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Budget Committee Public Testimony on the Capital Improvement Program <br /> <br />February 7, 2005 <br /> <br />Charles Biggs, 540 Antelope Way, wished to address the public buildings and facilities list. He asserted <br />that money from the settlement of the lawsuit with Qwest was never intended for public buildings. He <br />opined it was unwise to spend the money when the litigation with the Eugene Police Department (EPD) <br />was still unresolved. <br /> <br />February 22, 2005 <br /> <br />Rob Handy, 455 lA River Road, asked whether the Airport projects were appropriate given the current <br />economic climate. He recommended the parks projects and asked that the City consider extending the <br />bike path north through Santa Clara to connect with the boat landings along the Willamette River. He <br />opined that the City Hall Replacement Project was premature and that a broader community process was <br />required before prioritizing it among other choices. He praised the Stormwater program, but said the <br />Transportation projects were premature and required more extensive public review. He also <br />recommended pedestrian improvements and requested funding for traffic calming projects. <br /> <br />Charles Biggs, 540 Antelope Way, spoke about the wisdom of using resources to build a Public Safety <br />Building and City Hall when the City is faced with potentially large lawsuits. He also expressed <br />concern regarding the extent to which the City is leveraging debt and wondered whether investments <br />today would pay off in the future. He said the City is leveraging funds it does not have and that further <br />increasing taxes, such as adding cents to the gas tax, sends the wrong message to citizens. <br /> <br />City Council Public Testimony on the Capital Improvement Program <br /> <br />Keviu Matthews, representing 1000 Friends of Eugene and the SE Neighborhood Association, <br />acknowledged that while most projects in the CIP do come from long range plans, some come up <br />suddenly. He felt that the public does not understand this program and that is why there was no other <br />public testimony. Mr. Matthews identified the projects that were not supported by 1000 Friends of <br />Eugene and/or the SE Neighborhood Association and indicated that the limited parks resources should <br />be reallocated to the acquisition of parkland from park development. <br /> <br /> L:\CMO\2005 Council Agendas\M050307\S0503074.doc <br /> <br /> <br />