10/22/09 - City Council Newsletter (2)

Home Browse Search

Wolfson contributed his expertise to the case that led to the creation of civil unions in Vermont, which have since been replaced with full marriage equality. He also worked with the legal team in Goodridge v. Department of Public Health, which in May 2004, led to full marriage equality in Massachusetts. Between Yale College and Harvard Law School, Wolfson spent two years with the Peace Corps in West Africa. The founder and executive director of the non-profit, Freedom to Marry, Wolfson lives in New York City and appears frequently as a guest expert in the national media. For more information, contact the Eugene Public Library at 682-5450 or www.eugene-or.gov/library. LRCS Reaches out with Social Networking The Hult Center was first, then, last summer, Eugene Public Library signed on. Now, Recreation Services has a Twitter account, too. The 500 people who are “following” the Hult Center and the Library, and the more modest number following the two-week-old Recreation site receive frequent updates on activities and events sent to their smart phones. The Hult Center also has a Facebook page, as does Amazon Pool, Sheldon Community Center, Amazon Community Center, the Outdoor Program, Adaptive Program, and Petersen Barn Community Center. The sites provide information and updates on what’s going on at the local community centers and pools, and provides invitations and notices of events and activities. For information about outdoor activities for adults, check out the Campbell Community Center Google Group. New media provides a novel way to build enthusiasm and support for LRCS programs and services. For more information, contact Kathy Madison at 682-6342 or on Facebook! Eugene Advances to Gold Level as Bicycle-Friendly Community Eugene has moved into the prestigious gold circle as a bicycle-friendly community. The League of American Bicyclists this week announced that Eugene has become one of only 10 cities in the nation to be designated at the gold level, which is presented only to communities with “remarkable commitments to bicycling.” “The League is proud to award Eugene for its work to promote bicycle safety and education while encouraging bicycling in the community,” said League President Andy Clarke. The designation of Eugene as a gold level, bicycle-friendly community dovetails with the City’s sustainability program. Transportation Planning staff has estimated that a person who uses a bicycle to make a four-mile commute to work just once a week will reduce Co2 emissions by more than 300 pounds over the course of a year. Multiply that by the thousands of bicycle commuters in Eugene (many of whom are daily bike commuters) and it adds up to a really meaningful reduction in the community’s carbon footprint. Eugene was designated at the silver level in 2004. In reapplying for designation in 2009, Eugene cited a number of factors that make it a bicycle-friendly community: Eugene has 80 miles of on-street bike lanes and 41 miles of off-street paths connected to a regional network of cycling routes; Eugene has a strong bicycle education program, including the Eye-to-Eye Traffic Safety Campaign and a well-organized Safe Routes to Schools program; and Eugene’s cyclists are well represented in policy and legislative issues and have strong connections through groups such as Greater Eugene Area Riders (GEARS), the BikeLane Coalition, the Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA), Disciples of Dirt, and the League of American Bicyclists. Six other communities in Oregon have been designated bicycle-friendly communities by the League of American Bicyclists. Portland is designated at the platinum level and Corvallis is a gold level community, Bend is at the silver level and Ashland, Beaverton and Salem are at the bronze level. For more information, contact Transportation Planner Dave Roth at 682-5752 or David.F.Roth@ci.eugene.or.us. Neighborhood Stabilization Program Helps Homebuyers Purchase Properties The Planning and Development Department will use approximately $300,000 in funds from the federal Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) to help encourage home ownership in areas hardest hit by EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 3 October 22, 2009