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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council Newsletter - 09/27/07EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER September 27, 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 "THROUGH DEAF EYES" FILM AT EUGENE PUBLIC LIBRARY FIRE MARSHAL BULLETINS ADD TRANSPARENCY TO PROCESS TRENCHLESS REPAIR SYSTEM FIXES DAMAGED SEWER LINE WITHOUT CUTTING PAVEMENT RECREATION PROGRAM MANAGER RECOGNIZED CITY HOSTS NATIONAL FIRE SPRINKLER ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONAL WALK TO SCHOOL DAY IS OCTOBER 3 WASTEWATER DIVISION’S ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM RECERTIFIED AROUND THE CITY "Through Deaf Eyes" Film at Eugene Public Library In honor of Deaf Awareness Week, the Eugene Public Library presents the PBS documentary Through Deaf Eyes, by award- winning filmmakers Diane Garey and Lawrence R. Hott, on Sunday, September 30. The open-captioned film shows free at the Downtown Library at 3:00 p.m., followed by an ASL-interpreted panel discussion from 5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. Through Deaf Eyes explores the history and culture of Deaf life in the U.S., covering nearly 200 years of conflicts, prejudice, and affirmation. Featured are interviews with prominent Deaf individuals including actress Marlee Matlin and Gallaudet University president emeritus I. King Jordan. This documentary shares the diverse experiences and viewpoints of Deaf leaders, historians, and community members on topics including education, work, family, language use, technology, and identity. Interwoven throughout the film are six short documentaries produced by Deaf filmmakers who add personal perspectives -- sometimes poignant, sometimes humorous. According to PBS, "Through Deaf Eyes does not approach the topic of deaf history from the perspective of sentimentality or of overcoming the inability to hear, nor does it deny the physical reality of being deaf. The documentary takes a straightforward look at life for people who are part of the cultural-linguistic group who use American Sign Language and often define themselves as 'Deaf' — with a capital, and cultural, 'D' — and deaf people who, for a variety of reasons, do not identify with the Deaf cultural community. The history often shows that intersections between deaf and Deaf people are many and that oppression and discrimination are common experiences." For more information about the film, visit www.pbs.org/weta/throughdeafeyes. For more information about the September 30 event at the Eugene Public Library, call 682-5450 or e-mail libraryaccess@ci.eugene.or.us. Fire Marshall Bulletins Add Transparency to Process Eugene’s Fire Marshal’s Office has instituted timely and interactive communications with local development professionals through an ongoing series of advisory reports. Dubbed the “Heated Bulletin,” the report is transmitted electronically on a periodic, as-needed basis to approximately 120 professional designers, architects, engineers, site development planners, and contractors – in other words, anyone EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 1 September 27, 2007 who might be involved with the City’s building permit and plan review process. Content includes new fire safety regulations, reminders, requests for input and feedback, and progress reports on work requested. The hope is that the bulletins will lead to a more inclusive and transparent plan review process and that the input received will assist in the development of user-friendly procedures for complying with building safety codes. For more information, please contact Fire Marshal Mike Thrapp at 682-8360. Trenchless Repair System Fixes Damaged Sewer Line Without Cutting Pavement th The new asphalt overlay on West 18 Avenue was barely cooled last week when a report came in to Public Works Maintenance: a building sewer line under the newly paved street was blocked and needed to be repaired. In the past, the solution would have been to dig up the street, expose the sewer line, replace the damaged section of pipe, and then backfill and repave the street. Thanks to new equipment similar to that used on a much larger scale in the City’s contracted sewer rehab projects, a Maintenance crew was able to make this repair without cutting the pavement. The first step was to expose the building sewer behind Crew drapes patch over inflatable bladder the curb, in an area of dirt and grass. Once a small camera had been inserted into the underground line, the problem became clear. An electrical conduit installed at some point in the past had been bored through the 6-inch-diameter concrete sewer line. Perhaps jiggled by the vibrations from the street surface work, the sandy subsurface fill trickled into the breached line and eventually plugged it. Working from behind the curb, the Public Works Maintenance subsurface crew vacuumed out the pipe. Then they applied a silica resin to a fiberglass patch, draped the patch resin-side-up over a deflated rubber bladder, carefully inserted the bladder into the pipe, lined up the patch with the damaged area, and inflated the bladder. Three hours later, the patch was firmly in place and the bladder was deflated and removed. As a final step, still working behind the curb, the crew used a self-hardening slurry to aid in filling the void above the hole. “This trenchless repair system was perfect for the job,” says PWM Engineering Associate Rich Heil. “It gave us a tight-fitting patch that even appears to have lifted up the electrical conduit. And it let us do the work without the cost and disruption of cutting up the street.” For more information, contact Rich Heil at 682-4990. Recreation Program Manager Recognized The Lane County Coalition to Prevent Substance Abuse selected Recreation Manager Craig Smith to receive the Excellence in Prevention Award for his hard work and dedication in the area of prevention. Craig has been a key player in bringing greater awareness of the 40 Developmental Assets to the community and has experienced great success in his program development at Petersen Barn and the River House. He and three other recipients will be honored at the 7th Annual Prevention Celebration Dinner at the Valley River Inn, September 26. For information, contact Sandy Shafer, 682-6338. City Hosts National Fire Sprinkler Association In another example of regional use of the Fire & EMS Department's training facilities, the Fire Prevention Section this week hosted the National Fire Sprinkler Association (NFSA) for three days of training in the design, installation, and maintenance of fire sprinkler systems. About 60 students, including fire safety inspectors and construction professionals from Alaska, Washington, Idaho, and Oregon, received instruction from NFSA National Training Director John Corso, the former Fire Chief of Louisville, Ky. NFSA is the largest sprinkler advocacy and education organization in the world. This is the fourth year that Eugene Fire & EMS has had the privilege of hosting this regional training. In exchange for providing the venue, City of Eugene employees were granted a waiver of tuition. For more information, please contact Assistant Fire Marshal Doug Perry at 682-5887. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2 September 27, 2007 International Walk to School Day is October 3 Amazon Community Center’s parking lot will be the meeting location for “International Walk and Bike to School Day” on October 3. The event is sponsored by the Roosevelt Middle School’s (RMS) Safe Routes to Schools Committee to promote safer routes for walking and biking, and to raise awareness of the importance of increased physical activity for children – a key initiative for Eugene Recreation Services. The walk is also intended to draw attention to pedestrian safety, traffic congestion, concern for the environment, and to build connections between families, schools and the broader community. Staff members from Recreation Services, Public Works Engineering and Police Services have collaborated with Roosevelt Middle School to plan and host the event. RMS students and celebrity walkers will meet at Amazon Center’s south parking lot and walk or bike to the school from there. For more information, contact Tim Patrick, 682-6347. Wastewater Division’s Environmental Management System Recertified On September 20, the International Organization for Standardization recertified the Public Works Wastewater Division’s environmental management system (EMS) as compliant with ISO 14001 EMS standards following an external audit by an accredited third-party agency. The division has been ISO certified for six years and has gone through a number of audits to ensure that the plant continues to conform to ISO requirements. The Wastewater Division’s ISO 14001 registered EMS provides the framework to manage environmental impacts. The EMS is a management system that is used to identify, track and continually improve on the environmental impacts of operations and decision-making. The focus is on moving beyond compliance and liability issues to achieving environmental goals, capturing stakeholder’s priorities, and engaging all employees. The ISO was set up in 1947 to facilitate and support international trade by developing standards that people everywhere would recognize and respect. ISO achieves this purpose through the participation and support of its member bodies. These member bodies represent standards organizations from 157 countries. The environmental management standard is designated as ISO 14001. The standard defines a set of environmental management requirements for environmental management systems. The purpose of this standard is to help all kinds of organizations to protect the environment, to prevent pollution, and to improve their overall environmental performance. By having an ISO-registered system, the Wastewater Division commits to the highest standard for pollution prevention and continual improvement. The Wastewater Division has a high level of due diligence and regulatory compliance, reducing its liability and risk of non-performance. There is an emphasis on measurable goals, monitoring, and reporting environmental performance. The ISO standard elements for communication and accountability provide involvement and accountability by all levels of staff. The division’s EMS program has built in an effective method to prioritize environmental components into the budget process. The system is an investment that appreciates over time and is achieving fiscal resource efficiency through several avenues such as energy conservation, chemical use reduction, and avoidance of regulatory fines. For more information, contact Donna Adams, environmental health and safety supervisor, at 682-8613. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 3 September 27, 2007