHOR AT EUGENE PUBLIC LIBRARY <br />WOODWORKERS DELIGHT IN CAMPBELL CENTER’S RENOVATED WOODSHOP <br />NEXT WORKING CITY EPISODE: NEW TECHNOLOGY FOR FIRE DEPARTMENT – DRIVING SIMULATOR! <br /> <br />AROUND THE CITY <br /> <br />New Study Values Eugene’s Parks and Natural Areas at Over $42 Million per Year <br /> <br />The Parks and Open Space Division is releasing Nature’s Value – An Economic View of Eugene’s Parks, Natural Areas, and <br />Urban Forest. The study done by Earth Economics, is the first-ever valuation of the economic benefits people receive from <br />Eugene’s parks, natural areas, trees and waterways. Eugene’s natural capital provides a stream of nature’s benefits, or <br />ecosystem services that include clean air, water quality, reduced <br />flood risk, and recreation, as well as increased home prices near <br />parks and natural areas. According to Nature’s Value, the value <br />of key ecosystem services in Eugene is on average $42.4 million <br />per year. <br /> <br />Earth Economics is a Tacoma, Washington-based independent, <br />non-partisan non-profit that provides robust, science-based, <br />ecologically sound economic analysis, policy recommendations, <br />and tools to positively transform regional, national and <br />international economics, and asset accounting systems. <br /> <br />Earth Economics reports that Eugene’s parks and natural areas, <br />including green spaces along waterways, provide natural <br />filtration and reduce the amount of pollution flowing in the <br />water, saving an average $5.4 million in stormwater processing <br />costs each year. These areas also help protect the community <br />from flood damage by absorbing and intercepting heavy rains. In <br />addition, the study looks at the amount of energy savings and climate protection provided by Eugene’s urban forest. <br />Another area covered is the increase in property value for homes near parks and open spaces that add up to an average of <br />$13.5 million in benefits each year, and the value people derive from the diversity of recreation opportunities offered in <br />Eugene. <br /> <br />For more information, contact City of Eugene Parks and Open Space Natural Areas Restoration Supervisor Trevor Taylor at <br />trevor.h.taylor@ci.eugene.or.us or 541-682-4888. An overview of the study is available for download at www.eugene- <br />or.gov/parks. The full report can also be made available. <br /> <br />Capital Improvement Program (CIP) Discussed <br />On Wednesday, Feb. 11, at 5:30 p.m., the Eugene Budget Committee will meet in the Bascom-Tykeson Room in the <br />Downtown Public Library, 100 West 10 Avenue, to discuss the Draft Capital Improvement Program (CIP) for fiscal years <br />th <br />2016 through 2021 (FY16-21). The CIP provides a six-year funding plan for the City’s capital improvements, including <br />transportation, airport, public buildings, parks and open space, stormwater and wastewater projects. The CIP also <br />documents unfunded capital needs over the next six years. <br /> <br /> <br />EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 1 <br />February 5, 2015 <br />