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Home My WebLink About02-05-15 - 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 February 5, 2015 IN THIS EDITION NEW STUDY VALUES EUGENE’S PARKS AND NATURAL AREAS AT OVER $42 MILLION PER YEAR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM (CIP) DISCUSSED "THE SOIL WILL SAVE US" AUTHOR AT EUGENE PUBLIC LIBRARY WOODWORKERS DELIGHT IN CAMPBELL CENTER’S RENOVATED WOODSHOP NEXT WORKING CITY EPISODE: NEW TECHNOLOGY FOR FIRE DEPARTMENT – DRIVING SIMULATOR! AROUND THE CITY New Study Values Eugene’s Parks and Natural Areas at Over $42 Million per Year The Parks and Open Space Division is releasing Nature’s Value – An Economic View of Eugene’s Parks, Natural Areas, and Urban Forest. The study done by Earth Economics, is the first-ever valuation of the economic benefits people receive from Eugene’s parks, natural areas, trees and waterways. Eugene’s natural capital provides a stream of nature’s benefits, or ecosystem services that include clean air, water quality, reduced flood risk, and recreation, as well as increased home prices near parks and natural areas. According to Nature’s Value, the value of key ecosystem services in Eugene is on average $42.4 million per year. Earth Economics is a Tacoma, Washington-based independent, non-partisan non-profit that provides robust, science-based, ecologically sound economic analysis, policy recommendations, and tools to positively transform regional, national and international economics, and asset accounting systems. Earth Economics reports that Eugene’s parks and natural areas, including green spaces along waterways, provide natural filtration and reduce the amount of pollution flowing in the water, saving an average $5.4 million in stormwater processing costs each year. These areas also help protect the community from flood damage by absorbing and intercepting heavy rains. In addition, the study looks at the amount of energy savings and climate protection provided by Eugene’s urban forest. Another area covered is the increase in property value for homes near parks and open spaces that add up to an average of $13.5 million in benefits each year, and the value people derive from the diversity of recreation opportunities offered in Eugene. For more information, contact City of Eugene Parks and Open Space Natural Areas Restoration Supervisor Trevor Taylor at trevor.h.taylor@ci.eugene.or.us or 541-682-4888. An overview of the study is available for download at www.eugene- or.gov/parks. The full report can also be made available. Capital Improvement Program (CIP) Discussed On Wednesday, Feb. 11, at 5:30 p.m., the Eugene Budget Committee will meet in the Bascom-Tykeson Room in the Downtown Public Library, 100 West 10 Avenue, to discuss the Draft Capital Improvement Program (CIP) for fiscal years th 2016 through 2021 (FY16-21). The CIP provides a six-year funding plan for the City’s capital improvements, including transportation, airport, public buildings, parks and open space, stormwater and wastewater projects. The CIP also documents unfunded capital needs over the next six years. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 1 February 5, 2015 At the meeting on Feb. 11, the Budget Committee will provide an opportunity for the public to comment on the Draft CIP and will formulate its recommendation to the City Council. The Draft FY16-21 CIP is available for public review online at www.eugene-or.gov/CIP. Hard copies of the draft CIP document are also available for public review at the Downtown Public Library reference desk, 100 W 10 Avenue, 2 floor; Eugene Finance Division, 100 W 10 Avenue, 4 floor; and the thndthth City Manager’s Office, 125 East 8 Avenue, 2 floor. thnd Members of the public are encouraged to provide feedback on the capital projects proposed in the Draft CIP by commenting at the Budget Committee meeting or via the comment form on the Budget web site www.eugene- or.gov/budget. The Budget Committee meeting on Feb. 11 will be broadcast on Metro TV, and a webcast will be available at www.eugene-or.gov/webcasts. For more information, please contact the Finance Division at 541-682-5512. "The Soil Will Save Us" Author at Eugene Public Library On Thursday, Feb. 19, at 6 p.m., the Downtown Eugene Public Library will host a talk by Kristin Ohlson about her book “The Soil Will Save Us: How Scientists, Farmers and Foodies Are Building Healthy Soil to Heal the Planet.” Admission is free. Ohlson shares that people are already creating healthier soil and increasing soil carbon from Ohio to Africa, and explains how most Americans could help reverse climate change, starting in their own backyards. Thousands of years of poor farming, ranching, and land practices have led to the loss of 80 billion tons of carbon from the world’s soils. Its new home? The atmosphere. Ohlson explains that the solution to Earth’s climate crisis lies not only in cutting emissions, but in returning health to the soil. Building soil health is the only affordable method of removing carbon already in the atmosphere, and it may result in more productive farms, cleaner waterways, and drought prevention. The book is at once an engaging narrative of scientific discovery and an indictment of the institutions that have a financial interest in the status quo. The granddaughter of farmers and daughter of avid gardeners, Kristin Ohlson is a widely published writer whose work has appeared in the New York Times, Christian Science Monitor, Salon, Discover, and elsewhere. She is the author of “Stalking the Divine,” which won the American Society of Journalists and Authors’ 2004 Best Nonfiction Book Award, and coauthor of New York Times bestseller “Kabul Beauty School.” For more information, contact the Eugene Public Library at 541-682-8316 or www.eugene-or.gov/library. Woodworkers Delight in Campbell Center’s Renovated Woodshop Recreation Services held a “Grand Re-Opening” for Campbell Community Center’s woodshop on Monday, Feb. 2. The 42- year-old shop had been closed for a month to install new flooring, upgrade equipment, repair an inoperative table saw, and add an oscillating sander. Members of Campbell Center Men’s Club were the first to advocate for a woodshop in the early ‘70s. They paid half the construction costs by donating the wiring, roofing, and all of the original tools. The Parks and Recreation Department paid the other half of the cost. Since it first opened in 1973, operation has depended heavily on the support of volunteers and donated tools and equipment. Campbell’s woodshop is open to all residents, age 18 and older. It is designed to be a warm, safe, well-lighted place in which those of all abilities may pursue woodworking or woodcraft interests. In addition to offering woodworking classes and seminars, the woodshop is open for drop-in use Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. - 3p.m. (drop-in use costs $2/day). The large tools at the woodshop include table saws, drill presses, lathes, routers, sanders, joiners, miter saws, and band saws. A free, brief orientation to the woodshop is recommended for first-time users. For more information, contact Recreation Programmer Tom Powers at 541-682-6393. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2 February 5, 2015 Next Working City Episode: New Technology for Fire Department – Driving Simulator! The next Working City episode will feature Eugene Springfield Fire Department’s new driving simulator, and will run for the next few weeks on Comcast’s cable channel 21. Working City segments air on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings, and before the start of each regular Eugene City Council meeting on Monday evenings. The Eugene Springfield Fire Department provides extensive training to firefighters on driving emergency vehicles. Driving fire apparatus and ambulances is at the core of what firefighters do each and every day. Proper driver training ensures the safe, efficient, and professional delivery of emergency services in a timely manner. Through grant funding, the department has recently acquired a driving simulator that will contribute to improved firefighter emergency vehicle training. This simulator provides the addition of a virtual environment within the classroom, and gives firefighters additional opportunities to hone their emergency and non-emergency driving skill sets. To view the episode online, go to the City's YouTube channel. Episodes can also be seen via the City’s Facebook site, or online at www.metrotv.org. For more information, contact Acting Deputy Chief of Special Operations Matt Ennis at 541-682-7103. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 3 February 5, 2015