CC Newsletter - 01/20/05 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

ODOT Beqins Work on 1-105 Overlay Proiect A project to repave and make other enhancements to Interstate 105 in Eugene is scheduled to begin this week. The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) has awarded the $13 million construction contract to Oregon Mainline Paving of McMinnville. Initial work will involve installing traffic control signage, removing trees and shrubbery in construction areas, replacing bridge rails, and building auxiliary lanes between I-5 and Coburg Road and the Coburg Road and Delta Highway exits. Most of this work will be done at night and is not expected to significantly affect traffic. The schedule also includes a 66-day "window" targeted between April 27 and June 20 where various portions of 1-105 will be closed for paving, resulting in significant traffic impacts. The project is anticipated to be substantially completed in July 2005. ODOT and local agencies, including the City of Eugene, have worked together for more than a year to coordinate projects and minimize impacts on the traveling public while 1-105 is under construction. A "Congestion Mitigation Program" has been developed within LTD's Commuter Solutions program, Eugene's alternative modes program, and other local agencies. Lane Council of Governments (LCOG) is working with staff from Eugene and other local agencies to coordinate information services such as a hotline, a web site, and other forms of outreach. The first phase of outreach and resource material will be available online the first week of February at www. KeepUsMoving.info. For more information about the project, contact ODOT Project Manager Jeff Payne at 541-744-8080 or Petra Schuetz at LCOG, 541- 682-3000. Aurora Buildinq Receives HUD "Doorknocker Award" The Aurora Building, the affordable housing development located at 11th Avenue and Oak Street in Eugene, received one of only fifteen "Doorknocker Awards" awarded by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to local governments nationwide. St. Vincent dePaul's Aurora Building, funded in part with Eugene's federal HOME funding, is a mixed-use building with 54 residential units. The project was recognized by HUD for demonstrating the successful use of sustainable design and "green" building techniques in a downtown setting. The project has geothermal heating, cooling, and water heating systems, which will cut tenants' heating bills by approximately 50% and water heating bills by 70%, thereby increasing affordability for Iow-income tenants. The Aurora Building is convenient to public transportation and within walking distance of many businesses, shops, a community college, and the public library. The building's design incorporates local artwork, including glass tiles from the Aurora Glass Foundry. For more information, contact Linda Dawson, Planning and Development Department, 682-5071. The Drawer Boy Opens at Hult Center The Willamette Repertory Theatre opens The Drawer Boy on January 26 for a two-week run on the Soreng stage. Already being hailed as a modern classic, The Drawer Boy is currently the most in-demand play in North America with TIME magazine naming it one of the Ten Best Plays of 2001. It is the story of two WWll veterans-turned-farmers who allow an actor to study their lives and livelihoods. This holds up a mirror to their secrets and reveals more truth than the three of them ever expected. This heart-warming story of mystery and loving discovery is full of surprises, humor and heart and proves that when it comes to making choices, always choose friendship. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2 January 20, 2005