HomeMy WebLinkAboutOctober 16, 2014 - City Council Newsletter
City of Eugene
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Eugene, Oregon 97401
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www.eugene-or.gov
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER
October 16, 2014
IN THIS EDITION
SKATEPARK NAMED PROJECT OF THE YEAR
WRITER KIM STAFFORD AT EUGENE PUBLIC LIBRARY
AROUND THE CITY
Skatepark Named Project of the Year
The Washington Jefferson Skatepark + Urban Plaza has been named Project of the Year by the Oregon Chapter of the
American Public Works Association (APWA). In presenting the award to the City of Eugene, the AWPA noted the
exceptional work in the construction of a skatepark. The award also recognizes 2G
Construction, the project’s contractor, and Dreamland Skateparks, LLC, the design
consultant.
Members of the review subcommittee said they enjoyed learning about the WJ
project, and described it as “being most deserving of this award.” The project was
judged in the category of Structures in the Less than $5 Million Division.
The award affirms that the WJ Skatepark + Urban Plaza is no ordinary skatepark. It
is the realization of the collective vision held by thousands of local youth for more
than a decade. It took a strong public-private partnership between the City of
Eugene, Eugene Parks Foundation, Skaters for Eugene Skateparks and the Rotary
Club of Eugene to raise more than $335,000 in private funding to help bring the
vision to life.
The WJ Skatepark + Urban Plaza is the largest covered and lighted public skatepark in the country and since its opening in
June, has become a destination for enthusiasts from around the country, joining the ranks of Eugene’s many world-class
sporting venues. For more information, contact Sandy Shaffer at 541-682-6348 or sandy.l.shaffer@ci.eugene.or.us.
Writer Kim Stafford at Eugene Public Library
In connection with “Oregon Reads 2014,” writer Kim Stafford (pictured) will give a talk about the life and legacy of his
father, celebrated Oregon poet and pacifist William Stafford, at 3 p.m., on Saturday, Nov.1, at the Downtown Public Library.
William Stafford maintained a daily writing practice that began during World War II and
continued each morning for 50 years, resulting in some 60 published books of poetry and
prose, as well as a lifetime of teaching and ambassadorial travel for poetry. A prolific and
popular writer, Stafford won the 1963 National Book Award for Poetry and was named
Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress, a position now known as U.S. Poet
Laureate. He served as Poet Laureate of Oregon from 1975 through 1990, and in 1992,
was honored with the Western States Book Award for lifetime achievement in poetry.
Oregon Reads is a project of the Oregon Library Association. The 2014 statewide
“community read” commemorates the centennial of William Stafford and encourages
everyone to read his work.
Kim Stafford is the author of a dozen books of poetry and prose, the director of the Northwest Writing Institute, and co-
director of the Documentary Studies Certificate Program at Lewis & Clark College. Stafford has received creative writing
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October 16, 2014
fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and a Governor’s Arts Award for his contributions to Oregon’s
literary culture. His most recent book is “100 Tricks Every Boy Can Do,” an account of his brother’s death by suicide and the
family’s struggle to understand and live beyond that event.
For more information, contact the Eugene Public Library at 541-682-5450 or www.eugene-or.gov/library.
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October 16, 2014