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Sustainable Reuse of Riparian Soils Will Benefit Two Parks
<br />Work is scheduled to begin Monday, July 7, on a project to improve
<br />safety and wildlife habitat at Golden Gardens Park and, at the same
<br />time, improve habitat in the Delta Ponds area. Over the course of
<br />the project, more than 40,000 cubic yards of clean riparian soils are
<br />scheduled to be moved from Golden Gardens to Delta Ponds.
<br />At Golden Gardens Park in northwest Eugene, City staff used input
<br />from a series of public meetings to design a set of improvements that
<br />improve public safety conditions in the park in a variety of ways.
<br />Bank slopes are being reduced and emergency access is being
<br />improved. Perhaps most importantly, additional trails and
<br />opportunities for walking, jogging, viewing and other forms of passive recreation are being created. This is
<br />intended to increase use of the park by families, neighbors and outdoor enthusiasts which results in a safer
<br />environment when more people are present in the park. Another aspect of the Golden Gardens Park project is
<br />removing invasive vegetation, especially around the banks of the ponds. Later this fall, native grasses, trees and
<br />shrubs will be planted. The work will affect approximately 40 acres of the 200-acre park.
<br />The clean riparian soils excavated to lay back the banks at the ponds in Golden Gardens Park will be hauled
<br />across town and carefully placed as “benches” along the edge of the Delta Ponds on both sides of Goodpasture
<br />Island Road just north of Valley River Center. This will create wetlands and riparian habitat and fill in some of the
<br />steep cuts made many years ago when the area was mined for gravel.
<br />About $600,000 of the total $920,000 project cost is related to the work at Golden Gardens Park and is being
<br />funded through the 2006 Parks, Recreation and Open Space bond measure approved by Eugene voters. The
<br />balance of the project costs related to the work at Delta Ponds will be funded by an ongoing collaboration between
<br />the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Funding for the Delta Ponds work also includes an $87,000 grant from the
<br />Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife for native plantings once the soil work is completed. “By combining the two
<br />projects, we are able to reuse valuable soil materials and see some savings in project administration costs,” says
<br />Project Manager Terry Colvin. All work except the plantings is scheduled to be completed by the end of October.
<br />KSH Construction of Stayton, Oregon, has been awarded the general contract for the Golden Gardens Park/Delta
<br />Ponds project. For more information, contact Terry Colvin at Public Works Engineering, 541-682-5398.
<br />Hydration During Warm Weather
<br />Summer has arrived! Usually in Oregon the odds are good that temperatures will remain mild until after the Fourth
<br />of July. However, this year with extreme temperature fluctuations experienced all spring, our bodies have not been
<br />gradually acclimatized to the warmer weather. As a result, people need to be extra diligent about making sure that
<br />they are prepared for the heat. The Fire & EMS Department has attended to several patrons at the Olympic Trials
<br />who experienced heat-related illness.
<br />In general, drink plenty of water and wear sunscreen and a hat for outdoor activities such as gardening and
<br />summer picnics and festivals. By the time a person feels thirsty, he or she is already becoming dehydrated. If full
<br />water bottles are not allowed in a venue, take an empty bottle to be filled. If someone exhibits symptoms of heat
<br />illness, such as headache, nausea, dizziness, and/orexcessive sweating, move them to a cool shaded area and, if
<br />possible, an air-conditioned place. More extreme signs of heat illness are confusion and hot red dry skin. If those
<br />signs are present, emergency treatment is necessary and the 9-1-1system should be activated. Remember: play
<br />safe and stay safe! For more information, please contact EMS Chief JoAnna Kamppi at 682-7104.
<br />Fire Marshal Urges Fireworks Safety
<br />Last year in Oregon, there were 331 reported fireworks-related fires, with an estimated dollar loss of nearly $1.5
<br />million. The number of fires represented a 17-percent increase over 2006. Fire prevention officials with the
<br />Eugene Fire & EMS Department are enforcing state and local laws regarding fireworks, but perhaps even more
<br />importantly, they are asking residents to use common sense in handling any potential source of ignition --
<br />especially fireworks. Adults - not juveniles - were responsible for more than three- fourths of last year's fireworks-
<br />related fires. Legal fireworks are those that do not fly, explode, or travel more than six feet along the ground.
<br />These are available at any of the 36 stands and stores in Eugene that have been inspected and issued permits
<br />from the Fire Marshal's Office. Fireworks commonly called bottle rockets, Roman candles, and firecrackers are not
<br />legal in Oregon.
<br />EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2
<br />July 3, 2008
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