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MINUTES <br />Eugene City Council <br />Harris Hall, 125 East 8th Avenue <br />Eugene, Oregon 97401 <br />December 9, 2019 <br />5:30 p.m. <br />Councilors Present: Emily Semple, Betty Taylor, Alan Zelenka, Jennifer Yeh, Mike Clark, <br />Greg Evans, Claire Syrett, Chris Pryor <br />Mayor Vinis opened the December 9, 2019, work session of the Eugene City Council. <br />Councilor Zelenka arrived at 5:45pm. <br />Committee Reports and Items of Interest <br />• Councilor Semple - expressed frustration that the City does not have any more <br />shelter beds than it did last winter and that a lot of money was being spent in the <br />meantime moving homeless protesters around the city. <br />• Councilor Taylor - announced that she would retire from City Council in January <br />2021; shared information about Lane Regional Air Protection Agency's work on the <br />Cleaner Air Oregon initiative. <br />• Councilor Clark- expressed appreciation for Councilor Taylor's many years of <br />service. <br />WORK SESSION: Town Square Project Update <br />Urban Development Manager Will Dowdy, Francesca Gambetti of Shiels Obletz Johnsen, <br />and Ian Gelbrich of FFA Architecture and Interiors gave an update on the project's <br />recent developments. They also presented initial information on the topics of leasing a <br />portion of the office space, potential underground parking, sustainability certification, <br />and seismic standard options for a future Town Hall building. <br />Council Discussion <br />• Councilor Clark- was not supportive of the chosen site for a future City Hall; urged <br />his fellow councilors to decide on a budget first before considering design values. <br />• Councilor Zelenka - said he thought it made more sense to decide on the features of <br />the building first and then on a funding plan; supported voting on the topics that <br />same night. <br />• Councilor Syrett - said she wanted more information prior to voting, including <br />information about the viability of renting office space in City Hall. <br />• Councilor Taylor - supported underground parking, community use of the City <br />Council meeting rooms, and a life -safety level of seismic supports in the City Hall <br />building. <br />• Councilor Semple - said she was leery of renting office space when the City did not <br />anticipate having enough space for all its own offices in City Hall; strongly supported <br />opening the council chamber for community use; wanted an orientation toward <br />sustainable design while being mindful of the cost. <br />MINUTES - Eugene City Council December 9, 2019 Page 1 <br />Work Session <br />