3.11.2019 City Council Work Session Minutes

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MINUTES Eugene City Council Harris Hall, 125 East 8�h Avenue Eugene, Oregon 97401 March 11, 2019 5:30 p.m. Councilors Present: Emily Semple, Jennifer Yeh, Councilor Zelenka, Mike Clark, Chris Pryor Councilors Absent: Greg Evans, Betty Taylor, Claire Syrett Mayor Vinis opened the March 11, 2019, work session of the Eugene City Council. 1. Committee Reports and Items of Interest • Councilor Semple - expressed concern about the delays in creating a downtown support center and bathrooms for people experiencing homelessness. • Mayor Vinis - reported on her United Front trip; expressed gratitude for the Public Works Department's hard work during the recent snowstorm; reminded everyone the City does not attend to fallen trees on private property. • Councilor Clark- also noted the responsiveness of the Public Works Department; noted the challenges that losing power present and asked whether the City might be able to workwith EWEB to reduce the number of future outages. Mayor Vinis adjourned the work session of the Eugene City Council and convened a work session of the Eugene Urban Renewal Agency. WORK SESSION: Downtown Riverfront Project and Riverfront Urban Renewal Investments Community Development Director Mike Kinnison, Principal Landscape Architect Emily Proudfoot, and Senior Financial Analyst Maurizio Bottalico gave a presentation on prior investments, current investments, the Riverfront Park design, the current financial capacity, and next steps on the riverfront projects. Council Discussion • Councilor Clark- asked when the sale of the property was completed, whether any of the parks bond measure funds were to be used for the Riverfront Park, how long the park had been in the planning process, how much money would be appropriated through the Capital Improvement Program, and when the park would be completed. • Councilor Pryor - appreciated the update on the project and the anticipated financial needs to complete the work; commended staff on the thoughtful process thus far. • Councilor Yeh - thanked staff for including art pieces related to Eugene's history; asked whether neighborhood parks could get such quality planning, whether the project could be completed for $4 million, and whether the West Bank Park presented similar challenges. • Councilor Semple - asked for clarification on the use of the word "reserve" in the presentation; thanked staff for their good work on the community meetings related to the project, and requested incorporation of a dog park. • Councilor Zelenka - thanked staff for the presentation; asked how many visitors other parks see in a day, for more details on the project timeline, and for more details on the "river loans" reference in the agenda item summary. Mayor Vinis adjourned the work session of the Eugene Urban Renewal Agency and re -convened the work session of the Eugene City Council. MINUTES - Eugene City Council March 11, 2019 Page 1 Work Session