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while we strain to deal with the lasting effects of the recession, we must also plan for a better and more <br />prosperous future. <br />Eugene is a great place, full of talented people and resources - capable of strong leadership in our state <br />and in our nation. <br />What did we accomplish? An amazing amount, given the times. <br />We have five downtown revitalization projects on the move. Whoopee! You told us that having a <br />successful downtown is a major community priority and after many ups and downs, we are finally seeing <br />our work come to fruition. <br />There's the Beam's renovation of Centre Court, Bennett's office building filling the Aster pit, Lane <br />Community College's innovative Green Learning Centre and five -story student housing complex in the <br />Sears pit, Masters' apartments on Pearl and former Mayor Brian Obie's Inn at 5 When you add in Lord <br />Leebrick opening on Broadway, the Jazz Station expansion, opening of OPUS 7, great restaurants and <br />waterholes, there's a lot going on. That's about $100 million in new investment in the heart of our city. <br />We've incrementally improved our public safety response and capacity. You told us public safety is <br />key to the livability of our community and a responsive police force is important. <br />We've added police officers and training, a renovated and efficient police facility, data -based deployment, <br />rental of additional jail beds from Springfield and closer public safety coordination with the University of <br />Oregon. Summer in the City kept the downtown blocks filled with healthy activities. <br />Our Independent Police Auditor and Civilian Review Board are functioning well. Several high - <br />profile cases were handled and resolved with great sensitivity and transparency. The oversight process we <br />so painstakingly put into place is running more smoothly, building confidence in the integrity of our <br />civilian review system and our Police Department.) <br />We maximized our resources and our firefighting capacity through the collaborative merging of <br />services with Springfield and single fire chief oversight. This approach has been recognized for its <br />innovation. <br />Roads, roads, and more roads were repaired. You told us that maintaining our existing infrastructure <br />is a priority. With careful use of your tax dollars, our public works department repaired and rebuilt more <br />roads than ever before in the history of this city. You agreed to support a road bond for fixing a specific <br />list of roads and that is exactly what we have done with a citizen group's oversight. <br />We provided state leadership in the Oregon rail discussion. Eugene sponsored a state rail summit to <br />initiate work on the Cascadia Rail Corridor from Eugene to Vancouver, British Columbia. Along with <br />Portland business leader John Russell, I've agreed to co -chair a state committee to develop a preferred rail <br />alignment for both passenger and freight between our city and Portland. Millions of dollars have been <br />infused into the corridor, which holds the economic promise of great travel through two states and two <br />countries. <br />Eugene is a strong voice at the table in state transportation planning to ensure mobility and access, <br />while reducing green house gases and fossil fuel dependence. We serve on several important state -wide <br />committees. <br />MINUTES —City Council January 4, 20110 Page 4 <br />