CCMinutes - 12/08/04 WS - Laserfiche WebLink

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Mr. Poling, seconded by Mr. Papd, moved to extend the discussion by ten minutes. The motion passed, 5:3; Mr. Kelly, Ms. Bettman, and Ms. Taylor voting no. Mr. Poling thanked everyone who was involved in developing the plan. He noted that he was particularly concerned with the areas of the City that were underserved by parks, such as his and Mr. Pap6's wards. Ms. Solomon thanked the committee and Ms. Nathanson. She stated that while she was not opposed to the acquisition of park lands, it was important to remember that when land was taken from the private sector and placed into the public sector, the property tax revenue from the land was lost. Mr. Meisner remarked that, though his education and career included graduate degrees in Law and Library Science and involved planning, he sometimes hated plans. He observed that the City of Eugene did a lot of planning but not a lot of doing. He hoped this plan would not be relegated to a shelf. Mr. Meisner said he was happy to see maintenance costs included. He hoped that the City Manager would look at the artificial division between Parks and Open Space and Recreation at some point. As an example, he commented that it was never clear who to talk to in regard to the Washington/Jefferson Park because of that division. Additionally, Mr. Meisner hoped attention would be paid to this document and its planning and other elements such as the Goal 5 study and stormwater acquisition for stream corridors. Mayor Torrey reiterated the council's gratitude for the work done to create the draft. He underscored the necessity of partnerships to bring the plan to fruition and suggested such partners could include school districts, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and the United Front lobbying effort. He noted that the City had been able to expand its ability to provide services as a result of what it had done with the Bethel and 4J School Districts. He pointed out the partnerships that had been forged in the creation of the West Eugene Wetlands Project. He underscored the importance of getting the Rachel Carson Education Center in a funding pattern when members of the City Council went to Washington, DC, as part of the United Front lobby, as it was a park-like setting, tourist and education-oriented, and a place where a person who was not necessarily activity-oriented would feel welcome. Mayor Torrey said, from an efficiency standpoint, it was important to look at such things as all-weather surface facilities. He stressed that such facilities at the high schools offered the opportunity to get 2-1/2 times more use than a grass field because of how affected the latter was by the weather. He called attention to the fact that the City was going to lose seven full-sized soccer fields by the end of March 2005. He expressed concern that there would be no place for local youth to play soccer. Mr. Pap~ concurred. Noting he was surprised that the planned area took in land outside of the UGB, Mr. Pap~ asked how this was to be accomplished. Ms. Riner replied that such parks were included as a result of the Rivers to Ridges recommendations, which had been approved by all of the jurisdictions. E. WORK SESSION AND ACTION: Draft Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program Project List Ms. Bettman, seconded by Mr. Poling, moved to approve the Eugene's pro- ject list in the draft FY2005-2007 Metropolitan Transportation Improve- MINUTES--Eugene City Council December 8, 2004 Page 7 Work Session