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Home My WebLink AboutCC Newsletter - 10/14/04EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER October 14, 2004 City of Eugene 777 Pearl Street, Room 105 Eugene, Oregon 97401-2793 (541) 682-5010 (541) 682-5414 (FAX) www.ci.eugene.or, us FORMER HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSIONER RECEIVES GOVERNOR'S AWARD DIGNITARIES CELEBRATE NEWEST ACQUISITION IN WEST EUGENE WETLANDS CIVIC CENTER VISION PROJECT-- BALLOT MEASURE 20-88 INFORMATIONAL TABLOID PUBLIC MEETING ON PROPOSED SANTA CLARA COMMUNITY PARK TO BE HELD OCTOBER NEW CAMPAIGN TARGETS WOOD RECOVERY FLAMENCO VIVO COMES TO THE HULT CENTER THIS FRIDAY ANOTHER GREAT SEASON AT AMAZON POOL Former Human Riqhts Commissioner Receives Governor's Award Former Eugene Human Rights Commissioner and full-time volunteer James Dean was presented with the Governor's Award by the Oregon Disabilities Commission at its annual Disability and Employment and Empowerment Awards Ceremony. The event took place at the Oregon State Capitol Rotunda in Salem on October 5. Mr. Dean was nominated by Representative Pat Fart and was recognized for his many years of advocacy and activism for disability rights. For further information, please contact Karen Hyatt, City Manager's Office, 682-5177. Dignitaries Celebrate Newest Acquisition in the West Euqene Wetlands As the fog lifted over the Willamette Valley yesterday morning, nature dramatically unveiled the newest acquisition in the Willow Creek Natural Area of the West Eugene Wetlands. Thanks to a $1.4 million conservation easement agreement between The Nature Conservancy, one of the West Eugene Wetlands partners, and Bonneville Power Administration, 165 acres of wetlands in west Eugene, including nearly 70 new acres of land just north of the core Willow Creek Natural Area, will be protected. The land acquisition was formally announced during a celebration yesterday with presentations from a wide range of high- ranking federal, local and state officials, including Jim Connaughton, chairman, White House Council on Environmental Quality; Congressman Peter DeFazio; Mayor Jim DeFazio, Connaughton and Wright Torrey; Jim Myron, natural resource policy advisor for Governor Ted Kulongoski; Russ Hoeflick, State Director, The Nature Conservancy; Elaine Marquis-Brong, State Director, U.S. Bureau of Land Management; and Steve Wright, Administrator, Bonneville Power Administration. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 1 October 18, 2004 "The West Eugene Wetlands Partnership has proven what can be accomplished if we pool our resources and work together," said Mayor Torrey in his address. The newly acquired land, formerly owned by long- time resident, Randy Cuddeback, will connect West Eugene Wetlands sites to the north to the Willow Creek site to the south, significantly expanding the north-south corridor, improving wildlife habitat, and bringing the grand total of natural area owned and managed by the West Eugene Wetlands Partnership to close to 3,000 acres. The Willow Creek Natural Area supports Willow Creek, which flows through the property, and a diverse array of flora and fauna including over 200 species of native plants, 100 species of birds and 25 butterflies. Protection and management of the site will benefit water quality and populations of six at-risk species, including four species listed under the federal Endangered Species Act. For more information about Willow Creek Natural Area or the greater West Eugene Wetlands, contact Wetlands Program Supervisor Eric Wold at 682-4888. Civic Center Vision Proiect-- Ballot Measure 20-88 Informational Tabloid The City has produced a tabloid providing neutral voter information about Ballot Measure 20-88, the Civic Center Vision Project. A copy of the document is in City Council packets this week. The tabloid is being mailed to all Eugene residential units and should begin arriving in mailboxes by October 18. Additional copies will be available at the Eugene Library and branches and at most public City facilities and offices. More copies are available upon request. The City Council approved contingency funding for related public information when the measure was placed on the ballot. For more information or for copies of the document, please contact Jan Bohman, City Manager's Office, 682-5587. Public Meetinq On Proposed Santa Clara Community Park to be held October 21 On Thursday, October 21, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., neighbors in the Santa Clara area are invited to review a revised plan for a new community park and smart growth neighborhood in Santa Clara. A unique urban growth boundary land trade will provide 77 acres for the community park and 120 acres for the neighborhood. Design consultants from the Portland firm of Fletcher Fart Ayotte, experts in smart growth principles, will present the proposal that is based on feedback from participants in the previous two public forums in September. The design team will again gather and synthesize input from workshop participants to help refine the plan further. The upcoming meeting will be held at Spring Creek Elementary School cafeteria at 560 Irvington Drive in Eugene. Over 100 people attended each of the first two workshops. The first workshop on September 9 included a review of the work of the Santa Clara Community Park Advisory Committee, principles of smart growth and how they could be applied to this project, and the opportunities for public involvement throughout the process, as well as an extensive question and answer session. During the last workshop on September 23, participants discussed four alternate designs for the proposed community park and neighborhood and evaluated how effectively each proposal addressed important issues and met the needs of the community. The revised plan to be presented at Thursday's meeting incorporates the preferred components identified by workshop participants during the last meeting. A summary of the results of the first two workshops is available on the project's webpage at www'ci'eu'qene'°r'us/parks/planning/SCCP proi.htm. For more information, call Parks and Open Space Planning Manager Andrea Riner at 682-4909. New Campai.qn Tar. qets Wood Recovery In 2003, the City of Eugene's Solid Waste and Recycling Program partnered with the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to determine the volume of recyclable materials remaining in the garbage generated by Eugene's residents and businesses. The material with the highest percentage (29%) disposed was wood. A large percentage of the wood being disposed was generated by self-haulers, most likely being generated at construction sites. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2 October 18, 2004 In many cases, generators do not realize that by taking construction discards to a materials recovery facility (MRF) the material will be sorted for the same price it costs to dispose of it at the Glenwood Receiving Station. Wood that is separated from trash at the source of generation can be taken to one of several local wood recycling firms for a lower cost. In order to educate the public about the alternative methods for wood disposal, staff is initiating a "got wood?" campaign to get the word out. Approximately 500 postcards advertising the campaign are being sent to contractors and others who are most likely to self-haul their discards; these provide information on where material can be taken to be recycled. Posters will be placed at retail sites where dimensional lumber is sold. Information has also been posted at www.eu enerec cles.or . For more information, contact Nancy Young, Planning and Development Department, at 682-6849 or by e-mail at nanc~ene.or, us. Flamenco Vivo Comes to the Hult Center This Friday Flamenco Vivo/Carlota Santana thrilled audiences at the Hult back in 1999. This innovative dance company has returned with an exciting new work, Bailes de Ida y Vuelta or "round-trip dances." Bailes feature contemporary flamenco style, including Argentinean tango, Cuban Guajiras, Andean dance and modern Latino-Caribbean Salsa. The company is headed up by Carlota Santana whom Dance Magazine has called "the keeper of flamenco." Centuries of travel and cultural exchange between Spain and Latin America have changed the rhythm, movement and music of flamenco. Flute and percussion, informal costume styles, and bold salsa-inspired music/dance permeate this new work. Choreography is by Antonio Hidalgo, creator of the highly acclaimed Bailaor/Bailaora. The contagious energy of these skilled artists will leave you dancing out the door. Says the New York Times, "Carlota Santana... knows how to put on a show." Dance magazine called the performance "... theatrically savvy flamenco drama..." Two community outreach activities are connected with Flamenco Vivo. On Thursday, October 14 at 3:30 p.m., a representative of the group will conduct a dance workshop with 30 students from the Monroe Middle School Spanish Immersion Program. Also, Martita Santiago Maderas, with Flamenco Chico (our own local talent), will give a free flamenco demonstration performance and discussion at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday in the Library Rotunda. Show time is 8:00 p.m. in the Silva Concert Hall. Tickets are $22-$36 with a special student rate of $16. For more information, contact the Hult Center Ticket Office at 682-5000. Another Great Season at Amazon Pool Since the "Grand Reopening" of Amazon Pool in June 2001, thousands of people have enjoyed its perfectly balanced waters with their just-right temperatures and chlorine levels. During this summer alone, nearly 100,000 patrons swam, played or sunned at this nationally acclaimed location. (This number does not include the 250+ City of Eugene employees who took advantage of their option to use the facility for free). Of these 100,000 patrons, 68% swam for recreation, 16% took swim lessons, 9% were swim and water polo team members, 6% swam laps, and the remaining 1% participated in water fitness classes, lolled in the hot tub, or simply enjoyed the hotdogs and other concessions. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 3 October 18, 2004 The use of Amazon Pool as a competitive arena increases dramatically during the fall season once the heat of the summer has passed, and the children are back in school. Sixty-seven high school and collegiate water polo games are scheduled. Amazon serves as the home pool and water polo training site for the University of Oregon, Sheldon High School, and South Eugene High School. Just this week, the University of Washington, Washington State, Western Washington University, Oregon State, the University of Portland, and the University of Oregon all participated in a college tournament hosted by the University of Oregon. And the winner was.., the University of Oregon! For more information about Amazon Pool, contact Recreation Manager Doug Smith at 682-6336 or 682-6354. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 4 October 18, 2004