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New Events for Youth and Families at the Library
<br />Children and families are enjoying a new free activity each Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m., at the Downtown Eugene
<br />Public Library. At Science Magic on Sunday, October 10, drop in to get a hands-on experience with the Science
<br />Factory, exploring magnets, plants, water, and more. Family Board Games will be featured on Sunday, October 17,
<br />when super-gamer Chris Ballowe will provide and teach games highlighting math and science. On Sunday, October
<br />24, hear fun - and only slightly scary - Halloween stories. Make music together at a drum circle with Jill Sager of
<br />Hands On Rhythm on Sunday, October 31.
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<br />Also new this fall: weekly Teen Gaming at the Sheldon Branch Library. Middle and high school students are invited
<br />to drop in on Wednesdays, 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., to play board, card, and role-playing games.
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<br />For more information, call the Eugene Public Library at 541-682-8316 or visit www.eugene-or.gov/library.
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<br />Open House Offers Opportunity for Input on Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan
<br />New data confirms that Eugeneans are continuing to increase their use of bicycling and walking to meet their
<br />transportation needs, setting the stage for a timely discussion of the City’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan. An
<br />open house session on the master plan is scheduled on Thursday, October 14, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Monroe
<br />Middle School cafeteria, 2800 Bailey Lane, off Coburg Road in north Eugene.
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<br />Citizen project advisory committee members and staff from the Eugene Public Works Transportation Planning team
<br />have spent the past several months assembling input and information for an “Existing Conditions Report.” This will
<br />be presented at the open house, and additional feedback will be invited.
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<br />The overall goal of the Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan is to improve Eugene’s walking and biking network by
<br />filling in gaps or missing connections and deploying new design tools. According to a recent study by the U.S.
<br />Census Bureau, that goal is more important than ever. The 2009 American Community Survey reports that of
<br />65,400 workers age 16 and older in the city of Eugene, 10.8 percent bicycled to work, 6.7 percent walked, and 5.0
<br />percent used public transportation. While that’s still a minority of commuters, the percentage of cyclists is on the
<br />rise. In 2008, cyclists accounted for 8.0 percent of commuter trips, and in 2007 the figure was 8.5 percent.
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<br />“Even though there were fewer people employed in 2009, compared to the prior years, the percentage of bike
<br />commuters increased quite a bit,” said David Roth, a member of the Transportation Planning team. Roth also noted
<br />that at 10.8 percent, Eugene is one of the top cities in the nation for bicycle commuting, and often competes with
<br />Boulder, Colorado, in ridership ratings. “I was hoping we had them beat, but it appears they saw even larger gains
<br />than us with a 2009 bike commute mode share of 12.3 percent,” Roth said.
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<br />Yet another opportunity to get involved in bicycle and pedestrian design is a “Transportation Remix” on Friday,
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<br />October 22, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Oregon Electric Station, 27 East 5 Avenue. The panel of speakers includes
<br />Edward Fischer, former Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) State Traffic Engineer; Jessica Roberts, Alta
<br />Planning and Design; and Hugh Prichard, retired developer and real estate broker. The panel will be moderated by
<br />ODOT Pedestrian and Bicycle Program Manager Sheila Lyons.
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<br />For more information, call Associate Transportation Planner David Roth at 541-682-5727.
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<br />Public Works Video Earns National Award for Children’s
<br />Programming
<br />“Discover Public Works,” a video developed by the Public Works
<br />Department for use in local schools, has received a national award for
<br />children’s programming.
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<br />The National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors
<br />(NATOA) gave the video a second-place government programming
<br />award in the children/young adults category. The video also earned an
<br />honorable mention in the category for profiles of a city or county
<br />department. The awards were announced October 1 at NATOA’s annual
<br />conference in Washington, D.C.
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<br />The video was produced by Metro TV, and the award nomination was submitted with the assistance of the
<br />Information Services Division’s Telecommunications Program. The 11-minute video is narrated by two students
<br />from Kennedy Middle School and includes fun facts and action video from each of the department’s six divisions:
<br />Airport, Administration, Engineering, Maintenance, Parks and Open Space, and Wastewater. A streaming video
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<br />EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 3
<br />October 7, 2010
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