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Ms. Bettman asked why Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB) was not listed as a potential participating <br />agency on undergrounding utilities as part of the Franklin Boulevard redesign project. Mr. Pangborn said <br />that was an oversight as LTD had worked closely with EWEB on undergrounding utilities during the <br />Franklin Boulevard corridor project. <br /> <br />Mr. Evans addressed the costs of EmX and BRT. He said a light rail system, for which Eugene was not <br />suitable, would cost $30 to $50 million per mile, compared to $6 million per mile for BRT. <br /> <br />Mr. Pangborn said there appeared to be a perception that the fixed route service had suffered as a result of <br />EmX and the funds spent on EmX could have been spent on service. He said the matching funds for the <br />Franklin and Pioneer Parkway corridors was money the LTD Board had reserved during the 1990s with a <br />one-time allocation earmarked for BRT. He said that LTD would be asking the State for matching funds as <br />TriMet had during the last legislative session. <br /> <br />Mr. Pryor commended LTD for working to make mass transit part of the solution to traffic problems in <br />West Eugene and provide the council with a progress report. He said it would be challenging to find an <br />acceptable corridor, but the process would not be abandoned just because it was difficult. He was pleased <br />with the number of people involved in attempting to find a creative solution. He said it would short circuit <br />that process to have specifics of a route at this point. <br /> <br />Mr. Zelenka said one of the things learned from the first phase of EmX was that acquisition of right-of-way <br />was critically important. He said that would likely be a consideration in selection of an alternative because <br />once Eugene reached a size where it was feasible, a light rail system would replace the bus. He supported <br />the WEC recommendations. He was also concerned about the potential habitat impact of a route along the <br />Amazon Channel. <br /> <br />Public Works Director Kurt Corey remarked that the Franklin Boulevard redesign and Walnut Station <br />mixed use center were closely related. He said the Franklin Boulevard project's purpose was the redesign <br />and reconstruction of that street from the Springfield Bridge to the Ferry Street Bridge, using the concept of <br />a multi-way boulevard, including doubling EmX lanes. He said the Walnut Station mixed use center project <br />was currently before the Planning Commission and staff was available to answer questions. <br /> <br />Ms. Bettman asked to what extent the Franklin Boulevard project would impact the existing BRT route and <br />investment in infrastructure. Mr. Pangborn said the existing route would not be changed. Mr. Corey said <br />the staff recommendation was to leave open the option of adding double lanes where they did not currently <br />exist; the concept was to augment and expand what had been built to date. <br /> <br />Ms. Bettman supported the multi-use boulevard concept and thought it would also be useful on West 11th <br />Avenue, west of Garfield Street, if West 11th Avenue became the EmX corridor. <br /> <br />Mr. Zelenka commented that the Fairmount neighborhood was very involved in the project and commended <br />staff for taking into consideration neighborhood feedback and incorporating that into the process. <br /> <br />Ms. Piercy said the project could result in a new entry to the community and she supported the multi-use <br />boulevard concept. She stated that she now used EmX frequently and was interested in converting more <br />people to its use. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />MINUTES—Eugene City Council November 26, 2007 Page 5 <br /> Work Session <br /> <br />