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<br />M I N U T E S <br /> <br /> <br />Eugene City Council <br />Regular Meeting <br />Council Chamber—Eugene City Hall <br /> <br /> May 14, 2007 <br /> 7:30 p.m. <br /> <br />COUNCILORS PRESENT: Jennifer Solomon, Andrea Ortiz, Mike Clark, Alan Zelenka, Chris Pryor, <br />George Poling, Bonny Bettman, and Betty Taylor. <br /> <br /> <br />In Mayor Kitty Piercy’s absence, Council President Andrea Ortiz called the regular meeting of the Eugene <br />City Council to order. She noted that a government class from Marist High School was in attendance and <br />welcomed them. <br /> <br /> <br />1. PUBLIC FORUM <br /> <br /> <br />Council President Ortiz reviewed the rules of the public forum. <br /> <br />Pauline Hutson <br />, 1025 Taylor Street, noted that she was also speaking on behalf of Jozef Siekiel-Zdzienicki <br />th <br />and the Residents for Responsible Rapid Transit (3RT). She opposed the potential EmX route on West 11 <br />Avenue for numerous reasons, including the cost of moving Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB) utility <br />lines and easements from property owners. She believed the additional costs such a corridor would incur <br />would exceed $15 million. She felt the corridor, if built, would create a terrible impact on traffic in the <br />corridor. She averred that the negative impacts on businesses and the community outweighed any benefit the <br />th <br />installation of an EmX corridor on West 11 Avenue might bring. <br /> <br />th <br />Bob Cassidy <br />, 1401 East 27 Avenue, supported public investment in downtown development. He believed <br />it would aid in the realization of future revenues. He said he was one of the people who had heard the <br />“pitch” for city development for 30 years and expected future revenues. He was puzzled as to why the City <br />was allegedly “going broke” while getting “all these revenues.” He asserted that the City did not seem to be <br />able to handle the basics such as fixing potholes. It seemed to him that public investment was a gamble. He <br />commented that when he gambled he did it on a small level. <br /> <br />Mr. Cassidy expressed hope that the City would purchase the Butterfly Lot if it was put up for sale by the <br />County. He noted that he had been surveyed by phone. He found the questions regarding the proposal for a <br />new city hall to be difficult to respond to because there were few options for answers. He hoped the council <br />would keep this in mind, should the survey results be brought to them for review. <br /> <br />Jon Pincus <br />, PO Box 422, Noti, thought any development, such as the proposed downtown project, that <br />required a large subsidy should include public participation. He felt the best way to get the public behind a <br />project was to involve them in the decisions that led up to it. He also urged the City not to prepare the site <br />prior to having a firm commitment to construction. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />MINUTES—Eugene City Council May 14, 2007 Page 1 <br /> Regular Meeting <br /> <br />