11/23/11 - City Council Newsletter

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In addition to making and selling local craft beer, Ninkasi also supports around 100 community organizations and recreational groups throughout the local area each year with product and infrastructure assistance at events. In 2011, Ninkasi partnered with the Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB) to brew a special release beer to raise awareness of EWEB’s 100th anniversary. All profits from the beer went to support the local nonprofit McKenzie River Trust in its efforts to maintain the water supply that feeds the brewery as one of the cleanest, purest sources in the world. Oakshire and Hop Valley are two of several other breweries in the area. Please contact Amanda Nobel Flannery for more information at 541-682-5535 or amanda.nobelflannery@ci.eugene.or.us. th Open House Looks at Design Alternatives for 24 Avenue Rehabilitation Project th A neighborhood open house has been scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 1, to discuss a 2012 project to rehabilitate 24 Avenue from Chambers to Jefferson streets. The open house runs from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. at the Adams Elementary nd School cafeteria, 950 West 22 Avenue. The Eugene-Springfield Transportation System Plan (TransPlan) and the Eugene Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan th have identified the need for bicycle improvements on 24 Avenue. The meeting will include a formal presentation followed by a discussion on design alternatives for this street. Alternatives could include making no design changes, removing parking on one side to install bike lanes, installing additional traffic calming measures, or a combination of these alternatives. For more information, contact Reed Dunbar, associate transportation planner, at reed.c.dunbar@ci.eugene.or.us or 541-682-5727. “Religion & War: Post-9/11 Military Chaplains” at Eugene Public Library On Thursday, Dec.1, at 6 p.m., the Downtown Eugene Public Library will host a free talk by Dr. Darold Bigger titled “Religion and War: Post-9/11 Military Chaplains.” As Deputy Chief of Navy Chaplains for Reserve Matters, Dr. Bigger was in Washington, DC, on 9/11 and supervised chaplains for several years thereafter. He reports first hand on the work of chaplains in Washington, New York, and the Gulf after 9/11, and shares how chaplains are still working to assist returning veterans in the process of moral healing. Dr. Bigger now serves as Professor of Religion and Social Work at Walla Walla University. “The 9/11 attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center launched America into a prolonged international conflict that included religious, national, racial and social issues which persist to the present day,” writes Dr. Bigger. “Members of the military have thus been brought to consider ethical conflicts between the violence of war and the morality of their religious faith.” This talk is presented in partnership with the Eugene Symphony’s “Counterpoint: War + Peace” initiative. Visit counterpointeugene.com for more information about Counterpoint events. For more information about the talk at the Eugene Public Library call 541-682-5450 or go to www.eugene-or.gov/library. Successful City Bond Sale In September, the City Council authorized the issuance of refunding bonds for the purpose of saving interest costs on several General Obligation bond issues. On Nov. 22, the City accepted bids for the refunding bonds. The sale was a great success. The purpose of the $10,975,000 refunding bond issue was to refinance at lower interest rates the parks, athletic fields and open space bonds approved by voters in 2006, and the fire station construction bonds approved in 2002. The City received 13 bids for the bonds, which created a lot of competition. The winning bidder was Mitsubishi UFJ Securities from San Francisco. They bid a true interest cost of 1.7 percent, which is substantially lower than expected based on market trends and other recent Oregon sales. As a result of the winning bid, Eugene taxpayers will save more than $1.1 million in interest payments on these bonds over the next 10-and-a-half years. Other than the savings that was achieved from this sale, another notable fact is that this is the first competitively bid bond issue that Eugene has sold through a completely paperless process. The bond-offering documents were posted on a website for bidders to access, and the bids themselves were accepted through an on-line bidding service. For information, contact Finance Director Sue Cutsogeorge at 541-682-5589 or Sue.L.Cutsogeorge@ci.eugene.or.us. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2 November 23, 2011