HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC Newsletter - 01/13/05EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER
January 13, 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
WEST 8TM AVENUE HOUSING SITE
TEENS LEARN WHILE THEY WORK AT HENDRICKS PARK
SEATING IN HENDRICKS PARK RHODODRENDON GARDEN CREATED FROM FALLEN TREES
TOMMY TUNE COMES TO TOWN
West 8t~ Avenue Housinq Site
The Allocations Committee of the Housin~ Policy Board met on January 11 to review the four proposals
received for the land bank site on West 8"' Avenue next to the WOW Hall. The City was seeking a
mixed-income, mixed-use housing project. Four proposals were received - two housing proposals, one
commercial redevelopment, and a request by the WOW Hall to purchase the parking lot at the rear of
the hall. The committee recommended that the parking lot be sold at fair market value to the WOW Hall
and that the Metropolitan Affordable Housing proposal be forwarded for review and public hearing at the
Housing Policy Board's February 7 meeting.
Metro's "WestTown on 8th'' is a $13.375 million proposal for a structure, stair-stepped back from West 8th
Avenue, sensitive to the context of the Historic WOW Hall and that provides southern exposure to the
courtyard and living units placed on the alley. Innovative live work units are proposed along 8th Avenue.
Of the 94 total housing units, Metro proposes 70 housing units targeted to tenants between 41% and 57%
of area median income, 16 renting at market rate and eight units for live work. The design concept
features private balconies and patios, a community room, a landscaped courtyard and 75 parking
spaces. Metro did extensive consultation with the WOW Hall on potential noise attenuation and received
support from many of the surrounding businesses and neighbors. A required environmental review will
ensure that both noise and historic impacts are appropriately addressed. Following City Council approval,
Metro will receive the site, federal HOME funding, SDC waivers and potentially a set-aside of Lane
County Road Funds designated for Iow-income housing. An application for a critical Iow-income property
tax exemption will be submitted to the City Council separately. For more information, please contact
Richie Weinman, Planning and Development Department, at 682-5533 or
richie.d.weinman@ci.eugene.or, us
Teens Learn While They Work at Hendricks Park
This past fall, several crews of students from the Riverfront
School applied their youthful energy at Hendricks Park. The
first crew removed blackberries from the south slope area of
the rhododendron garden, blew leaves from the lawns and
parking lots, helped load leaves into the park's garden truck,
and spread compost onto some of the garden beds. The
second crew spread wood chips onto the Skyline Trail (see
students modeling the finished product in photo at right) and
continued where the last crew left off with leaf removal. Both
crews invested about three weeks of intensive physical
labor, while learning about plant identification and habitat
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER
January 13, 2005
restoration through on-the-job discussions with park staff.
The students are part of an alternative high school program sponsored by Looking Glass that
incorporates work experience with classroom studies. "It is a great opportunity for us as well as them--
we get volunteer labor and they get work experience and some outdoor/environmental education," says
Ginny Alfriend, head gardener at Hendricks Park. "Their youthful energy is sometimes just what we need
to get the job done!"
Hendricks Park staff has been working with Riverfront School students for the past 15 years. Typically,
crews of three students work at the park from September through March. For more information about the
Looking Glass Riverfront School and Career Center, call 302-2554. For more information about
Hendricks Parks, contact Ginny Alfriend at 682-5324.
Seatinq Area in Hendricks Park Rhododendron Garden Created From Fallen Trees
Genius is often born out of desperation. Confronted with a deteriorated south slope in the rhododendron
garden, Keith Stanley and Ginny Alfriend, both gardeners at
Hendricks Park, decided to get creative. The area suffered
from numerous storms and droughts that have hit the area
over the past five years, and many of the plants and trees are
of an advanced age. Many of the oaks had fallen, including
one group of about six trees in a circular formation that had
been the focal point of the area. In addition, many of the
rhododendrons had declined, died or been broken, and the
weeds had taken over. To compound matters, the area was
difficult to access with mowers and other equipment because
of the management decision to allow the fallen oak trunks to
decompose naturally.
Faced with plenty of fallen logs, Stanley and Alfriend decided
to work with what they had and began cutting the logs into
manageable segments and rearranging them in a way that / nn h~.ne.h rn~.~.t.~ .~.v~.r~l n~.~.d.~ at H~.ndrie. k.~ Park
looked neater and served a functional purpose, such as holding back soil around a rhododendron on a
slope or along a path edge. As they began manipulating the logs in different configurations, inspiration
was born. Stanley tried slicing an oak log in half lengthwise and then notched two posts (also from a
downed log) and fit them into the curved side of the oak slab, creating a bench. The slope was re-grad
ed slightly as a finishing touch, and the result was a rustic seating area in one of the sunniest parts of the
garden overlooking the Summit Path.
"We see it as a kind of memorial to the fallen oaks, with hope for the area to be restored to reflect the
oak savannah legacy that once characterized that part of Hendricks Park," says Alfriend.
For more information about the world renowned Hendricks Park Rhododendron Garden, contact Ginny
Alfriend, head gardener at Hendricks Park, at 682-5324.
Tommy Tune Comes to Town
He has danced and sung for three U.S. Presidents and the Queen of England. Now, he is coming to sing
and dance for Eugene. Taking the Silva stage on Sunday, January 23,
Tommy Tune, dancer, singer, choreographer and director, will delight
audiences with his performance of "Taps, Tunes and Tales"-- a fabulous
Broadway song and dance revue with a big band sound!
This 6'6" entertainer danced onto the Broadway scene in 1965 and hasn't
stopped since. Winner of nine Tony Awards in four different categories,
he is "as long on talent as on legs." The New York Times proclaimed:
"Mr. Tune has reshuffled the elements of the old-style musical into state
of the art." His Broadway shows include the Will Rogers Follies, Best
Little Whorehouse in Texas, Grand Hotel and Nine. He just finished 900
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January 13, 2005
performances of his glitzy Las Vegas show EFX.
Tommy Tune is joined by his pals, the Manhattan Rhythm Kings, whose music is featured in the recent
film "The Aviator." These three top-notch
entertainers started performing together on the sidewalks of New York and now command standing
ovations at Carnegie Hall and around the world. Their polished performances of popular music from the
'20s, '30s and '40s promise a most entertaining evening.
Backing up these wonderful entertainers with a 16-piece orchestra is OFAM's own Emerald City Jazz
Kings. A marvelous evening of Broadway-style song and dance coupled with outstanding local talent --
this is why Eugene is the "World's Greatest City of the Arts & Outdoors."
This is a show the entire family will enjoy. Showtime is 8 p.m. For more information, contact the Hult
Center Ticket Office at 682-5000.
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January 13, 2005