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Mr. Eyster observed that though LTD undertook “heavy duty” public engagement, the process was so long <br />that the public sometimes did not remember what had happened before. He said it was challenging to keep <br />the public engaged over time. <br /> <br />Mr. Schwetz highlighted the Range of Environmental Disciplines to be Addressed in West Eugene EmX <br />Extension Draft EIS. He noted that the list was somewhat standard. <br /> <br />th <br />Mr. Schwetz stated that the option that would have traversed 8 Avenue had been taken off the table as a <br />result of public input. He stressed that they were trying to avoid and minimize impacts of the project. He <br />showed five slides with lists of the different public outreach events and opportunities LTD had engaged in. <br />He noted that the design at this point was eight to ten percent complete. He underscored that they went <br />through this process to get to that point so that they could have what the National Environmental Protection <br />Agency (NEPA) experts referred to as the footprint of the project. <br /> <br />Mr. Schwetz stated that they had been engaging the Title VI communities and had been successful in doing <br />so. In response to a question from Mr. Zelenka, he explained that Title VI was related to race and poverty. <br />LTD Board member, Greg Evans, added that it had been part of the Civil Rights Act. <br /> <br />Mr. Schwetz highlighted the Expanded WEE Corridor Committee. Mr. Eyster added that they welcomed <br />any recommendations the councilors might have of constituents who had an interest in participating. He <br />underscored LTD’s desire to ensure it was an inclusive process. <br /> <br />Mr. Schwetz reviewed the Quick Response Project, noting that they were being aided by design consultants <br />from Cameron McCarthy Gilbert & Shiebe Landscape Architects. He showed a slide of the LPA Selection <br />Process, which outlined the draft-decision making process for the Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA). He <br />said LTD’s preference would be to hold a joint public hearing with the Metropolitan Policy Committee <br />(MPC) and the Eugene City Council in the winter of 2010. He related that LTD was proposing to form a <br />Joint LPA Committee (JLPAC) that would include two to three members of each of the decision-making <br />bodies, the council, MPC, and LTD Board, and would meet once or twice before deliberating the recom- <br />mendation for the purpose of refining it. <br /> <br />Mayor Piercy thanked them for the presentation. She remarked that she did not think the system could <br />“come together fast enough.” She believed that every delay added to the challenges they faced. She <br />expressed appreciation for the breadth of the outreach they had done. She felt it had been responsive to the <br />community’s concerns. <br /> <br />Ms. Taylor asked if public input would make a difference in the design, given that it was currently eight to <br />ten percent complete. Mr. Schwetz said the input had made a difference in getting to this point. He <br />explained that once the footprint was in place, they would conduct analysis on the eight to ten percent <br />design, and once the LPA had been selected they would invest resources in furthering the design. He stated <br />that public comment could make a difference at that point. <br /> <br />Mr. Eyster related that as recently as one month earlier, LTD had changed the location of one of the stops <br />on the new Gateway EmX line based on input from Springfield residents and business owners. <br /> <br />In response to a question from Mr. Brown, Mr. Schwetz explained that transit mode split was a term used <br />when the TransPlan had been put together to talk about the market share of transit. <br /> <br />Mr. Brown asked if there was a way to verify that transit use had increased. Mr. Schwetz replied that they <br /> <br /> <br />MINUTES—City Council Work Session September 30, 2009 Page 2 <br /> <br />