Item 2A - Minutes Approval - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

recommended the Mayor and City Council give instructions to the City Manager and let him tell the Police Chief what should happen and find a solution that would work for the entire community and not one that "would fail from the beginning." Lisa Warnes, 5020 Nectar Way, welcomed the mayor and new councilors. She expressed her concerns regarding what she termed the "Nectar-Dillard Forest." She asserted the property J~n question contained wetlands, seasonal creeks, and wildlife habitat, of which several acres of wetlands were not mapped in the Goal 5 process. She pointed to a study of this property by wetlands consultant, Ethan Perkins, which indicated wetlands on the property were overlooked. She commented that, as a building contractor, many homes in this area were failing because the land they were built on presented the same issues as the property that Mr. Green now owned. Ms. Wames acknowledged that building standards were better than they were in the 1960s and 1970s. She predicted that allowing development risked damage to the Amazon headwaters and asked that the City not "sacrifice our natural resources for one Portland developer and his family business." Carol Pearce, 5005 Nectar Way, stated that the main reason she moved to her current residence had been the beautiful woods that extended from her yard to Dillard Road. She expressed concern for the animals that lived in the woods and for the stream that bordered her backyard. She was "amazed" that the property had ended up in a developer's hands. She said she would work with her neighbors for the preservation of the property. Betty Snowden, PO Box 5166, Eugene, said she was very busy, but could not leave the matter of racial profiling unaddressed. She wished to direct the City Manager to take a public stance on racial profiling. She underscored, as a black woman, that racial profiling did exist in Eugene. She related an incident from her own life when she had been followed in her car and ultimately questioned. She said she owned a nice car and the police officer questioned how she could come to own such a vehicle. Ms. Snowden talked of another incident in which a racial epithet had been painted on the door of a business she owned. The police officer who responded to the call suggested she move her business. She said it was up to the council to do something about racial profiling. She feared the only way the council and mayor would "get it" would be if an unarmed person of color was shot. Charles Gray, 260 North Grand Street, called the Public Forum a wonderful tradition and thanked the council for the time to speak. He conveyed his best wishes to the City Council and City Manager for the work ahead of them. Mr. Gray commented that he hoped the season of kindness and compassion was not over. He hoped that people, including police officers, would not attempt to restrict the liberties of poor and homeless persons. He said this was beginning to happen, with the 'no trespassing' and 'no solicitations' being painted on some curbs. He observed that it was cold and wet outside, adding that it was colder and wetter for the homeless. He shared that his wife and he often gave a dollar to homeless people on street comers and that attached to the bill was a post-it note with a list of human service agencies on it. He doubted that they ever held traffic up for more than five seconds. He urged the City Council, the City Manager, and police to stop practices that limit the human rights and constitutional rights of the poor. He declared that a society is measured by how it treats its poorest members. Kathleen Leonard, 5020 Nectar Way, supported the preservation of the acreage abutting her property. She opined that the City should preserve "what little forest land we have left within the City limits." She asked if there was a way to "not sprawl out" into every square inch of soil. She thought the property in MINUTES--Eugene City Council January 10, 2005 Page 5 Regular Session