Item 2A: Approval of City Council Minutes

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to pay for it. He said businesses were not “picking a fight” with LTD but rather were defending their rights. He asked why the council would use its power to benefit only three percent of residents while ignoring the rights of others. He suggested the council was acting on behalf of special interests. Mr. Unger said that even if fuel prices tripled, most residents would still not ride EmX but would carpool with neighbors to destinations such as Costco and the unemployment line. Brian Weaver , 1365 Grant Street, recalled that Councilor Zelenka had once commented that “all of sudden” people were transit experts. He did not think that was the case. He was not an expert nor was he an LTD puppet. He was not going to be taken in by a “slick salesman who kept changing his stories.” Mr. Weaver did not think the Franklin EmX route could be compared with the proposed West Eugene route because the route traveled down the middle of Franklin Boulevard and the road did not need to be th widened, and there were population concentrations at either route terminus. West 11 Avenue did not have similar characteristics. Mr. Weaver asked if the council was voting on the mitigation drawings or the concept drawings and if it was aware of the difference. He said that LTD submitted the concept drawings to the Federal Transit Agency, and he anticipated that approach would require the use of eminent domain given that the alternative was a system that resembled what was in place today. He said Mayor Piercy had indicated to him that LTD had a survey proving public support for the proposed route, but the survey was on LTD’s Facebook page and he questioned its accuracy. He distributed copies of the survey. th Philip Marvin , 2241 Fairmount Boulevard, opposed the West 11 Avenue EmX route. He owned th property on West 11 Avenue and said the existing bus system was more than adequate. He believed it was irresponsible for LTD to accept federal money for the project when it was not needed. He also owned property in Glenwood that the EmX system ran past and the system had not helped his business at that location at all. th Marjorie Scott , 1642 West 6 Avenue, said in the past, LTD had relied on large grants to balance its operating budget. She believed that those days were over because of the economy and reductions in federal spending. She suggested that untimely expenditures at LTD could collapse the whole system. Ms. Scott believed the council should be sure the majority of citizens wanted the system before it voted on the route. She believed there were other more suitable routes and they should be investigated. She said that LTD’s estimates for future expenses varied widely. Ms. Scott called for an independent audit of the project. She questioned whether LTD’s estimates included the costs of relocating utilities, traffic control, and business signage. She asked who would pay for costs overruns. She asked the council to do more research before it voted. th Sue Scott , 1642 West 6 Avenue, read a letter on behalf of Casey Dressler, owner of the Springfield Dry Cleaners. The letter was critical of LTD for failure to communicate with property owners about the dedicated bus lane proposed to be located along Pioneer Parkway, detailed Ms. Dressler’s fight to retain parking on Pioneer Parkway, and described the negative impacts experienced by the business during construction of the route. Pauline Hutson , 1025 Taylor Street, continued to read Ms. Dressler’s letter regarding the negative experiences her business went through during the construction phase of the Gateway EmX project, including lost sales. Ms. Dressler’s letter stated that LTD had been unresponsive to those concerns. She went on to state that two businesses near her had closed because of the project and that 113 buses traveled by her business daily. Because of the proximity and number of buses, customers were reluctant to use the parking spaces on Pioneer Parkway. Ms. Dressler stated that LTD had assured her that the route would bring her more business but that never occurred. She supported bus transit but she did not support EmX. MINUTES—Eugene City Council February 28, 2011 Page 3 Regular Meeting