CC Minutes - 11/25/98 Work Session

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Mr. Tollenaar moved, seconded by Ms. Nathanson, to name the new bicycle bridge being constructed within the Ferry Street Bridge project the "DeFazio Bike Bridge." Ms. Taylor said that she had proposed naming the bridge after late long-time resident Alberta Shelton, who lived near the location of the bridge. She believed the name of the bridge should have historical significance. She said that she liked Representative Peter DeFazio but that if anything was named for him it should be after he dies or leaves office. Ms. Taylor moved to amend the motion to name the bridge the "Shelton Bridge." The motion died for lack of a second. Mr. Fart emphasized he did not wish to negate Representative DeFazio's many contributions to Eugene, but he could not support the motion because he believed there were other people more responsible for the success of the City's bicycle system. He said that naming the bridge for one individual for their work in getting the bridge built took away from others who could also take credit for the project. He suggested the council name the bridge for someone not directly associated with it. Mr. Meisner indicated tentative support for the motion. He believed that former Mayor Ruth Bascom also needed to be honored for her contribution as an advocate for the City's bicycle system. Regarding Ms. Taylor's proposal, Mr. Meisner indicated his admiration for Ms. Shelton but reminded the council that the Whiteaker Plan called for renaming the "3rd-4th Connector "Shelton-McMurphy Way." He hoped the City could take action on that recommendation at some point. Mr. Lee supported the motion because of Representative DeFazio's active role in securing funding for the project and because of his support for alternative modes of transportation. He spoke of the difficulty of being a United States representative and said that Representative DeFazio deserved the honor. Ms. Swanson Gribskov agreed with Mr. Meisner's statements regarding Ms. Bascom's contributions and pointed out that the suggestion to name the bridge after Representative DeFazio came from Ms. Bascom. She supported the motion as a means to thank Mr. DeFazio for all his efforts in securing funding for the Ferry Street Bridge project. Ms. Swanson Gribskov recognized Representative DeFazio's long-time support for alternative modes of transportation. Mr. Johnson noted that the Bascom Family had contributed funds to construct a memorial tree garden in Alton Baker Park in memory of Ms. Bascom's mother, the Haze Memorial. Mr. Torrey said that it was not like Ms. Bascom "to shine the spotlight on herself" rather than recognize others for what they had done. He said that he did not take Ms. Bascom's recommendation on the matter lightly. In addition, he did not take Representative DeFazio's efforts lightly. He said that if often took considerable effort in Washington to "keep dollars on the plate" for Eugene. When the voters rejected the expanded bridge project, there was a rush on the part of other Oregon cities to try to appropriate those funds for other road projects in other parts of the state. Without the efforts of Representative DeFazio, the funds would likely have MINUTES--Eugene City Council November 25, 1998 Page 3 11:30 a.m.