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regarding the action. He had not been able to defend himself as he had been home with a sick child. He believed that the HRC should be a watchdog for all, colorblind, tolerant, and gender neutral. He averred that if they could not promote fairness and equality in their own ranks, then they could not ask the same of anyone else. He asked that the council, when presented with his dismissal, return it to the HRC with the directive that he be provided a fair hearing. He thanked them for the opportunity to serve. Charles Biggs, 540 Antelope Way, supported reevaluating the nuisance ordinance in regard to chickens. He thought the number of chickens should not be at issue. He felt that chickens naturally wanted to live in a flock. He said they should take other criteria into consideration, such as the space available to raise the chickens. Paul Nicholson, 1855 East 28`" Avenue, wanted to speak on behalf of the mountain bike issue. He did not want it to be an issue that pitted pedestrians against cyclists. He felt that the pedestrians had a right to feel secure, but given the vast amount of transportation done by bicycle in the City and the close connection to the 30th Avenue and Lane Community College that the Ribbon Trail would provide, the City should invest the money to make the modifications necessary to make the trails safe and inviting for both. Mary Salinas, General Delivery, Eugene, 97401, submitted her testimony in writing. She said she was a spokesperson for the homeless. She echoed Mr. Newton's testimony. She observed that public safety and urban planning were always at the top of the list of things to consider in processes, such as in the Envision Eugene process. She never heard any mention of homeless people and would like them to be considered in such planning processes. She had read of plans to give St. Vincent DePaul money for "wet beds" and a plan in Springfield to raise $100,000 to give to St. Vincent DePaul to "whip [them] into shape." She declared that the past had proven that the Catholics could not help them. She said no one who wanted to whip them into shape, get them back on their feet to get jobs would succeed. She averred that they were sick, dying, and disabled. She urged them to remember homeless people in all of the City's plans. Bill Bezuk, 501 Washington Street, owner of the Eugene Backyard Farmer, an urban farming store, shared that he had left a good job with good pay and benefits to "pursue the American dream." He believed in his business plan and in the City of Eugene. He said more chickens would equal more success for him. He related that there was a certain mystique surrounding chicken farming. He stated that he had a working henhouse on the premises and invited the councilors to visit the store so that he could help them learn about the subject. Eric Shamay, 2325 Adams Street, said he was a graduate student in chemistry and a homeowner. He had been raising chickens for two years. He thought two chickens was a bad number. He related that many stores would not sell only two chicks. He had done a lot of research on line when he decided to raise chickens. He noted that all of the web pages indicated that three chickens was the minimum number, but he thought it should be higher. He had chosen to live in Eugene over several other cities because it seemed to be a progressive place, especially in regard to food security and personal liberties. He suggested to the council that they needed to suspend enforcement on the two- chicken minimum. He hoped that they would revise the code so that it would match the codes of other cities that allowed more chickens. Anand Keathley, 389 North Polk Street, Ward 7, submitted his testimony in writing. He encouraged them to support the Lane Community College (LCC) energy center and the improvements to the Farmers Market. As the vice -chair of the Whiteaker Community Council he conveyed their unanimous vote to request that the council extend the time of the Envision Eugene process so that it could include the results from the Climate and Energy Action Plan. He had brought drawings that showed how more housing could be developed without disrupting urban agriculture. He averred that they needed to find ways to do more with less. He wanted to find a more creative and sustainable way to develop Eugene. MINUTES— Eugene City Council May 24, 2010 Page 2 Regular Meeting