City Council Newsletter - 11/16/06

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and industrial buildings, and overhead utility lines have the greatest potential to be hazardous because of the injury or damage that could result if the tree or a large branch falls. If citizens observe a defective or hazardous tree, they are encouraged to contact the Public Works Urban Forestry staff at 682-4800. Once a tree is determined to be hazardous, a mitigation plan can be initiated. For more information contact Urban Forester Mark Snyder at mark.r.snyder@ci.eugene.or.us or 682-4819. South Ridgeline Habitat Study Update Planning and Development Department staff held a workshop on Tuesday, November 14, 2006, to present the draft findings of several months of field work and analysis in the first phase of the South Ridgeline Habitat Study (SRHS). A joint presentation by City staff and the project consultant outlined the project and the study results to an interested and engaged audience of more than 80 people, including affected property owners, community groups, neighborhood groups, UO students, environmental professionals, attorneys, and other interested citizens. The walls of the multipurpose room at the Hilyard Center were papered with a series of colorful GIS- generated maps that depicted information about the habitats in the SRHS study area and their relative values, and showed the change in habitats since 1850. Also on display was a series of educational panels depicting the habitats of the study area and the wildlife found in them. A high level of interest was expressed in the scientific methodologies used for the study, which will be the subject of a meeting to be held later this year. All of the materials presented at the workshop will be made available on the project website at www.EugeneNR.org by November 30. For more information, please contact Neil Björklund, at neil.h.bjorklund@ci.eugene.or.us or 682-5507. Eugene Walking and Biking Summit a Great Success On October 7, approximately 225 community members put their heads together for a day of conversation, information-sharing, and brainstorming at the Eugene Walking and Biking Summit. The Walking and Biking Summit brought together a diverse group of community members and experts to discuss the challenges and opportunities for making Eugene a more walkable and bikeable city. Among the many speakers were Eugene’s Mayor Kitty Piercy and U.S. Representative Peter DeFazio, each pledging their leadership on these important topics. Participants at the summit provided a full spectrum of input ranging from location-specific facilities and infrastructure needs to broad vision statements relating to biking and walking in Eugene. City staff and University of Oregon graduate students captured comments and input throughout the day and have compiled the information into a Summit Summary Report that has been posted on the City’s website at www.eugene-or.gov/walkbike. The information gathered at the summit is the first building block in the development of a Pedestrian and Bicycle Strategic Plan for the City of Eugene. Throughout the coming year, there will be a series of workshops, surveys, focus groups and other activities to engage the community in developing the Pedestrian and Bicycle Strategic Plan. The first workshop will be held in mid-January and will focus on the two important issues of bicycle theft and security and bicycle parking. These topics were identified as being of great importance to participants at the Walking and Biking Summit. Completion of the strategic planning effort will provide City staff and members of the community with a blueprint for increasing the use of non-motorized transportation in Eugene. Additional information and project updates can be found at www.eugene-or.gov/walkbike. For more information, contact Senior Transportation Planner, Rob Inerfeld, at 682-5343 or rob.inerfeld@ci.eugene.or.us. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2 November 16, 2006