CC Minutes - 06/01/98 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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Peter Gribskov, 2001 Columbia, stated that he was president of the Eugene Rotary Club which was involved in many civic activities throughout the community. He reported that the club had provided maintenance for the top of Skinner Butte for two years. He read a resolution adopted by the club's board of directors which gave conditional support for placing a flag on the summit of the butte. He said concerns expressed about the proposal were that it be aesthetically pleasing and that it reduce future maintenance requirements. Virginia Boushey, 645 West 24th Avenue, stated that she was concerned that those expressing opposition to the proposed flag would be considered unpatriotic and that debate would be stifled. She said that she was opposed to the proposal and had worked hard to support the American way of life and had many members in her family who had served in the military. She said she believed placing a flag on Skinner Butte would continue the controversy which had created opposing groups in Eugene for many years. She said she also believed the proposal trivialized the flag for political and personal reasons, in the same way as it had been misused by others in the recent past. She said she was also opposed to the proposal because it detracted from the natural beauty of Skinner Butte. Wayne Ford, 1019 Fillmore Street #1, said that he supported placing a flag on Skinner Butte as a memorial to military veterans. He said he did not believe the size of the flag would relate to the patriotism of those supporting such a memorial and that he favored a more modest development with funds not used being donated to fund a program for dental care for veterans or other disabled veteran needs. Charlotte Peterson, 1210 Pearl Street, suggested that something other than a flag on Skinner Butte be erected as a veteran's memorial in Eugene. She said she believed the highest patriotism was keeping the peace and honoring those who serve in the military. She recounted her experiences at memorials in the Eugene Sister City of Irkutsk, Russia and in Dachau, Poland. She said she would prefer to have a memorial to be more inclusive than for just American veterans. Rock Gothard, 1371 Sunny Drive, stated that he was president of an area Vietnam Veterans association. He said that he believed the flag was the symbol for the country for which he fought and should be honored. He said all veterans organizations were united behind the flag. Frank Blair, 2850 Mill Street, said that he was a life-long resident of Eugene and past commander of a Eugene post of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. He said he believed the flag, Statue of Liberty, Mount Rushmore, and Golden Gate Bridge were symbols that united the country. He said that the flag was a symbol of freedom, that there were people dying to get into the country, and that there are those who cherish the flag more than life itself. He said the cross previously on Skinner Butte was a memorial to fallen veterans and was not a religious symbol and that the flag would be a symbol for freedom and justice. Nick Urhausen, 3858 Warren Street, stated that he was drafted and served in during the Vietnam War. He said it was not an experience he enjoyed and that 800 members of his unit were killed and 3,400 wounded during its time in battle. He said he did not believe the flag was a symbol for the military, but that it stood for America. He said he had joined the Veterans of Foreign Wars when the City Council had opposed the previous war memorial on Skinner Butte. He said that he believed whether a flag on Skinner Butte should be placed on Skinner Butte MINUTES--City Council June 1, 1998 Page 5 7:30 p.m.