City Council Newsletter - 08/10/06

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New State Law Changes Speed Zones Near Schools Public Works Traffic Operations has completed upgrades for school speed zones in compliance with the new sate House Bill 2840. Prior to this bill, motorists had to maintain a 20 mph speed rate adjacent to schools seven days a week, 24 hours a day. Passed by the State legislature in 2005, the new bill changes the speed limit to 20 mph on school days only and during the hours of 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. It is expected that this new law will be more easily recognized and interpreted by motorists. For more information, contact Tom Larsen, traffic engineer, at 682-4959 or Tom.C.Larsen@ci.eugene.or.us. Recreation Services Division Offers Surf Camp/Ooligans on the Oregon Coast What's an Ooligan? Outdoor Recreation Programmer Roger Bailey reports that the Recreation Services Division's first ever Surf Camp for ages 14 and up was offered in July at Otter Rock on the Oregon Coast. “We camped at South Beach State Park. In addition to surfing, we visited an old lighthouse, old town Newport and joined in interactive naturalist presentations. If you’re thinking ‘surf's up, dude’, guess what? Nobody really talks like that. In Oregon the question seems to be ‘how did you stay warm?’ Well, the ocean water is warmer than the McKenzie and with a full wetsuit, it's just like surfing off the Hawaiian coast—well not exactly, but it sure is fun.” Assets were built all week as surfers learned about ocean safety, marine biology, haunted lighthouses, how to support your surf partner, and how to take care of yourself. Outdoor Program staff gave group and individual lessons, and coached, cheered on, and surfed alongside young surfers. Roger added, “And the Ooligans—they’re a small fish related to the surf smelt, which was an important food source for natives and early settlers. We could see their shimmering sides as they darted around in the surf with us.” Anyone interested in experiencing this one-of-a-kind sport for all abilities should check out the Fall Recreation guide. For more information, contact Roger Bailey at 682-6323. Multicultural Festival is “Soul of the City” Enjoy a fun-filled evening with the family at the Multicultural Festival, from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Friday, August 11, at the City of Eugene’s Sheldon Community Center and Park, 2445 Willakenzie Road. The festival is free and presented by Eugene Library, Recreation and Cultural Services. The theme of this year’s festival is “Soul of the City.” Announcements and performances on the main stage at the festival will be sign-language-interpreted for persons with hearing impairments. The event includes music by The Vipers, featuring Deb Cleveland, which is part of the Cultural Services’ Summer Concerts in the Park series. A writing contest asks youth ages 12-19 to answer the question: What is the “soul of the city?” At the Creative KidZone presented by Recreation Services, kids can create cultural crafts, play games, dunk a staff member, have their faces painted and participate in portable ropes course challenges. At the Library Services’ cultural crafts booth, children can make colorful maracas (from recycled toilet paper tubes w/rice or beans), and castanets (with cardstock and bottle caps) or tap, jingle and drum a “Musical Clothes Line” of objects made from recycled cans and household objects. The booth will also include a display of books and CDs featuring percussion and rhythm instruments from around the world. Youth and families can kick off the event with a recreational swim from 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. at nearby Sheldon Pool, then enjoy the activities, information booths, craft vendors and food booths at the festival. For more information, contact Recreation Programmer Kim McManus at 682-6343. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2 August 10, 2006