CC Minutes - 05/14/12 Work Session

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MINUTES Eugene City Council McNutt Room —City Hall 777 Pearl Street—Eugene, Oregon May 14, 2012 5:30 p.m. COUNCILORS PRESENT: George Brown, Pat Farr, Betty Taylor, Andrea Ortiz, George Poling, Alan Zelenka, Chris Pryor, Mike Clark. Her Honor Mayor Kitty Piercy called the May 14, 2012, work session of the Eugene City Council to order. A. COMMITTEE REPORTS Mr. Pryor reported that the Housing Policy Board (HPB) had one remaining land bank site. The HPB planned to fund property renovations this year, which could involve the purchase and renovation of foreclosed properties that would then be used for affordable housing. Ms. Ortiz reported on the Public Safety Coordinating Council's Juvenile Justice Committee, which had been discussing the issue of disproportionate minority contacts and the lack of beds at John Serbu Youth Campus. She referred the council to an article she provided that indicated one child in three had some form of police contact before they reached age 23. Ms. Ortiz noted that the "Rites of Passage" summer academies would again take place at Lane Community College this year. Mr. Brown reported that the Metropolitan Wastewater Management Commission's ecosystem restoration riparian shade projects encountered a temporary funding snag as the agency learned that administrative expenses could not be paid for by the Environmental Protection Agency grant. The projects were intended to lower water temperatures before water passed the wastewater treatment plant to prevent high water temperatures that harmed fish. Mayor Piercy reported on the recent Lane Area Commission on Transportation (ACT) meeting, saying State Senator Floyd Prozanski provided a presentation on a proposed Territorial Road intended to enhance safety conditions on the road and sought feedback on the project from the ACT. The ACT had learned that the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) was seeking to break down its program `silos" and had combined two grants programs and formed an Active Transportation Section to integrate programs and funding sources to promote multi -modal and sustainable transportation solutions. ODOT was also taking a new approach to prioritization of projects in the State Transportation Improvement Program that expanded the role of the ACT and shifted the agency's focus from highways to more multi - modal needs. Mr. Farr reported on the recent dedication ceremony for two homes being renovated to house returning veterans, and noted that City Jon Manager Ruiz was instrumental the renovations happen. The project was the result of a partnership between St. Vincent de Paul, the Bethel School District, the Lane County Homebuilders Association, and the City of Eugene. MINUTES— Eugene City Council May 14, 2012 Page 1 Work Session