CC Minutes - 05/23/11 Work Session

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MINUTES Eugene City Council McNutt Room —City Hall 777 Pearl Street — Eugene, Oregon May 23, 2011 5:30 p.m. COUNCILORS PRESENT: Betty Taylor, George Brown, Andrea Ortiz, George Poling, Mike Clark, Chris Pryor, Alan Zelenka, Pat Farr. Her Honor Mayor Kitty Piercy called the May 23, 2011, work session of the Eugene City Council to order. A. ITEMS AND COMMITTEE REPORTS: Mayor Piercy reported that she met with the leadership of the Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce to discuss how to boost local economic development efforts. She said the Chamber had donated to the Honor Guard Fund to assist with the memorial for Officer Chris Kilcullen. Mayor Piercy reported she had received a note of thanks from the Springfield Chamber of Commerce for participating in the ACE Awards, as well as that chamber's congratulations on Eugene's progress in downtown. Mayor Piercy also noted the recent WeGene! Awards Celebration, the Asian Kite Festival, the 25` Annual HIV - Alliance River Walk, and the "topping-off' ceremony for the Inn at Fifth. She reported she had served as a judge in the Miss Whiteaker Pageant on May 21, and residents of the Whiteaker neighborhood held a neighborhood garage sale. Public Works Day occurred on May 19 at the Roosevelt Yards and the City's Fleet Services was recognized for its good environmental practices. She reported that construction had begun on Willakenzie Crossing, a new low- income housing development. Mayor Piercy also reported that Dr. Charles Martinez was leaving his position as Vice President of Equity and Diversity at the University of Oregon and was returning to teaching and research. She had attended a gathering in his honor where she thanked him for his work in the community on behalf of the City Council. Ms. Taylor had also attended the topping off ceremony for the Inn at Fifth and termed it an exciting event. She reported on the Lane Work Force Partnership, saying it was experiencing budget problems and would likely have to lay off employees and thus would not be able to help as many people retrain for and find jobs. Mr. Zelenka reported that he was working with a group led by Rick Wright of the Market of Choice on a new proposal to save Civic Stadium. The group would present its proposal to the 4J School District Board of Directors soon. Mr. Zelenka distributed copies of the Fairmount Neighborhood History Project to the council and called councilors' attention to a map in the document that showed the route of the old community trolley system. He reported that at one time, Fairmount was an incorporated community and was later annexed by Eugene. He added that the history project was funded through a neighborhood matching grant. MINUTES Eugene City Council May 23, 2011 Page 1 Work Session