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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01/17/08 City Council NewsletterEUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER January 17, 2008 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 UNITED AIRLINES MAINLINE SERVICE RETURNS TO EUGENE AIRPORT LANE CLOSURE BEGINS NEXT WEEK AS COURTHOUSE TRANSPORTATION WORK RESUMES NEW STRATEGIC PLAN TO BE UNVEILED AT SECOND WALKING & BIKING SUMMIT COMMUNITY MEMBERS HONORED FOR HUMAN RIGHTS WORK CITY STAFF CO-AUTHOR BOOK CHAPTERS SOUTH RIDGELINE HABITAT STUDY PROPOSAL TO BE PRESENTED AT PUBLIC WORKSHOPS OUTREACH TO BEGIN ON NEW DELTA PONDS ELEVATED PATH AND BRIDGE PROJECT COMMUNITY CLIMB TIME IS ABOUT FAMILY FUN AND FITNESS DOWNTOWN FIRE STATION FEATURED IN "FIREHOUSE" MAGAZINE EUGENE PUBLIC LIBRARY’S "DO IT YOURSELF BOOK CLUB" AROUND THE CITY United Airlines Mainline Service Returns to Eugene Airport United Airlines mainline service will return to the Eugene Airport starting March 30, 2008. The increase in service will bring Boeing 737 aircraft back to the Eugene market, providing passengers with more seat availability on larger planes, serving the San Francisco route. Officials with the Eugene Airport and community partnership organizations worked together in developing a marketing proposal for United Airlines. The Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce, Springfield Chamber of Commerce, Convention & Visitors Association of Lane County Oregon and Lane Metro Partnership contributed financial and in-kind resources toward this success. For more information, contact Cathryn Stephens, director of marketing and public relations at cathryn.e.stephens@ci.eugene.or.us, 682-5430. Lane Closure Begins Next Week as Courthouse Transportation Work Resumes Construction is slated to resume next week on the next phase of the courthouse district transportation th improvements. One of two traffic lanes on 6 Avenue just east of High Street is scheduled to be closed for several weeks beginning Monday, January 21. The closure will affect westbound traffic on Highway th 99 where the roadway goes under the Ferry Street Bridge viaduct before connecting to 6 Avenue at High Street. Crews from Wildish Construction, working under contract with the Oregon Department of Transportation and the City of Eugene, will excavate about 250 feet of the southerly traffic lane, install curb, gutter, sidewalks and new driveway ramps, and then construct a new asphalt road bed. The work is expected to take about three weeks to complete, weather permitting. To avoid delays in the construction area, motorists westbound on Highway 99 are encouraged to use alternate routes, such as Broadway to High th Street, reconnecting to Highway 99 northbound at 6 and High. The work is part of a $4 million project to improve transportation facilities in the new federal courthouse district. When completed late in 2008, the new transportation system will route westbound thru traffic on Highway 99 northbound along an extension of Hilyard Street next to the railroad tracks to a direct th connection with 6 Avenue at High Street. For more information, contact Joe Ramirez, project manager, at 682-5228. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 1 January 18, 2008 New Strategic Plan to be Unveiled at Second Walking and Biking Summit Eugene’s second Walking and Biking Summit on Saturday, January 26, promises to be an engaging and educational event with plenty of opportunities for networking and learning about bicycle and pedestrian issues. City staff will release the final version of the Pedestrian and Bicycle Strategic Plan at the summit, and participants will discover plenty of opportunities to get involved with one or more of the 80 actions designed to achieve the vision of a more walkable and bikable Eugene. The summit will be held in the South Eugene High School Cafeteria, th 400 East 19 Ave., with registration beginning at 8:30 a.m. and speakers and workshops from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. Coffee and bagels will be served. The Eugene Walking and Biking Summit will be a day filled with speakers and informational workshops that give community members a chance to get involved. This year’s speakers will include Mayor Kitty Piercy, who will thank the citizens on the department advisory committee who helped write the plan, and Portland Metro Councilor Rex Burkholder, one of the founders of the Bicycle Transportation Alliance. The work sessions this year are focused on three of the highest ranked action items from the Strategic Plan. These work sessions will cover development of a Share the Road campaign, Safe Routes to School and Active Youth, and the creation of a signature walking and biking event for Eugene. The first Walking and Biking Summit was held in October 2006 at the University of Oregon, with approximately 225 community members participating. For additional information, contact Lindsay Selser, City of Eugene Public Works, 682-5094 or lindsay.r.selser@ci.eugene.or.us, or go to www.eugene- or.gov/walkbike. Community Members Honored for Human Rights Work The Human Rights Commission recently voted to honor local community members for their work in advancing human rights. The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Leadership Award recognizes a group or individual for contributions in the area of human rights and race relations. Members of the Latino immigrant youth group Juventud FACETA were selected for their ability to act as leaders and role models by responding to human rights violations they and their families have experienced, by committing themselves to community service, cultural preservation and celebration, and by advocating for human rights at the local, state, and regional levels. Members of Juventud FACETA will be honored with this award at the 2008 Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration on Monday, January 21, 6:00 p.m., at Northwest Christian College's Wayne Morse Center. The International Human Rights Day Staff Recognition Award honors a City of Eugene work unit or employee for contributions in the areas of human rights and promotion of social justice. Andy Fernandez will be recognized for his collaborative and far-reaching efforts to push for the inclusion of people with disabilities in all that the City does. Jason Mak, Steve McGuire, and Keli Osborn will also be recognized for their efforts to create a respectful work environment in support of an employee who is transgender and transitioned while employed by the City. International Human Rights Day Staff Recognition Award recipients will be honored on Friday, March 21, 4:00 p.m., at the Atrium Building, 99 W. 10th Avenue. For further information, please contact Karen Hyatt at 682-5619. City Staff Co-Author Book Chapters The Government Finance Officers Association recently released a new publication entitled, "Capital Project Planning and Evaluation, Expanding the Role of the Finance Officer." Two of the chapters were co-authored by City staff, Sue Cutsogeorge and Brad Black. Ms. Cutsogeorge is the City's Financial Analysis Manager and a Certified Public Finance Officer. Mr. Black is the Airport Director of Facilities and Development and a licensed architect. The two worked together during the planning and construction of the downtown library from 1998 through 2003, and used that experience to write the chapters on Project EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2 January 18, 2008 Schedule and Oversight and Public Libraries. The remaining chapters were authored by experts in capital project planning and evaluation from local governments of all sizes. This book is designed to provide finance officers with information to help them participate in all stages of capital plans and ensure capital project investments align with long-term service goals, objectives and strategies. The book is divided into two sections. The first section discusses considerations associated with most capital project types, including public participation; cost estimation and budgeting; projects oversight; common funding sources; and the potential for public/private cooperation on projects. Section II of the book provides a short description of 12 important capital project types and basic information to assist with the needs assessment. Project types include: Emergency Communication Systems; Fire/EMS Stations; Correctional Facilities and Jails; Roads; Water and Wastewater Systems; Administrative Facilities; Technology Investments; Solid Waste Facilities; Schools; Public Libraries; Parks and Recreation Facilities; and Convention Centers and Meeting Facilities.For more information, contact Finance Director Dee Ann Raile, at 682-5041. South Ridgeline Habitat Study Proposal to be Presented at Public Workshops The Planning and Development Department is hosting two public workshops to present the draft conservation proposal developed by the South Ridgeline Habitat Study(SRHS) Community Task Group. The first workshop will be held on January 16, 2008, from 6:00 – 7:30 p.m., in the Bascom-Tykeson Room of the Downtown Library. The second workshop will be held on January 23, 2008, from 6:00 – 7:30 p.m., at Peterson Barn, 870 Berntzen Road. The workshops will provide a chance for community members to learn about the study and the task group’s conservation proposal, and to provide feedback on the proposal. The nine-member task group worked collaboratively with the City to develop criteria for identifying priority habitat sites for conservation and to identify what type of conservation measures should be applied. The task group spent three months reviewing public input collected at six facilitated community meetings, reviewing the SRHS inventory and assessment report and discussing trade-offs, costs and benefits of various approaches before making its proposal. The conservation proposal identifies three different levels (called “tiers” in the proposal) of habitat conservation priorities, and identifies conservation measures to be applied to each. The City then worked with the group to create maps depicting the three conservation priority tiers. The SRHS conservation proposal and revised maps are now available on the project website at: www.EugeneNR.org. For more information about the conservation proposal or the SRHS Community Task Group, please contact Neil Björklund, at 682-5507 or via email at neil.h.bjorklund@ci.eugene.or.us Outreach to Begin on New Delta Ponds Elevated Path and Bridge Project Preliminary design is underway on a new elevated Delta Ponds path that includes a pedestrian/bicycle bridge across the Delta Highway. Public outreach on the project is scheduled to begin this month. The estimated $4.8 million project, including a 300-foot-long bridge and approximately 600 feet of elevated pathway connecting Goodpasture Island Road to Robin Hood Avenue, is expected to begin construction in 2010 using federal and local funds. Congressman Peter DeFazio was instrumental in getting almost $2.9 million through the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) in 2005. The City also received a federal transportation enhancement grant of $1 million. The remaining local share will come from City transportation SDCs. Information is being provided to a variety of stakeholders, including Lane County officials who have an interest in this project because the bridge crosses Delta Highway, neighbors, cyclists, and other EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 3 January 18, 2008 interested parties. A presentation is scheduled at the Cal Young Neighborhood Association meeting on January 24 at 7 p.m. at the Sheldon Recreation Center. Information will also be provided at the Eugene Walking and Bicycling Summit on January 26 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at South Eugene High School. These presentations will inform people of existing pedestrian bicycle paths in the area and how this project connects to existing paths. Additional project information will be provided in the council packet in the near future. For more information, contact Michelle Cahill, principal civil engineer, at 682-6855 or by e-mail at michelle.r.cahill@ci.eugene.or.us. Community Climb Time is About Family Fun and Fitness Eugene Recreation Services and Eugene School District 4J are continuing to provide Community Climb Time for youth, families and community members at climbing walls located at five 4J middle schools. The walls offer participants an opportunity to learn or improve rock climbing skills and create a lifetime of fitness. The walls were originally purchased with grant funds and the staff costs for Climb Time were part of the neighborhood-based activities and transportation services underwritten by Local Option Levy 20-37, which has now expired. Once offered for free, each drop-in session now costs $5, with discounts for family purchases. The fee includes rock climbing gear and instruction by Eugene Recreation Outdoor Program staff.Climb Time locations, days and times through May are as follows (subject to change due to school schedules): Art & Technology Academy (formerly Jefferson Middle School) ndth 2 and 4 Saturdays; 2 - 5 p.m. Kelly Middle School – every Thursday; 5:50 - 8:30 p.m. ndth Monroe Middle School – 2 and 4 Saturdays; 6 - 9 p.m. stth Madison Middle School – 1 and 4 Saturdays; 8 a.m. - 2 p.m. strd Roosevelt Middle School – 1 and 3 Saturdays; 4 - 9 p.m. For more information, contact Aimee Goglia at 682-5329. Downtown Fire Station Featured in "Firehouse" Magazine Eugene's Downtown Fire Station, at 13th & Willamette, is featured in this month's edition of "Firehouse" magazine, a leading national trade journal. The magazine article explains how concerns over sustainability and the environment have influenced modern fire station design, and includes a large department photo of the Eugene station, praising its combination of "traditional-looking design with energy-efficient construction." The Downtown Station, which opened in 2005, was approved by Eugene voters in a 2002 bond measure. Like all of the department's newer facilities, and like other new fire stations across the U.S. that are mentioned in the magazine article, it was designed and constructed to state-of-the-art standards for energy efficiency, incorporating sustainable building materials, maximum use of natural light and ventilation, solar water pre-heating, radiant heating in the equipment bays, advanced electrical control systems, high-efficiency motors and boilers, heat-recovery ventilation, and many other environmentally sensitive features. For more information, please contact Glen Potter, public information officer, at 682-7118. Eugene Public Library's "Do It Yourself Book Club" Ever thought about joining a book group? Start the New Year with a Do It Yourself Book Club workshop at the Eugene Public Library. Expert staff provides a fun introduction to the wide world of book club resources available at the Library. As Nancy Horner, adult services manager at the Library, explains, "We often hear from readers who are looking for a book group, or thinking about starting one. Or they're in a book group that hasn't quite gelled, or that's gotten bogged down and needs some new ideas. That's why we've created this EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 4 January 18, 2008 opportunity to get together and get some pointers -- and maybe even meet some potential club members." Learn key factors for choosing books that spark lively conversations. Get tips about how to gracefully guide conversation. Find out about terrific books, magazines, and online sites offering reviews, recommendations, reader’s guides, discussion questions, biographical information about authors, and more. Drop in at one of two free sessions: Thursday, January 17, 6:00 - 7:00 p.m., at the Sheldon Branch; or Sunday, January 20, 2:00 - 3:00 p.m., at the Downtown Library. For more information, call the Eugene Public Library at 682-5450. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 5 January 18, 2008