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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAugust 7, 2014 - 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 August 7, 2014 IN THIS EDITION NEW SUSTAINABLE STREET REPAIR PROCESS ELIMINATES CEMENT DUST WRITING WORKSHOPS AT LIBRARY RECREATION OFFERS OPPORTUNITIES TO CREATE! EUGENE VOLUNTEERS FROM OPPORTUNITY VILLAGE SIGN UP TO HELP MAINTAIN LOCAL PARK AROUND THE CITY New Sustainable Street Repair Process Eliminates Cement Dust Eugene’s award-winning, sustainable road-repair practices have become even more healthful, thanks to a new technique for constructing cement-treated road bases. Eugene Public Works helped pioneer a process for recycling streets in place. In this process, the asphalt pavement is mixed with the road-base gravel and a few inches of soil using a 70,000- pound rototiller. A cement slurry is then applied over the blended material, rototilled a second time and compacted, creating a cement-treated base. In the past, the cement was added in a powder form, which was then watered, tilled and compacted to form the reinforced base. However, the use of cement powder often created “fugitive dust” that got on construction workers, equipment, and even on residents and their vehicles if they drove through the work zone before the cement was thoroughly worked into the base. The new process, which is being used on repairs to Shasta Loop, Firland Boulevard and 43 Avenue, eliminates the cement dust rd factor. The contractor, Knife River, mixes cement powder, sand Contractor’s crew applies thick slurry of cement and sand to form road base on Firland Boulevard and water, offsite, to create a thick cement slurry, which is transported in a cement-mixer truck and spread over the prepared subgrade. The slurry is then tilled in and compacted to form a cement-treated base as strong, or stronger, than the base formed using powdered mix. City Public Works Engineering staff required the cement slurry process after researching road-building advancements in other states. Other sustainable road-repair practices in Eugene include the use of reclaimed asphalt paving and reclaimed asphalt shingles in asphalt mixes and the use of warm-mix asphalt, which saves on the energy needed to heat the asphalt and also reduces off-gassing of volatile organic compounds. For more on this year’s in-place road recycling projects, contact project manager Kerry Werner at 541-682-5477. Writing Workshops at Library In connection with Create! Eugene, the Downtown Eugene Public Library will host three, free writing workshops in August. At the first workshop, on Thursday, Aug. 7, at 6 p.m., Melissa Hart will lead a fun, lively discussion, entitled “Writing About Animals.” Hart’s work has been widely published, including her latest book "Wild Within: How Rescuing Owls Brought One Family Together." Monday, Aug. 18, at 6 p.m., Oregon Book Award finalist Toni Hanner will teach “Jump-Start! A Poetry Writing Workshop.” Finally, on Saturday, Aug. 30, at 1 p.m., learn how to “Write the Perfect 10-Minute Play” at a three-hour EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 1 August 7, 2014 workshop with Paul Calandrino and Connie Bennett, playwrights and producers of the annual Northwest Ten Festival at Oregon Contemporary Theatre. Create! Eugene is a project featuring 100+ creative workshops in the local area during the month of August. For more information, visit www.eugene-or.gov/library or call the Eugene Public Library at 541-682-5450. Recreation Offers Opportunities to Create! Eugene Eugene Recreation Division joins the Art and Business Alliance of Eugene in celebrating the arts in August through “Create! Eugene.” Recreation offers arts to tap the creativity of adults, teens and kids year-around. Adults can create a bird house at a Craft Workshop on Friday, Aug. 15, from 2 - 4 p.m., at Petersen Barn Center. On Wednesday, Aug. 20, adults interested in woodworking can attend a free orientation of the City’s woodshop located at Campbell Community Center. Arts camps in August include Express Yourself, at Petersen Barn Center which encourages three- to five-year-olds to express themselves through art, dancing, telling stories, and dress-up. Idolized, held Aug 18 - 22, is part of the Art on the Amazon series held every summer at Amazon Center. In this camp, six- to 11- year-olds share their singing, acting, dancing and other artistic abilities in a talent show. Camp Messy, for six- to eight-year-olds, and Camp Mess, for nine- to 11-year- olds, are both held Aug. 18 - 22, as part of the Art on the Amazon series. Campers play, experiment, create, and, not surprisingly, get messy in these camps. Tweens and teens 12- to 18-years-old will learn to play African music at the African Marimba Song Camp, held Aug. 18 – 22, at Petersen Barn Center. Art on the Amazon offers Hip Hop dance classes, from Aug. 25 – 29, for three- to five-year-olds and six- to eight-year-olds. For more information about Recreation’s art classes and camps, please contact Recreation Division Manager Craig Smith at 541-682-5334. Volunteers from Opportunity Village Sign Up to Help Maintain Local Park On Sunday, Aug. 3, several volunteers from Opportunity Village in Eugene reported for duty, donned gloves, grabbed cleaning supplies and took on responsibility for the day-to-day upkeep of the restroom at Sladden Park. This new pilot program is aimed at keeping the restroom open and safe for the public. When Opportunity Village board members heard about the restroom being closed at Sladden Park due to City budget cuts, they contacted the City of Eugene Parks and Open Space Division to see if they could help. A pilot program was born and today volunteer duties include general custodial work, cleaning, re-stocking and closing the restroom every night at dusk through the end of October. In addition, they are checking for any damage or vandalism and reporting their findings to park maintenance staff. Prior to the program’s launch, volunteers participated in a training led by park maintenance staff on how restrooms in Eugene’ s parks system are cleaned and maintained and how to use gloves and other protective equipment supplied by the City to stay safe while doing their work. Parks and Open Space Volunteer Coordinator Lorna Baldwin oversees the work of the volunteers and will help evaluate the program on an ongoing basis. For more information, contact Parks and Open Space Division Manager Craig Carnagey at 541-682-4930 or craig.t.carnagey@ci.eugene.or.us or Volunteer Coordinator Lorna Baldwin at 541-682-4845 or lorna.j.baldwin@ci.eugene.or.us. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2 August 7, 2014