CC Minutes - 09/12/05 Mtg - Laserfiche WebLink

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average attendance of 120,000 fans per summer for as far back as he could find attendance records. He stated that the "Ems" consistently had one of the top three attendance draws of the Northwest Baseball League, despite consistently having a losing record. He attributed this to the stadium which he called a "great place to sit back and enjoy a warm summer's evening." He related that Baseball America voted Civic Stadium one of the top ten places to watch a baseball game in the entire minor leagues. He proclaimed the view itself to be worth the price of admission. He underscored the diversity of the baseball audience. He said everyone in Eugene had a connection to the baseball stadium and needed it in order to remain connected with the City's history and to grow as a community that values its public places. He urged the City to purchase Civic Stadium, possibly utilizing public-private partnership or by forming a non- profit organization to restore the stadium. John Dotson, 2447 Canterbury Street, spoke on behalf of the Santa Clara Committee for Parks and Open Spaces (SCCPOS) which was pursuing the acquisition of the Santa Clara Elementary School property for a special use facility or a community center project. He thanked the Mayor, City Council, and City Manager for their support and insight. He also wished to thank the Parks and Open Space Division director Johnny Medlin and staff for accepting the work projects involving lands and acreage in the Santa Clara area. He stated that the committee was in the process of developing more pledges to work toward the purchase of the school. He said the committee was working with the hopes and dreams of Santa Clara citizens. Kate Perle, 4740 Wendover Street, also representing the SCCPOS, called the Santa Clara Elementary School the "cultural center of the [Santa Clara] community for generations." She said though a fire had damaged the building earlier in the year, much of it was structurally sound and usable. She stated that the site was made up of six tax lots, totaling a little over seven acres of which the school footprint comprised approximately three acres. The site was designated for government and educational purposes in the Santa Clara Refinement Plan, consistent with the Eugene-Springfield Metropolitan Area General Plan (Metro Plan). She underscored the community's desire to preserve the site, rebuild the structure, and create a special use facility for Santa Clara. She noted the site was surrounded by five Metropolitan Affordable Housing projects and three senior residence facilities with no other park options within one-half mile. The committee wanted to partner with School District 4J and the City of Eugene to "make a significant, positive difference in the community." She conveyed the committee's proposal to purchase the tax lot with the historic building, create the facility, and provide for its ongoing programming and for the City to purchase the other five lots to provide a neighborhood park in the area. She suggested that the community facility could house the Santa Clara branch of the library, a public safety station, after-school activities for youth, continuing education for adults, and meeting rooms, among other uses. She reiterated that the Santa Clara area was greatly underserved according to the Parks and Open Space Draft Comprehensive Plan. She noted the plan called for the creation of a community center in the area. She underscored that citizens of the area were ready to conduct the funding and outreach and already had a committed primary donor. She said the broad-based community-initiated effort was a great opportunity for the City of Eugene. Terry Connolly, 1401 Willamette Street, representing the Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce, expressed appreciation for the earlier work session on the downtown zoning regulations. He said the chamber thought constructive dialogue had transpired. He averred that in order to implement the Downtown Plan, it would take the commitment of the City of Eugene through either a regulatory approach or an enabling approach. He recommended the City take the enabling approach to "encourage good things to happen" downtown. He thought part of this conversation should include the need to align the land use code with the downtown plan and, perhaps, to align the Land Use Code with "market realities" for a city of Eugene's size. MINUTES-Eugene City Council Regular Session September 12, 2005 Page 2