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<br />e <br /> <br />nity. We must make our streets and parks accessible, safe, and inviting for <br />every citizen who wants to use them. We must provide additional support to <br />our Neighborhood Watch programs. We must invest in eliminating unsafe build- <br />ings and in providing more street lights and greater safety in our parks and <br />neighborhoods. <br /> <br />Where senior citizens feel unsafe in their homes, let us deliver security. <br />Where women feel threatened on our streets, let us reduce that threat. Where <br />parents are anxious over the peril of drugs among our school children, let us <br />remove that peril. <br /> <br />These social and safety concerns cannot stop at the city limits. Residents <br />of Springfield, River Road, Santa Clara, and Glenwood face these problems <br />along with us. Our opportunities to create new and effective solutions will <br />come only through cooperating as an urban center. <br /> <br />Already, we have gained economies of scale by combining sewage, ambulance, <br />and computer operations. Likewise, we must consider the potential for shared <br />operations to provide police and fire, planning, permitting, and other ser- <br />vices. If we can learn to urbanize our efforts, I believe we will build a <br />metro area that is a national leader in cooperation, in compassion, and in <br />public safety. <br /> <br />The people of Eugene want not only security in their homes and on their <br />streets, but also the security of knowing that if they have the energy and <br />the skill to work, an employer will be able to hire them and pay a family <br />e wage. To that end, we need a competitive economy. <br /> <br />Eugene must continue to massage its image and rearrange its thinking. Rather <br />than saying most business is bad, we ought to say that most payrolls are <br />good. We ought to say that by working together we can stimulate existing <br />local business and also attract high-quality industries that will respect our <br />environment and honor our traditions. Being a caring community with a social <br />conscience does not mean we must post a notice at the city limits saying we <br />are closed to jobs, disinterested in payrolls, or indifferent to business. <br /> <br />Therefore, let us break ground on the Riverfront Research Park this year. <br />Let us unlock the economic promise of our partnership with the University of <br />Oregon, the City of Springfield, and Lane County. <br /> <br />Let us explore as yet unexamined opportunities with Sacred Heart Hospital. <br /> <br />Let us staff our building department so City employees can look contractors <br />and buil ders in the eye and say, "We want to he 1 p you. Once you gi ve us a <br />completed plan, we will issue you a commercial building permit in three weeks <br />or less, a residential permit in two weeks or less." <br /> <br />e <br /> <br />Let us look at the Metro Partnership and the role we want it to play in our <br />economic future. And let us never again lose a prospect like Data General or <br />see a Hewlett-Packard plant that created 2,600 permanent, full-time jobs <br />locate in Corvallis instead of Eugene. Let us never again lose a prospect <br />like that solely because we are not ready. <br /> <br />State of the City Address <br />Jeff Mi 11 er <br /> <br />January 9, 1989 <br /> <br />Page 3 <br />