Item 2A: Approval of City Council Minutes

Home Browse Search

downtown area. He urged the council to move ahead with the Whole Foods Grocery project as it was an opportunity that should not be passed up. He thought if this got away from the City, the whole plan would “crumble.” He acknowledged that there were a lot of different viewpoints and praised the council for assimilating the information. He commented that the Giustina family had “done right” by Eugene and had done a wonderful job of developing properties. He felt they deserved the City’s backing. Roger Kaldahl , 975 Lewis Avenue, #8, spoke on behalf of the Laborers Union Local 121, which represented more than 200 construction craft laborers in the Eugene market. He said the Union supported moving forward with the development and allowing Lease Crutcher Lewis to perform the construction of the parking structure. He stated that the working relationship Lease Crutcher Lewis had with Local 121 allowed them to complete past projects safely, on time, and with the highest quality assurances. He thought because of the working relationships between the developer and contractor, and the ways and means with which Lease Crutcher Lewis conducted business, the cost savings to the City and taxpayers would be considerable. He said they used a trained and qualified workforce as well as utilizing a State-approved apprenticeship program to ensure that professional craftsmen continue to excel. Kathy Ging , PO Box 11245, said Eugene should take a cue from Cuba which had over 1,000 food kiosks that sold food grown inside and around the urban areas. She predicted Whole Foods Grocery would erode the profit margins of struggling local natural food markets. She asserted that Whole Foods made 12 flavors of hummus under its brand name and this would take away from some of the local, independent companies that make those products. She suggested that the City spend $45,000 to conduct a study of the feasibility of a 100,000 to 150,000 square foot covered space for parking and year-round marketing of farmers’ goods. She asserted that an indoor space would allow the farmers to build greenhouses and grow foods year-round. She predicted that farmers could grow 20 percent of Eugene’s food under those circumstances. She alleged that there were stories of Whole Foods Grocery stores in New Jersey firing and replacing staff for attempting to organize. Based on this information, she did not believe Whole Foods to be a good employer. John Keith Geiger , 86289 Lorane Highway, said he worked for a co-op in Austin, Texas in 1980. He related that the arrival of Whole Foods Grocery had caused a great deal of concern on the part of the co-op; but, in fact, the co-op had kept its basic clientele. He had been able to work with the Whole Foods distribution house and rather than hurting the co-op, it had helped. Both stores still existed in Austin. He favored Whole Foods Grocery coming to Eugene as he had seen them encourage local farmers to turn away from commercial production to local organic production. The council discussed whether to move to extend the meeting. Councilor Ortiz predicted, based on the number of people yet to testify, that the meeting could last until midnight. City Manager Taylor stated that the council operating agreements allowed for completion of an item once it began. Mayor Piercy called for a short break at 10 p.m. The meeting reconvened at 10:08 p.m. Kevin Jones , 4740 Wendover Street, encouraged all people to read ingredient lists and to avoid foods that were either not grown with organic farming methods or were genetically modified. He did not support having a Whole Foods Grocery in the city of Eugene. He believed there were other options that would better serve the community. He related that he had shopped in a Whole Foods store when visiting his parents in the east. He knew the store to be committed to organically grown foods. He enjoyed supporting local stores, however. He asserted that corporate chain stores demanded huge community investments and were fragile in today’s economy. MINUTES—Eugene City Council -- March 13, 2006 Page 18 City Council Meeting