CC Minutes - 01/07/09 State of the City

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• With our partners, we hosted an amazingly successful and green 2008 Olympic Track and Field Trials and regained our status as Track Town USA. Eugene fulfilled its promise to engage our young people in every facet of the Trials and provided them with a full range of activities. • Voters supported two important City ballot measures to fund some of our street repair backlog and to ensure the integrity of our new police oversight system. You also funded 4J's local option levy and the Lane Community College bond. Thank you, voters. • Again with our community partners, Project Homeless Connect was held last February, providing one -stop services for 1,158 guests. While we all wish fewer people were homeless, over 600 wonderful volunteers donated their time and energy to help their neighbors. Eugene continues to reach out to the homeless and needy. This wonderful event will occur again in March and I encourage you to get involved. • Downtown developments moved forward in 2008 and continue to inspire confidence that we will soon have a downtown we can all be proud of Progress is already being made on plans to renovate the Centre Court and Washburn buildings and to fill the adjoining pit. Plans to construct a mixed -use development to fill the pit across from the Library are also progressing, and The WestTown on 8th affordable housing project was completed in 2008 and includes a mix of businesses. • Our police, fire, and emergency services staff did outstanding work in providing Olympic Trials security, ensuring the safety of visiting national presidential candidates and overseeing a massive move of patients from downtown to the new RiverBend regional hospital. The crisis intervention training program for our police was initiated to better equip them with tools for dealing effectively with the mentally ill. This year, Eugene received recognition for being one of the safest communities in the country. • Eugene continued to move forward with its "green " goals by adopting the priorities identified by the Sustainability Commission regarding climate change, transportation, land use, green building, business, food, and waste. A climate and energy action plan is under development to achieve zero carbon emissions by 2020. A City staff team is putting in place a triple bottom line analysis tool (social equity, natural resource protection, and a strong economy) to aid council decision - making. • The new Pedestrian and Bicycle Strategic Plan is being implemented to grow Eugene's commitment to alternative modes of transportation and decrease vehicles miles traveled. • Despite the "uphill battle, " progress was indeed made in road repairs. The 'pothole patrol " patched a quarter million square feet of streets and the gas tax paid for $5.5 million in major repairs. • Following through on the Parks Bond commitment, the City has acquired more Ridgeline parkland, the Amazon headwaters property, park property in Santa Clara adjacent to Madison Middle School, and added parcels to Golden Ponds in Bethel /Danebo. In addition, the City partnered with Bethel and Eugene school districts to build athletic fields at Meadow View, Willamette High, Spencer Butte, and the Arts and Technology Academy. • In October, Eugene's Cultural Services launched the Arts and Business Alliance to build public /private support for our rich diversity of arts and culture and to boost its prominence in the economic life of our community. That's just some of the work that has been accomplished in the last year. Our thanks to each and every staff member, and to every volunteer for their help in achieving City goals. As you can see, almost all of our City projects are done with partners. Together we make the City of Eugene. Together we provide jobs, services and opportunities. Together, we provide the means to achieve MINUTES —City Council January 7, 2009 Page 4