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street near the Olive Plaza Apartments. She believed that this would compromise existing businesses by eliminating or reducing access and parking. She said two of the committee members had asked why Oak thth and Pearl Streets were not being considered as a way to get back onto 6 and 7 Avenues. She asked the councilors to urge city staff working with LTD to look at the possibility of utilizing Oak and Pearl Streets. Gloria Merriam , 240 Sunset Street, Ward 3, stated that she had lived in the community for 37 years and had taught at Roosevelt Middle School for many years. She quipped that she represented “grandmas for skate parks.” She noted that she had known Mr. Baxter-Neal when he was just learning to skate. She averred that the City had the opportunity to do something wonderful and provide a great venue for a skate park. She urged the City to support it. Laura Hackney , 3050 Kincaid Street, said she was the “proud parent” of a 16-year-old skater. She related that he skated whenever he could, weather permitting. She stated that water was not a skateboard’s friend, noting that she had replaced several, and a “bored kid” was not a happy one. As a community member, she urged everyone to get involved and donate what they could. She averred that if the skate park was built, the skaters would come to it. Gary W. Cook , 4284 Bent Tree Lane, Ward 2, said he had ridden bicycles in Eugene “for years” and put more miles on his bike than on his car. He tried to be conscientious and to obey laws. He preferred to ride on streets where he did not impede automobile traffic. He was concerned with the process in regard to the “Idaho stop” law. He felt that people who rode bicycles should have been heard, given that the issue affected bicyclists. He reiterated that people on bicycles would not run stop signs in the path of a car and that bicyclists lacked decent thoroughfares to travel on. He averred that if the City Council did not want to consider the law, the council should support better transportation facilities for bicycles; bicycles should be considered a form of transportation. th Samantha Chirillo , 157 East 27 Avenue, Apt. 3, Ward 1, supported the legalization of the “Idaho stop.” She also supported a strong Police Auditor position. She said this should mean that the auditor’s office be fully staffed “at all times as the voters expect.” She mainly wanted to testify about alleged lack of notice given by Union Pacific Railroad of its intention to use herbicides. The Citizens for Public Accountability (CPA) Environmental and Social Justice Committee considered this to fall under its purview. She related that, as a representative of CPA, she had talked with someone who worked in the City Manager’s Office (CMO) at the Neighborhood Summit. She had explained why notification of spraying was very important, because it was considered a health hazard to people who “live, work, and play near the railroad tracks.” She had seen the notification email that had gone to the Neighborhood Leadership Council (NLC) and the notice that had gone to the CMO. She did not consider the notice adequate as she alleged that it had been sent less than a week prior to the spraying. She had talked with people and felt that not enough people knew about it. She asserted that a similar incident had occurred in Multnomah County in 2008 and some children had been sent to the hospital. She asked why staff had allegedly not been informed of the “Good Neighbor Agree- ment” and what had happened to the list of interested citizens. She wanted to ensure that neighborhood residents were well-advised of future pesticide applications so that all residents, and children and pregnant women in particular, could avoid the area if necessary. She suggested that there should be follow-up with Congressman Peter DeFazio given that he was the chair of the Transportation Committee. She said there was also no notice on the City’s website and related that “a person” who called the CMO for advice was not told to avoid the area. Matthew Parrott , 3012 Friendly Street, wished to address the Crest Drive project street assessments. He explained that he was a self-employed house painter who, along with his wife, had purchased a duplex in 2005. He related that they had worked hard to upgrade and maintain the duplex and that the rents they received did not cover the payment. He stated that the assessment for the project would amount to MINUTES—Eugene City Council April 13, 2009 Page 6 Regular Meeting