10/21/10 - City Council Newsletter

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EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER October 21, 2010 City of Eugene 777 Pearl Street, Room 105 Eugene, Oregon 97401-2793 (541) 682-5010 (541) 682-5414 (FAX) www.eugene-or.gov IN THIS WEEK’S EDITION LEAF PROGRAM EMPHASIZES STORMWATER QUALITY, SAFETY FOR CYCLISTS CITY OF EUGENE NAMED AMONG TOP 10 HEALTHIEST EMPLOYERS IN OREGON EUGENE AIRPORT RUNWAY PAVING PROJECT EARNS ‘PROJECT OF THE YEAR’ RECOGNITION ENVISION EUGENE OPEN HOUSE/MAP ROOM NEXT WEEK BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT LOAN HELPS GROW PLANT SCIENCE COMPANY EUGENE PUBLIC LIBRARY EARNS NATIONAL STAR RATING RECREATION STAFF READY FOR HALLOWEEN EVENTS AROUND THE CITY Leaf Program Emphasizes Stormwater Quality, Safety for Cyclists The City of Eugene’s annual leaf program is gearing up for another busy fall season. For both operations and outreach, a goal is to maintain the levels of service established last year. This includes enhanced service on approximately 25 miles of designated priority bike lanes, focused messaging to the community to emphasize the importance of keeping leaves out of bike lanes, and a suite of online services that allow residents to more easily request leaf deliveries, report leaves and other debris in bike lanes, and get the most current information on leaf collection operations. As in 2009, when the City collected more than 17,200 cubic yards of leaves during two rounds of collection on 470 centerline miles of streets, a key message is that leaves are a sustainable natural resource that can be used as mulch or compost material. In keeping with this value, none of the leaves collected by the City wind up in the landfill. Instead, more than half of the collected leaves are delivered to local residents, and more than 7,000 cubic yards are used at community gardens and parks. There’s also continued emphasis on not placing leaves in the streets until the weekend before collection is scheduled in the neighborhood. This is a particularly important message early in the season, when rain, wind and sudden drops in the temperature can accelerate the fall of leaves well before the start of scheduled collections. Keeping leaves out of catch-basins prevents flooding and protects the water quality in local streams – two of the main objectives of the stormwater-funded leaf program. Postcards have been mailed to approximately 1,700 property owners along priority bike routes, as well as several dozen landscaping companies, reminding them to find alternatives to placing leaves in bike lanes. Public Works Maintenance staff has met with the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, and information to neighborhoods will be going out this week. Eugene, Springfield and Lane County are working together to provide weekly updates to local media. For more information about the leaf program, including detailed collection schedules and links to online services, go to www.eugene-or.gov/leaf or call Surface Maintenance Supervisor Damon Joyner at 541-682-4835. City of Eugene Named Among Top 10 Healthiest Employers in Oregon The City of Eugene was named one of Oregon's top 10 healthiest employers for its size in 2010 by the Portland Business Journal. The award was created to recognize organizations with innovative wellness programs and worksite wellness initiatives. Organizations were assessed in six key categories: Culture and Leadership Commitment, Foundational Components, Strategic Planning, Communications and Marketing, Programming and EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 1 October 21, 2010