CC Minutes - 02/23/09 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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problems created by this phenomenon. She related that the ODA indicated that it would be safe to go outside 30 minutes after aerial spraying, but she understood that small particles had been found floating in the air up to nine days later. She said the ODA had sent 1,700 notices to the area, but 13,000 people lived in the southeast neighbor- hood. She had sent out a notice to her database of area residents, gathered during the “Amazon Headwaters issue.” She alleged that she heard from several dozen people that they had not received notification. Because of this she thought the public record should be held open longer than March 6. She acknowledged that if the gypsy moth was left unchecked it would devastate the forest and she did not want to advocate for doing nothing. She believed that ground spraying would be less risky. She provided a letter from a neighbor. Tom Kamis , 94 West Broadway, said he lived in Ward 7. He thanked Councilor Ortiz for inviting him for being part of the Police Auditor commission. He hoped that more people in the public could take advantage of those types of opportunities. He related that he had poured his “heart and soul” into his restaurant in the downtown area. He said the Downtown Neighborhood Association (DNA) had been trying to make something happen on the Kesey Mall so that there were all-inclusive activities for people in the downtown area. He believed that the Tango Center should be saved because it supported what everyone wanted downtown. He averred that the urban renewal projects that had been looked into were just trying to build “what the Tango Center already has.” He said there were some business owners in the downtown area who were willing to help the center become profitable. He suggested that the City provide bridge funding. He said there was money to help future entrepreneurs open businesses. He added that he had tried to call Connor and Woolley and his calls were not being returned. Jan Fillinger , 695 Crest Drive, Ward 2, stated that the Crest Drive, Storey Boulevard, and Friendly Street road repair project was slated to be completed in 2009. He said the council would soon be asked to select a contractor and to determine the assessment for residents. He considered the possible assessment of $10,000 to $20,000 per person to be an excessive burden on a few people. He urged the council to consider changing the assessment policy because it was a lot of money even in the greatest of economic conditions; it was unfair for a few households to pay for the road. He likened it to a tax on a few people to benefit many. He also believed the current assessment protocol was outdated because current construction costs had outpaced individual incomes. He said Crest area residents bore the burden of all of the traffic and would bear the burden of the construction. He urged the council to change the policy. Dana McGuire , 3445 Kincaid Street, stated that she had moved to Eugene from Houston, Texas, in part because of hearing about the Tango Center from a friend. She went to the Tango Center once a week. She felt that people were happy to have something wholesome to do and it would be a tragedy if it closed. She commented that there were few cities that had “such a cool thing” and the Tango Center presented the opportunity for Eugene to “stay rockin’.” Steve Ward , 84434 Pheasant Lane, Pleasant Hill, spoke in regard to the Coburg Road annexation, Agenda Item 8. He said the annexation would facilitate and enable the extension of Chad Drive to North Game Farm Road and because the City Council had assumed the responsibilities of the Boundary Commission, which had been disbanded by state legislation, the council would vote on it. He related that he was one of the landowners whose property was being annexed. He noted that he had provided the City with right-of-way in return for the City assuming all responsibility for the annexation. He estimated that the City had spent over $1 million in the acquisition of the property and in engineering costs. He related that there was an element of doubt that the annexation would be approved, though he could not understand why this would be so. He was present to advocate for the annexation. He stressed that the City had a “huge amount of money” invested in the property and it was already deeded to the City of Eugene. The property was outside the city limits but was within the Urban Growth Boundary (UGB). He declared that the Chad Drive extension “just needed to happen.” He averred that if it did not happen, people would be left wondering why so much money had been spent. Lance Kaufman , 1894 Harbor Drive, Springfield, voiced his support for the Tango Center. He noted that many of his comments had already been said. He related that he was a PhD student at the University and the center had been his introduction to the community. He said even though he was an economist, he did not believe growth was MINUTES—Eugene City Council February 23, 2009 Page 5 Regular Meeting