CC Minutes - 04/11/01 Work Session

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between planning and implementation. She said it would be a legacy for Mr. Goldman's class. She said that one does not always see the fruits of one's labors right away. Ms. Taylor agreed with Ms. Nathanson. She suggested other high schools needed student centers too. Mr. Goldman said discussion at his school was focused on the center's location in the school and how it could be funded. Ms. Taylor asked if the students supported a central youth center. Mr. Goldman said it would be "awesome" if such a center existed as students now have few places to go. Ryan Klote and Shawnna Zinkgraf of Churchill High School joined the council. Mr. Klote said students at Churchill High School were concerned about the school's rapid growth and how the school could accommodate that growth. There were about 1,400 students at Churchill this year. There were very large classes for some subjects. He said that there were fewer counselors available to an increasing number of students, and it was hard to schedule a meeting with a counselor. Students liked the classes offered but sometimes could not get into them for a lack of teachers. That was a concern for students. Mr. Klote discussed Churchill's Small Learning Community Program, describing it as a "schools within a school" approach that would focus on specific topics and keep the same student group together for one-half day every day. He thought the program would need more support next year. Ms. Zinkgraf noted the shortage of parking on the school campus. The buildings were multi-use buildings housing many functions and activities not related to the school. In addition, the new athletic field impacted parking use. Ms. Zinkgrafhoped parking could be expanded or used more efficiently. She said that in the rear of the Churchill campus there was only one entrance/exit to the parking lot, and it created traffic congestion in the afternoon because of its proximity to a crosswalk. She noted that there were also crosswalk enforcement problems in the area. Regarding Ms. Zinkgra?s comments about parking, Ms. Nathanson said that the council was very concerned about the impact of traffic on the neighborhoods, about the use of nonrenewable resources, and the impact of automobiles on the streets. In addition, the council was concerned about a compact urban form that fostered walking, transit, and bicycle use. She asked if students talked about ways other than an automobile to reach school, such as group bus passes or rider ship program. Ms. Nathanson also asked if students would be interested in participating in designing a new "way of being students" in a way more geared toward the future. In response, Mr. Klote, a member of his school's site council, said that one of the school's main objectives was the "greening" of the school. He said that the school had a Rachael Carson Program and students formed car pool weeks that awarded students with incentives for car pooling. He said that the school was also looking at offering more of a discount on bus passes. Mr. Klote noted that the new athletic field was built without additional parking, which also affected the parking situation. Those facilities were used by community members, which suggested to him that the discussion was broader than the school itself. Ms. Nathanson agreed, and expressed pleasure at the activities Mr. Klote described. She requested staff time to discuss the traffic safety issue raised by Ms. Zinkgraf. Mr. Kelly was also happy to hear about the students' efforts to reduce automobile use. He believed that students could advocate for changes in routes or the timing of buses during the next Lane Transit District service redesign to foster more student use of buses. MINUTE--Eugene City Council April 11, 2001 Page 2 Work Session