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We worked together. <br /> <br />We have well over $100 million in development occurring right now in our downtown. You can see it in the <br />Broadway Commerce building (formerly Centre Court), the Woolworth building (formerly the Aster pit), the <br />th <br />LCC Green Learning Center and 200 units of student housing (formerly the Sears pit), the Inn at 5, the <br />renovation of the Taco Time building and more to come. That’s 450 construction jobs and 350 permanent <br />jobs, even before counting the newest development. That took investing as a partner in these projects. To <br />remove those pits took some real working together. <br /> <br />With our partners in Springfield, Lane County, Chambers of Commerce, Travel Lane County, Lane Metro <br />Partnership, Lane Workforce Partnership, University of Oregon and Lane Community College, we <br />developed a Regional Prosperity Plan. We know it’s all about jobs, jobs, jobs. <br /> <br />This plan includes new University of Oregon business spin-offs (going from 2 to 17); business incubator <br />opportunities being available; the Chamber of Commerce encouraging local financial investment; the cities <br />and county providing small business loans and planning expertise to help businesses stay and grow; and <br />Lane Community College and Lane Workforce Partnership providing worker training and the development <br />of a new virtual one-stop shop for business. <br /> <br />As Dave Hauser of the Chamber of Commerce recently stated, everyone is working harder together than at <br />any time in memory to increase job opportunities in our area. We’re better together. <br /> <br />There have been other notable areas of accomplishment in public safety, neighborhood livability, <br />transportation gains, and social services. <br /> <br />We’ve kept our city safe. <br /> <br />This next year our police department will move into renovated, seismically appropriate facilities that will <br />enable them to better meet the needs of the public every day and in unexpected emergencies. <br /> <br />I had the opportunity to serve on the Police Commission and to attend the Civilian Police Academy this year. <br />This has given me a much more complete understanding of the breadth of services EPD provides and their <br />commitment to apprehending criminals using the most advanced practices available. EPD takes great pride <br />in providing our officers with considerably more training than the state requires. We see their work very <br />positively reflected in the actual high level of public safety in Eugene. <br /> <br />Under Chief Pete Kern’s able leadership, our city fostered good communications, cooperation and <br />peacekeeping throughout the Occupy Eugene demonstrations and protests. We’re proud of our police <br />department for this accomplishment that prevented conflict and saved resources. And, as the camp was <br />taken down, individual officers showed great compassion in helping some of our unhoused community <br />members with their transitions, sending one individual home for Christmas and paying for a motel room for <br />another. Working together for the well-being of everyone is a worthy city goal. <br /> <br />We take great pride in our excellent fire department and have carefully monitored the partial mergers of the <br />Eugene and Springfield fire departments under Chief Randy Groves. This partial merger has thus far gone <br />very well and to the apparent satisfaction of firefighters and the public from both cities. Chief Groves tells <br />us we can expect $876,239 in savings this fiscal year. Working together with Springfield helps us both. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />MINUTES—State of the City January 5, 2012 Page 4 <br /> <br />