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San Jose was identified as the best underserved, nonstop air service market to pursue for this grant application. San th Jose is the 12 top destination of passengers using EUG, but the Eugene Airport retains only 15 percent of local passengers with 85 percent driving to Portland Airport (PDX). The retention rate is significantly lower than most other destinations of EUG’s top 50 markets. This provides a great opportunity to recapture market share to San Jose while filling an identified transportation need in the community. New nonstop routes have also been shown to stimulate passenger traffic on the new route, in addition to building business relationships between the two communities. A public-private partnership has been established to support the proposed air service initiative made up of the City of Eugene, Lane County Government, Eugene Chamber of Commerce, Springfield Chamber of Commerce, Lane Metro Partnership, and Travel Lane County. This partnership will provide $281,100 in matching funds, including $55,000 from non-airport sources. To be considered for the SCASDP an airport must currently have insufficient air service, unreasonably high air fares, and/or geographic diversity; for example, being located near an airport that pulls traffic away from the smaller airport. Priority considerations for the Department of Transportation also include local cash contributions, established public/private partnerships, material benefits to the general public, and timely use of grant funds in selecting a grantee. For more information contactCathryn Stephens, C.M., director of communication and development at EUG, at cathryn.e.stephens@ci.eugene.or.us or 541-682-5430. Eugene and Multi-City Telecom Rights-of-Way Fees Audit Recognized th Eugene and other cities taking part in a 70-city audit were recognized with an award last week at the 15 annual Oregon Connections Telecommunications Conference. The award category was Excellence in Telecommunications Projects and Regional/Local Strategies and went to the Oregon Municipal Audit Review Committee (OMARC). Eugene was also on OMARC’s smaller steering committee, represented by Pam Berrian, Telecommunications staff, and Twylla Miller, Finance staff. OMARC was formed by participating cities to audit rights-of-way use fees paid by two incumbent phone companies, Verizon and Qwest. The scope of the review was unprecedented not only because it involved 70 cities and two companies at once, but it also covered a six-year period rather than the typical one- or two-year audit periods. Qwest and Verizon joined with OMARC cities in a joint kick-off, and OMARC went on to become a model in workload efficiency and joint communications between cities and providers. OMARCs steering committee managed each city's financial contribution towards the audit, researched critical definitions and calculations, and ensured a smooth communication flow with Qwest and Verizon. The result was that OMARC, Qwest and Verizon reached an amicable financial settlement that returned about $3 million in one-time funds to the cities and also provided the carriers certainty about future calculations. In the end, OMARC created trust among all concerned. For more information, please contact Telecommunications Program Manager Pam Berrian at 541-682-5590 or pam.c.berrian@ci.eugene.or.us. Enhanced Screening Procedures at Eugene Airport On Friday, Oct. 29, new Transportation Security Administration (TSA) “enhanced pat-down procedures” will be used at all airports in Oregon, including the Eugene Airport (EUG), and are being rolled out across the country by the end of the month. Eugene Airport officials work closely with local representatives from the TSA to encourage a positive passenger screening process at EUG. Eugene Airport officials can and do make suggestions to TSA officials, but the TSA has final say on the screening procedures used and how they are performed. Passengers should be sure to follow TSA screening guidance which can be found at http://www.tsa.gov/travelers. Some of these guidelines include:  Removing all metal from pockets, etc. before going through metal detectors, including large metal jewelry. Screeners should be told about metal artificial hips or knees before passengers pass through the metal detector.  Following the 3-1-1 liquids and gels rule: three, three-ounce containers, inside a quart-size zip-top bag, one per passenger; remove the bag from a carry-on bag for screening. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 4 October 28, 2010