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EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER May 4, 2006 City of Eugene 777 Pearl Street, Room 105 Eugene, Oregon 97401-2793 (541) 682-5010 (541) 682-5414 (FAX) www.eugene-or.gov IN THIS WEEK’S EDITION ACCESSIBLE PEDESTRIAN SIGNALS ARE FOCUS OF BARRIER AWARENESS DAY BUILDING PERMIT RECIPIENTS GIVE FEEDBACK CITY’S OUTDOOR PROGRAM RECOGNIZED POLICE VOLUNTEER SENIOR PATROL TEAM RECEIVES STATEWIDE RECOGNITION CHILDREN ON THE JOB LEARN ABOUT VALUE OF EDUCATION AROUND THE CITY Accessible Pedestrian Signals are Focus of Barrier Awareness Day City officials and members of the Human Rights Commission Accessibility Committee will mark National Barrier Awareness Day by publicizing the City of Eugene's progress in installing accessible pedestrian signals (APS). On May 9, City Councilor George Poling, Accessibility Committee member Mary Otten, and City staff will share the latest information on APS at a media event on Coburg Road near Oakway Center, the site of the City's newest APS - equipped traffic signal. APS provide audible and tactile cues to assist pedestrians, especially those with visual disabilities, in making safer decisions when using intersection crosswalks. APS emit a beeping locator tone that helps users to find the button that activates the walk signal. A recorded voice announces when the walk light to cross the street is on, and a backwards countdown alerts the user to how many more seconds the walk light will remain on. The City has made a commitment to include APS at all newly installed traffic signals that have push buttons to activate the walk signal cycle. The Human Rights Commission Accessibility Committee is identifying and prioritizing the need for signals at existing intersections and is pursing funding sources. Community members may request APS at specific intersections by contacting the Human Rights Program. For more information, contact Human Rights Program Specialist Karen Hyatt at 682-5177 or Traffic Engineer Tom Larsen at 682-4959. Building Permit Recipients Give Feedback In a recent telephone survey of people who obtained building permits from the City of Eugene in 2005, the Permit and Information Center (PIC) earned a better-than-average rating for overall performance. The survey was conducted by Advanced Marketing Research, Inc., of Eugene, in March and April 2006. A total of 402 home owners and business owners, designers and contractors participated, responding to questions and offering suggestions regarding the ease of getting information and assistance in areas including State electrical, plumbing, mechanical and structural codes, local land use standards and Public Works requirements. Respondents also rated the City on consistency during plan review and inspection, reasonableness of fees, respectful communication, and service. On a five-point scale, ratings on responses to survey questions ranged from 3.0 to 4.8. The PIC survey occurs every two years, obtaining unbiased and statistically valid results from a sample of those who pulled building permits during the previous calendar year. The most recent survey results shows ratings somewhat higher in every category over the 2002 and 2004 surveys. Nevertheless, the survey also provides valuable feedback on areas where greater consistency, timeliness, streamlining and access would better meet the needs of the diverse group of people using building permit services. Survey EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 1 May 4, 2006