07/22/10 - City Council Newsletter

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peers as leaders. In addition to the schooner’s crew, the students were accompanied by two Recreation staff members, Mary Tyson, who works at Peterson Barn Community Center, and Colette Ramirez-Maddock, a recreation programmer for the Outdoor Program at the River House. They all spent their time aboard the tall ship raising the sails, steering, and posting as look-out, with all activities punctuated by lots of laughter. The icing on the cake was spotting a pod of orcas twice in one day, an uncommon and lucky treat. For pictures, please visit the City of Eugene Outdoor Program at the River House fan page. For more information, contact Sandy Shaffer at 541-682-6348. Eugene Pétanque Players Thrive in Shared Space at University Park In June 2010, the Eugene Pétanque International Club (EPIC) hosted its first open tournament with 15 junior and adult teams from across the Northwest competing. In the future, they hope to host the national competition, which brought 45 teams to Portland in 2008. This French sport, similar to lawn bowling, has been played informally in gravel areas and backyards in Eugene for many years. In 1998, French language instructors from local high schools established EPIC. Over the years, the sport has continued to grow in Eugene and now includes over 50 members ranging in age from 14 to 80, and a South Eugene High School team that hosts regular competitions. In the summer of 2008, local players approached Eugene’s Parks and Open Space (POS) Division about the possibility of creating a dedicated space for their sport in a local park. Although many other Oregon communities have created a dedicated terrain designed for playing pétanque, a quicker and more cost-effective way to create a space in Eugene was to make use of an under-utilized area as a shared space. In partnership with POS, local players identified the baseball field at University Park. Club members participated in getting the field ready by pulling weeds and creating a more defined edge to the space. POS tilled and leveled the field and laid a layer of baseball pumice. Club members continue to help maintain their playing field by dragging, raking, and pulling encroaching weeds. Creatively looking at how a park space could be transformed and utilized in a new way has allowed pétanque players to enjoy their sport and share it with the community. The club meets on Wednesdays from 3 to 7 p.m. and Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m. During the fall, South Eugene High School players practice on Tuesdays, and host games on Thursdays. This fall, the club will offer free pétanque lessons on four Wednesdays in September and October through the Campbell Senior Center. For more information, contact Parks and Open Space Maintenance Supervisor Rob Hallett at 541-682-4935 or Recreation Services at 541-682-5333. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 3 July 22, 2010