CC Minutes - 01/09/02 SOC - Laserfiche WebLink

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Mayor Torrey thanked the SMART Program for its assistance with the "reading in schools" effort. Speaking to the reopening of Broadway, Mayor Torrey thanked the Board of County Commissioners for the money that helped make the reopening possible and noted his hopes that the downtown would become a destination point with assistance from the arts community. Mayor Torrey identified some issues he thought were not handled well in the past year, citing specifically the economy and the need for providing jobs for those who want to work, relocation of the Police Department to another facility, and the move of PeaceHealth to Springfield. Mayor Torrey identified the following goals for the coming year: renewal of the library levy on the May 2002 ballot; continued work on the construction of the parkway; securing funding for the restoration of the Delta Ponds; completion of the East Bank Bicycle Trail; construction of a bicycle/pedestrian path at the Delta Ponds; construction of a skateboard park in the Bethel-Danebo area; updating the Parks Master Plan and finding ways to fund the gaps in realizing the plan, and identifying gaps in service areas with the assistance of an advisory committee; acquiring more land for the Ridgeline Trail; beginning work on locating a new aquatics facility in the Churchill area; continued work on replacing the downtown police and fire facilities with the goal of putting a new downtown fire facility on the May 2002 ballot; beginning planning now for the PeaceHealth move to Springfield; continued work on planning for transportation improvements related to the PeaceHealth move on Delta Highway, Highway 99, Beltline, and Coburg Road; continued work on Bus Rapid Transit implementation by focusing on a route that traveled from Springfield to Gateway to the freeway to Coburg Road back to downtown Eugene; asking the University of Oregon to consider allowing the use of Autzen Stadium as a Lane Transit District park-and-ride and to enhance the Autzen Bridge for use as a bridge by small transit vehicles; assisting the local school districts with the shortfall in education funding; and continued work on planning for development around the federal courthouse site in a bold and creative way. Mayor Torrey recognized Library, Recreation, and Cultural Services Director Angel Jones for her work implementing the Parks and Open Space measure. Mayor Torrey asked that before City Manager Johnson left his post, he identify options for the council to get the Police Department's property control and crime lab functions out of the basement of City Hall. He also asked City Manager Johnson to convene a gathering of the superintendents of the three local school districts, the mayors of Springfield and Eugene, and the managers of Springfield and Eugene to begin a planning process to identify efficiencies of scale if services were consolidated. Regarding planning for the new federal courthouse site, Mayor Torrey identified the following goals: 1) an enhanced transportation connection from the downtown to the courthouse; 2) public and private investment in the courthouse area and the need for both public and private involvement in the planning effort; 3) an improved connection between downtown and the river; and 4) the creation of a beautiful front door for Eugene at the intersection of Broadway and Mill Street. He expressed hope the planning effort would be completed by July 1. Mayor Torrey noted the government funding problems created in Oregon by reliance on the income tax and stressed the need for local action. He said that there was a continuing pattern of job loss in the community, and the City needed to do more than talk about job creation. He said that Eugene faced the dilemma of how to MINUTES--Eugene City Council January 9, 2002 Page 3 State of the City