07/18/13 - City Council Newsletter

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This spring, Eugene’s commercial food waste came full circle and bagged compost made from local food scraps, which is now available for purchase at Rexius Forest By Products (150 Highway 99), Market of Choice (67 West 29 Avenue), and th the City of Eugene Atrium Building (99 West 10 Avenue). th SWANA’s Excellence Awards Program recognizes outstanding solid waste programs that advance the practice of environmentally and economically sound solid waste management through their commitment to utilizing effective technologies and processes in system design and operations, advancing worker and community health and safety, and implementing successful public education and outreach programs. For more information, please contact Stephanie Scafa at 541-682-5652. Eugene Public Library Wins 2014 “Big Read” Grant The Eugene Public Library has received a grant of $16,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to host “The Big Read" in March 2014. The Eugene Public Library is one of 77 not-for-profits nationwide to receive a grant to host a Big Read project in the coming year. The Big Read in Eugene/Springfield will focus on the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (first edition cover shown here). Community members will be encouraged to read the book and participate in a range of community events now being planned for March 2014. The Eugene Public Library's major partners in The Big Read are Springfield Public Library, local schools and Oregon Contemporary Theater, which will present the play The Great Gatsby, adapted for the stage by Simon Levy. In 2012, the same partners collaborated on a Eugene/Springfield Big Read of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451. The Great Gatsby may be the most popular classic in modern American fiction. Since its publication in 1925, Fitzgerald's masterpiece has become a touchstone for generations of readers and writers. The story of Jay Gatsby's desperate quest to win back his first love reverberates with themes at once characteristically American and universally human, among them the importance of honesty, the temptations of wealth, and the struggle to escape the past. Though The Great Gatsby runs fewer than 200 pages, there is no bigger read in American literature. The Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest. The Big Read is designed to revitalize the role of literature in American culture and to encourage citizens to read for pleasure and enlightenment. The 77 selected organizations will receive Big Read grants to promote and carry out community-based activities and events. Participating communities also receive high-quality, free-of-charge educational materials specific to each title, including reader’s, teacher’s, and audio guides, which also are available for download at neabigread.org. For more information, visit www.eugene-or.gov/library or call the Eugene Public Library at 541-682-5450. Recreation’s “Surprising” Benefits Include Community The benefits of recreation extend beyond the individual to the entire community. Research shows that “Recreation brings neighbors together, encourages safer, cleaner neighborhoods and creates a livelier community atmosphere. (It) help(s) improve the community’s image, socioeconomic status and enhance the area’s desirability.” July is Parks and Recreation Month, and Eugene Recreation is celebrating by sharing the many research-based benefits of recreation. Many community benefits result from quality youth recreation programs offered during out-of-school times (OST). Nationwide, approximately10 million youth are left home alone every afternoon, every day of the week. Moreover, studies show that “….when the school bell rings, leaving millions of young people without responsible adult supervision or constructive activities, juvenile crime suddenly triples.” However, youth participation in quality recreation OST programs is “associated with academic success, mental health, positive social relationship and behaviors, identity development and civic engagement.” In this way, recreation helps to reduce crime and supports the development of young people into contributing members of the community. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 4 July 18, 2013