HomeMy WebLinkAboutSeptember 11, 2014 - City Council Newsletter
City of Eugene
125 East 8 Avenue, 2 Floor
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Eugene, Oregon 97401
(541) 682-5010
(541) 682-5414 (FAX)
www.eugene-or.gov
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER
September 11, 2014
IN THIS EDITION
NEIGHBORHOOD MATCHING GRANT CYCLE OPENS
NEW GUIDES ARE SMALLER - AND LARGER
FREE BOOKS-BY-MAIL FOR EUGENE’S YOUNGEST CHILDREN
AROUND THE CITY
Neighborhood Matching Grant Cycle Opens
The City of Eugene Neighborhood Matching Grant cycle opens on Sept. 15, 2014,
with $30,000 available for neighborhood improvement and community-building
projects. Community involvement and building relationships within the community
are key components of the matching grants program as shown by the requirement
that the project budget include a match amount equal to, or greater than, the grant
request. Demonstrating responsible stewardship of community assets while
balancing the community’s social and environmental values are additional
components of any project proposal submitted.
Grant guidelines and application materials are available on the City’s web site,
www.eugene-or.gov/matchinggrants, and at the Permit and Information Center
located at 99 West 10 or by calling Cindy Clarke at 541-682-5272.
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All projects will be required to undergo a pre-review by Oct. 31, 2014, to check for
consistency with grant guidelines and existing plans and policies of the City and
other partner agencies. Pre-review also ensures applicants are submitting a
competitive final application.
Final applications are due on Monday, Jan. 19, 2015. Awards will be announced in
April 2015. For more information about the Neighborhood Matching Grants
Program, contact Cindy Clarke, Human Rights and Neighborhood Involvement, at
541-682-5272 or cindy.j.clarke@ci.eugene.or.us.
New Guides Are Smaller - and Larger
In addition to the comprehensive, 88-page Fall Recreation Guide, the Recreation Services Division produced two new “Rec
Guides” this fall that include only those activities that are specifically for
the Adult and Senior programs at Campbell and Petersen Barn centers.
Adult patrons asked for the separate listings because many of them are not
able to negotiate the full, 88-page Recreation Guide or have a hard time
reading the smaller type in that document.
In its 32 pages, the “Campbell Connection” lists all Adult Program activities
at Campbell Community Center through the end of the year. Similarly,
within just eight pages, “Inside the Barn,” contains all adult activities
occurring at Petersen Barn for the next three months. While the “adult”
guides have fewer pages, they are larger in dimension and use larger type
sizes and photos. These adult guides will be produced three times a year,
on about the same schedule as the comprehensive guide.
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 1
September 11, 2014
The adult guides are now available at Campbell or Petersen Barn centers. Virtual editions of both guides are available
under “Quick Links” on the City of Eugene’s Adult Services website. To receive future editions of the adult guides by mail,
call 541-682-5318 for the Campbell Connections, or 541-682-5521 for Inside the Barn. For more information about the
adult guides or programming, contact Recreation Section Manager Andy Fernandez at 541-682-6307.
Free Books-by-Mail for Eugene’s Youngest Children
The Eugene Public Library is happy to announce a new service to support parents in raising “reading ready” young
children. Parents in the city of Eugene can sign up each of their children from birth through age four to receive a brand-new
book in the mail every month. The high-quality, age-specific books are free to the family and a gift for each child to keep.
Pictured here is a family who signed up for Imagination Library at a special Baby
Storytime which featured Mayor Kitty Piercy reading aloud to launch the service
on Friday, Sept. 5. Families of preschool-age children, including newborns, can
register for the program regardless of income level. Approximately 7,900 children,
aged birth through four, currently live in Eugene and are eligible for this service.
Imagination Library is an early literacy program based on a simple premise: get
plenty of age-appropriate books into the hands of young children on a monthly
basis. The goal is to help develop literacy skills before a child ever sets foot in a
classroom. The monthly deliveries help build excitement about reading, and serve
as a built-in reminder and opportunity for parents to read with their kids.
The Imagination Library service is made possible through a partnership of the
Eugene Public Library, the Eugene Public Library Foundation, and a national non-
profit, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. The Eugene Public Library Foundation has committed to funding the local
portion of costs for the program through contributions from organizational sponsors and individual donors. Because of the
cost efficiencies built into the large-scale Imagination Library, a full year’s worth of books for a child can be provided for a
donation of only $25 to the Eugene Public Library Foundation.
According to Eugene Public Library Director Connie Bennett, “Right now, only 50 percent of incoming kindergartners in
Lane County meet the Oregon benchmarks for early literacy. That means those children are behind even before they start.”
“But the good news,” says Bennett, “is that we know ways to fix that. The research is clear: reading with your children early
and often is absolutely crucial to their future educational success. One of our library’s primary aims is to support Eugene
kids’ reading readiness before they start school. Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is a terrific opportunity for our city –
and it’s really fun, too.”
For more information or to sign up, contact the Eugene Public Library at www.eugene-or.gov/library or 541-682-5450.
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2
September 11, 2014