Item 2A: Approval of City Council Minutes

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thing,” but they found that it became hot in the summer. She stated that measures that they had taken to cut the heat had been inadequate for their clients. She quoted one of the clients who testified at the CDBG Advisory Committee meeting as explaining that it would get hot, he would become cranky and would have to go home and then get no money. She related that the temperature had reached over 80 degrees on more than 55 days during the previous summer. She said some of the clients also had medical conditions and heat was detrimental to their health. Anne Williams , 972 Madison Street, Programs Director for St. Vincent DePaul (SVDP), thanked the CDBG committee for the challenging work that was in front of them. She said those of the agencies who had applied for grants were making tough choices. She related that part of the Service Station roof had failed in 2009, and SVDP had to make repairs, and they wanted to fix two sections of roof. She stressed that SVDP also faced budget challenges; budget cuts were made to the Human Services Commission and General Fund budgets. Majeska Seese-Green spoke in support of the NCS, and also in support of opening the Ribbon Trail to mountain bikers. She said if the Ribbon Trail was open, she would want to bicycle on it. Regarding the NCS, she wanted the City to consider the triple bottom line and to do all it could to help them find a place to be downtown. It sounded to her like the building on Pearl Street was the place they “should be assisted to be.” She felt this was an example of a time when the social issues outweighed the economic issues. She believed it would contribute to the downtown environment if the NCS could remain in that area. She declared that if the triple bottom line tool did not help the City see a way for it to prioritize social issues in a case such as this, the tool needed adjustment. Mayor Piercy closed the Public Forum. She thanked everyone for coming. She expressed appreciation for the work of the CDBG Advisory Committee. She commented that the community could not provide all of the services that were needed and the need was growing, but she was proud of the work that was being done. She also thought those who testified regarding access to the Ribbon Trail had done a good job of raising the issue to their attention. Councilor Clark thanked everyone for coming to provide input. He asked the City Manager if the City had postponed an increase in SDCs. City Manager Jon Ruiz responded that he thought the increase had been postponed, but he did not remember what date the postponement would end. Councilor Clark commented that he knew a hotel in that area could provide economic benefit. He was interested in knowing what the options were in regard to potentially considering a reprieve on the SDC. Councilor Clark thanked the Disciples of Dirt for coming down. He requested a memorandum from staff on why bikes had been banned from the Ribbon Trail. Councilor Zelenka asked if SDC deferrals had been previously granted to hotels. He also thanked the Disciples of Dirt for their testimony and said they had done a good job of bringing attention to the item. He was interested in finding out more information on how mountain bikes could be compatible with hikers. th Councilor Zelenka also wished to point out that it was the 24 anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster. He recalled that the meltdown had resulted in an explosion of radioactivity into the atmosphere. He related that the disaster had resulted in the permanent evacuation of 220,000 people. He said a scientific study estimated that the ultimate death toll from that disaster would be 1 million people worldwide. He remarked that it was important to keep this disaster in mind given that there were people who wanted more nuclear power plants to be built. Councilor Poling was also interested in a memorandum on why the bikes had been banned from the Ribbon Trail. Regarding the CDBG process and recommendations, he thought it was imperative to the council to adhere to it and not to make changes at this point. He acknowledged that someone would lose out because there were not “endless pots of money.” He believed that the process they engaged in, utilizing a citizen advisory committee that reviewed the proposals and made selections, had resulted in worthwhile recommendations. MINUTES—Eugene City Council April 26, 2010 Page 4 Regular Meeting