03/28/13 - City Council Newsletter

Home Browse Search

 Cloth and plastic-lined reusable bags should be completely dry before being stored. Always put raw meats into a disposable plastic bag before putting them in a reusable bag. When using reusable bags, keep meats, fresh produce, and ready-to-eat foods separated from other food products. Additionally, consumers should clean any reusable bags used for carrying food before using for other purposes such as carrying books or gym clothes. Tips to help remember to use bags include:  Always start a shopping list with “Bring Bags.”  Keep a collapsible bag in a purse, backpack, or briefcase.  Keep bags in the car. City staff will hold two business information sessions for retailers to learn about the new law on Thursday, April 11, 2013. The noon session will take place from 12 – 1 p.m. at Oregon Community Credit Union located at 2880 Chad Drive. The evening session will take place from 5:30 – 7 p.m. in the Bascom Room of the Eugene Public Library (first floor, 100 West 10 Avenue). th To learn more about the ordinance, and to view a listing of locations that offer free or reduced price bags, please visit www.eugene-or.gov/plasticbags or contact Stephanie Scafa at 541-682-5652. Extended Closure of Olive Street to Start April 1 for Safety Reasons Olive Street between 12 and 13 avenues will be closed for approximately six months starting Monday, April 1, to protect thth motorists, cyclists and pedestrians from heavy equipment and construction activity on a major housing project being constructed by Capstone Collegiate Communities. The closure includes sidewalks on both sides of Olive Street between 12 and th 13 avenues as well as the sidewalks on the north side of 13 Avenue between thth Charnelton and Willamette and the sidewalk on the west side of Willamette next to the building site. The closed areas will be fenced off to keep motorists, cyclists and pedestrians a safe distance from active work zones. Last fall, the West 12 Alley between Olive and Willamette streets was closed, and that th access route will remain closed until a new accessway for pedestrians and cyclists is opened. Also this spring, one lane on the north side of 13 Avenue th between Charnelton and Olive streets will be closed to allow trucks to off-load materials and equipment for the construction of the second phase of the Capstone project on the west side of Olive Street. Safety is the main reason for closing the rights-of-way during construction. Large cranes will be moving heavy loads overhead, including across Olive Street. Large trucks, concrete pumpers and other heavy equipment will be parked in, or crossing, Olive Street and off-loading materials on the north side of 13th Avenue. Building walls and other structures will be built near the closed sidewalks, and pedestrians and cyclists could be injured by falling equipment or construction materials. As an indication of the amount of truck traffic, the Capstone contractor estimates an average of 60 trucks will enter the work zone each day, and as many as 100 trucks per day may enter the site on a busy day. Under the terms of a City-approved traffic control plan, advanced signage will be installed to advise travelers to use alternate routes. Traffic conditions will be monitored, and traffic control will be modified if necessary. The City’s traffic engineer has worked with Lane Transit District staff to develop alternate routes for buses that currently use the Olive Street corridor. In preparation for the closure, staff developed informational signage that the contractor will be installing. Key stakeholders were contacted, and the project web site at www.eugene-or.gov/CapstoneClosures has been updated with a question-and- answer fact sheet and other materials. For more information, contact Traffic Engineer Tom Larsen at 541-682-4959 or Tom.C.Larsen@ci.eugene.or.us. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2 March 28, 2013