04/09/09 City Council Newsletter

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Construction of the new ARFF station is anticipated to begin late this summer and be completed by mid- to late- summer 2010. The 11,600 square foot building will feature four ARFF vehicle bays, specialized equipment storage, conference space, and living quarters for four firefighters. For more information, contact Eugene Airport Director of Marketing & Public Relations Cathryn Stephens at 682- 5430 or cathryn.e.stephens@ci.eugene.or.us or Fire & EMS Public Information Officer Glen Potter at 682-7118 or glen.d.potter@ci.eugene.or.us. 2009 Neighborhood Summit a Success On March 7, 2009, neighborhood leaders, City councilors,County commissioners, City staff from across the organization and 27 non-profit organizations met in the Wheeler Pavilion for the 2009 Neighborhood Summit. With over 200 individuals attending, the theme of this year’s summit was Collaborating for a Livable Eugene. Participants received and shared information and were charged with identifying ways neighborhoods and the City could work together in areas of common interest. Attendees were invited to participate in breakout discussion groups on a variety of topics from sustainability to land use planning. This process generated 94 ideas for collaboration that were included in a dot-vote exercise open to all participants at the end of the day. The results are available on the neighborhood services webpage at http://www.eugene- or.gov/summit. Staff is currently working to identify connections between the generated ideas and existing City initiatives, programs and plans. In addition, listserves have been established to encourage on-going conversations among attendees. A subcommittee of the Neighborhood Empowerment Initiative will meet to discuss additional strategies for follow-up to the ideas generated at the summit. The concept of annual forums for neighborhood associations was part of the action plan developed in response to the City Council Neighborhood Empowerment Initiative. The first summit was held in 2007. For more information, contact Michael Kinnison at 682-5009 or Michael.j.kinnison@ci.eugene.or.us. Library Patrons Go “Mad” for Lecture on First Amendment April’s First Friday at the Downtown Library informed and entertained 468 Alfred E. Neumaniacs who came to hear Senior Editor of Mad Magazine Joe Raiola, speak on “The Joy of Censorship.” (Referring to his position at the iconic publication, Raiola insists his title “means nothing since I work at the only place in America where if you mature, you get fired.”) Raiola's acclaimed presentation on the First Amendment has been seen at countless libraries, colleges, and professional conferences nationwide, and has been broadcast nationally on C- SPAN’s American Perspectives. Friday’s version opened with recordings of songs recommended for banning after 9/11, followed by Raiola’s sharp and hilarious lecture, which included a multimedia show, some vigorous leaps from chairs, and a rousing blues rendition of his own composition, “Don’t Put a Fatwa on Me." After the hour-long program, the audience pressed for an additional 30 minutes of Q & A. Many attendees expressed appreciation for the Library as a promoter of free speech, and said how much they'd enjoyed Raiola's talk. For more information, contact Library Adult Services Manager Nancy Horner at 682-8377. Friends of the Library Book Sale: April 18 and 19 Book lovers can indulge themselves for a good cause once again at the 31st Annual Friends of Eugene Public Library Book Sale. The sale will be held Saturday, April 18, 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. and Sunday, April 19, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., at Lane County Fairgrounds' Performance Hall. Parking and admission are free. The Friends of the Library Book Sale offers 90,000 gently- and never-used books of all kinds for all ages and interests. Most books are only $1.50, with EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2 April 9, 2009