HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-15-15 - City Council Newsletter
City of Eugene
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thnd
Eugene, Oregon 97401
(541) 682-5010
(541) 682-5414 (FAX)
www.eugene-or.gov
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER
March 5, 2015
IN THIS EDITION
CITY SEEKS FEEDBACK ON DRAFT PLAN FOR HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FUNDS
THRILLER WRITER KEVIN O'BRIEN AT EUGENE PUBLIC LIBRARY
PURCHASING STAFF HOSTS TABLE AT REVERSE VENDOR FAIR
AROUND THE CITY
City Seeks Feedback on Draft Plan for Housing and Community Development Funds
The cities of Eugene and Springfield receive federal funds to invest in improving our communities. Every five years, a
local Consolidated Plan is created to help the City determine community needs and how federal funding could be used to
help meet those needs in the best way possible. A draft of the
priorities and strategies for the next five-year plan is now
available at http://www.eugene-or.gov/hudconplan for
community review and feedback. The comment period is
open from February 24 through March 25, and comments
should be directed to Stephanie Jennings at
stephanie.a.jennings@ci.eugene.or.us.
The Eugene-Springfield 2015 Consolidated Plan serves as the
framework to identify housing, economic, and community
development priorities in Eugene and Springfield. The plan
directs how federal funds from the HOME Investment
Partnerships Program and Community Development Block
Grants (CDBG) will be spent from July 2015 to June 2020.
Eligible uses of these federal program funds include:
improvements to facilities that serve low and moderate
income families and individuals; improvements to public
infrastructure in low-income neighborhoods; provision of public services; economic development assistance; and projects
that increase access to affordable housing and address homelessness.
The amount of funding for these programs is determined by a federal formula and Congressional appropriations. It is
anticipated to be approximately $14 million over the next five years. The next Consolidated Plan is due on May 15, 2015.
For more information, contact Stephanie Jennings at 541-682-5529 or Stephanie.a.jennings@ci.eugene.or.us.
Thriller Writer Kevin O'Brien at Eugene Public Library
The Downtown Eugene Public Library will host a free talk by Kevin O’Brien on
Sunday, March 22 at 1:00 p.m. O'Brien is the New York Times bestselling author of
15 internationally published thrillers. He is visiting town in connection with the
Wordcrafters of Eugene Conference.
Before his thrillers landed him on the New York Times bestseller list, Kevin O’Brien
was a railroad inspector who worked all the live-long day and wrote novels at
night. He grew up on Chicago’s North Shore, the youngest of six children, and
studied Journalism at Marquette University in Milwaukee. He moved to Seattle in
1980. His railroad job took him all over the Pacific Northwest, and he wrote most of
his first novel "Actors" in motels.
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 1
March 5, 2015
After publishing his second book, "Only Son," he began writing full time. His first thriller, "The Next to Die" was a USA Today
Bestseller. Three more USA Today bestselling thrillers followed. Then came "The Last Victim," which hit the New York
Times bestseller list and won the Spotted Owl Award for Best Pacific Northwest Mystery.
O'Brien has continued to turn out New York Times bestselling thrillers, which have been translated into 14 languages. His
most recent titles are "Unspeakable" and "Tell Me You're Sorry." He also serves on the board of Seattle 7 Writers, a
collective dedicated to supporting literacy, writing, and education.
This event is hosted by Eugene Public Library in connection with the Wordcrafters of Eugene Conference. Books for
purchase and signing will be available courtesy of the University of Oregon Duck Store. For more information, contact the
Eugene Public Library at 541-682-5450 or www.eugene-or.gov/library.
Purchasing Staff Hosts Table at Reverse Vendor Fair
On February 25, City Purchasing staff hosted a table at the University of Oregon’s Reverse Vendor Fair held at Autzen
Stadium. The free event gave City staff a chance to meet with representatives from area businesses, including small and
minority- and women-owned companies, interested in
doing business with the City. Staff from Purchasing and
Facility Management spoke with many vendors
representing a wide variety of firms including
construction companies, office furniture retailers,
software developers, artists, plumbers, vehicle salesmen,
etc.
Over 350 vendors registered for the fair. City staff
provided vendors with a brochure entitled “Be Our
Partner – Building Our Community.” This brochure details
how to do business with the City, including information
about signing up for bids and notifications and staff
contact information. For the approximately 100 vendors that provided business cards, Purchasing staff followed up with
an email that included additional information about registering for the eBid system.
Overall the event was a great exercise in team building between staff and the business community. For more information,
contact Eugene Purchasing at 541-682-5055.
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2
March 5, 2015