02/14/08 City Council Newsletter

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Members of the BPAC will advise the Public Works Department’s Transportation Planning staff and partner organizations on implementing the strategic plan. BPAC members also will provide feedback on bicycle and pedestrian-related projects and represent their constituents’ interests in transportation planning decisions. The committee will consist of 10 to 14 community members selected through an application process open through the end of February 2008. The committee will hold its first meeting in March 2008. Members will be selected to ensure broad community representation, skills and interests. For more information about the BPAC, contact Transportation Planner David Roth at 682-5727 or at . Applications for the BPAC are available at www.eugene-or.gov/walkbike or david.f.roth@ci.eugene.or.us by contacting David Roth. nd Walking and Biking Summit: A ‘Call to Action’ Answered Eugene’s 2 On January 26, more than 140 participants braved the elements to attend Eugene’s second Walking and Bike Summit. The summit was the culmination of a 16-month long planning effort that began with the first Walking and Biking Summit in October 2006. Since then there have been numerous community engagement activities including workshops, focus groups, stakeholder interviews, a departmental advisory committee that met monthly, and an open house to share and get feedback on the final draft of the Pedestrian and Bicycle Strategic Plan. At the summit, which took place at South Eugene High School, participants greeted each other warmly and chatted while sipping coffee and munching on bagels and cream cheese that were kindly donated by Springfield Creamery, Full City Coffee and Bagelsphere. They visited 10 different booths sponsored by community groups, including one on the new Delta Ponds Pedestrian and Bike Bridge project. Mayor Kitty Piercy kicked off the summit praising Eugene’s current facilities. She challenged the community to demand better by working collaboratively and to “strive for gold.” Mayor Piercy pledged her support, and urged others to join in implementing the new Pedestrian and Bicycle Strategic Plan which was released at the summit. Matt Peterson, a graduate student at the University of Oregon, reminded the participants that “today is not about what the City can do for walking and biking in Eugene; it is about what we, the community, can do, whether that means we as students, we as people who live in Eugene, or even we as businesses and community groups.” A Call to Action seemed to be the theme of the day. Participants rolled up their sleeves in smaller breakout groups and kicked off the planning of three high priority action items contained in the plan: developing a Share the Road plan for the community of Eugene; getting more children to walk and bike to school and to be active; developing a signature walking and biking event for Eugene. More information about the summit and the action items is available at www.eugene- or.gov/walkbike or by calling Transportation Planning Technician Lindsay Selser at 682-5094. Digital Photography Class Uses Free, Downloadable Software The City’s Senior Program offers a number of computer classes, from the basics to more advanced applications, such as a digital photography class that will be held on Monday, Feb. 25, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Campbell Community Center. The class will use Picasa, free software downloadable from the Internet, which makes working with digital photos easy and fun! For a registration fee of just $8, participants learn how to locate and organize photos on their computer, edit and add special effects to photos with a few simple clicks, and how to share their photos with others through email, prints and on the web. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 3 February 14, 2008