05/27/10 - City Council Newsletter

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For more information, call Anya Steinbruck at 541-682-5521. WEEEDO It Again! The final West Eugene EmX Extension Design Options (WEEEDO) public open house is scheduled for Thursday June 3, from 4 to 6 p.m., at the Eugene Public Library’s Singer Room. Lane Transit District is currently studying several options for extending EmX bus rapid transit service from the downtown th Eugene Station to the West 11 Avenue corridor. Possible thth alignments include using 13 Avenue or 6 and 7th avenues to th reach 11 Avenue west of Chambers Street. Decisions on the preferred alignment are expected in late 2010. The City of Eugene and Lane Transit District secured a State Transportation Growth Management “Quick Response” grant to provide several site-specific designs along the proposed West Eugene EmX routes. Consideration of good design at this early stage of project development through the WEEEDO project will illustrate the best possible outcomes for different routes under consideration, develop designs that respond to the land uses alongside the proposed EmX routes, integrate neighborhood improvements into the transit project’s design, and provide information that will be helpful in the decision-making process about the EmX extension project. “We want to engage the neighborhood, businesses, and residents in a conversation about what we are doing and gather their ideas on how to better the design,” said LTD’s Director of Planning and Development Tom Schwetz. The WEEEDO project does not focus on routing; it is intended to supplement the larger EmX alternatives analysis and environmental impact assessment by gathering public suggestions related to the proposed West Eugene EmX alternatives. The local design firm of Cameron McCarthy Gilbert & Scheibe was hired to facilitate public meetings and perform the design work for WEEEDO. An advisory group of 16 people was formed to represent residential and business interests from within the study area, affected neighborhood organizations, the general public, and transportation and environmental interests. The first public workshop, held last March,was attended by about 60 people. At the June workshop, the public will have the opportunity to discuss and comment on site-specific enhancements. The sites were chosen through input received from the advisory group and the first open house. The WEEEDO project is expected to be finished by July. For more information, contact Kurt Yeiter, Transportation Planning Team, Public Works Engineering, at 541-682- 8379. Additional information about EmX and the WEEEDO project is available at Lane Transit District’s website www.ltd.org. Children's Books Come to Life at Library Website Delightful “talking” books for kids are now available free online through www.tumblebooks.com/library/at the Eugene Public Library website.Tumblebooks offers a wide variety of classics and new books brought to life onscreen with colorful animation, professional narration, and engaging sound effects and music. Tumblebooks offers hundreds of picture books for younger children as well as , short novels for older kids. Kids can turn on the audio to be read towith the onscreen text highlighted as the words are readaloud. Or they can turn off the audio to read on their own. Tumblebooks also provides books in Spanish, games and puzzles to build language skills, and full-length streaming audio books to listen to with no CDs, DVDs, or downloading needed. For more information, contact the Eugene Public Library at 541-682-8316 or visit www.eugene-or.gov/library. Brochures Notify Customers of New Wastewater and Stormwater User Fees The City of Eugene’s annual wastewater and stormwater rate notification brochures will be distributed via Eugene EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2 May 27, 2010