07/30/15 City Council Newsletter

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computer science early in a student’s school career – especially among girls and underrepresented youth. Since 2007, NATOA has been recognizing exceptional leaders and innovative programs that champion community interests in broadband deployment and adoption in local communities nationwide. Recipients will receive their awards at NATOA's 35th Annual Conference, to be held in San Diego, California, in September. The Digital Dojo partnership brings together instructional specialists with expertise in computer science from the local computer industry, LCC and 4J. Workshops are held in a state-of-the-art classroom in LCC’s Downtown campus with funding from City of Eugene telecommunications project program funds. Students can receive information about, and sign up for, sessions at the Eugene Region Coder Dojo meetup site at http://www.meetup.com/Eugene-Region- CoderDojo-Hub/. This demonstration program has one more year of pilot funding from the City, and is actively seeking long-term support from the community to continue into the future. People interested in donating to the Digital Dojo’s ongoing efforts to support youth, can contact the Lane Community College Foundation. For more information, please contact Anne Fifield at 541-682-5451 or Pam Berrian at 541-682-5590. Eugene Sunday Streets a Success! “I had a grand time and wish this happened more often!” a participant raved. This was one of many uplifting remarks that were heard along the two-mile downtown Eugene Sunday Streets (ESS) route this past weekend. Volunteers and event-goers shared in the joy of being able to play in the streets in a car-free environment. Over 4,000 cyclists, runners, rollers, families, and friends filled the streets to enjoy the largest Eugene Sunday Streets to date. (At last year’s downtown event there were an estimated 3,200 participants.) This year’s downtown route was more condensed - two miles concentrated on Broadway - which seemed to heighten the car-free experience by filling the route with participants and easy access to all three activity centers. Music extended this year into the route with the addition of the NOW! pop- up stage on Broadway and Charnelton. The stage hosted poets, a popular magician, and belly dancing, to the crowd’s delight. Each activity center’s array of diverse music and interactive clinics created three dynamic experiences. Kesey Square buzzed with music, and the local businesses filled up with guests seeking coveted outdoor seating. Red Wagon Creamery reported a 30 percent increase in sales, and Thomas Pettus-Czar, owner of the Barnlight, was pleased with double the normal sales on the day of the event. The upcycle design T-shirt competition blew everyone away as kids and adults created entire outfits made from vintage Eugene Sunday Streets volunteer T-shirts. A quick roll over to Monroe Park and the atmosphere was a mix of kids laughing from being soaked in the dunk tank to enthusiasm over giant tricycle rides. Arriving by Bike and Bike Friday experienced higher than previous numbers of test rides on their fleet of cargo and Bion-X pedal-powered rides. Ellen Currier, who assisted in the kid’s traffic safety garden with Safe Routes to School, said it was her best ESS experience yet. There are always lessons to be learned. Feedback from participants, vendors and volunteers is encouraged and may be shared through an online survey at http://eugene-or.gov/esssurvey. Feedback will be used in preparing for the next Eugene Sunday Streets on Sept. 20 in the Friendly Neighborhood. See you there! For more information, go to www.EugeneSundayStreets.org, or contact Emily Farthing, Eugene Sunday Streets coordinator, at 541-501-0390. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2 July 30, 2015