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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC Newsletter - 01/06/05EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER January 6, 2005 City of Eugene 777 Pearl Street, Room 105 Eugene, Oregon 97401-2793 (541) 682-5010 (541) 682-5414 (FAX) www.ci.eugene.or, us MARTIN LUTHER KING., JR. CELEBRATION EVENT WORLD VIEWS, PERSONAL STORIES SERIES: JANUARY THROUGH MARCH, 2005 PEACEHEAL TH AND EUGENE PUBLIC LIBRARY RECEIVE NATIONAL AWARD AGENCIES COLLABORATE ON OUTREACH FOR NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS REDESIGNED PARKS AND OPEN SPACE WEBSITE ENTICES MANY MORE VISITORS IN 2004 OUTREA CH UNDERWAY ON METRO WA TERWA YS STUDY RESIDENTS BRAVE ICE AND COLD TO RESERVE PARKS THIS YEAR THE NATIONAL ACROBATS OF TAIWAN Martin Luther Kinq Jr., Celebration Event On Monday, January 17, at 6:00 p.m., the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Committee of Lane County presents "Collaborating Diversity Through Shared Humanity" at the University of Oregon EMU Ballroom, East 13th Avenue and University Street. Featured Keynote Speaker is Ms. Bebe Moore Campbell, author of national best sellers Brothers and Sisters and Your Blues Ain't Like Mine. The Eugene Human Rights Commission is one of 12 program sponsors and will recognize community members Jim Garcia and Reverend Dan Bryant with the commission's MLK Leadership Award. For more information, contact Human Rights program manager Greg Rikhoff at 652-5177 or event program chair Greg Evans at 868-6050. World Views, Personal Stories Series: Januar~ through March 2005 Eye-opening and mind-opening, this free, international documentary film and discussion series offers diverse perspectives on human rights issues and world events. Each highly recommended film will be followed by a conversation moderated by community leaders and educators. Eugene Public Library is one of 50 libraries nationwide to be awarded a grant from the Human Rights Video Project to present this series. "We're delighted to have been chosen as one of the libraries for this unique program focusing on human rights, one of the most important topics facing world citizens today," says Library Director Connie Bennett. "Public libraries are well-matched to this project. The library is a community center of inquiry and discussion, and offers resources you can use to continue learning about the issues and ideas raised in the films." The series dates are: Sunday, January 16, 3:00 p.m.: 20 Years Old in the Middle East, Agal Moghaizel. Taking the pulse of Arab and Iranian youth in Jordan, Syria, Iran, and Lebanon, after the fall of Saddam Hussein. Sunday, January 30, 3:00 p.m.: My Terrorist, Yulie Cohen-Gerstel. Many years after a terrorist attack, a filmmaker questions the causes of violence between Israelis and Palestinians, and considers forgiving, even helping, the man who almost killed her. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 1 January 6, 2005 This series is sponsored by the Eugene Public Library, the Eugene Public Library Foundation, and Friends of the Library, with support from the Human Rights Video Project, created by National Video Resources in partnership with the American Library Association, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and the Ford Foundation. For more information and a listing of February and March films, call 682-5450. PeaceHealth and Euqene Public Library Receive National Award Ribbon Consumer Health Information Recognition Award for Libraries for Oregon is being presented to PeaceHealth and the Eugene Public Library on January 13, 2005, 1 p.m. in the Singer Conference Room at the Downtown Library. The Eugene Public Library and PeaceHealth put their professional teams out in front in health information delivery by creating the Health Information Access program. The project includes the purchase of fully-equipped workstations and the joint construction of a consumer health Web page, www.peacehealth.orq/epl, by staff of both organizations. PeaceHealth's contribution includes, in addition to the equipment, access to the Healthwise Knowledgebase, an easy-to-use, full-text database for researching health topics. The Library has contributed an accessible location for public use of the workstations, and has also been able to expand its health resources to make consumer health information available to a wider spectrum of the population. "It's a win-win situation for both organizations," says State Librarian Jim Scheppke. For more information, contact Library Services Director Connie Bennett at 682-5363. Agencies Collaborate on Outreach for Neiqhborhood Associations In late September, Neighborhood Services staff asked EWEB, 4J, LTD and the University of Oregon to assist in increasing the visibility of the City's neighborhood association program. All of the agencies were very responsive and staff has put together an outreach campaign that begins this week. One of the ads is shown at right. every bus and include a display ad for neighborhood associations in its monthly newsletter. EWEB will include a display ad in its quarterly "Pipeline" newsletter or other EWEB communications, and donated display space in its lobby for three months. 4J will distribute flyers to be included on each school's community resource table. A similar flyer will be posted at the City's libraries and community centers. The University of Oregon will include neighborhood association information and a display ad in its revised "Moving Off Campus" brochure. Staff hopes to be able to move the EWEB display to the EMU when its time at EWEB is completed and use it at events such as the Eugene Celebration and the Volunteer Appreciation Day. For more information, please contact Beth Bridges, Neighborhood Services manager, in Planning and Development at 682-5272 or via e-mail (beth. b. brid~ene.or, us). Redesiqned Parks and Open Space Website Entices Many More Visitors in 2004 According to data collected by the City's Information Services Division about the City's website, the redesigned Parks and Open Space (POS) website, which was launched in January 2004, has attracted significantly more traffic than its predecessor: The redesigned site has lured more than twice the number of visitors, and the amount of time those visitors spend on the site has doubled. These statistics were derived from comparing data for the last six months of 2003 and the first six months of 2004. Total visits went from 28,000 to 60,000 per month, and average length of a visit jumped from about 4 minutes to about 8 minutes, resulting in total "visitor minutes" (the product of the two) quadrupling from EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2 January 6, 2005 105,000 to 467,000. Also, in the latter part of 2003, the number of pages visited averaged about 11,000 per month; after January, it averaged about 40,000 per month. The redesigned Parks and Open Space website was launched in January 2004. The redesigned site's clean, new look with bright, vivid photographs, consistent formatting, multiple navigational paths, and enhanced information contributed to the increase in use of the site. The website also won a design award from the Oregon Parks and Recreation Association in 2004. When the redesigned site was launched, the site doubled in size, and the site has continued to grow with the addition of 66 West Eugene Wetlands pages, 18 RiverPlay pages, and many other pages in 2004. For more information about these statistics or the POS website, contact Technical Support Specialist Bob Blanchard at 682- 4889 or Public Information Specialist Therese Picado at 682-4814 or visit www.ci.euqene.or, us/parks. Outreach UnderWay on Metro Waterways Study A major new study that focuses on local creeks and rivers will be publicly unveiled this month. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the cities of Eugene and Springfield, and Lane County are participating in the metro waterways study, a multi-year effort to look at the function and health of waterways in the greater metropolitan area. The study will help provide a better understanding of existing problems while identifying potential projects and other opportunities to improve local waterways. The Corps has been a significant partner in recent major restoration efforts and this study may help identify future projects similar to Delta Ponds and the Meadowlark Prairie restoration projects. Two waterways have been selected for immediate study, and public workshops and other outreach efforts have been scheduled to focus on each of these priority planning corridors. Both workshops run from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m., with a scheduled presentation at 5:30 p.m.: · Wednesday, January 19, Cedar Creek planning corridor focus, Thurston Middle School, 6300 Thurston Road, Springfield · Thursday, January 20, Amazon Creek planning corridor focus, Eugene Public Library, 100 West 10th Avenue, Eugene A brochure providing additional information about the metro waterways study has been mailed to more than 5,000 residents in the priority planning corridors and other interested parties, and information is scheduled to run in all local newspapers next week to inform the broader community. The outreach effort also includes a survey, which can be accessed on the metro waterways study Web site at www.metrowaterways.org. For more information about the metro waterways outreach effort, contact Eric Jones, Public Works public affairs manager, at 682-5523. Residents Brave/ce and Cold to Reserve Parks this Year Several people braved the very frigid morning of Monday, January 3, to reserve a park for their special engagement in 2005. In fact, one person arrived at midnight to ensure that he was the first in line to secure his reservation for Alton Baker Park for this year's Freedom Festival on July 4. When the doors opened at 6:30 a.m., those in line found refuge from the cold in the Building 2 conference room at 1820 Roosevelt Boulevard and were greeted with coffee, pastries and staff ready to process their park reservation. "Despite the rigors, the patrons who wanted to rent park facilities were very pleasant to deal with and made our job of processing applications much easier," says Jeff Hanson of the Park Amenities crew. By the end of the day, 32 park permit applications were accepted. Residents rent parks for a variety of occasions, including weddings, family gatherings, company picnics, and community events. Alton Baker, Washington/Jefferson, Hendricks, and Westmoreland parks are the most frequently requested parks, but all parks can be reserved. Parks are rented on a first-come, first-serve basis and must be reserved in advance. Rental fees vary depending on the park and type of use. For more information about park reservations, contact Debbie Moulton, park reservationist, at 682-4800, or visit the Parks and Open Space front office at 1820 Roosevelt Boulevard. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 3 January 6, 2005 The National Acrobats of Taiwan Coming to the Silva Stage on January 18, the National Acrobats of Taiwan will amaze the audience with their precision, strength and breathtaking agility. Undergoing strict training for an average of eight years, these artful acrobats create an inspiring and colorful drama with their national art form. The 35-member company brings audiences of all ages to their feet and crosses the boundaries of language and culture. Watch astonishing physical feats performed with everyday objects, including bowls, tables and chairs. This is a culturally rich and wonderful event for the entire family. Showtime is 7:30 p.m. For more information, contact the Hult Center Ticket Office at 682-5000. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 4 January 6, 2005