CC Minutes - 05/11/05 WS - Laserfiche WebLink

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when that was completed the plan was to brief the planning commissions, the city officials, and two joint meetings with the oversight committee. He added that Phase 3 of the work plan would occur once the communities had given the "thumbs up" and agreed to undertake the necessary Eugene-Springfield Metropolitan Area General Plan (Metro Plan) and TransPlan amendments. They hoped to draft a problem statement by the end of the process and to document everything that ODOT was doing with the public process. He conveyed ODOT's hope that there would be enough money in the work plan to move forward with Phase 3 should the communities find the project had merit. He said ODOT staff was looking for affirmation from the Eugene City Council that the project was on the right track. Mayor Piercy called on the council for comments and questions. Mr. Kelly ascertained from Mr. Boyatt that ODOT staff was seeking a "head nod" to embark on the Phase 2 portion of the project, consisting primarily of the public process. He shared his uncertainty as to whether the interchange should or would get built, but he supported the plan for Phase 2. He opined that the City needed to make the best use of existing river crossings given that it was not inclined to build additional crossings. He thought it important to involve affected neighborhoods. Ms. Bettman agreed with Mr. Kelly. She appreciated the process of scoping and defining the project and the involvement of the stakeholders prior to asking the council to give its approval of the project. In response to a question from Ms. Bettman, Mr. Boyatt stated that ODOT representatives would discuss with the SEL what the process would be to make the decision on the last phase. He said there were four people, three representing local governments and one from ODOT, that would make the "thumbs up or thumbs down" decision likely based on direction from elected officials. The discussion with the SEL would cover what relationship the representatives would have with the elected body. He thought the team could decide it needed joint elected officials meetings and other broad processes that were difficult to schedule, but this was uncertain at this point. He added that he would defer to each of the elected bodies to answer that question about its relationship to the project. Ms. Bettman averred that the City Council should be the body that ultimately approved or disapproved the project. She commented that the project would "suck every other transportation dollar out of the budget." She indicated she would not be supportive of letting the Metropolitan Policy Committee (MPC) or the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) make the decision. In response to another question from Ms. Bettman, Mr. Boyatt explained that because the grade to the bridge was too steep, the ramps would have to access the interstate north or south of the bridge. Ms. Ortiz averred that the freeway system in Southern California had abetted gang activity by providing easy access to the highway system. She asked if this was a consideration. Mr. Boyatt responded that this had not been discussed at this point. He commented that the transportation department had a difficult time with social discussions. He underscored that he wanted to ensure that any ideas that came to the table were discussed and worked through. He noted that he was aware that this sort of discussion occurred when the City of Portland was considering construction of it light rail facilities, adding that concerns expressed had not panned out to be true. Ms. Ortiz said her other concern lay in putting all of the City's "eggs in one basket." She noted safety MINUTES--Eugene City Council May 11, 2005 Page 8 Work Session