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EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER <br />February 17, 2005 <br /> <br /> City of Eugene <br /> 777 Pearl Street, Room 105 <br /> Eugene, Oregon 97401-2793 <br /> (541) 682-5010 <br /> (541) 682-5414 (FAX) <br /> www.ci.eugene.or, us <br /> <br />ORI TO PURCHASE SEARS SITE <br />MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS WORK A FULL WEEK AT MORSE RANCH PARK <br />VOLUNTEERS PLANT OVER 1,300 NATIVE TREES AND SHRUBS ALONG WILLAMETTE RIVER <br />HEALTHY WEIGHT INITIATIVE FROM NATIONAL HEART, LUNG AND BLOOD INSTITUTE <br /> <br />ORI to Purchase Sears Site <br />The City of Eugene and the Oregon Research Institute <br />(ORI) have signed a Purchase and Sale and <br />Development Agreement to convey the downtown Sears <br />site to ORI for the construction of its new downtown <br />facility. The property was originally purchased by the <br />City's Urban Renewal Agency in 1993, and was part of a <br />larger piece that included the development site for the <br />new Eugene Public Library. "Considering the Library <br />development and the potential impact of the ORI project, <br />the return to the community on this original investment <br />will be extraordinary," said City Manager Dennis Taylor. <br /> <br />ORI, founded in 1960, is a non-profit organization <br />specializing in diversified fields of behavioral research. The company currently employs 250 locally, and <br />is expected to have approximately 300 employees at the new site. ORI is proposing the construction of <br />a five-story, $20 million office building. The sale is expected to close no later than June 1,2005, with <br />construction beginning this summer. The building is expected to be complete by the end of 2006. For <br />further information, please contact Denny Braud, Planning and Development Department, 682-5536. <br /> <br />Middle School Students Work a Full Week at Morse Ranch Park <br />During the week of February 7-11, the City's Volunteers <br />In Parks (VIP) Program put 25 middle school students <br />from Ridgeline Montessori School to work at Morse <br />Ranch Park. The young volunteers, two teachers and <br />two parent volunteers devoted the entire school days to <br />hard physical labor at this community park, and, <br />according to VIP Coordinator Matt McRae, park users <br />and surrounding neighbors should notice a significant <br />improvement. Approximately 70 top boards on the <br />fence surrounding the off-leash dog park were replaced, <br />and nearly three-quarters of the fence received a new <br />coat of paint. The students also cut willow whips from <br />local plants and plugged nearly 1,000 of these cuttings <br />into both of the creeks that run through the dog park. <br /> <br />EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 1 <br />February 17, 2005 <br /> <br /> <br />