02/04/16 - City Council Newsletter

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The City of Eugene is taking many concrete steps to improve community resilience to earthquakes. A systematic seismic evaluation of key City bridges and facilities is currently underway. In addition, the City has a number of staff preparing for and participating in Cascadia Rising, a broad-based, FEMA-coordinated regional emergency management exercise scheduled for Jun. 7 - 10, 2016. The exercise will provide important experience to help local responders and emergency management be more effective in a real Cascadia subduction zone earthquake. For more information, contact Jan Bohman at 541-682-5587. Corvallis Following City of Eugene’s Lead with Climate Action Plan Recognized as an early leader when it comes to climate action, the City of Eugene has been asked to provide support to the City of Corvallis as it prepares to move forward in developing its first Climate Action Plan. On Tuesday, Feb. 2, Climate and Energy Analyst Matt McRae, from the City Manager’s Office, shared lessons learned from Eugene’s climate action planning and climate goal-setting efforts with the Corvallis Climate Action Task Force, a committee of city councilors and community members. The meeting was highlighted in an article in the Corvallis Gazette-Times. For more information, contact Matt McRae at 541-682-5649. Central Services Department Volunteer Initiative The Central Services Department Strategic Implementation Team (SIT) launched a volunteer initiative in December to increase opportunities for Central Services employees to support and contribute to the community’s prosperity through volunteer engagement. Fourteen Central Services volunteers worked on Dec. 9, with other community volunteers repackaging food for the Food Rescue Express Program at FOOD for Lane County (FFLC). Volunteers found it rewarding to give back to the community while having fun and interacting with colleagues outside the workplace. On Dec. 12, three Central Services volunteers worked in the FFLC Grassroots Garden greenhouse mixing the ingredients for healthy compost. Despite the torrential rain, they were able to keep warm and enjoy a morning of getting dirty (and getting a workout!). In total, Central Services volunteers provided 51 volunteer-hours in just two events. The SIT plans to coordinate quarterly volunteer opportunities for Central Services employees, their family members and friends. For more information, contact SIT Chair Becky Wheeler, Central Services Finance, at 541-682-5056. Shakespeare Events at Eugene Public Library Coming up this weekend in connection with the First Folio exhibit at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, the Downtown Eugene Public Library will host two free events. On First Friday, Feb. 5, at 6 p.m., Shakespeare himself will host an instrumental concert, "The Food of Love - Shakespeare’s Music." The Oregon Bach Collegium will perform pieces inspired by Shakespeare, featuring works written and performed during his lifetime and since. The concert will be emceed by the Bard, played by Geoff Ridden, who will explain the music and its use in his plays. Musicians will be Wyatt True (violin), Marc Vanscheeuwijck (cello), and Margret Gries (harpsichord). The Downtown Library stays open until 8 p.m. on the First Friday of each month. Director and actor Judith “Sparky” Roberts will lead a presentation titled "Naked Shakespeare" on Saturday, Feb. 6, at 3 p.m. She will talk about the art of artifice in Shakespeare’s plays, with illustrative performances by professional actors Joe Cronin, Dylan Skye Kennedy, Richard Leebrick, Marcee Long, and Patrick Torelle. Discover how Shakespeare entices the audience to revel in "the momentary trick.” Explore how he lays bare the illusions of theatre while using lures both obvious and subtle to engage the audience's collusion, unleashing their "imaginary forces." The University of Oregon’s Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art is the only site in Oregon where the tour of the Folger Shakespeare Library’s exhibit “First Folio! The Book that Gave Us Shakespeare” will be held. The book was published in 1623 and is the only source of 18 of his 38 plays. In 2016, the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, original First Folios will tour for display in every state in the nation plus Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico. The exhibit is open through Feb. 7 with free admission; for more information, visit jsma.uoregon.edu/Shakespeare. For more information about events at the Library, please contact the Eugene Public Library at www.eugene-or.gov/library or 541-682-5450. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2 February 4, 2016