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disappointment in what she considered an endorsement of the site by the City Manager and Mayor Piercy. She supported the remarks of Ms. Hoover. Rich Hazel , 2603 Moon Mountain Drive, referred to proposals to add ramps to I-5 at Franklin Boulevard. He said that it appeared there was no opportunity to add the ramps because the bridge was a discrete project and would be constructed before a new interchange could be done. Mr. Hazel maintained there were “engineering constraints, social issues, and natural area points” that were barriers to the construction of ramps. He said the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) indicated there was no State transporta- tion system problem the interchange would solve. He noted that a council work session on the project and partnering with ODOT was scheduled. He said that if a Glenwood interchange project was wanted, that should be clearly stated. He asked the council to keep in mind the original objective of the proposed ramps, and to preserve tax dollars for those projects that needed to be completed. Carlos Barrera , 2470 Olive Street, asked the council to fully fund the proposed Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Comprehensive Plan. He spoke to the value of parks and open space as an important resource for Eugene residents and said if the council did not supply, them no one would. As co-chair of the Friendly Area Neighborhood, Mr. Barrera asked the council to maintain the College Hill Reservoir as an open space. He said that EWEB, which owned the site, was considering fencing off the reservoir, which he asserted was one of the few “all weather playgrounds” in the city and a valuable resource for all residents of Eugene. He invited the council to look into the situation and attempt to influence EWEB to work with the residents to keep the reservoir open. Mark Rabinowitz , PO Box 51222, Eugene, shared recently garnered information about peak oil and the status of world oil supplies. He suggested that the City discuss what it could do in regard to climate change. He did not think the City’s rhetoric was matched by its actions, as evidenced by Lane Transit District’s plans to build a Bus Rapid Transit route next to new City-owned parking garages. He maintained that Whole Foods had “driven under” three natural food businesses in three states with predatory business practices. He said that Whole Foods was not supportive of unions and work place democracy and it was not sustainable to bring foods from other countries to Eugene. Mr. Rabinowitz suggested the land planned for Whole Foods and garages be used for urban agricultural given future oil shortages and the need for local food supplies. He did not think the East Broadway Development Project was a sustainable development either. Mr. Rabinowitz pointed out that the Oregon Supreme Court upheld restrictions on big box development and he believed any serious effort at sustainability would include such restrictions. Nancy Hansen , 4870 Hillside Drive, noted the gender identity work being done by the Human Rights Commission and asserted that the commission was shutting out the community from those discussions. Only a select few were participating in the meetings. She said the City Attorney's Office was sharing opinions with those participants but those opinions were not available to the public. She said that two commissioners had been meeting with a group of about six people over a period of months. Ms. Hansen acknowledged the probable legality of what was occurring but suggested it violated the spirit of the law. She asked the mayor how the process was collaborative, and asked that the council consider the thoughts of the public, who hoped it was open and collaborative. Virginia Pearson , 2765 Almaden Street, echoed the remarks of Mr. Northup and Ms. Hansen. She asked that the council look into how the commission was handling the gender identity proposal. She asserted that the Human Rights Commission was violating the public trust by allowing commissioners to meet with former members of the Gender Identity Work Group. People asked to be allowed to participate in meetings MINUTES—Eugene City Council February 13, 2006 Page 3 Regular Meeting