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Departments and our inderpartmental Environmental Policy Team, which has been the catalyst for many
<br />initiatives.
<br />Other communities cited in the book include Austin, TX; Baltimore County, MD; Ft. Collins, CO; Sanibel,
<br />FL; Dane County, WI; Pima County, AZ; Placer County, CA; and Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN.
<br />
<br />Nature-Friendly Communities is available at the University of Oregon Bookstore, Borders and Barnes
<br />and Noble and should be available at smaller bookstores soon. For more information on this book, visit
<br />www.naturefriendlytools.org. For more information about the West Eugene Wetlands or other programs
<br />cited in the book, contact Eric Wold at 682-4888.
<br />
<br />Outreach Under Way To Gather Ideas for River Avenue Improvements
<br />An outreach process is under way in response to direction from the council in April that Public Works
<br />staff continues working with the community on the design of River Avenue improvements. The first
<br />River Avenue outreach meeting was held Thursday, June 23. It drew 11 attendees, mostly property
<br />owners, who offered numerous comments and suggestions on both the outreach process and the initial
<br />design of River Avenue improvements. That same evening, City Engineer Mark Schoening met with the
<br />River Road-Santa Clara Transition Task Team to explain the process that will be used to gather input
<br />and formulate recommendations on improvements.
<br />
<br />Additional outreach meetings are scheduled in the coming month. At the recommendation of the River
<br />Road Community Organization, more than 6,000 postcards are being mailed this week to River Road
<br />area residents to let them know about a City-sponsored session on July 11. Each meeting will include a
<br />summary of the project to date, a review of the stakeholder process currently under way, a brief staff
<br />presentation on a design concept previously prepared for River Avenue, and plenty of time for comments
<br />on specific design elements and questions about the project. The meeting schedule is as follows:
<br />
<br /> · Thursday, July 7, 7:30 p.m. - Santa Clara Community Organization, Santa Clara Civic Center,
<br /> 2615 River Road
<br /> · Monday, July 11, 7 to 9 p.m. - River Road area residents and interested parties, River Road Park
<br /> District Annex, 1055 River Road
<br /> · Monday, July 18, 7 to 9 p.m. - Eugene Bicycle Coalition, Eugene Public Works Building, 858
<br /> Pearl Street
<br />
<br />After these meetings, a group of stakeholders will convene, and the comments and suggestions received
<br />during the input phase will be reviewed. The stakeholders and staff will work toward consensus on a
<br />preferred design alternative. In October, the council will be presented with the results of the outreach to
<br />the community and a recommended design for River Avenue improvements. For more information,
<br />contact Project Manager Joe Ramirez at 682-5228, or by email at joe.f, ramirez@ci.eugene.or, us.
<br />
<br />Crews Beqin 'Pull-In' Proqram to Clean Wastewater Lines in Easements
<br />Public Works Maintenance wastewater crews have begun what has become a rite of summer: cleaning
<br />sewer lines in easements located on private property. This summer, two four-person crews are scheduled
<br />to clean approximately 850 wastewater collection segments.
<br />
<br />The annual work effort is called the "pull-in" program because to get 600 to 800 feet of cleaning hose into
<br />an easement behind a house or down into an undeveloped ravine in the south hills requires pulling the
<br />hose off a truck-mounted reel and dragging it through gates or fences and around landscaping. Over the
<br />years, crew members have designed and built a variety of specialty tools, mainly rollers, to keep the
<br />sewer-cleaning hose from chafing on fences and foundations as well as preventing damage to
<br />landscaping and shrubbery.
<br />
<br />The program starts in May with the identification of maintenance needs and matching up manhole
<br />locations with house addresses in the various drainage basins around the city. A computerized
<br />maintenance management system is used to map off-street lines, track sewer cleaning and repair work,
<br />and develop "pull-in" schedules that maximize the efficient use of staff and equipment.
<br />
<br />Before cleaning segments, the "pull-in" program operators contact property owners for entry. If a property
<br />owner is not available, a door hanger is left asking the property owner to call Public Works Maintenance.
<br />If the manhole is located in an undeveloped area, the area may need to be cleared of blackberries or
<br />
<br />EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2
<br />June 30, 2005
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