CC Minutes - 07/21/08 Public Hearing

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Mayor Piercy opened the public hearing and reviewed the rules of the hearing, which was quasi-judicial. She called for ex parte contacts on the part of the council. She first noted the contacts she had received through e-mails, letters, and in meetings with staff from the University of Oregon, which had advocated for the need for the vacation to get the arena built, as well as from neighborhood organizations asking that their concerns be addressed. She said she had submitted all e-mails and letters into the public record. Ms. Jerome clarified that anything already in the record was not an ex parte contact. Mr. Clark said he also received e-mails regarding the issue and had a meeting with UO Community Director Greg Rikhoff, who discussed the necessity of the vacations and the UO’s work with the neighborhoods. To the best of his knowledge, all that information was in the record. Councilor Bettman said she received no e-mails addressed solely to her in regard to the issue. She believed those submitted to the council had been placed in the public record and she had not read them. She had met with Mr. Rikhoff to discuss general community-University-City relationships, and during that meeting Mr. Rikhoff had mentioned the money deposited for the right-of-way, at which time she informed him that was an ex parte contact. Councilor Zelenka had received the same e-mails as other councilors but had not yet read them. He had participated in the UO-Neighborhood Liaison Committee meetings on several occasions to discuss issues related to the impact of the arena but the vacation was not discussed. Councilor Zelenka then reviewed a lengthy list of meetings that he had attended during which the vacation was not discussed or at which he halted discussion when the topic was broached. In addition, Councilor Zelenka noted he lived near the site of the proposed arena, but believed he could make a fair impartial decision. Councilor Poling noted his own discussions with Mr. Rikhoff regarding University-neighborhood issues. He had also received the same e-mails mentioned by other councilors but had not read them. He indicated he would have to leave the meeting at 10:00 p.m. and would review the record if the meeting went beyond that time. Councilor Pryor had the same declarations as other councilors, including a meeting with Mr. Rikhoff to discuss UO- neighborhood issues. He indicated he believed he could be fair and objective. Councilor Taylor had the same declarations as other councilors, including a meeting with Mr. Rikhoff during which the proposed arena and vacations were not discussed. Councilor Ortiz had the same declarations as other councilors, including a meeting with Mr. Rikhoff. People had attempted to mention the issue to her but she stopped them. Councilor Ortiz had no ex parte contacts to declare. She believed she could be fair and objective. Mayor Piercy reviewed the rules for the public hearing. Mayor Piercy opened the public hearing. She first called on those in support of the application. David Frohnmayer , President of the University of Oregon, represented the applicant. He was also a resident of the neighborhood near the arena. He spoke in support of the two vacation requests and asked the council to approve the vacations before its summer recess. He said the arena was a thoughtful and important community project. The replacement of MacArthur Court was imperative. He said the UO had responded to the concerns expressed by the public, particularly those of the neighbors. President Frohnmayer said the project had the promise of bringing a substantial expenditure of funds and employment to the area, which had suffered from recession in the past. The MINUTES—Eugene City Council July 21, 2008 Page 8 Public Hearing