11/12/09 - City Council Newsletter

Home Browse Search

Computer Help Lab and Job Search Support at Eugene Public Library Ask questions and get individual help with any of Eugene Public Library’s online resources at a new Computer Help Lab on Wednesday, November 18, from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m., at the Downtown Library. Staff will provide assistance to get participants started - or unstuck - with e-mail, the Internet, MS Word, the library’s computers and printers, the library catalog, or managing online library card accounts. Help will also be provided with any of the Library’s online tools, from language lessons to article searches to Consumer Reports. Participants may use one of the library’s computers or bring their own. On Saturday, November 21, from 10:00 a.m. to noon, the Downtown Library will offer information and advice to job hunters during a hands-on computer class titled, “Job Search and Resumes.” Participants will learn how to research opportunities, create an effective résumé, and use tools available for free at the Library, including Microsoft Word’s Resume Wizard, the Oregon Career Information System, and LearningExpress (practice exams). Internet resources including Craigslist, Monster.com, and the Oregon Employment Department website will also be covered. Pre-registration is required for both sessions. Call the Eugene Public Library at 682-5450 (press 2). New Signs Tell Story of Major Enhancement Projects in Delta Ponds Area New signs have been erected along Goodpasture Island Road to let people know they are traveling through the Delta Ponds habitat restoration and bridge project area. Two major projects currently are underway, and more work is scheduled to begin next spring. A $6 million project to construct a bicycle-pedestrian bridge across Delta Highway is under construction. Mowat Construction Company has been on-site since August and is currently building the reinforced columns for the elevated path. Mowat has completed similar work in the community, notably the DeFazio Bridge in Alton Baker Park, and the bicycle-pedestrian bridge over Interstate 5. The Delta Ponds bridge is scheduled for completion in early fall 2010. To the north and east of the bridge project, the removal of large stands of non-native, invasive blackberry, ivy and Scotch broom continues. Funded by a $1.642 million grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) the work includes enhancing 16.4 acres of degraded riparian habitat and is being implemented by local contractor Walama Restoration Project. More than 27,000 native trees and shrubs will be planted in these areas in early 2011. The NOAA federal stimulus grant will also fund a project to complete fill work and shaping around the edges of the ponds to improve habitat for juvenile salmon, western pond turtles and other native species. Bids for the Delta Ponds riparian bench construction project were opened on November 5. The apparent low bidder is Delta Construction, and work is scheduled to begin late next summer and be complete by October 2010. Also in partnership with the City, the U.S. Corps of Engineers is currently negotiating a design-build contract to construct a 12-foot-wide, fish-passable culvert under Goodpasture Island Road that will be a significant step in completing the hydrological connections between the Delta Ponds and the Willamette River. This work is expected to be underway next June and will take several months to complete. A comprehensive web page at www.eugene-or.gov/DeltaPonds has been developed to provide information about these various projects. For more information about the bicycle-pedestrian bridge project, contact Project Manager Patrick Cox at 682-6854. For more information about the riparian bench construction project, contact Project Manager Scott Milovich at 682-6086. For more information about the Delta Ponds habitat enhancement project, contact Natural Resources Enhancement Coordinator Lauri Holts at 682-4925. th Open House Slated for November 18 on West 11 Avenue Corridor Study th An open house to provide information about the West 11 Avenue Corridor Study is scheduled for Wednesday, th November 18, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m., in the Bascom Room of the Eugene Public Library, 100 West 10 Avenue. The West 11th Avenue Corridor Study is an endeavor by the City of Eugene to seek short-term remedies for EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2 November 12, 2009