CC Minutes - 08/09/10 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES Eugene City Council Council Chamber — Eugene City Hall 777 Pearl Street — Eugene, Oregon August 9, 2010 7:30 p.m. COUNCILORS PRESENT: Mike Clark, Betty Taylor, Jennifer Solomon, Andrea Ortiz, George Poling, Chris Pryor, Alan Zelenka, George Brown, members. Her Honor Mayor Kitty Piercy called the regular meeting of the Eugene City Council to order. 1. PUBLIC FORUM Mayor Piercy reviewed the rules of the Public Forum. Adam Bernstein, owner of Adam's Sustainable Table, said he supported the City's efforts to improve downtown, particularly around Kesey Square and along Broadway. He said he was a long -time staunch supporter of civil rights but he believed the 'downtown exclusion ordinance had led to improvements downtown and the community should continue to give the City and the police and community.every opportunity possible to make more positive changes downtown. Before the institution of the exclusion zone and other changes made downtown by the City, he had periodically had people running through his restaurant to get away from a deal gone wrong or something bad. He hoped the council extended the ordinance. Drix, a resident living on High Street, reported on the West University Neighborhood's gathering in conjunction with National Night Out, saying the event was "very cool." He said he and the Oregon Duck started out the event with banter and mime and then a tour bus containing the Mayor and council stopped by. He thought it was a good reward for all the work that was done. He said "community is what we are if we are all together." Drix believed the council was doing a great job downtown and he enjoyed the Center Court development. He spoke of other downtown amenities, in particular the Dinning Room run by Food for Lane County, and encouraged people to visit the facility. He wished all a good summer. Mary Leighton, representing the Network Charter School, asked the council to extend the downtown exclusion zone. She said the exclusion zone had a good effect but she needed to know it was not enforced unfairly and she thought the data being collected by the Police Department would help to demonstrate that. She said "thanks" to the council for saying "yes" to the storefront art project, which made all empty spaces look better. She also thanked the council for creating a cooperative atmosphere downtown. Jared Mason Gere, Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Eugene, Inc., 1400 Willamette Street, expressed support for the downtown exclusion ordinance due to the importance of the downtown core to the area's economy. He suggested the issue was not so much the zone itself but how the council made its decisions. He suggested that after a two -year trial, it would be a shame not to extend the ordinance for another two months to ensure the council had adequate data on which to base its analysis of the ordinance. He urged the council to extend the ordinance and allow staff to return with the additional data. MINUTES— Eugene City Council August 9, 2010 Page 1 Regular Meeting