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MINUTES <br />Eugene City Council <br />McNutt Room —City Hall <br />777 Pearl Street — Eugene, Oregon <br />February 23, 2011 <br />Noon <br />COUNCILORS PRESENT: Betty Taylor, George Brown, Andrea Ortiz, George Poling, Mike Clark, <br />Chris Pryor, Alan Zelenka, Pat Farr. <br />Her Honor Mayor Kitty Piercy called the February 16, 2011, work session of the Eugene City Council to <br />order. The council was joined by Lane Transit District (LTD) Board of Directors Chair Mike Eyster, <br />LTD General Manager Mark Pangborn, LTD Director of Development Services Tom Schwetz, and LTD <br />Director of Service Planning, Accessibility, and Marketing Andy Vobora. <br />A. WORK SESSION: <br />West Eugene EmX Update <br />City Manager Jon Ruiz introduced Mr. Eyster. Mr. Eyster reported to the council that following the final <br />meeting of the Joint Locally Preferred Alternative Committee (JLPAC), LTD staff had been concerned <br />that the committee forwarded two options for the West Eugene EmX bus rapid transit route to the <br />decision makers. One option must be selected if there was to be a build alternative. Staff discussed its <br />concerns with the LTD board, and proposed that the process be extended to allow for more public <br />education and public input. Board members agreed that whatever the board did, it must be consistent <br />with the actions of the City Council. Mr. Eyster assured the council that LTD was not attempting to <br />dictate the council's timeline, and said no board action was taken at the meeting. <br />Mr. Schwetz provided a PowerPoint presentation that reviewed the process to date and the remaining <br />tasks, outlined the recommendation of the JLPAC, highlighted the evaluation criteria for the federal <br />"Small Starts" grant program that LTD hoped to take advantage of for route funding, and compared the <br />costs and physical impacts of the two options forwarded by the JLPAC. Mr. Schwetz quantified the <br />construction jobs the route would create and concluded the presentation by reviewing a decision time line. <br />Mr. Zelenka arrived during the presentation. <br />Mayor Piercy supported a build option and hoped to select one sooner rather than later. In regard to the <br />proposed West I I " / 13` x ' Avenue option, she suggested the council needed to consider both public support <br />and project viability. She said the issue was not "transit versus everything else but transit as a part of <br />everything else." The community needed good options for every travel mode. If all options were good, <br />people would make good choices and the community would move forward in a way that all supported. <br />Mayor Piercy solicited comments from members of the JLPAC. <br />Ms. Ortiz commended the JLPAC process. She expressed appreciation for LTD's work in responding to <br />community input. She also wanted to make a decision sooner rather than later. <br />MINUTES— Eugene City Council February 23, 2011 Page 1 <br />Work Session <br />