City Council Newsletter - 09/14/06

Home Browse Search

parties to develop a common vision for the study area. For further information, please contact Ken Guzowski at ken.j.guzowski@ci.eugene.or.us or at 682-5562. Neighborhood Matching Grants Request-for-Proposals The Neighborhood Matching Grant Request-for-Proposals (RFP) will be released on Friday, September 15. The grant packets are available on the City’s web site and at the PIC, libraries and community centers. The pre-review deadline is January 15, 2007. Final applications are due on Friday, March 9, 2007. The Neighborhood Matching Grants Department Advisory Committee (DAC) met and made some adjustments to the administrative framework. New this year is a $250 minimum and $25,000 maximum grant. The value of the total project may not exceed $50,000. The Neighborhood Leaders Council developed a recommendation on how associations should be included in the grant process and the DAC agreed with the proposal. All grants will obtain an endorsement from their respective associations prior to submitting for the City’s pre-review. Provisions were made for how to deal with a grant application if the neighborhood association is inactive. Grants are available for neighborhood physical improvements or one-time neighborhood-building events. Project sites are not limited to City property, but must be within the Urban Growth Boundary. Proposals are accepted from groups of people living, working, or owning property within the area affected by the grant. City funds must be matched by at least the same amount of cash donations, donated materials and supplies, or volunteer labor. The DAC rates the applications based on tangible neighborhood benefit, community involvement, and project readiness. The DAC may adjust the ranking to more evenly distribute projects throughout the city over time. For more information about the Neighborhood Matching Grants Program, contact Beth Bridges in the Planning and Development Department at 682-5272 or via e-mail (beth.b.bridges@ci.eugene.or.us). “Rec-Kies” Have Fun in Celebration Parade A ‘70s disco theme helped 50 Recreation Services Division employees, family members and volunteers Shake, Revel and Roll in the Eugene Celebration parade on Saturday. Calling themselves the “Rec-kies,” the group danced to “Playing for Life” (to the tune of the 70s disco song, “Staying Alive”). The entry featured one of Recreation’s photograph-decorated buses wearing huge glasses and towing a float carrying people representing many of the division’s activities including kayaking, adaptive skiing, and pottery. Others who frolicked alongside the bus represented adaptive, senior, youth and family, outdoor and athletic programs. For more information, contact Recreation Programmer Melissa Perkins at 682-8837. Walking & Biking Summit to Take Place on Saturday, October 7 Called the number one “Green City” in America by the Green Guide and ranked “Silver” by the League of American Bicyclists, Eugene is highly regarded nationally as a great place to walk and bike. To explore ways of making Eugene an even better place for walking and biking, City staff is initiating a new community-wide pedestrian and bicycle strategic planning process. The kick-off event will be held on Saturday, October 7 from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the University of Oregon Erb Memorial Union. The Eugene Walking & Biking Summit will offer informational workshops and engaging speakers in addition to public input activities. Input received at the summit will help provide direction for the strategic planning process. Workshop topics include sharing the road, safe routes to school and active youth, the business of biking and walking, encouraging biking and walking, innovations in design, gateway to recreation and tourism, and effective advocacy for walking and biking. Local and state-level EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2 September 14, 2006