City Council Newsletter - 01/04/07

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The goal of this first of four public forums is to agree on the community values that will be reflected in the project as it moves forward. To do this, volunteers from the surrounding neighborhoods were given disposable cameras and asked to take photos of features in their neighborhood and anywhere they traveled over the holidays that they either liked or disliked. The participants will then arrange the photos into a “Community Collage” that will be presented at the public forum. In addition, representatives from the River Road Community Organization have created a PowerPoint presentation that illustrates their vision for an ideal mixed-use center. These are just a few of the unique ways that citizens are getting involved in the vision for the project. The collage and the PowerPoint show will both be presented at the public forum which will take place on January 16 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the River Road/El Camino del Rio Elementary School, 120 W. Hilliard Lane. For more information, contact Ken Guzowski at 682-5562. thth Willamette Street Study (18 to 20 Avenues) Topic of January 10 Meeting Citizens interested in a proposal to convert Willamette Street to two-way thth traffic between 18 and 20 avenues are invited to a community meeting on Wednesday, January 10, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Washington Park Center, 2025 Washington Street. Nearly 2,000 postcard invitations have been sent to neighbors and other interested parties, and signs have been placed on Willamette Street to notify the traveling public. At the meeting, City transportation engineering staff and a local consultant will be on hand to introduce the Willamette Street study and provide background for the potential conversion of the remaining two blocks of one-way traffic on Willamette Street to two-way traffic. Also at the meeting, the process for forming a stakeholder group will be outlined, and there will be opportunities for questions and comments. In summer 2004, the Eugene Public Works Department converted Willamette Street to two-way traffic thth between 13 and 18 avenues as part of a pavement preservation project. That same summer, the City Council adopted an update to the City’s Central Area Transportation Study (CATS) but agreed that before deciding whether to convert Willamette Street between 18th and 20th avenues, staff should perform additional study and analysis and bring back to the council a recommendation and project proposal for a public hearing and approval. Additional information about the Willamette Street study is available on the Internet at www.eugene- or.gov/pwprojects (click on the Willamette Street study link) or by contacting Project Manager Chris Henry at 682-8472 or by e-mail at chris.c.henry@ci.eugene.or.us, First Friday @ the Downtown Library Features Emerging Young Artists Eugene Public Library starts the new year by shining a spotlight on emerging young artists. On First Friday, January 5, drop in at the Downtown Library between 5:30 - 8:00 p. m. to see short films made by middle and high school students at the Library's “Make Your Own Movies” workshops. Also on display are creatively-altered books by teen participants in the Library’s winter break program, and altered books by adults in the ArtChics and the Artful Book Artists groups. At 6:30 p.m., catch rising hip-hop artist The Kid Espi in a free, all- ages-welcome performance. Espi (Jacob Espinoza) is a rapper, music promoter, and University of Oregon advertising major. Hear his “Oregon Homeboy” at www.myspace.com/thekidespi. For the past three years, The Kid Espi has pursued his passion as an artist while also developing a hip-hop scene in his hometown of Salem, becoming a familiar face in the local media. The positive press has helped Espi bring hip-hop shows to venues and bars that previously held "no hip-hop" policies. He has performed all over Oregon, including Salem, Eugene, Portland, Bend, Ashland, and even “Coos Bay." The First Friday of each month, in connection with the Lane Arts Council ArtWalk, the Downtown Library stays open until 8:00 p.m. and features free cultural events as well as full library services. For more information, call the Eugene Public Library at 682-5450. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2 January 5, 2007