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previously referenced was used by the City of Eugene and Lane County. <br />Ms. Wilson, responding to a question from Mr. Polling, described how the Delta Ponds project had been <br />funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). <br />Mr. Poling noted the Council had recently heard recommendations from a member of the Sustainability <br />Commission and asked if any of them might be applied to the West Bank Path and Pathway Lighting <br />project included in the reauthorization requests. Ms. Wilson was not aware of the Sustainability <br />Commission's recommendations and stated she might speak with the City's transportation staff to see if <br />any of that group's recommendations might be incorporated in the future. <br />Mr. Polling hoped that Ms. Wilson and City staff would continue to pursue every available avenue for <br />federal funding of local projects. <br />Ms. Piercy noted that the Sustainability Commission had recommended that the council focus its energies <br />on enhancing transit, bicycle and pedestrian transportation areas. <br />Mr. Clark thanked Ms. Wilson and the City's IGR staff for their efforts regarding the federal priority <br />project lists. <br />Mr. Clark asked if the Lane County's Secure Rural Schools (SRS) initiative had been funded with federal <br />congressional appropriation dollars. Ms. Wilson answered that that program had indeed been the <br />recipient of federal funding and that a request for renewed or alternative funding for that initiative was <br />expected. <br />Ms. Wilson, responding to a request from Mr. Clark regarding the Beltline Road and Corridor study <br />included in the reauthorization requests, described how the City of Eugene was currently seeking $18 <br />million in federal funding for its portion of the project. <br />Mr. Clark asked if the process for the Beltline Road and Corridor study might be moved along faster. Ms. <br />Wilson responded that with current funding mechanisms there was no way to accelerate the study. She <br />further noted that Representative DeFazio had given the highest priority to the funding bill related to the <br />Beltline study. <br />Ms. Wilson, responding to a question from Mr. Clark, reported that the Forest Legacy project included <br />under the FY11 Appropriations Request section of the federal priority list was a program directed to <br />purchase two properties of high environmental quality as part of the Ridgeline plan. She briefly described <br />how each of the properties had been evaluated with respect to their purchase prices. She further described <br />that the properties were located in the Ridgeline area and used a map to demonstrate their precise <br />locations. <br />Ms. Taylor asked if the IGR staff or the United Front congressional delegation had investigated how <br />federal funding mechanisms might be used to improve local transit systems and neighborhood bus <br />services. Ms. Wilson replied that such projects were normally generated by LTD and that federal funding <br />processes were not typically directed toward the operation of local transit systems. <br />Ms. Taylor was concerned that in the past, council involvement with respect to projects on the federal <br />priority list had come at the end of the funding process. She hoped that the council and staff might find <br />ways to provide input earlier in the federal funding process. Ms. Wilson commented that the council was <br />welcome to offer input on the ongoing federal funding processes in the future. <br /> <br /> <br />MINUTES—Eugene City Council January 13, 2009 Page 5 <br /> Work Session <br /> <br />