CC Minutes - 02/14/05 Mtg - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

He said a full noise attenuation upgrade would be paid by the WOW Hall through fundraising efforts and possibly with some assistance from the City of Eugene. Zachary Vishanoff, Patterson Street, expressed concern that the steam plant at the riverfront would be torn down to build a ditch to bring cars to the edge of the river, and noted that the building had potential to be used as a museum. He heard that there had been discussion by the Alumni Association about using Agate Hall as a site for a new alumni center, and hoped there would be adequate opportunity for public input. He said the Joe Romania showroom had been featured on the cover of City of Eugene Preservation Notes. Mr. Vishanoff said the proposed basketball arena was a public issue that should be openly debated in the community and asked Mayor Piercy if there would be a series of debates where the public could ask questions about the proposed project. Mr. Vishanoff expressed concerns related to charter schools, claiming the UO had contributed to development of the controversial federal No Child Left Behind rules that affected charter schools. Scott Purcell, 3425 Strathmore Place, encouraged the City Council to adopt the enterprise zone on Wednesday, February 16, 2005, consistent with the State of Oregon guidelines, without additional guidelines. He said studies by the UO Economics Department cited positive impacts the last enterprise zone had on the community, noting almost 80 small and mid-sized businesses had taken advantage of and benefited from the enterprise zone. He noted that the family-wage jobs come from businesses going to the next level. He said the City Council played an important part in establishing the enterprise zone without additional constraints in order to help those businesses get to the next size that was good for the community. He opined that increasing the hourly wage from $11 to $13 would not realistically enable small businesses to take advantage of the growth coming from the enterprise zone with the wage attachment. Many of the small firms did eventually get into the highly desired, good family-wage jobs. Mr. Purcell stated that an enterprise zone was healthy for the City coffers as the tax base grew over a long period of time, even though taxes were abated initially for a five-year period. W. Bruce Mulligan, 3056 Hendricks Hill Drive, represented the Hendricks Hill Homeowners Association, consisting of approximately 70 property owners. He read a resolution that had been adopted unanimously at the annual association meeting on January 27, 2005, a copy of which had been distributed to council members, that supported any action by the City Council to limit future development through the acquisition of the 120-acre McDougal Property in the Laurel Valley as a natural preserve outside the urban growth boundary (UGB). Mr. Mulligan added that the association took no position on any other aspect of the proposed transaction. Jana Jackson, 1012 East 22nd Avenue, spoke in support of Officer Randy Ellis in his attempts to address trespassing issue with some of the panhandlers and vagrants in Eugene. She said there were many people who were disturbed by the large number of panhandlers approaching people for money, creating hazardous traffic situations and contributing to automobile accidents. She stated people were tired of stepping over the trash, garbage and human waste, and having to clean it up. People felt too intimidated to visit a business, go to their cars, or walk down the street alone, and they were tired of being victimized by burglary, robbery or assault. She submitted a petition with 685 signatures to the City Manager's Office, and noted that additional signatures were being collected. She said that The Register-Guard consistently attacked the Police Department, presenting things as homeless issues when there were several problem groups, including panhandlers; methamphetamine users; criminal mischief-makers engaged in drawing graffiti, tagging trucks and vans, slashing tires, etching windows; criminal transients who came to Eugene and caused problems; and gang-related problems. She noted that her group was not targeting homeless people, adding if that was MINUTES--Eugene City Council February 14, 2005 Page 2 Regular Session