11/13/08 - City Council Newsletter

Home Browse Search

OSU Extension Service and City of Eugene Sponsor Compost Demonstrations This year’s final, free compost workshop will be held Saturday, November 15, at the GrassRoots Garden, 1465 Coburg Road, from 10:00 a.m. to noon. Certified compost specialists provide this popular training, part of a cooperative program of the City of Eugene and OSU Extension Service in Lane County. Compost specialists teach the general public how to recycle organic debris at home by making compost for home gardens. In addition to offering free demonstrations of compost-making to the general public, compost specialists support compost- making in community gardens and teach school children about the benefits of compost. For more information on composting, contact the OSU Extension Service office at 950 West 13th Avenue or by calling the Master Gardener hotline at 682-4247. A schedule of compost demonstrations for 2009 will be posted online at http://extension.oregonstate.edu/lane when available. Additional information is also available from Compost Specialist Anne Donahue, Planning & Development Department, at 682-5542 or anne.c.donahue@ci.eugene.or.us. Fire & Ems Hosts High School Academy Last Friday, the Fire & EMS Department had the opportunity to provide 14 area high school students with an orientation to the department and to the fire service generally. The youth academy was an initial step toward what the department hopes will someday be a full-fledged cadet program. The students who visited last week had either signed up at a recent career fair or had expressed interest on their own. During the one-day orientation, they were given demonstrations of fire suppression and emergency medical equipment, information about the duties and responsibilities of firefighters and paramedics, a tour of the department's training facilities and props, and a chance to observe firefighters engaged in active drills. The Fire & EMS Department's long-range plans call for a more formal, long-term program for highschoolers that will include in-depth instruction, supervised training, career counseling, and opportunities to work alongside real firefighters on the job (in safe circumstances). The goal would be to create a local firefighter recruitment pipeline while helping young people learn skills and values that will be of benefit to them individually and to their community, wherever they may choose to serve. For more information, please contact Fire & EMS Training Deputy Chief Joe Zaludek at 682-7103. Rental Housing Advisory Committee Update on Mold The rental housing code program in the Planning & Development Department has formed a six-member department advisory committee to explore how the rental housing code may address mold in residential rental properties. Meetings have included guest speakers from the Oregon State University extension office, Magnum Environmental and University of Oregon Department of Biology. The committee will look at rental housing codes from other jurisdictions and then begin discussing potential recommendations. The committee is actively seeking input from owners, property managers and tenants through public forums. The first public forum was held downtown on October 23. The second public forum will be held at the University of Oregon on November 25, starting at 6:00 p.m. in the Erb Memorial Union, Room 33. The committee is expected to meet through January before providing recommendations for staff to take to the council. The next meeting is scheduled for November 20. Meeting minutes and agenda packets and materials are posted on the rental housing website. For more information please contact Code Enforcement Supervisor Rachelle Nicholas at 682- 5495 or rachelle.d.nicholas@ci.eugene.or.us. Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan Update Starts in South Hills The City of Eugene Public Works Department will conduct three open houses to gather public input on needed improvements for the pedestrian and bicycle system. The first phase of the pedestrian and bicycle master plan will focus on five neighborhoods in the south hills area of Eugene: Laurel Hill Valley Citizens Association, Fairmount Neighbors, Southeast Neighbors, Crest Drive Citizens Association, and the Churchill Area Neighbors.The schedule for the three meetings is as follows: ? Tuesday, November 18, 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at University of Oregon Agate Hall, 1787 Agate Street EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2 November 13, 2008