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EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER February 16, 2006 City of Eugene 777 Pearl Street, Room 105 Eugene, Oregon 97401-2793 (541) 682-5010 (541) 682-5414 (FAX) www.eugene-or.gov IN THIS WEEK’S EDITION BETHEL DRIVE PEDESTRIAN PATH CONSTRUCTION UNDERWAY BUSH ADMINISTRATION BUDGET INCLUDES ACQUISITION FUNDING FOR EUGENE READIN’ IN THE RAIN AUTHOR AT HULT CENTER LIBRARY “AUTHORITIES” PROJECT A SUCCESS AROUND THE CITY Bethel Drive Pedestrian Path Construction Underway The contractor has begun work on a pedestrian path along Bethel Drive. The five-foot-wide path will be located on the east side of Bethel Drive between the Red Cross facility at the north end of the path and Roosevelt Boulevard on the south end. Depending on the weather, the contractor, KLH Construction of Keizer, may begin pouring concrete this week. The path was identified at a Trainsong Neighbors meeting as a much needed improvement for the neighborhood. It will improve pedestrian safety on a busy street. In a separate but related project, the City, in partnership with Lane Transit District, is constructing a pedestrian island near the intersection of Bethel Drive and Roosevelt Boulevard. As a neighborhood improvement in an eligible neighborhood, the Bethel Drive path project is funded primarily by Community Development Block Grants funds. For more information about the construction project, contact Project Manager Chuck Mueller, Public Works Engineering, 682-5295. For information about the Community Development Block Grant program call Linda Dawson in the Planning and Development Department, 682-5071. Bush Administration Budget Includes Acquisition Funding for Eugene The Bush Administration has included funding to purchase habitat in the south Eugene hills in its proposed Forest Legacy Program FY2007 budget. The Forest Legacy Program is a partnership between the United States Forest Service, state and local governments, and private landowners. It identifies and protects ecologically important forest habitat threatened by possible development or unsustainable practices. The City of Eugene submitted a request to the Forest Legacy Program for $460,000 in federal funds to be leveraged with local funds in order to purchase a 24-acre parcel in the south Eugene hills that has both high recreational and habitat value. If the budget is approved, the funding will help conserve a mosaic of habitats including remnants of imperiled upland prairie and oak savannah. The project will also protect scenic views, provide for a safe trailhead access point and better connectivity between the south Eugene ridgeline and the west Eugene wetlands, and assist in the City’s efforts to more effectively manage oak-dominant parklands. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 1 March 3, 2006