Item 2A: Approval of City Council Minutes

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Mr. Pape? reported that he attended the recent Royal Caribbean event and shared that the company’s building received the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Certificate. He said he was most impressed with the construction and urged other councilors to visit the site. Mr. Poling announced that the Metropolitan Wastewater Management Commission Board of Directors awarded a contract to a concern in Seattle, Washington, in the amount of $12 million, for a project which was estimated to cost $14.5 million. He reported that he attended a workshop for the Willakenzie Neighborhood Park Project which would be built on the Willakenzie School site. Mr. Poling was pleased to note that there was general agreement from all the stakeholders on how this project should move forward. Mr. Kelly reminded City Manager Taylor about his past request to hold a work session on the Downtown Green Space issue, which he noted was not currently scheduled. City Manager Taylor responded that the larger question of downtown in general was an agenda item for the April 19 council meeting and surmised that this could be an appropriate time for Mr. Kelly’s concerns to be raised. He added that if deemed necessary, a follow-up work session could certainly be scheduled. Ms. Taylor referred to recent constituent complaints around the air circulation in the Library’s underground parking facility and asked if the conditions could be improved. She then asked if there were regulations governing automobile exhaust systems. City Manager Taylor replied he was not aware of any such regulations. Ms. Taylor said she may request a work session to discuss this issue. Ms. Taylor voiced her disappointment regarding the outcome of the Oregon Research Institute (ORI) negotiations to move into the downtown core. She opined that the efforts of City staff were not commensurate with the importance of the issue. Ms. Taylor turned to the public hearing held on March 13 regarding the Whole Foods proposed site. She pointed out that the time lapse between that hearing and the council action was 37 hours, which she did not consider allowed for in-depth consideration. Ms. Taylor also voiced objection to the two-minute limit for speaking to which residents were held, and reminded staff that, in the past, public hearings were “continued” to allow all people who wished to speak. Ms. Taylor expressed concern that the City’s labor contracts would not be honored when the Cuthbert was managed by a private entity. She believed that the employees impacted by the shift should be protected by the City. She then moved to another issue and indicated that the Jefferson-Westside neighborhood was informed that it had been re-zoned and that this issue was scheduled on a council Consent Calendar. Therefore, the council did not have an opportunity to discuss the action. Mr. Kelly requested that a staff memorandum explaining this action be submitted to the council. Ms. Bettman reported that in response to her many inquiries, she was assured by City staff that such rezoning of entire neighborhoods would not occur. She asked that this action be remedied immediately to ensure there was no detriment to the neighborhood. In conclusion, Ms. Taylor spoke to the potholes on Crest Drive, which continued to worsen. City Manager Taylor noted that potholes and pavement preservation were in particular peril this year due to the heavy rains and staff was working to alleviate the problems to the best of their ability. Ms. Solomon was pleased to announce that the Housing Policy Board Allocations Committee met recently and selected a developer to construct attractive, low-income affordable housing in the Ward 6 area. MINUTES—Eugene City Council April 10, 2006 Page 2 Work Session