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Home My WebLink About10/31/13 - City Council Newsletter City of Eugene 125 East 8 Avenue, 2 Floor thnd Eugene, Oregon 97401 (541) 682-5010 (541) 682-5414 (FAX) www.eugene-or.gov EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER October 31, 2013 IN THIS EDITION 2013 “CARES ENOUGH TO WEAR PINK” CAMPAIGN UNDERWAY CAMPBELL CENTER ANNUAL HOLIDAY BAZAAR SET FOR NOVEMBER 9 EUGENE EARNS HONORS FROM AMERICAN PUBLIC WORKS ASSOCIATION FOSTER CARE 101 AT EUGENE PUBLIC LIBRARY OREGON PASSENGER RAIL STUDY CONTINUES AROUND THE CITY 2013 “Cares Enough to Wear Pink” Campaign Underway On Oct. 29, 30 and 31, firefighters from Eugene-Springfield Fire, South Lane County Fire & Rescue, Oakridge Fire Department, Western Lane, Lane Fire Authority, and Crescent Rural Fire Protection District participated in the Cares Enough to Wear Pink campaign. For these three shifts, firefighters replaced their regular duty uniform shirts with black and pink shirts to raise awareness for breast cancer, supporting research, friends, co-workers, and family members with breast cancer. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed form of cancer in women, and is the second leading cause of cancer death of women in the United States. Many friends and family members of the involved organizations have been affected by this disease. The Union Firefighters from Eugene International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) Local 851 and Springfield IAFF Local 1395 purchased the shirts and fully funded this campaign. No City funds were used, although the effort was supported and endorsed by Fire Department management. This awareness campaign was endorsed by the IAFF by resolution at its last convention. For more information about the Cares Enough to Wear Pink campaign, please contact the Eugene IAFF Local 851 office at 541-344-4557. Campbell Center Annual Holiday Bazaar Set for November 9 Campbell Community Center will hold its annual Holiday Bazaar next Saturday, Nov. 9, from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Admission is free. This event is a great kickoff to the holiday season, offering a wide variety of items for sale as gifts or for the buyer. Many items are handmade by volunteers, including small, wooden trinket boxes, an inlaid wood coffee table, scarves, hats, and quilted table runners. The bazaar is a fundraiser for Campbell Center and supports machinery for the center’s woodshop as well as supplies and equipment for fitness and other programs. Just drop in; registration is not required. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 1 October 31, 2013 Also for sale at the bazaar are books, quilts, baked goods, preserves, and Campbell Center’s famous sweet hot mustard. Enter raffles to win gift baskets and bid on more than 60 silent auction items donated from local merchants including Oregon Paddle Sports, the High Desert Museum, Benton County Winery and other local wineries, Sweet Life Patisserie, Eugene Hilton Hotel, McKenzie Feed, and several local restaurants. While there, take a break and enjoy breakfast snacks or lunch. For more information, call Recreation Manager Diane Sconce at 541-682-5318. Eugene Earns Honors from American Public Works Association People and projects in Eugene earned significant recognition last week at the American Public Works Association’s (APWA) Oregon Chapter fall conference in Bend. City Engineer Mark Schoening received the William A. Bowes Service Award, the chapter’s highest honor presented each year to a public works leader who has had a far-reaching, positive impact on the chapter and the public works community. Schoening, a registered professional engineer and certified water rights examiner in Oregon, was named APWA National’s Professional Manager of the Year in Engineering and Technology in 2008. As a past president of Oregon APWA, he has been a strong advocate for strategic planning. Since becoming Eugene’s city engineer in 2002, Schoening has overseen a wide range of projects, including flood control and streambank protection, multi-million dollar projects associated with parks, airports, transportation, stormwater and wastewater infrastructure, the implementation of two local bond measures for street repairs totaling nearly $80 million, the development of improved policy and management procedures associated with geographic information systems (GIS) and asset management, service development charge (SDC) rate-setting, water quality code compliance and alternative transportation mode strategies. Surface Maintenance Supervisor Damon Joyner and Stormwater Maintenance Supervisor Mark Schoening Mike Spangler received Everyday Heroes awards. Respectively, they have 16 and 29 years of experience with the City. They were credited with having excellent communication and management skills, and dedication to the mission, vision and values of the Public Works Maintenance Division. Both have strived to create work teams where staff members are free to communicate openly in a respectful work environment, able to make decisions at all levels, and are encouraged and supported to grow both professionally and personally. As supervisors in the surface operations section, they and their crews are responsible for street and sidewalk repairs, sweeping, right-of-way maintenance, snow and ice response, the annual leaf and collection program, emergency response, and a variety of other maintenance-related activities. Josh Proudfoot of Eugene-based Good Company was nominated by the City of Eugene to receive the 2013 Julian Sustainability Practices Award for an individual. Proudfoot was chosen as the 2013 award-winner based on his generous support of APWA through presenting at chapter conferences and assisting with the launch of the Sustainability Committee, as well as his work with public works agencies across Oregon and the United States on cutting-edge sustainable technologies and practices. The Drywell Elimination Program (Shirley Area) received a 2013 Project of the Year Award for an Environmental Project costing less than $5 million. The Shirley area project replaced 16 drywells serving a 30-acre catchment area with a piped collection system and a new 400-foot-long infiltration swale. The project was multi-jurisdictional and fulfilled needs for both a City park and stormwater management. Eugene took the opportunity to work with other agencies and the neighborhood to help an undeveloped park become a community amenity. The project was also completed on time, within budget, and without any time-loss injuries. The City of Eugene Pavement Preservation Program was given honorable mention for the 2013 Julian Sustainability Practices Program Award. For more information, contact Eric Jones, Public Works public affairs manager, at 541-682-5523. Foster Care 101 at Eugene Public Library Ever thought, “I’d like to help – but do I have what it takes to be a foster parent?” Find out more at “Foster Care 101” on Thursday, Nov. 7, at 6 p.m., at the Downtown Eugene Public Library. Admission is free. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2 October 31, 2013 Cynthia Schwarm, Department of Human Services/child welfare certifier, will host an engaging presentation to explain what’s involved in being a foster care parent and how foster care works. Local community members who are currently providing foster care services will share their experiences, including the opportunities and challenges they face, and why they choose to be foster parents. For more information, contact the Eugene Public Library at 541-682-5450 or www.eugene-or.gov/library. Oregon Passenger Rail Study Continues The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) is studying ways to improve inter-city passenger rail service between the Eugene-Springfield urban area and the Portland-Vancouver, Washington urban area. The study will help decide on a general passenger rail route and evaluate options for train frequency, station locations, trip time, and improving on-time performance. The needs and concerns of Oregon citizens are a key driver of the Oregon Passenger Rail Study. In early 2013, the project team developed a set of four main preliminary rail route alternatives after extensive stakeholder engagement and engineering development. These alternatives were evaluated in summer 2013 using criteria based on the project goals and objectives. Now, the project team is looking for public feedback on the evaluation results to deepen the team’s understanding of the trade-offs and implications of the preliminary alternatives. This input will also be used to help the Leadership Council make a recommendation on Dec. 17 on which rail route alternatives should receive more detailed study in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement. ODOT is holding five public open houses to give community members an opportunity to learn more about this project and provide input on the evaluation results. The public is also invited to participate in an online open house between Nov. 5 and 18, at www.OregonPassengerRail.org. In Eugene, the public open house will be held Wednesday, Nov. 6, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Eugene Public Library Bascom/Tykeson Room. For more information, visit www.OregonPassengerRail.org or contact Transportation Planning Manager Rob Inerfeld at 541-682-5343. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 3 October 31, 2013