Item 2A - Approval of Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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participated in the months. Charles Biggs, 540 Antelope Way, opposed the building of a new public safety building. He did not think it was justified. He did not think it likely that an earthquake catastrophe would impact the current police station. He felt the price tag was high and did not adequately take into consideration public opinion. He likened it to throwing money around in the face of the recent budget action which had cut spending in some areas. Robert Cassidy, 1401 East 27th Avenue, expressed concern regarding the placement of the police station in the center of town. He questioned whether there would be adequate parking. He approved of the concept of having public agencies and non-government providers in one public safety facility, but noted that it seemed no one wanted agencies such as Whitebird and those that feed the indigent to be located there. He suggested this did not fit in with the vision of 8th Avenue as a great street. Cheryl O'Neill, 24307 High Pass Road, coordinator of the Domestic Violence Council and assistant director of Womenspace, advocated for the provision of a victim services center within the public safety building. She noted that the victim service providers had a 20-year history of collaboration and were, in many instances, collocated. She stated that this collocation aided people in coping with the stresses of life-shattering situations brought about by domestic violence. She said that, as things were currently located, a person might have to seek help in multiple places in one day. She thought it would be wonderful to have a combined service and to have it be in conjunction with the Eugene Police Depart- ment. She related that there were statewide studies that had indicated that people do not feel comfortable turning to the police and suggested that collocation would increase the trust and confidence the public had in them. Kevin Matthews, 120 West Broadway Street, president of the Friends of Eugene, provided his testimony in writing. He asked those present to look around the Council Chamber, as he felt it was a "nice space." He called the current City Hall a "purposefully non-monumental" building. He thought the structure could have a seismic retro-fit. He opined that Eugene did not have many buildings that approached the caliber of the current City Hall building. He thought there should be a community consensus on the Civic Center and asked the council to slow down and solicit more public input. Mark Rabinowitz, 28549 Sutherlin Lane, listed some of the concepts that had been proposed in the vision of 8th Avenue as a Great Civic Street. He estimated this would cost $100 million to $150 million. He agreed the earthquake threat was real and asked if the City would also retrofit schools, grocery stores, etc. He alleged that the bridge over Interstate 5 was not being built to seismic standards. Mr. Rabinowitz approved of a permanent Farmers Market. He opposed the collocation of victim services agencies in a new public safety building. Regarding the latter, he thought victims could be intimidated by the police. He suggested that, should the public safety building be approved by voters, it should be built to a minimum size. He felt some of the "empty real estate" in the downtown area could be utilized. Lauri Segal, 1210 East 29th Place, opined there was a lack of concern for mixed uses and pedestrian scaled amenities in the policy principles. She also expressed concern that there was no description of public open space. She advocated for more open space and amenities that were interrelated with the built environment. MINUTES--Eugene City Council July 12, 2004 Page 6 Regular Meeting