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interest in seeing offramps into Eugene and Springfield from the new Willamette I-5 Bridge. He said the project had the support of Congressman Peter DeFazio and many local public officials. He asked the participants in the upcoming United Front visit to seek federal transportation funding to expand the environmental documentation required for the bridge replacement project to include a study of a new interchange at 1-5 and Franklin Boulevard. He called for continued effort to fund the Beltline Gateway project and the needed improvements from River Road to 1-5 on the Beltline. Mayor Torrey also called for completion of the West Eugene Parkway. Mayor Torrey advocated for Eugene to develop a new economic development strategy to replace the outdated existing strategy. He asked the City Council to join him in the effort. He wanted to bring together a committee to examine the City's past efforts, where it had been, where it was today, and finally, where it needed to be for the future. He called attention to the council's adopted growth management policy 16, ~Focus efforts to diversify the local economy and provide family wage jobs principally by supporting local and environmentally-sensitive businesses." He said it was time for Eugene to review its economic strategy and adopt a new economic strategy consistent with the economic realities that face the city of Eugene today. He noted that Eugene had been supplanted by Salem as Oregon's second largest city, and said Eugene would not be the second largest city by the year 2010 unless it learned to succeed as a partner in our region. Mayor Torrey suggested that the committee commence its work while the City went through the next budget cycle, and employ diverse expertise from many sources. He cited the Region 2050 project, a regional planning effort, as a model for the effort, and noted that the Region 2050 partners will ask representatives of various Lane County communities, many of whom were present, for their opinions about three regional growth scenarios. That input will help shape the Preferred Growth Scenario, which will be part of the Regional Growth Management Strategy for the Southern Willamette Valley which will be adopted and carried out in the policies and actions of the County and the ten cities. Mayor Torrey said that a stated economic development strategy was important because the City's public and private sector partners deserve to know where Eugene's elected officials stand and what part Eugene will play in the region between now and 2050. There was no better time than during an election year to have a discussion about how to capitalize on the area's many assets, such as the University of Oregon, Riverfront Research Park, PeaceHealth, and Triad. He wanted the committee to consider the issue of the urban growth boundary, the location of the fairgrounds and convention center, how to best support local start-up and existing companies, and whether the community should recruit new outside companies. Mayor Torrey proposed that the committee submit its final report to the City Council in June 2004, with the goal of council adoption of a final strategy before December 1, 2004. Mayor Torrey suggested that the community take a more visionary look at governmental civic center facilities. He reiterated his theme of time, place, and partnerships and pointed out the many growing government spaces needs, including the need for a new police center and a new City Hall. He said he was asking 15 public and private citizens to serve as members of a special Civic Facilities Visioning Committee. The proposed committee will look at the best use of existing public buildings and land, joint facility efficiencies, phasing opportunities, financial implications, and relocation opportunities, with goal of having a final report regarding the advisability of asking the voters to support a Police Services Building measure in November 2004 before the City Council in early June 2004. He suggested the committee start its work in February following a public design charette to be held January 23 and 24. MINUTES--Eugene City Council January 7, 2004 Page 3 State of the City