HomeMy WebLinkAbout10/01/15 - 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
October 1, 2015
IN THIS EDITION
STATE ENERGY GRANT WILL HELP PAY FOR LED STREETLIGHT CONVERSION
AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR A.S. KING AT THE DOWNTOWN LIBRARY
AROUND THE CITY
State Energy Grant Will Help Pay for LED Streetlight Conversion
The Oregon Department of Energy has selected a local LED streetlight retrofit project for its Energy Incentive Program. The
actual amount awarded will be based on the project’s final costs and the actual energy savings achieved by the project. Staff
estimates the City will receive more than $400,000 through the Energy
Incentive Program.
The streetlight retrofit project is scheduled to start in November. It will
change out about half of Eugene’s 10,000 streetlights. The LED project
will remove old high-pressure sodium fixtures and replace them with
modern, efficient LED fixtures. The goals of the project are to save
energy and reduce maintenance costs over the long term. The new
fixtures use about a third of the energy used in the old fixtures. The
LEDs are designed to last 20 years, versus five years for the old fixtures.
Staff has budgeted $1.7 million from the City’s road fund for the
conversion project. The project will ultimately pay for itself in reduced
energy costs and maintenance savings. Staff estimates the project will
pay for itself in less than 10 years.
Christenson Electric, working under contract for the Public Works
Department, will replace the light fixtures on local streets in residential
neighborhoods. Most replacements only take a few minutes. The old
fixtures will be recycled. The poles and arms will stay the same. The
work is scheduled to be completed by March 2016.
Worker changes out streetlight
Residents will notice that the new lights are whiter, but not brighter,
than the old lights. The old lights give off a yellow or orange hue, while the new lights give off a light color that is similar to
moonlight. This makes it easier to correctly identify the color of objects lit up by the LED lights, which enhances public
safety.
For more information, contact retrofit project manager Patrick Cox at 541-682-5331.
Award-winning Author A.S. King at the Downtown Library
A.S. King, the award-winning author of extraordinary young adult novels, appreciated by all ages, will visit Eugene to give a
free talk at the Downtown Library on Wednesday, Oct. 7, at 6 p.m. Her books will be available for purchase and signing
courtesy of the University of Oregon Duck Store.
King’s latest novel, just published, is "I Crawl Through It." Her book "Glory O'Brien's History of the Future," won the 2015
Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award; “Ask the Passengers” won the 2012 L.A. Times Book Prize, and “Please Ignore Vera Dietz”
was a 2011 Michael L. Printz Honor winner. King’s novels “Reality Boy” and “Everybody Sees the Ants” are also critically
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 1
October 1, 2015
acclaimed and widely beloved. Her works appear on dozens of best book and top 10 lists, from the New York Times to
Publishers Weekly, to professional organizations of booksellers, teachers, and librarians. She
also writes short stories for teens and adults.
Frequently praised as “brilliant,” “funny,” and “boldly original,” A.S. King creates compelling
characters and plots exploring a wide variety of profound themes including freedom; destiny;
power and its abuses; inequality; loss; guilt; celebrity; and the complex relationships among
past, present, and future.
According to the New York Times Book Review, "Maybe there are writers more adept than King
at capturing the outrageous and outraged voice of teenagers, but it’s difficult to think of one.”
BookRiot says, “Her books shouldn’t be shelved under ‘young adult,’ they should be shelved
under ‘human.’"
For more information, contact the Eugene Public Library at 541-682-5450 or www.eugene-or.gov/library.
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2
October 1, 2015