City Council Newsletter - 10/05/06

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An application may be downloaded from the City’s website www.eugene-or.gov or obtained from the City Manager’s Office, Room 105, in City Hall. Applications will be accepted through Tuesday, October 31, and will then be reviewed in November. Appointments are scheduled for later in November. To learn more about this vacancy or to obtain an application, please contact the Boards and Commissions coordinator at 682-5406. Cultural Policy Review – Arts & Culture Dialogues The Cultural Policy Review (CPR) gained momentum during the September 18-20 on-site visit from the project consultants, Wolf Keens & Company vice president Marc Goldring, and consultant Claudia Bach. nd During their three-day stay, they facilitated six public Arts & Culture dialogue sessions and the 2 meeting of the Mayor’s Cultural Policy Review Committee, and toured several local facilities. The purpose of the six dialogue sessions was to engage the community and solicit feedback regarding the points raised in the first Situation Paper the consultants submitted to the Mayor’s Committee. The Situation Paper combines information and data collected by the consultants during their on-site visit in June and during more than two dozen interviews conducted over the summer. The information was divided into eight topics which became the focus of the six dialogue sessions: Cultural Participation; Arts Education in the Schools; Cultural Organizations and Artists; Higher Education and Culture; Cultural Facilities; Downtown Cultural Development, Leadership, and Resources. The Downtown Library was a central point for five of the dialogue sessions and the University of Oregon Arts and Administration Program hosted one session at Lawrence Hall. Consultants were impressed with the average of more than 60 participants per session. CPR committee members also attended the dialogue sessions, many of them attending two or more. The consultants collected additional information during the public sessions through active discussion and from approximately 1,000 note-cards submitted by participants. This information will be integrated into future Situation Papers to ensure the paper accurately reflects the status of arts and culture in the community. Public notification of the public meetings was generated through design of a colorful postcard mailed to all households in the incorporated areas of Eugene, and in the placement of three print advertisements in The Register-Guard and in the Eugene Weekly. Numerous arts organizations in the community informed their memberships through e-mail. A news release was distributed and coverage was gained from KLCC and KOPT prior to the dialogues. Committee Chair Tina Rinaldi, Vice-chair David Kelly, consultants and staff are working on the numerous next steps in this exciting process. All CPR project documents and information can be accessed through the CPR portal on the City’s website: www.eugene-or.gov/CulturalPolicyReview. The portal offers a feedback function which allows individuals to contribute their ideas and receive information via e-mail throughout the process. For questions, please contact CPR Project Manager, Mark Loigman at 682.5307, Mark.d.loigman@ci.eugene.or.us. Contractor Finishes Reconstruction of Fern Ridge Path Reconstruction of the Fern Ridge Path from City View to Garfield Street and from Chambers Street to the Blue Heron Bike Bridge is complete. The $313,000 project involved removing the existing asphalt path and constructing a new, 2,600-foot-long concrete path, replacing deteriorated railing, and installing new curb ramps. Improvements have also been made along the Fern Ridge Path to make it easier and safer for pedestrians and bicyclists to cross the street where the trail meets the roadway at-grade. At City View Street, a new pedestrian refuge island, a marked crosswalk and new signs were installed. The pedestrian refuge will enable pedestrians to EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 3 October 6, 2006