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Home My WebLink About04/10/14 - 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 April 10, 2014 IN THIS EDITION 23RD ANNUAL ACT-SO COMPETITION AT HULT ON SATURDAY $CORE PROGRAM WORKS WITH RENTERS TO INCREASE HOUSEHOLD EFFICIENCY DOWNTOWN PEDESTRIAN COUNTS REFLECT INCREASED ACTIVITY TREATMENT PLANT CELEBRATES 30 YEARS OF CLEAN WATER OPERATIONS EUGENE PUBLIC LIBRARY OFFERS HELP GETTING BANK ACCOUNT CAMPUS TO DOWNTOWN BIKE CONNECTIONS TOPIC OF SECOND PUBLIC MEETING AROUND THE CITY 23rd Annual ACT-SO Competition at Hult on Saturday The Eugene/Springfield branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), in partnership with the City of Eugene, presents the 23rd Annual ACT-SO (Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics) Talent Competition at 7 p.m., Apr. 19, at the Hult Center’s Soreng Theatre. Admission is free. The ACT-SO program centers on the dedication and commitment of community volunteers and business leaders who serve as mentors and coaches to promote academic and artistic excellence among African-American students. This year, ACT- SO students from Eugene, Bethel and Springfield school districts will compete in mathematics, drama, contemporary and classical vocal music, classical and contemporary music instrumentals, filmmaking, poetry, original essay-writing, drawing, painting, and dance. For more information, contact Eugene Recreation Programmer Kenya LuVert at 541-682-5525. $CORE Program Works with Renters to Increase Household Efficiency The University of Oregon’s (UO) Student and Community Outreach for Renter Efficiency $CORE program fills the gaps of energy efficiency awareness in the student rental community, one foot of weather stripping at a time. In its second year, and with funding from the City of Eugene’s Waste Prevention and Green Building program and the Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB), the program’s Student Energy Educators visited 78 homes and helped more than 250 students change their habits and install energy-saving materials that reduce their utility bills. The program engages students by promising monetary savings and reduced environmental impact. The success of the $CORE program depends on peer-to-peer interaction. Student Energy Educators attend a weekend training where they learn energy concepts, such as how small behavior changes can save energy. They also learn how to perform in-home energy audits. Students gain valuable skills by leading all aspects of the $CORE program, including ordering inventory, scheduling assessments, and outreach/marketing. Oversight and administration is provided by the UO Office of Sustainability. To learn more about how the City works with community groups and educational institutions to reduce waste and promote green building practices, please visit the Recycling and Solid Waste website or contact Stephanie Scafa, 541-682-5652. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 1 April 10, 2014 Downtown Pedestrian Counts Reflect Increased Activity Anyone walking downtown around noon a couple of weeks ago might have been counted in the quarterly downtown pedestrian count – along with about 1,000 other people. On Mar. 18, the quarterly downtown pedestrian count noted the continued trend of increased pedestrian activity in the city’s center with a 24 percent increase in pedestrians since last quarter (Dec. 17, 2013) and an 11 percent increase from the March 2011 count. The Community Development Division has consistently conducted quarterly pedestrian counts in downtown Eugene since 2011 (they also have historical data all the way back to the late 1980s). During the count, 12 staff members volunteer to count pedestrians as they pass a specific spot in 12 different locations throughout the downtown core. The count is conducted at noon for 15 minutes – rain or shine. Weather, of course, can and does play an important role in pedestrian counts. Even in Oregon, fewer people are out during the colder and wetter winter months, and this is reflected in the seasonal dip in the pedestrian counts. However, the winter counts have shown an increase in the number of pedestrians from 2011 to 2013 (approximately 25 percent). Pedestrian counts are one measure of downtown activity and vitality. Over time, they can help measure the impact of new development and revitalization efforts, indicate areas for possible streetscape and amenity projects, and help encourage prospective retailers and businesses who are interested in locating downtown. For more information, contact Laura Hammond at laura.a.hammond@ci.eugene.or.us or 541-682-6021. Treatment Plant Celebrates 30 Years of Clean Water Operations People visiting the wastewater treatment plant on River Avenue recently may have noticed this message on the plant’s reader board: “Happy birthday to me.” That’s because the regional Water Pollution Control Facility is 30 years old this month. A new “Working City” video, “30 Years of Clean Water,” celebrates the success of the Metropolitan Wastewater Management Commission, a regional partnership that has allowed the Eugene-Springfield area to grow and prosper while protecting and enhancing the natural environment. In a “birthday” message to treatment plant staff, Michelle Cahill, the director of the Public Works Wastewater Division, said, “The community has supported us by authorizing bonds and paying them back through property taxes for the initial construction of the plant, which was paid for in part by local funds and in part by federal grants for clean water infrastructure improvements. Our rate payers pay for our continued operation and upgrades. You, the staff, do your part to keep us flowing.” The first waste entered the plant April 2, 1984 “Working City” is financed with Eugene’s telecom funds and is produced as a public service through a joint effort involving City staff and Metro Television. The Wastewater video can be viewed on the City’s video web page or by going directly to http://vimeo.com/90552942. It also airs on Comcast Cable channel 21 (check the Metro TV schedule for times). For more information, contact Michelle Cahill at 541-682-8606. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2 April 10, 2014 Eugene Public Library Offers Help Getting Bank Account The Savers Alliance program assists community members who have had difficulty getting a bank account or other financial services to move from being “unbanked,” save money, and qualify for a preferred loan. Come to the Downtown Eugene Public Library from 2 to 4 p.m., on Tuesday, Apr. 15 or 24, or on both days, to learn more and get started. All services are provided free of charge. Through a partnership with Goodwill’s Prosperity Program, Neighborhood Economic Development Corporation (NEDCO), United Way, and local credit unions, Savers Alliance participants learn about personal banking and managing money, which qualifies them to open and grow a credit union account on preferred terms. Sessions will be led by Savers Alliance Specialist Ashley Blazinski, and Prosperity Program Manager and Senior Financial Planner Mark Brauer. The Savers Alliance program includes three parts, starting with self-paced online lessons that show participants how banks function and how they can best work with banks and credit unions. These lessons come from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation’s (FDIC) Money Smart Program and can be completed on free Library computers or participants’ own devices. The second part is financial counseling and referral. Participants learn and develop strategies about budgeting, cash flow, debt, and credit with the assistance of Savers Alliance staff. The third lesson is about setting up a positive connection with a financial institution where participants gain access to financial products and learn to use them responsibly. These sessions are sponsored by the Eugene Public Library, Prosperity Program at Goodwill Industries of Lane and South Coast counties, and NEDCO. For more information, contact the Library at 541-682-5450 or www.eugene-or.gov/library. Campus to Downtown Bike Connections Topic of Second Public Meeting The City of Eugene will hold a second public meeting to develop ideas for creating safer and more comfortable bicycling facilities between the University of Oregon campus and downtown. The meeting will be held Thursday, Apr. 17, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Eugene Library Bascom-Tykeson Room. At the meeting, staff will be prepared to discuss results from the first meeting, held on Dec. 4, and explain the process being used to evaluate proposals. Participants will be asked to help define goals for improving connections between campus and downtown for people who ride bikes, and staff will present a preliminary menu of options for improving biking on 11, th 12, and 13 avenues. The results of a traffic analysis of a two-way cycle track on 13 Avenue will also be shared. ththth Staff will use the input gathered at the meeting to generate improvement recommendations for public discussion in May or June. For more information, contact Lee Shoemaker at 541-341-1464 or lee.shoemaker@ci.eugene.or.us. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 3 April 10, 2014