05/11/1987 Meeting (2) - Laserfiche WebLink

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e Mr. McDowell said he and his wife had called the police and had requested their presence in the area, and police several months ago had responded once. He said current complaints resulted in false promises to respond or in excuses that officers were too busy. He said response was not being received, and he thought the problem needed to be dealt with. Larry Lowenkron, 2135 McMillan Street, said he had moved into his house about two and a half years ago and he recognized that the problem was not new. He said he thought traffic engineering solutions should be sought to what was a very old problem. He said he concurred with previous comments, adding that his yard often contained an "amazing assortment" of non-returnable liquor bottles. He said cars were "dragging" down the street at 11 p.m. and midnight, and speeds were "well in excess" of the limit. Mr. Lowenkron said it was apparent that the people in the cars often were drunk, the situation was unsafe and old, and he thought it was time for something to be done. Todd Albi, 66 West 24th Avenue, said traffic had moved off the "Gut" onto College Hill, and results included broken car windows, urinating in yards, bottles thrown and shattered in yards, and so forth. He said he thought a solution to the problem would be to place "no left turn II signs at 24th, 23rd, and 22nd avenues and at Grandview. Mr. Albi said that would reroute traffic to the commercial area near 24th Place, where a gate crossed Portland Street. Mr. Albi also noted that Portland Mayor Bud Clark recently led passage of an ordinance that made it illegal to drive past the same place twice in one night. e Fred Sackett, 41 West 22nd Avenue, played a tape of traffic noise recorded from his bed, which was 40 feet from the street. He said comments had mentioned noise and litter, but he thought safety should be addressed. Mr. Sackett said that near his house at the corner of 22nd Avenue and McMillan, cars traveled down the hill at high speeds and sometimes left the ground. He said he expected a fatal accident at that corner unless the City provided some help. Norm Thomas, 75 West 23rd Avenue, read from a City pamphlet that cited powers granted under the City Charter. He said the City Council was empowered to enact ordinances, bylaws, and regulations that shall "protect the health, cleanliness, ornament, property, and general welfare of the City." Mr. Thomas said articles in The Register-Guard dating back to 1976 provided evidence that the community had been informed of a problem that he said would not cure itself. He said he thought the council and the residents needed to find a solution before someone was hurt. Marjorie Utsey, 55 West 24th Avenue, said she agreed with previous comments. She said serious problems existed in terms of the safety of passengers because people were riding in lawn chairs in the back of pickup trucks that sometimes traveled at high speeds or left the ground. Ms. Utsey said glass containers commonly were thrown against brick and rock walls in the neighborhood, and other problems included screaming, speeding, obscenities, urination on lawns, verbal abuse of residents and property, and prevention of sleeping in a e MINUTES--Eugene City Council May 11, 1987 Page 2