June 6, 2013 - City Council Newsletter

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Cuthbert Amphitheater Open for Season With flowers blooming and bees buzzing, the Cuthbert Amphitheater has been brought to life for the 2013 season! Owned by the City of Eugene and operated by Kesey Enterprises Inc. (KEI) of Eugene and Double-Tee Promotions of Portland, a strong partnership is enjoyed by all. Cuthbert is the City’s iconic outdoor music venue located in the middle of the city in beautiful Alton Baker Park. The copper-roofed stage is drawing internationally and nationally renowned artists ranging from silver-haired crowd-pleaser Tony Bennett, on Wednesday, June 12, and the fifth annual free performance by the Eugene Symphony on Saturday, July 20, (tickets required and available on June 11), to the upbeat reggae band, Rebelution, on Friday, Aug. 16. In 2012, the venue hosted 16 events and drew 47,675 people. Over the course of the season, the venue hosted 19,709 visitors (32 percent of the total audience) from outside Lane County who poured an estimated $1,207,000 into the local economy. This conservative estimate is based on a visitor impact formula provided by Travel Lane County. When the Cuthbert season is announced, it’s a sure sign of summer and great concerts under the stars! Under KEI’s management, the Cuthbert’s concert schedule is developing into another great season. For the full schedule, check www.thecuthbert.com where new concerts are added. Experience Cuthbert Amphitheater and enjoy an evening of music in the outdoors. For more information, contact Isaac Marquez at 541-682-2057. South Willamette Street Alternatives Topic at June 11 Meetings A community forum to rank and refine a series of options for redesigning Willamette Street from 24th to 32nd avenues will be held in two sessions on Tuesday, June 11, from 4:00 to 5:45 p.m. and 7:00 to 8:45 p.m. at the South Eugene High School cafeteria, 400 East 19th Avenue. Two meetings are being held to accommodate the high interest in this project. Interested residents are urged to attend the earlier session if possible, because staff anticipates that many people will choose the later session. Participants are encouraged to RSVP with an indication of which time they prefer by calling 541-682-8472 or e-mailing chris.c.henry@ci.eugene.or.us. At the meetings, a project team of City of Eugene staff and consultants will present study results for three street design alternatives including conceptual layouts, cost estimates, projected travel times, and function for cars, pedestrians, bicyclists and buses. For those unable to attend the meetings, an online survey will be available from June 12 - 18 on the project website at www.eugene-or.gov/SWillametteStreet. A council work session is scheduled for June 19 to review the findings to date. The public engagement phase of the South Willamette Street improvement plan began last November with two well-attended community forums held to discuss project goals, share the results of traffic studies and begin to explore alternatives for future improvements to the Graphic of potential street design and condition of Willamette Street between 24th and 32nd avenues. In February, a design alternative second community forum was held and feedback was given on a range of street design alternatives to help the project team narrow the alternatives for more detailed analysis. The results of that analysis will be presented on June 11. The goal of the study is to help South Willamette Street become a vibrant urban corridor accessible by bicycle, foot, car and bus. Today, Willamette Street is heavily used to reach many popular destinations, yet it is uninviting to pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders and motorists alike. For years, many residents and business owners have shared complaints about the poor conditions on Willamette Street for walking and biking and the need to do something about it. The plan aims to support existing businesses and the commercial district’s vitality by creating a balanced multi-modal transportation system. It also is intended to further City planning efforts to identify compact growth and redevelopment opportunities and foster a well-informed and involved community supportive of the final outcomes. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 3 June 6, 2013