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<br /> <br /> <br />EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER <br /> <br />July 28, 2011 <br /> <br /> <br />City of Eugene <br /> 777 Pearl Street, Room 105 <br /> Eugene, Oregon 97401-2793 <br /> (541) 682-5010 <br /> (541) 682-5414 (FAX) <br /> <br /> www.eugene-or.gov <br /> <br />IN THIS WEEK’S EDITION <br /> <br />PROSPERITY INITIATIVE MOVES REGIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN FORWARD <br />TH <br />ALTERNATE ROUTES RECOMMENDED AS PROJECT TO REPAIR 18 AVENUE STARTS MONDAY <br />SPRAY PLAY COMES TO LIFE AT WASHINGTON PARK <br />PUBLIC WORKS WASTEWATER DIVISION RECEIVES HIGH MARKS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL CERTIFICATION <br /> <br />AROUND THE CITY <br />Prosperity Initiative Moves Regional Economic Development Plan Forward <br />As part of the Regional Prosperity Economic Development Plan, the Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce is <br />partnering with the City to concentrate on developing and nurturing local industry. The result is the recently <br />established Regional Prosperity Initiative. Since national studies have <br />shown that 80 percent of new job growth comes from companies that are <br />already established within a local economy, the chamber is working with its <br />public and private partners to identify industries where job growth is <br />projected, such as in the software and technology sector, to focus limited <br />resources and leverage job creation. <br /> <br />Eugene’s software and technology industry is comprised of a wide array of <br />companies with exciting growth potential; indeed, 11 percent employment <br />growth is projected in this sector between 2008 and 2018. Importantly, the <br />2009 average annual wage for a worker in software and computer systems <br />design was $64,837, or 83 percent higher than county averages. This is <br />even higher than scientific research and development workers, who <br />averaged $40,958 in 2009, according to the State of the Workforce Report <br />2010. <br /> <br />Several collaborative efforts are currently underway to develop and attract <br />software technology workers as well as coordinate marketing and branding <br />of the industry. A workforce committee is cataloguing vacant jobs, discovering industry skill sets and collaborating <br />with educational partners to ensure that students are graduating with the abilities necessary to obtain employment <br />within the industry. Meanwhile, a marketing group is building a report that will provide recommendations on how to <br />best promote Eugene’s software and technology businesses. <br /> <br />While this is only the beginning of a three-year effort, the initiative and partnership between the City and the chamber <br />is already helping promote regional prosperity. For more information, please contact Mike Sullivan at 541-682-5448. <br /> <br />th <br />Alternate Routes Recommended as Project to Repair 18 Avenue Starts Monday <br />A $1.3 million project to repave an 11-block section of 18th Avenue between Patterson and Washington streets <br />begins Monday, Aug. 1. Significant traffic impacts are anticipated, and notices have gone out to more than 2,000 <br />residents and businesses letting them know that the work is about to <br />begin. <br /> <br />Knife River Corporation, with local offices in Eugene, has been hired <br />by Eugene Public Works as the general contractor for the project, <br />th <br />which also includes surface repairs to the badly deteriorated intersection of 18 Avenue and Jefferson Street and <br />th <br />sidewalk and access ramp repairs at a number of locations along 18 Avenue. Funding for the project comes from <br />the 2008 voter-approved bond measure to fix city streets. <br /> <br />EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 1 <br />July 28, 2011 <br />