HomeMy WebLinkAbout03/20/14 - City Council Newsletter
City of Eugene
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Eugene, Oregon 97401
(541) 682-5010
(541) 682-5414 (FAX)
www.eugene-or.gov
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER
March 20, 2014
IN THIS EDITION
SLED HOCKEY CLINIC HELD
SMARTTRIPS BETHEL A SUCCESS AT REDUCING DRIVE-ALONE TRIPS - INCREASES WALKING AND BIKING
JOURNALIST CARL HOFFMAN AT EUGENE PUBLIC LIBRARY
POLICE COMMISSION INVITES ALL TO FORUM ON BIAS BASED POLICING
CITY PAVING PROJECTS EARN AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE
PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT COMING TO THEATERS STARTING MARCH 21
POPLAR FARM AN EXAMPLE OF SUSTAINABILITY
AROUND THE CITY
Sled Hockey Clinic Held
Balancing, gliding and passing were key components of participating in the Sled Hockey Clinic held Saturday, Mar. 8. Over
40 participants came from all over western Oregon to play at The Rink Exchange.
Members of the Eugene Generals Hockey team came to support the sled hockey athletes
and lend a hand in coaching individuals to master the skills needed to play the game.
Justin S. stated, “It [the sled hockey clinic] was very fun. I was so glad to be able to get in
a sled and skate around.” Other participants mentioned that they loved the new
challenge, the opportunity to play, and hope for another clinic in the near future.
The clinic was organized by Adaptive Recreation Services and sponsored by
Performance Mobility USA, Lane Amateur Hockey Association and The Wounded
Warrior Project. For more information, contact Patty Prather at 541-682-6365 or
patty.l.prather@ci.eugene.or.us.
SmartTrips Bethel a Success at Reducing Drive-Alone Trips - Increases Walking and Biking
During the summer of 2013, the SmartTrips Eugene program came to an east Bethel neighborhood in northwest Eugene.
The program was called SmartTrips Bethel and reached 5,355 households with the goal of improving livability by
encouraging residents to walk, bike, take transit, and carpool more often. The final report is available online.
The SmartTrips Eugene program, now in its third season, uses
personalized information – local bike maps, transit schedules, and
more – and fun, supportive events such as guided walks, bike rides,
and workshops, to encourage residents to try new travel options.
Approximately 10.5 percent of target area residents, or 564
households, requested SmartTrips materials or participated in one
of the 15 events. The City of Eugene also added 335 new email
contacts to its monthly Transportation Options e-newsletter,
InMotion, as a result of the program.
Over the course of the program, the target area saw a considerable increase in walking and bicycling, and a related
decrease in automobile traffic and air pollution. The program evaluated residents’ shifts in travel behavior using a
household travel diary and opinion survey administered before and after the program. According to those survey
responses, residents of the SmartTrips Bethel area reduced their drive-alone trips by a relative seven percent, increased
walking trips by 27 percent, and increased bicycling trips by 11 percent.
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 1
March 20, 2014
With respect to mode share, the survey results show a 4.4 percent reduction in drive-alone mode share, with
corresponding increases of 1.8 percent and 0.4 percent in walk and bike mode share respectively. Based on a continuing
reduction in drive-alone trips, it can be estimated that residents of this target area will travel nearly 882,000 fewer vehicle
miles annually, resulting in a reduction of more than 716,000 pounds of carbon dioxide.
Residents of the Bethel target area also showed strong awareness of, and support for, walking and biking in Eugene. The
vast majority of survey respondents (more than 85 percent) support the City’s efforts to help residents walk and bike
more, would like to reduce their environmental footprint, and state that maintaining their health is important to them.
More than two-thirds of respondents would like to drive less, and 67 percent of post-program respondents say they
remember reading, seeing, or hearing information from the City in the last six months about transportation options in their
neighborhood. Finally, of those survey respondents who say they are driving less than they were six months ago, 13
percent point to access to better information as a cause of the change (as compared to just five percent in the pre-program
survey).
The City of Eugene has secured outside grant funding for SmartTrips Eugene in 2015 in the south-central Eugene area and
has a pending grant application for funding for 2016 and 2017 programs. The final 2013 SmartTrips: Bethel Report and
program documents are available online now. Please visit www.smarttripseugene.com for more information on the
program, or contact Transportation Options Coordinator Lindsay Selser at 541-682-5094.
Journalist Carl Hoffman at Eugene Public Library
The Downtown Eugene Public Library will host award-winning journalist and bestselling author Carl Hoffman on
Thursday, Mar. 27, at 6 p.m. He will talk about his new book, "Savage Harvest: A Tale of Cannibals, Colonialism, and Michael
Rockefeller’s Tragic Quest for Primitive Art." Admission is free.
The 1961 disappearance of primitive art enthusiast Michael Rockefeller in New Guinea has remained a mystery ever since.
Soon after his disappearance, rumors surfaced that he'd been killed and ceremonially eaten by the local Asmat, a native
tribe of warriors whose complex culture was built around sacred, reciprocal violence,
headhunting, and ritual cannibalism. The Dutch government and the Rockefeller family
denied the story, and Michael's death was officially ruled a drowning. Yet doubts lingered.
Sensational rumors and stories circulated, fueling speculation and intrigue for decades.
Retracing Rockefeller's steps, Hoffman traveled to the jungles of New Guinea, immersing
himself in a world of headhunters and cannibals, secret spirits and customs, and getting to
know generations of Asmat. Through exhaustive archival research, he uncovered never-
before-seen original documents and located witnesses finally willing to speak publicly
after 50 years.
In "Savage Harvest," Hoffman finally solves this mystery and illuminates a culture transformed by years of colonial rule,
whose people continue to be shaped by ancient customs and lore. Combining history, art, adventure, and ethnography, the
book is a mesmerizing whodunit and a fascinating portrait of the clash between two civilizations that resulted in the death
of one of America's richest and most powerful scions.
Carl Hoffman is a contributing editor at "National Geographic Traveler" and the author of "The Lunatic Express:
Discovering the World Via Its Most Dangerous Buses, Boats, Trains, and Planes" and "Hunting Warbirds: The Obsessive
Quest for the Lost Aircraft of World War II." A veteran journalist who has won four Lowell Thomas Awards from the
Society of American Travel Writers Foundation, Hoffman has traveled to more than 70 countries on assignment for Outside,
Smithsonian, National Geographic Adventure, ESPN The Magazine, The Wall Street Journal Magazine, Wired, and many other
publications. At the event, books will be available for purchase and signing courtesy of Barnes and Noble. For more
information, contact the Eugene Public Library at 541-682-5450 or www.eugene-or.gov/library.
Police Commission Invites All to Forum on Bias Based Policing
The Police Commission invites all interested members of the public to attend a forum to receive public comments about
bias based policing. In addition to soliciting general community comments, the commission will be seeking comments on a
draft Police Professional Stops Policy, which explicitly prohibits using race, ethnicity, age, or other protected class
characteristics as the basis for differing levels of police services or enforcement.
All are invited to attend to hear this valuable input. The meeting will be held Apr. 3, from 5:30 – 8:30 p.m., at Harris Hall, in
the Lane County Public Services Building. For more information, please contact Police Management Analyst Carter Hawley
at 541-682-5852 or carter.r.hawley@ci.eugene.or.us.
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2
March 20, 2014
City Paving Projects Earn Awards of Excellence
Two recent City paving projects received awards this week from the Asphalt Paving Association of Oregon (APAO). Last
summer’s project to pave Coburg Road from County Farm Road to Chad Drive earned an Excellence in Paving Award for
Urban Arterials in 2013 – second place. Contractor on the project
was Wildish Construction Co. City staff on the project included
project manager Jenifer Willer, construction lead Doug Reubell,
and City inspector Charlie Heath.
Also earning a second place award for Excellence in Paving was
last summer’s Blair Boulevard/Van Buren Street project. Wildish
was the contractor, and City staff included project manager John
Bonham and City inspector Charlie Perini.
The awards were presented at APAO’s annual conference in
Eugene. Willer also spoke at the conference regarding Eugene’s
project on Alder Street in 2013 where the City increased the use of
reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) in the new street pavement.
Paving crew on Coburg Road in August 2013
For more information, contact Jenifer Willer at 541-501-0376.
Public Service Announcement Coming to Theaters Starting March 21
The City of Eugene Animal Services’ “License Your Eugenean” public service announcement (PSA) will hit theaters this
Friday, Mar. 21. The PSA will precede the trailers for all films, every day of the week, for 18 weeks, for a total of 15,800
spots. In addition to both Regal and Cinemark theaters approving screen time for this PSA, the Bijou will be donating space
at its two theaters.
This locally shot PSA encourages people to license pets because it gets them home faster when they’re lost, and funds
raised help support the program’s efforts to protect public safety and care for Eugene’s lost, hurt and neglected animals.
For more information, contact Interim Animal Services Manager Kelly Darnell at 541-682-5748 or
kelly.a.darnell@ci.eugene.or.us.
Poplar Farm an Example of Sustainability
The Public Works Wastewater Division operates the Biocycle Management Farm (BMF) where nutrients and water
captured during the treatment of wastewater are put to good use growing poplar trees. The Metropolitan Wastewater
Management Commission (MWMC) contracted for a pilot project harvesting some of the first poplar trees last fall.
The news of the operation traveled far and wide and is catching attention internationally in sustainability circles. As a
result, a film crew from Indonesia, documenting sustainable work, plans to visit the regional treatment plant and BMF on
Mar. 27, guided by members of the US State Department’s Office of Broadcast Services. MWMC staff from Eugene and
Springfield will provide a tour for the film crew at both facilities. The team will produce a show for general audiences in
Indonesia to learn about the benefits and need for sustainable infrastructure and programs. The show will also include
visits to sites in Portland, Hawaii and Colorado.
For more information, contact Wastewater Division Director Michelle Cahill at 541-682-8606.
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 3
March 20, 2014