04.22.20 City Council Work Session Minutes

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MINUTES Eugene City Council Virtual Work Session Eugene, Oregon 97401 April 22, 2020 12:00 p.m. Councilors Present: Betty Taylor, Emily Semple, Alan Zelenka, Jennifer Yeh, Mike Clark, Claire Syrett, Chris Pryor, Greg Evans Mayor Vinis opened the April 22, 2020, work session of the Eugene City Council. 1. WORK SESSION: COVID-19 Update Interim Fire Chief Chris Heppel provided an update on the COVID-19 situation including statistics, site visits, outreach efforts, long-term community recovery, and plans for reopening economies on the federal, state and local levels. Council Discussion: • Councilor Syrett - asked staff to encourage White Bird to enter data into the HMSI. • Councilor Semple - inquired about the perimeters about camping; asked about the status of COVID testing abilities locally; advocated for more testing and resources. • Councilor Clark- asked about the County's capacity for antibody testing; spoke about large- scale antibody test results; inquired about the timetable of reopening the local economy; asked about the capacity of medical facilities in Eugene and Springfield. • Councilor Syrett - talked about local hospital beds and testing capacity; spoke about finding related to antibodies and reinfection rates; encouraged officials to not reopen in haste. • Councilor Zelenka - spoke about testing and encouraged not reopening too soon; reported on the positive effects of vehicle caravans spreading messages of camaraderie and joy. • Councilor Clark- discussed reopening timelines, testing, hospital capacity, and the enormous economic toll on community members and businesses; encouraged reopening decisions based on data driven numbers. • Councilor Taylor - voiced agreement with Councilor Clark about reopening criteria. • Mayor Vinis - spoke about county, state and west coast plans for reopening; asked about outreach to the Spanish-speaking community. • Councilor Pryor - expressed gratitude and appreciation for the incident command system and staff. • Councilor Yeh - expressed confidence in the incident command system; spoke about hospital capacity and persons in recovery from infection. • Councilor Evans - asked about contingency plans if second wave occurs; encouraged direction from officials to the community about wearing masks; inquired about local restriction of activities if the state reopens. • Councilor Clark- expressed faith in the incident command system; spoke about the economic suffering of the community and the costs associated with the restrictions. 2. WORK SESSION: Bethel Community and Economic Prosperity Economic Development Planner Anne Fifield and Planning Director Alissa Hansen provided information regarding the Bethel Community and Economic Prosperity work, including neighborhood priorities and tools to encourage community and economic development. MINUTES - Eugene City Council April 22, 2020 Page 1 Work Session