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<br />REPORTS Of COMMI TTEES
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<br />A REPORT OF THE COMMI TTE~ OF THE WHOLE MEETI NG HELD fEBRUARY I, 1957' - RE: MEETI NG HELD
<br />WITH THE CITY COUNCIL or SALEM REGARDING CITY TRANSIT LINES; AND CLOSING OF WILLAMETTE STREET
<br />BETWEEN 7TH AND IITI;I, AVENUES FOR A TEN DAY SPRING1fESTlVAL \!rIAS SUBM,ITTED ,AND READ AS FOL!..OWS:
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<br />"PRESENT: MAYOR MCGINTY; COUNCI LMEN WATSON, SHEARER, SHI SUR, EDMUND~" LAURI S, .,BRI GGS
<br />AND LINDEEN; CITY MANAGER; CITY RECORDER; PLANNING CONSULTANT; CITY ENGI-
<br />NEER; fIRE CHIEF; ASSISTANT CHIEF OF POLICE; TRAFFIC ENGINEER; ADMINISTRA-
<br />TIVE ASSISTANT; MR. UREY, PRESIDENT, PLANNING COMMISSION; SGT. SMARTT;
<br />MESSRS. LUVAAS, RI CHARDS, SMI TH,' HOFFMAN, ELLI NGSWORTH AND' BRENNE, 'REPRE-
<br />SENTING EUGENE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE; DAN WYANT, EUGENE REGISTER-GUARD.'
<br />
<br />I. DISCUSSION ON MEETING HELD WITH THE CITY COUNCIL OF' SALEM REGARDING CITY TRAN-
<br />SIT LINES - A RESUME OF THE MEETING BETWEEN: THE MEMBERS OF' THE COUNCILS OF
<br />EUGENE AND SALEM WHO ATTENDED THE MEETING WAS GIVEN BY MAYOR MCGINTY. IN BRIEF',
<br />IT WAS,EXPLAINED THAT AS THE LAW NOW STANDS THE' CITY, COULD NOT GO INTO THE/BUS
<br />BUSINESS NOR HELP THE TRANSIT LINES BY SUBSIDIZATION WITH CITY FUNDS.
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<br />IT WAS EXPLAINED THAT IF SOME METHOD COULD BE FOUND TO RELIEVE THE TRANSIT LINES
<br />FROM PAYING THE EXCISE TAXES WHICH THEY ARE CURRENTLY PAYING" IT WOULD GRANT'~~EM
<br />AN ADDITIONAL PERIOD OF TIME TO 'oPERATE. IT, WAS FURTHER EXPLAINED, THAT THE eIT,Y"
<br />;IS IN THE.BUSINESS OF PROVIDING SERVICES SUCH AS PARKS, SWIMMING POOLS, POLICE' ",
<br />AND FIRE PROTECTION AND THAT THE TRANSIT LINES WAS ANOTHER SERVICE OF A SOMEWHAT. ,
<br />COMPARABLE NATURE. THE CHAMBER OF COMMERC~ INDICATED THAT THEY WERE FREQUENTLY
<br />ASKED AS TO THE POSSIBILITIES OF BUS SERVICE TO NEW INDUSTRIAL AREAS WHICH,ARE,! jl ; i
<br />CONTEMPLATED I N THE CI TY.' ,'i:'
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<br />THE I GENERAL CONSENSUS OF OPI NI ON WAS: THAT, IF POSSI BLE SOME METHOD ,SHOULD, BEFQU~D; ,
<br />TO MAKE IT POSSIBLE""OR THE TRANSIT LINES TO CONTINUE' TO SERVE THE RESIDENTS;,OF;.' ..'
<br />THE CITY.
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<br />2. DISCUSSION REGARDING THE CLOSING OF WI LlAMETTE STREET BETWEEN 7TH AND II'TH,A;Kli:NUE,S:
<br />FOR A ,TEN DAY SPRING fESTIVAL - I T WAS EXPLAINED THAT THE CITY PLANNING COMM,ISSION1" 7
<br />HAD PROPOSED AND THE BOARD OF 01 RECTORS AND RETAI L MERCHANTS COMMITTEE' OF, THG~ j,' '"
<br />EUGENE CHAMBER OF' COMMERCE HAD CONCURRED IN THE IDEA THAT THE CITY WOULD CLOSE
<br />TRAFFIC ON WILLAMETTE STREET BETWEEN 7TH AND IIT~ AVENUES FOR A TEN DAY PERIPD fOR
<br />A SPRI NG fESTI VAL.! ,: }.:' , \
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<br />THE RETAIL MERCHANTS COMMITTEE OF THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE HAS GIVEN IT CONSIDERABLE
<br />THOUGHT AND APPOINTED A FESTIVAL COMMITTEE WHO ARE WILLING IN ANY WAY POSSIBLE"TO'
<br />LEND THEIR SUPPORT TO THE SOLUTION OF' THE VARIOUS PROBLEMS WHICH WILL COME ABOUT
<br />IN THE EVENTUALITY THAT THE CLOSURE IS ACTUALLY EFFECTED.
<br />
<br />REPRESENTATIVES OF THE fiRE DEPARTMENT WERE!PRESENT AND INDICATED THE PLAN WOULD
<br />MEET WITH THEIR CONCURRENCE PROVIDING ADEQUATE AVENUES OF INGRESS AND EGRESS WERE
<br />KEPT IN THE AREA; LIKEWISE, 'THE POLICE DEPARTMENT INDICATED CONCURRENCE BUT'
<br />POI.NiTED OUT THAT A GREAT DEAL OF MANPOWER WOULD BE NECESSARY, AND'THERE WOULD ,'BE
<br />ADDITIONAl EXPENSE FOR OVERTIME, SIGNS AND OTHER NECESSARY TRAFFIC CONTROL MEA-:,
<br />SURES.
<br />
<br />~TW.S EXPLAINED THAT THE PRIMARY THOUGHT OF THE CLOSURE WAS. THAT IT WAS TO BE
<br />AN EXPERIMENT AND A MEANS TO SEPARATE THE PEDESTRIAN,TRAFFJC FROM VEHICULAR
<br />TRAFF'IC BY ALLOWING A FREE F'LOW OF PEDESTRIANS IN THE CENTER OF TOWN WITH PARKING ON
<br />THE:PERIMETER, WHICH IS BASED ON THE MODERN CONCEPT OF PLANNING COMMERCIAL', AREAS.
<br />IF THIS EXPERIMENT WERE SUCCESSF'UL BOTH THE SHOPPER AND THE MERCHANTS WOUtDBEN~r1T;
<br />INJHE FINA~ ANALYSIS, THE TEST WILL, REST WITH THE SHOPPER. " ~'
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<br />SOME CONSIDERABLE DISCUSSION WAS HAD IN WHICH INDIVIDUALS EXCHANGED IDEAS, ANDI_NI
<br />PART THESE IDEAS CAN BE EXPRESSED AS FOLLOWS:
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<br />A. ,ON THE SIDE OF THE MERCHANTS IN'THE AREA THERE IS SOME SKEPTICISM, BUT THE;;~',
<br />ARE WILLING TO TRY THE EXPERIMENT FOR A TEN DA~ PERIOD AS A MEANS OF DETER-
<br />(MINING MORE CLEARLY WHETHER OR NOT THE IDEA IS ADVANTAGEOUS. -'/,>1' ",' ,
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<br />B. . OTHER MEMBERS PRESENT I NDI CATED THEY WERE WI LL I NG TO TRY THE IDEA ON ,AN '~X':"I\
<br />,PERIMENTAL BASIS AS A MEANS OF DETERMINING IF BETTER TRAFFIC FLOWS, RED~S-. - !.
<br />, TR I AN FLOWS AND OTHER PERTI NENT FACTORS MI GHT' BE- REVEALED BY SUCH A PLAN~,' >, '
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<br />IT WAS POINTED OUT THAT THIS MAY BE CONFUSING TO THE PEDESTRIAN SINCE HE
<br />W?ULD BE ALLOWED TO,CROSS THE STREET ~T WILL WHILE ON WILLAMETTE STREET:BUT~;,
<br />WOULD NOT, BE ALLOWED TO DO: SO ON OTHER STREETS.
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<br />D. THE POINT WAS MADE THAT THE CLOSING OF WILLAMETTE STREET WOULD BE VERY DIS-
<br />,RUPTIVE ,TO THE NORMAL VEHICULAR TRI\F"F'IC'FLOWS WHICH COULD, PRESENT A DANGE~,OUS.:
<br />SITUATION AND FROM WHICH THE CITY MIGHT,INCUR ~OME LIABILITY. IT AP~EARSj I
<br />HOWEVER, IF PROPER LIGHTING AND SIGNING WERE HAD THE CITY WOULD HAVE NO '
<br />'LIABILITY, BUT IN THE EVENT OF A FATAL ACCIOENT THIS PRECAUTION WOULD NO~ \
<br />BRING"BACK A'LIFE. " /.,
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