CC Minutes - 07/18/01 Work Session

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Ms. Nathanson thought the display cases in the Council Chamber could be used better and should be illuminated. She said that the open area between the door and seating area was visually, although not physically, separated from the main chamber, and people stood there and talked while the meeting proceeded, which was disruptive. She asked if anything was being done about the situation. Mr. Johnson said that some of the separators were structural and could not be removed. Facilities staff was working on the situation, but had not found any easy solution. He thought work was also occurring on the display cases, and indicated he would follow-up with a note to Ms. Nathanson. Ms. Nathanson said that often there were materials posted on the McNutt Room walls, and they were generally easy to view. She asked how such materials would be displayed in the Council Chamber, and if the upgrade included equipment for projecting images. Mr. Johnson said there would be portable easels for display of materials, and a projector and portable screen were being purchased. He confirmed, in response to a follow-up comment from Ms. Nathanson, that the podiums were being fixed. Ms. Bettman agreed with the comments of Ms. Nathanson, Mr. Kelly, and Mr. Meisner. She appreciated the scale of the McNutt Room for work sessions and suggested it be expanded. She agreed that the McNutt Room space was tight, but believed that, particularly in the case of the Budget Committee, it was not nourishing enough to serve a box lunch to members and staff coming to a long meeting after a day at work. She favored keeping work sessions in the McNutt Room and suggested staff consider ways to make the room work better. Ms. Taylor agreed with the remarks of Mr. Meisner, Ms. Bettman, Mr. Kelly, and Ms. Nathanson. She thought work sessions should continue to be held in the McNutt Room, and agreed it could be expanded. She said that people who come to meetings after work deserve a meal when they arrive. She agreed with Ms. Nathanson about the display cases, saying if they were better lit their appearance would be improved. Regarding the open space, she thought it was needed for people to talk to each other as they needed to go somewhere, unless the City choose to install a covered area outside the chamber. Mayor Torrey thought the council should have all meetings in the facility because the McNutt Room was not accessible to many wheelchair users. He had asked the manager to consider the configuration because of conversations he had with people in wheelchairs who pointed out the difficulty of accessing the room. He did not think the City served its citizens when it stopped them from attending meetings and being comfortable. He pointed out that the councilors were frequently forced to move from their seats when PowerPoint presentations were made. He did not understand the argument that the council was uncomfortable talking with people in the audience. Mayor Torrey pointed out that Budget Committee meetings had been fully attended and a seat was difficult to find. MINUTES--Eugene City Council July 18, 2001 Page 7 Work Session