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--, community and to plan for Eugene's future. Unfortunately, 1983 does not promise to be a time of plenty, neither in Eugene nor across the nation. But the 80s are a time of opportunity, and I am confident that this new council will actively seek out those opportunities. We welcome the leadership that our new councilors will bring to these efforts, and we look forward to working with you in the years ahead. Economic development is the number one council goal for 1983. We all realize that economic diversification does not take place overnight, especially in the midst of a national recession. Rather, economic diversification takes place over many, many years. I am pleased that, over the last year, the City of. Eugene has taken some significant steps toward building a stronger, broader, economic base for our community. Our Six-Point Economic Diversification Program is our action plan. It makes clear the direction we are heading and involves other local agencies, including the University of Oregon, Lane Community College, the Chamber of Commerce, and the Lane Economic Foundation. Under this action plan, the City Council created the Business Assistance Team and the City Hall Information and Development Assistance Center, so that we now have a "will do" attitude at City Hall. We at City Hall want to help Eugene businesses become more stable economically. And we want to make it as easy as possible for new businesses to locate here. In the last 12 to 15 months, the City has directed much energy at reviewing our policies, ordinances, and processes and at finding ways to streamline them. ~ity staff members have also looked for more ways to assist the public in finding answers to their questions. . Our Business Assistance Team, which was created by the City and the Chamber of Commerce, assisted over 300 current or potential business owners during its first eight months of operation. Over 90 percent of these contacts were from the Eugene area, so it is clear that we are helping our own citizens to pursue their business goals here. For example, one local business our BATeam is now helping is the National Academy of Artistic Gymnastics, which is internationally known for training world-class athletes. The Gymnastics Academy is also of particular local significance, because it draws approximately 12,000 people to watch or to compete in its activities each year. Visitors come from throughout the US. and other nations. It is also a local business that is trying to grow--and we're trying to help. The BATeam facilitated the Academy's move into Lincoln School, where it has been able to improve its highly recognized train- ing center. The BATeam also informed the Academy about the US Bancorp grant program for Oregon businesses and assisted the Academy in submitting a grant proposal, which is now under consideration. And we were also able to provide some public relations and marketing assistance to help the Gymnastics Academy grow, because their growth will in turn mean more visitors to Eugene, more customers for other Eugene businesses, and, ultimately, more jobs for Eugeneans. e The Business Assistance Team is also striving to enhance Eugene's business image and to recruit businesses to move here by us ing the theme "Eugene - Fit for Business" and by working in partnership with other public agencies and the private sector. MINUTES--Eugene City Council January 10, 1983 Page 3