CC Minutes - 07/25/07 Work Session

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Ms. Taylor thanked the committee. She emphasized the importance of the arts to Eugene, although she acknowledged she continued to be embarrassed by the City slogan, “The World’s Greatest City of the Arts and Outdoors.” Ms. Taylor said upon her arrival in Eugene she had been amazed about how much was available with regard to the arts. She believed that some of the organizations that existed in the past had “died away” because there was no place for them in the Hult Center. She asked if there would be more coordination in the use of space, and if the committee considered the possibility of a downtown theater divided into different spaces. Ms. Niles thought there was the potential for such a theater and many community members who would support it as alliances were built. She said that such theaters were found in other communities. Ms. Taylor said the Atrium used to be a great space for theater when the Oregon Repertory Theater had been housed there. Ms. Taylor said that the Lord Leebrick Theater and Actors Cabaret Theater needed additional space and she thought the City and the whole community should give them money. She said that those organizations had succeeded in delivering really good theater against all odds. Mr. Pryor commended the committee’s report and emphasized the investment people had in realizing the goals of the report, which he termed thorough and achievable. He thought it had a huge benefit to the community with regard to the quality of life and quality of livelihood. He thought the role recommended for the City by the committee was also achievable. The City, in partnership with others, could serve as a catalyst and lend support to achieving the recommendations. He liked seeing the words ‘coordination,’ ‘cooperation,’ and ‘comprehensive’ in the report. He thanked the committee and said it could not have done a better job. Mr. Pryor suggested that this was “just the beginning.” Ms. Ortiz agreed with the remarks of Ms. Taylor and Mr. Pryor. She thanked the committee for the work it had done and acknowledged it was a labor of love. She expressed appreciation to Mr. Goldring for his remarks about the importance of the arts in schools, which she thought was not said enough. Mr. Clark also thanked the committee, consultants, and staff. He commended the report and said it would serve the City for years. He grew up in Yakima, Washington and was very familiar with that community’s Allied Arts Council, first formed in 1962 by the City Council. He had grown up with the alliance in place, and as a youth had attended a special arts school one day each week, which was well-integrated into the community. He found huge value in that. As a father of two young children, he appreciated the work the committee did on their behalf. Mr. Clark spoke to the subject of financing the report’s recommendations, which was of some concern to him. While he would vote to accept the report, he was concerned that it was being implicitly prioritized over other high-priority needs such as street maintenance. He suggested that transportation was a higher priority than the arts, and that the council consider going to the community for funding to implement the report. Ms. Bettman also thanked the consultants and the members of the community that produced the report. She was impressed with the quality of the report and the relevance of its recommendations. She had no problem supporting the report. She agreed about the richness of the local arts scene, to which everyone in the community had access. Ms. Bettman observed that her two children had access to the arts even when her family had less money. People frequently talked about Eugene’s access to the beach and mountains, but it had an extraordinary MINUTES—Eugene City Council July 25, 2007 Page 3 Work Session