Item 2A: Approval of City Council Minutes

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He averred that this had created procedures of stagnant growth. He suggested that the Metro Plan and LCOG be disassembled. Councilor Bettman called for testimony in opposition. Mark Rabinowitz , PO Box 51222, supported a stronger bridge, but not a wider bridge. He predicted that traffic would be reduced given the rising price of fuel and that oil production was falling. He opposed “a rubber stamp” to widening an interstate. He cited the directive from the Environmental Protection Act (EPA) that new circumstances should be considered. He believed that the end of cheap oil and climate change were new circumstances. He asserted that the environmental assessment refused to address comments regarding traffic issues. He declared that there would no longer be money to replace bridges “over and over.” He averred that the new bridge would cost less and create less impact if it was not widened. Councilor Bettman called for staff response to testimony. Ms. O’Donnell stated that the preliminary hydrological analysis from ODOT determined that Pier Option A would result in an increase of .02 feet over existing conditions for a 100-year flood event and Pier Option B would result in a decrease of .54 feet. She said the discussion began on page 26 of the findings and was within the context of the policies. In response to a question from Councilor Bettman, Ms. O’Donnell affirmed that staff would provide specific responses to questions. Councilor Bettman called for the applicant’s rebuttal. Mr. Dodson clarified that the detour bridge project had placed 61,000 cubic yards of fill into the flood plain and the permanent bridge would remove approximately half of that fill. He stated that Oregon State Parks had been involved in the project, as had been the ODF&W. He stressed that all of the regulatory agencies had been involved in the process. Regarding the width of the bridge, Mr. Dodson stated that it was mandated by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to be no less than 64 feet from curb to curb in each direction. He said the project had to comply because it was utilizing federal dollars. Mr. Stringfield added that there were no ramps being considered for the project at this time. He said while the bridge would be built to ultimately accommodate three lanes in each direction, it would only be striped for two lanes. He said the ultimate expansion to three lanes was part of the TransPlan as a future project. In regard to concerns that the project was not applying the right criteria, he stressed that ODOT had to apply the criteria for taking exception to put fill in the greenway. Councilor Bettman called for questions and comments from the elected officials. Commissioner Fleenor asked if ODF&W had been contacted with regard to the potential effect of the bridge project on fisheries. Councilor Bettman asked if the applicants could legally respond to questions in a quasi-judicial proceeding. Eugene City Attorney Kathryn Brotherton advised the elected officials to ask questions of staff and allow staff to respond to them. MINUTES—Joint Elected Officials— June 24, 2008 Page 4 Lane Board of County Commissioners and Eugene and Springfield City Councils