03/08/12 - City Council Newsletter

Home Browse Search

For more project information, call Doug Singer, Public Works Engineering program manager, at 541-682-8460. For information about the master planning effort, call Therese Walch, water resources manager, at 541-682-5549. Join a Big Read Conversation at Eugene Public Library All during March, the Eugene Public Library hosts The Big Read, a month-long, community-wide celebration of Ray Bradbury’s visionary science fiction novel Fahrenheit 451. Events include opportunities to get together to talk about the book and the issues it raises. On Saturday, March 17, at 2 p.m., join a community conversation, “To Cut or Not to Cut: Censorship in Literature” at the Downtown Eugene Public Library.Recent efforts to remove the “N” word in literature - from the new edition of Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn to a high school production of August Wilson’s “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone” - raise challenging questions about censorship. Is censorship ever a good thing? How should the difference between a character’s and author’s point of view be weighed? The discussion will be led by Pancho Savery, a professor of English, Humanities, and American Studies at Reed College. The program is part of Oregon Humanities’ Conversation Project, with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Oregon Cultural Trust. Throughout the month, drop-in book groups will talk about Fahrenheit 451. There are book groups for adults and teens, and book groups in English and Spanish, at many locations including the Eugene Public Library’s downtown, Bethel, and Sheldon branches, Campbell Community Center, and Springfield Public Library. For a complete calendar of book groups and other Big Read events, please visit www.eugene-or.gov/library or call the Eugene Public Library at 541-682-5450. The Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest; local co-sponsors are the Eugene Public Library, Springfield Public Library, Lord Leebrick Theatre Company, City of Eugene, UO Duck Store, Friends of Eugene Public Library, and Eugene Public Library Foundation. Envision Eugene Recommendation and Community Forums Eugene’s final land need results for housing, jobs, parks and schools are nearly complete. The City Manager will March 14 present a draft recommendation to the City Council on . The recommendation will outline strategies for achieving the community vision while accommodating expected growth over the next 20 years. It will also propose an Urban Growth Boundary that will accommodate land need for that period. Community feedback on this draft will be vital to inform council action on the six community forums recommendation. A series of will be held around the city to present the recommendation and gather feedback. An online survey will also be available. 6 - 8 p.m. All of the forums will be from with a presentation at 6:15 p.m. at the following locations: March 20 - Petersen Barn March 22 - North Eugene High School April 3 - Churchill High School April 5 - Studio at the Hult Center April 10 - Sheldon Community Center April 12 - South Eugene High School For more information, please contact Envision Eugene Public Involvement Manager Terri Harding at terri.l.harding@ci.eugene.or.us or 541-682-5635. City of Eugene Partners with the Resource Innovations Group With help from the City of Eugene, a new program will make it easier and more affordable to install solar systems on homes in Eugene. Solarize Eugene is designed to bring solar electricity, solar hot water and the benefits of weatherization to homes in Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB) territory. Participants will enjoy significant savings through the bulk purchase of solar systems as well as receive technical support. Customers can enroll in the program from April through the end of June, with systems installed throughout the summer. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2 March 8, 2012