09/30/10 - City Council Newsletter

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Eugene to Test Plug-in Hybrid Vehicle that Cuts Carbon Emissions The latest addition to Eugene’s vehicle pool moves the City one step closer to a fully sustainable fleet. Fleet Manager Tony Jobanek on Monday took possession of a demonstration model Toyota plug-in hybrid. Eugene has the free use of the vehicle through Thanksgiving under a state program being run through Gov. Kulongoski’s office and Portland State University. Mayor Kitty Piercy encouraged the Fleet Section to apply for the demonstration program earlier this summer, and Eugene was one of a handful of Oregon communities and private companies selected for the pilot program. The plug-in hybrid is essentially a Toyota Prius gas- electric hybrid with one notable difference: it can be Fleet Manager Tony Jobanek with demo Toyota plug-in hybrid plugged into any 110-volt outlet and charged up to run 14 miles at 62 mph on battery-stored electric power before it reverts to its gas-electric hybrid function. While at first blush 14 miles may not seem like much of a range, it is well within the typical daily usage requirement for most City fleet users. That means the vehicle can operated with virtually no gasoline as long as it’s recharged every night and used for local trips. Eugene already has 94 standard hybrids in its fleet, and other all-electric vehicle options are on the near horizon. Overall, Eugene is committed to sustainable fleet technologies aimed at reducing greenhouse gases emitted by fossil fuel-burning vehicles. As part of that commitment, Eugene is active in a federally funded electric vehicle (EV) project to gather information about EV infrastructure and driver needs as increasing numbers of electric vehicles are put into service in Oregon. For more information about the plug-in Toyota Prius plug-in demo or the EV project, contact Fleet Manager Tony Jobanek at 541-682-4808 or Parking Service Manager Jeff Petry at 541-682-5079. New Vactor Trucks Make Life Better for Both Ducks and Beavers Orange and yellow may be the colors of rivalry on the football field, but they’re on the same team at Eugene Public Works. Recently, the Public Works Maintenance Subsurface Operations Section ordered two new Vactor trucks to replace aged equipment. For traffic safety reasons the trucks need to be painted with special, high-visibility colors. As it turns out, both orange and yellow qualify as safety colors. Throw in a little black detailing on the orange truck and some green detailing on Subsurface Maintenance crew with new Vactor trucks the yellow truck and – voila! – school colors! The paint color choices didn’t add any extra cost to the trucks, which are now in service cleaning local wastewater lines. Vactor trucks are used to clean both wastewater and stormwater underground lines. Essentially they’re giant vacuum cleaners that suck up debris into large, onboard holding tanks that are then emptied at special disposal sites. In a typical year, Public Works crews clean about 300 miles of underground wastewater lines and 7,500 stormwater catch basins using Vactor equipment. Keeping sewers and catch basins clean helps prevent sewage backups and reduces the amount of pollution that winds up in local waterways – which is why both Ducks and Beavers should be happy that two new Vactors are on the job, regardless of the colors they’re painted. For more information about the new Vactor trucks or the subsurface services provided by Public Works, contact Jim McLaughlin, Public Works Maintenance Director AIC, at 541-682-4912. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2 October 1, 2010