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<br />M I N U T E S <br /> <br /> <br />Eugene City Council <br />Work Session <br />McNutt Room—Eugene City Hall <br /> <br /> September 11, 2006 <br /> 5:30 p.m. <br /> <br />COUNCILORS PRESENT: Jennifer Solomon, Bonny Bettman, David Kelly, Andrea Ortiz, Gary <br />Papé, George Poling, Chris Pryor, Betty Taylor. <br /> <br /> <br />Her Honor Mayor Kitty Piercy called the meeting of the Eugene City Council to order. She announced that <br />there would be a memorial service at Civic Stadium at 7 p.m. to remember and honor the victims of <br />September 11, 2001. She invited Police Chief Bob Lehner and Acting Fire Chief Randy Groves to join the <br />council before leaving for the memorial service and asked them to convey deep gratitude to first responders, <br />sympathy to those who lost loved ones and a sense of continuing grief over the country’s losses. <br /> <br />Chief Groves shared his shock and horror as he watched the tragedy of September 11 unfold and his awe at <br />the heroic response of public safety professionals. He reflected on the local concern and his department’s <br />actions to secure its own response system and place everyone on the highest alert while off-duty personnel <br />called or came in to find out how they could help. He said that almost 3,000 lives were lost that day, <br />including 343 New York City firefighters, but in turn thousands of lives were saved by the actions of those <br />who responded to the calls for help. He said it was important to remember not only the firefighters, medics <br />and police officers who made the ultimate sacrifice, but the ordinary citizens and their families, many of <br />whom were also heroes. He said the passage of time could not fully heal the wounds but would dull the pain <br />and there was survival, learning, a renewed strength and a future that afforded a chance to learn from the <br />past. He said a plaque over the door of the Fire Department’s training tower read “Never Forget.” He <br />thanked the council for the opportunity to speak on behalf of the Fire Department and share his thoughts and <br />expressed the department’s appreciation for the council’s leadership. <br /> <br />Chief Lehner observed that Chief Groves had eloquently addressed the perspective of public safety first <br />responders. He shared a personal anecdote about being at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon during <br />the excavation periods at those sites. He was present when the bodies of eight police officers were recovered <br />at the World Trade Center site. He noted that the event was the largest single public safety fatality count in <br />American history; no one would ever forget and the county was forever changed. He reflected on the heroes <br />of that day and how their sacrifices made communities around the country better prepared to respond to both <br />manmade and natural disasters. He thanked the mayor and council on behalf of the Police Department and <br />Fire Department for the proclamation that would be issued at the regular meeting that evening and for their <br />thoughts and support. <br /> <br />Ms. Piercy thanked Chief Groves and Chief Lehner for the remarks and expressed the council’s respect and <br />best wishes. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />MINUTES—City Council September 11, 2006 Page 1 <br /> Work Session <br /> <br />