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e e e Mah10n Sweet Airport, where already, since it has been open, we have in- creased ridership by ten percent. There is 30 percent more activity dealing with air freight, and more is still to come. The next phase is the new master plan of the airport which includes the extension of the runway, allow- ing us to get the second, or new, generation of jets into this community and attracting other carriers. We have made progress in a competitive economy. We have made progress through our permitting program and process. Turnaround time is improving, even though the work load is higher. We are having a different attitude, or so I am told by many who are out in the development community, when it comes to the city of Eugene. And it's not that we are there yet, because we still have much work to do within our permitting pro- cess, but if anybody is having problems out there, you've got to let us know because we are determined to make sure that people who want to do business in Eugene and with Eugene know that we are truly open for business, and we are serious about this. We can protect the public interest and still be positive for business. We are making progress here. Other successes include the developments at the University of Oregon, at Sacred Heart Hospital, the Riverfront Research Park that is moving on and should have construction assume this year, and we're talking about the an- nouncement we had just last week of Rohr Industries, a window into the poten- tial for economic development in our future that is diversified, that pays a good salary to the employees. This is typical of what could occur in our community as we continue our efforts in the economic realm. Now these things would not take place were it not for people like John Lively at the Metro Partnership, Bill Sloat of the BATeam, or Doug Eveleth: individuals who are typical of people who recognize the importance to keep our economy growing and thriving. And together, we will continue with these endeavors, and we have to because in Lane County, 25 percent of the people still live below the poverty level, or at it, and that is unconscionable. Our per capita income is lower than other parts of the state, and having a thriving economy can help our citizens have a far better standard of life. We must continue this route together. A year ago we talked about the need to have a vibrant downtown. And this has not occurred. We have not succeeded here, and I'll be saying more about this a little bit later. We talked last year about ensuring that this community is open for all of its citizens, where equality and human rights applies to everyone, and I am happy to say that we are making progress in that endeavor. Part of the recogni- tions today acknowledge that this community's awareness is higher now; now we must work together to make sure that we are not part of the problem, that we can recognize when there is bigotry in our area and we can do something to eradicate it. I have met with minority groups and heard many tremendous ideas and we are incorporating them into our agendas. I hope you can incorporate them into yours as well. We are looking at having a more effective human rights pro- gram and we hope to present to the community and the council a look at that this March. We have a substantial increase in minority representations on STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS: MAYOR JEFF MILLER January 8, 1990 Page 2