09/02/10 - City Council Newsletter

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trenching through the area to install the new water main, staff offered to place gravel over the top of the main to create a more level, bike-friendly path for neighbors. For a number of years, the City has been seeking to improve connectivity from 30th Avenue to the hiking trails around Hendricks Park, but with no funding in sight for the project, City planners welcomed EWEB’s offer to improve the path. Last fall, EWEB met with various City staff to plan a water main route/hiking trail that minimized tree removal and visual impacts to immediate neighbors. With an approved route, permits in hand, and crews ready to roll, construction started in July 2010. The new main has now been installed and tested, and crews have created a five- foot wide walking path over the top of most of the water main. City staff is working with volunteer groups to build the steeper portion of the trail, which will require erosion control measures and switchbacks for improved functionality. EWEB has supplied the gravel for that future project and had a mulch/native-seed mix blown in on either side of the trail to encourage healthy re-vegetation. The result is a more reliable water delivery to EWEB customers and a neighborhood amenity that can be enjoyed for years to come. For more information, contact Brenda Wilson at 541-682-8441. ‘Bountiful’ Sculpture at Foot of New Bridge Takes Theme from Native Fishing A sculpture titled “Bountiful,” by Eugene artist Lee Imonen, has been installed at the western end of the new Delta Ponds pedestrian and bicycle bridge next to Goodpasture Island Road, just north of Valley River Center. Imonen said the sculpture “serves as a marker to the public and a response to the wetlands habitat and its history.” Rising 30 feet from the ground, the sculpture metaphorically references the tradition of Native American net and weir fishing in the Northwest region. The elevated stainless steel structure takes the form of a fishing net lifted from the ponds, brimming with its shimmering harvest of salmon and other native fish. The sculpture also expresses a time- honored and renewed commitment to the natural and restored environment, which is intended to shed light on Eugene’s long-term investment in the restoration of the Delta Ponds wetlands and fish passage, and the new bridge that provides sustainable access to the natural areas. The artwork and other visual enhancements to the bridge were financed by the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. True to the spirit of stimulus funding, artist Lee Imonen fueled local commerce by using Oregon-based material suppliers, engineers, specialty fabricators, and tradesmen, along with the help of local labor. The sculpture’s design, location, materials and scale help Eugene’s public art achieve a community vision called for in the City’s 2010 Public Art Plan. This vision includes a call for art that is integrated into urban design, large- scale pieces located at prominent locations, and an increase in the variety of art media in the collection. The sculpture will be formally recognized at a bridge dedication ceremony at 11 a.m., Saturday, September 11. For more information about Eugene’s Public Art Program, visit http://www.eugene-or.gov/publicart or contact Isaac Marquez at 541-682-2057. Summer Reading A Success at Eugene Public Library This year, Summer Reading programs at the Eugene Public Library drew thousands of readers of all ages. Diving into the “Make Waves” theme, more than 6,000 children and teens signed up. Each got to choose a free book to keep, courtesy of the Friends of the Library. Summer storytimes served more than 4,600 young children and the grown-ups who accompanied them. Nearly 3,000 elementary-age kids and EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2 September 2, 2010