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the money it was spending. He said none of the opponents were experts on transportation and did not pretend to be, but all of them had contacted and communicated with experts. Many people retired from government thought the project was a bad one. Mr. Cole said Mayor Piercy did not like strip malls such as those along West l I 1 Avenue but such malls were essential to some businesses. Mr. Cole said he had learned a $160,000 lesson from LTD because it threatened him with eminent domain. He did not trust LTD. He said when LTD referred to mitigating with businesses it was only trying to delay the process. Mr. Cole predicted that as Councilor Zelenka had suggested, it was only a matter of time before LTD came after additional right -of -way on West 11` Avenue. Rhiannon Springall, 1475 East 15"' Avenue, a University of Oregon student, supported the West Eugene EmX route extension because it would make West Eugene more accessible to the rest of Eugene, including students living in the vicinity of the University. She believed EmX was an investment in the community's future, and suggested it would be wise to prepare for EmX now when congestion was less than it would be in the future. She noted LTD's statement that it would work to minimize the impacts of construction. Ms. Springall urged the council to look at the "big picture" and get a head start on developing a more accessible, more efficient community. Charles Hibberd, 2663 Dover Street, a business owner on West 11`" Avenue, opposed the proposed West Eugene EmX route. He suggested that if three percent of the predicted 30,000 new residents anticipated in the next 20 years arrived tomorrow and rode a bus, LTD would not notice a difference because that three percent totaled only 1,600 people. Mr. Hibberd suggested the EmX service was unneeded because the current system was underused. He recommended that LTD reroute its current buses for more effective service. Mr. Hibberd cited some of the nationally known products made by companies located in West Eugene, and questioned their need for EmX service. They were industrial companies with few employees. Mr. Hibberd suggested that they would be negatively affected by an EmX route because it would disrupt the trucks that served those businesses. Wendy Butler Boyesen, 1265 City View Street, suggested that EmX would streamline traffic on West I I Avenue. She averred that businesses in West Eugene did not rely on West l I"' Avenue for truck deliveries and instead used other routes, such as 6"' and 7 th avenues and Highway 99. Ms. Boyesen said that eminent domain was the last resort for LTD. She maintained that LTD had stated from the beginning of the project that the conceptual drawings were only ten percent of the final drawings, and there would be mitigations and changes. Ms. Boyesen reported she spoke to two businesses owners on West l I th Avenue who commended their interaction with LTD staff. Ms. Boyesen noted the many people who used the bus system, particularly when gas prices went up. She then shared a story about Mall 205's refusal to allow buses to enter its parking area and suggested that was the reason that the mall was not doing well. Ms. Boyesen praised LTD for having a balanced budget and for adding buses with federal stimulus money. She maintained the current bus system along West 11"' Avenue was inadequate and she frequently had to ride buses with standing room only. William Moskal, 1166 Oak Street, agreed that bus ridership went up when gas prices went up. However, he expressed concern about the possible use of eminent domain, which made possible the development of the Chicago Skyway Bridge, which he termed a "big white elephant" that turned its part of Chicago into a ghetto. He did not think that EmX was needed in West Eugene. He observed that he had just been at the Service Station and questioned the community's need for $1 million buses. MINUTES— Eugene City Council February 28, 2011 Page 4 Regular Meeting