HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council Newsletter - 08/16/07
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER
August 16, 2007
City of Eugene
777 Pearl Street, Room 105
Eugene, Oregon 97401-2793
(541) 682-5010
(541) 682-5414 (FAX)
www.eugene-or.gov
IN THIS WEEK’S EDITION
PUBLIC FORUMS ON RAILROAD QUIET ZONE STUDY BEGIN AUGUST 28
BUSY PAVING SCHEDULE SLATED FOR NEXT WEEK
EUGENE’S FOURTH DOG PARK OPENS IN CANDLELIGHT PARK
CITY OF EUGENE CHOSEN FOR 2007 OREGON BUSINESS MAGAZINE TOUR
WRITERS’ FAIR AT EUGENE PUBLIC LIBRARY
KENDALL CONCIERGE PROGRAM
MESSAGES PROMOTE ONLINE REGISTRATION FOR FALL RECREATION PROGRAMS
AROUND THE CITY
Public Forums on Railroad Quiet Zone Study Begin August 28
A series of public forums designed to solicit input on the feasibility of
establishing a “railroad quiet zone” in the downtown and Whitaker areas
begins later this month. Postcards are being sent this week to more than
4,300 residents, property owners and business owners in the Whiteaker
and north downtown area as part of a public involvement plan to engage
community members interested in further study of the quiet zone issue.
The public involvement plan was reviewed by the Whiteaker Community
Council and the Neighborhood Leaders Council prior to implementation.
The first public forum will be held Tuesday, August 28, from 7 to 9 p.m.
at the Campbell Center, 155 High Street.The August 28 meeting will
include background information about railroad quiet zones, a
presentation on various alternatives and options, and opportunities for
discussion and comment. A follow-up session on October 16 will review
the results of the first meeting and look at one or two alternatives in greater depth. A special forum for
area businesses is scheduled on Thursday, September 6, from 3 to 5 p.m. in the Tykeson Room at the
Eugene Public Library, 100 W. 10th Avenue.
In June 2006, the council directed the City Manager to “study the necessary steps to close up to four
railroad crossings and/or convert streets to one-way at railroad crossings in order to obtain State Section
130 funding for crossing safety improvements. No closings or conversions will be constructed until a
public process has been completed with a return to the council for final approval.” In subsequent
analysis, staff has determined that up to five railroad crossings may require some sort of treatment for
the City to be eligible for state funding.
Following the public involvement phase of the study, staff will present its findings to the council at a work
session tentatively scheduled for November 28. More information about the quiet zone study can be
found on the City’s web site at www.eugene-or.gov/trains or by contacting Tom Larsen, traffic engineer,
at 682-4959, or Rob Inerfeld, transportation planning manager, at 682-5343.
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 1
August 17, 2007
Busy Paving Schedule Slated for Next Week
Next week is scheduled to be a very busy week for
paving repairs on Eugene’s streets.
Two dozen neighborhood streets are scheduled to
receive slurry seal treatments beginning Tuesday,
August 21, weather permitting. The streets include
portions of Larkwood, Foothill, Mahalo, Hillside, Larch,
Mimosa, Sprague, Manzanita, Snell, Onyx, University,
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Elinor, Kincaid, Nixon and Baker streets, and East 25,
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East 26, East 27 East 28, and East 29 avenues.
Letters are being sent to residents this week, advising
them that the slurry sealing work requires closing the
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New concrete intersection of West 18 and Bailey Hill
streets for a full day. On-street parking is not allowed on
is now open to traffic
streets that are being sealed. Residents are also
reminded that until the liquid slurry seal has cured – usually a couple of hours – it can be very messy if a
roaming pet or person steps in it. Slurry sealing greatly extends the life of residential streets by sealing
surface cracks so water does not penetrate the surface and erode the subsurface.
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Overlay paving is scheduled to begin next week on both east and west 18 Avenue. On Tuesday,
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August 14, the newly rebuilt concrete intersection of 18 Avenue and Bailey Hill Road was reopened to
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thru traffic. Next week, contract crews will begin repaving 18 Avenue from Bailey Hill to City View.
This work involves grinding off the top layer of deteriorated asphalt and constructing a new asphalt
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surface. On the east end, similar paving work is scheduled on 18 Avenue from Agate to Hilyard streets
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and on Agate Street from 13 to 22 avenues. At least one lane will be open at all times during the
paving work; however, motorists are advised to use alternate routes to avoid construction-related delays.
Regular updates on area road construction projects are provided on the internet (www.eugene-
or.gov/traffic) or by calling the City’s traffic relief hotline at 984-8484. For more information on Eugene’s
Pavement Preservation Program, call Program Manager Matt Rodrigues at 682-6036.
Eugene’s Fourth Dog Park Opens in Candlelight Park
The City of Eugene’s first dog park in west Eugene opened
on Tuesday, August 14, in Candlelight Park. Located at
Royal Avenue and Throne Drive, this 3.5-acre dog park will
help meet the growing demand for recreational and social
opportunities for dogs and their two-legged friends. The new
park features a wash-down station for dogs to get water and
cool off.
Off-leash dog parks were introduced more than a decade
ago in Eugene, and interest in off-leash dog parks has grown
significantly over the years as both pets and owners realize
the benefits of creating parks expressly designed with their
needs in mind. This is the fourth in Eugene’s network of dog
Candlelight Dog Park’s first visitors
parks and was preceded by Alton Baker, Amazon, and
Wayne Morse Ranch. For more information contact Scott Milovich, Public Works Engineering project
manager, at 682-6086 or scott.r.milovich@ci.eugene.or.us, or Philip Richardson, Parks and Open Space
landscape architect, at 682-4906 or philip.s.richardson@ci.eugene.or.us.
City of Eugene Chosen for 2007 Oregon Business Magazine Tour
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The City of Eugene has been chosen as one of the stops for Oregon Business Magazine’s 25
Anniversary Tour, September 10-28, 2007. The tour’s focus is on the future of Oregon businesses and
communities. It will spotlight innovation, sustainable practices and branding. The Eugene portion of the
tour will take place on Thursday, September 13 and will highlight sustainable practices, green building
and other business innovations unique to the Eugene community and will be guided by some of Eugene’s
most influential leaders.
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2
August 17, 2007
The Eugene tour will begin at 9 a.m. at the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field with a welcome from
Chamber of Commerce President Dave Hauser. The delegation will then tour the university on bikes
provided by Eugene’s Green Bikes, stopping at the Lillis Business Complex, one of Eugene’s newest and
most earth-friendly buildings. At Lillis, Mayor Kitty Piercy will give an overview of her Sustainable
Business Initiative and a representative from the University’s Lundquist College of Business will also
address the delegation. The bike portion of the tour
will end at Sacred Heart Medical Center’s Hilyard
Campus where a PeaceHealth representative will talk
about the area’s first satellite site of the Medical
Education Collaborative. The delegation will then
hop on the EmX bound for downtown. While
downtown, delegates will tour Eugene’s federal
courthouse, the Tate Condominiums, the public
library and other downtown venues. From downtown,
the tour will load into the City’s fleet of hybrid
automobiles and head for Skinner’s Butte where participants will enjoy music and delectables while
experiencing a bird’s eye view of downtown and the surrounding area. Delegates will then tour the West
Eugene Enterprise Zone. In the evening, tour delegates will attend a social networking event with
representatives from Eugene’s business community. Eugene’s tour organizers will present Oregon
Business with an honorary award for the work they do to promote Oregon’s industries.
City Councilors are invited to attend any and all portions of the tour and may schedule to speak at any of
the tour destinations.
For a more detailed schedule or other information, contact Amanda Nobel, Community Development
Division loan analyst at 682-5535 or via e-mail (amanda.r.nobel@ci.eugene.or.us).
Writers’ Fair at Eugene Public Library
Get the inside story at Eugene Public Library's fourth annual free Writers’ Fair from 1 – 4 p.m. on Sunday,
August 19, at the Downtown Library. Authors and publishers offer helpful perspectives on writing for kids,
humor writing, historical writing, do’s and don’ts for submitting work, and more. Questions welcome!
Expert panelists include:
Linda Swanson-Davies
co-founded and co-edits Glimmer Train, the
highly-respected national literary magazine focused on “great short
fiction by both familiar voices and fresh new ones.” Based in
Portland, she also publishes the quarterly newsletter Writers Ask, and
collaborated on the Glimmer Train Guides to Writing Fiction and the
short story anthology Where Love Is Found.
Bart King
wrote the hilarious national kids’ bestseller The Big Book
of Boy Stuff, which in June won a New York Book Festival Award. He
has followed up with a companion volume, The Big Book of Girl Stuff.
His work for adults includes An Architectural Guidebook to Portland.
Linda Swanson-Davies
Joe Blakely
is the author of three books of Oregon history, including
two about Oregon school basketball. The Bellfountain Giant Killers is subtitled "The Story of a Small
Oregon High School and Its Miraculous Championship Season." The Tall Firs tells the tale of the
University of Oregon Ducks team that won the first NCAA Basketball Championship in 1939. Lifting
Oregon Out of the Mud recounts the challenges of building the Oregon Coast Highway.
For more information, call the Eugene Public Library: 682-5450, or visit www.eugene-or.gov/library.
Kendall Concierge Program
A new program at the Eugene Airport offers passengers a way to have their car serviced while they’re
away. Clients can leave their car at the Kendall Concierge Program reserved parking spots, catch a
flight, and then pick it up on their return. While they’re away, Kendall will pick up their vehicle, service it,
and return it fresh, washed and cleaned.
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 3
August 17, 2007
Here’s how it works:
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Schedule
your service of $100 or more with your Kendall service department. Your Kendall service
advisor will connect you with a Client Care representative.
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Stop by
the Client Care Center, located at 345 Goodpasture Island Road in Eugene next to Kendall
Second Key, Parking Permit, Release.
Rent-A-Car, to drop off a pick up a and sign a
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Park
your vehicle in one of the five designated parking spaces at the Eugene Airport.
For more information, call 1-888-287-5260.
Messages Promote Online Registration for Fall Recreation Programs
Recreation Services is encouraging patrons to register online for fall programs,
an effort intended to help reduce the number of printed copies of the Recreation
Guide.
Recreation programs that will occur from September 1 – December 31 include
hundreds of activities, classes and events in aquatics, child care, outdoor
adventures, adaptive recreation, team athletics, arts, youth and family, and adult
education. The fall Rec Guide that will be mailed to Eugene residents beginning
August 23 also lists dozens of free programs and events, including many adult
education classes and lectures, and several opportunities for patrons to sample
classes for free.
The promotion for the fall programs includes cable television advertisements,
funded by the Telecommunication Tax Projects Program, that publicize “RecEnroll,” the online
registration site. A direct mail campaign targeting patrons who enrolled in fall programs in 2006
encourages them to register electronically this year, and the 3,000 recipients of Rec eNews, the
electronic newsletter launched in June, received information in the latest edition about online registration.
As in the past, patrons may also register by calling or visiting any City community center, or by mail. For
more information, contact Kathy Madison at 682-6342.
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 4
August 17, 2007