01-22-18 City Council Agenda Packet

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showcasing the capabilities of mass timber construction, to the build out of the first local, publicly -owned technology infrastructure, providing high-speed low-cost publicly owned fiber to major regional employment areas and numerous residential neighborhoods, many within the River Districts. The local Brownfields Coalition partners are now managing a second successful round of EPA Brownfield Assessment funding, partnering regionally in assessing the increasingly complicated and valuable remaining opportunity redevelopment sites through effective and efficient site owner support and site assessment and cleanup planning. This work is critical to redevelopment of our River Districts identified opportunity sites, which enhance IMCP related investments, and connect the wide range of emerging infrastructure opportunities. Access to high-speed telecommunications is critical to staying competitive in a global marketplace, in both commercial and residential spaces. In July 2015, the tech sector in Lane County received national attention with Fast Company naming Eugene one of the top ten cities for tech jobs. Eugene was recently chosen as Mozilla's next GIGABIT CITY, which enables the City to leverage additional resources through Mozilla. Eugene joins Austin, Kansas City, and Chattanooga in this prestigious distinction. The first deployment of Gigabit City funds were awarded late 2017 to Eugene and Springfield entities, leveraging the power of diverse people, pooled expertise and the region's shared unique and entrepreneurial values. The Mozilla partnership with Eugene -Springfield is a clear validation of our regional priority around the freedom, openness, and inclusion of both the industry opportunities to grow as well as access to a healthy internet. Also in 2017, Eugene -Springfield became the newest participant in the US Ignite Smart Gigabit Communities (SGC) program. US Ignite SGC, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), is a nonprofit to spur the creation of next -generation gigabit applications and services that leverage advanced networking technologies to build the foundation for smart communities. The SGC program creates "living lab" environments within Ignite communities, to envision, pilot and deploy the next generation of gigabit applications first locally, and later nationally or globally. Eugene -Springfield join 24 other national and international communities participating in the SGC program. With the building momentum of partnerships and investments in entrepreneurial technology scene, the Eugene -Springfield area is a region known for partnerships in support of research and innovation. We have historically been a place of pioneering spirit, where great ideas are tested and grown. We look forward to identifying additional partnerships and resources to further leverage the next phase of innovative technology advances supported by our local leaders and the Mozilla and Ignite partnerships. Eugene's existing technology and advanced manufacturing sectors have estimated the new fiber infrastructure deployed in Downtown Eugene has begun to contribute to the fast growing tech industry in Downtown Eugene and the region, directly contributing to the creation of new jobs, increased property values, and exciting vibrancy and innovations. These numbers will continue to increase throughout the region with the goal of targeted fiber buildouts to a number of rural Lane County communities and further infrastructure deployment anticipated in critical neighborhoods of Springfield, driving the delivery of affordable access to the populations most in need, including k-12 students who will soon be our next wave of entrepreneurs and industry talent. The extension of broadband fiber is an example of a priority investment shared throughout the region and included within our PNMP application. This infrastructure is critical to supporting new innovations, like cross laminated timber and other engineered wood products, the expansion of existing businesses, recruitment of new, and development of talent within the current and future workforces. Our collective vision for a strong economy combines existing regional, traded -sector clusters: advanced materials and timber manufacturing, technology, medical technology, and food and beverage processing, with an increase in work force training opportunities throughout Springfield, Bethel, and Eugene 4J School Districts, as well as the University of Oregon, and Lane Community College. This vision is implemented through key investments and partnerships in career and technical education programming, industry driven apprenticeship programs like Apprenti, the first of its kind in the United States, underway now in Lane County. All of these institutions recieve and leverage federal support to create a strong economic base for the region.