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Home My WebLink About04/14/16 - City Council Newsletter City of Eugene 125 East 8 Avenue, 2 Floor thnd Eugene, Oregon 97401 (541) 682-5010 (541) 682-5414 (FAX) www.eugene-or.gov EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER April 14, 2016 IN THIS EDITION EUGENE REC SUMMER PROGRAM REGISTRATION HAS BEGUN DIVERSITY OUTDOORS: JAMES MILLS AT EUGENE PUBLIC LIBRARY 2015 TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS PROGRAMMING A SUCCESS EUGENE SUNDAY STREETS CONTINUES TO GROW AROUND THE CITY Eugene Rec Summer Program Registration Has Begun Registration for Eugene Rec’s summer programs began April 13. The online guide and registration are available at getrec.org. Eugene Rec offers a range of programs for every kid and teen, with summer camps in Aquatics, Archery, Arts & Crafts, Dance, Fashion Design, Filmmaking, Rafting, Robotics, Skateboarding, Soccer, Tree Climbing, and much more. A diverse array of ongoing programs are also offered for kids, teens, adults and seniors. One addition this summer is the Maker Lab series for kids ages six to eight. Working with a friend or on their own, participants will imagine and build an invention with materials and guidance supplied by Eugene Rec. Opportunities in Technology and Engineering have expanded, with programs offered in Bass Camp for Electronic Music, Production Brick Building Camp, Computer Programming, Engineering & Design, Podcast Blastoff, and Robotics Camp. Additionally, Eugene Rec has a fresh look just in time for summer. The new logo is visible on the Rec Guide, which has an updated layout to make it more accessible and recognizable. Eugene Rec plans these programs with the ethos of, “Adventure. Community. Happiness.” Visit getrec.org for more information. Diversity Outdoors: James Mills at Eugene Public Library On Saturday, Apr. 23, at 2 p.m., the Downtown Eugene Public Library will host an illustrated talk by outdoors writer James Mills based on his book, “The Adventure Gap: Changing the Face of the Outdoors.” Admission is free. The nation's wild places - from national and state parks to national forests, preserves, and wilderness areas - belong to all Americans. But not everyone uses these resources equally. Minority populations are much less likely to seek recreation, adventure, and solace in wilderness spaces. According to Mills, bridging the "adventure gap" requires role models who inspire the uninitiated to experience and enjoy wild places. Says Mills, “Once new visitors are there, a love affair often follows. This is important because as the United States grows increasingly multicultural, our natural legacy will need the devotion of people of all races and ethnicities to steward its care.” Mills shares the story of Expedition Denali, the first all African-American team of climbers to challenge themselves on North America’s highest point in 2013. The goal of the expedition, and now the book, is to inspire minority communities to look outdoors for experiences that will enrich their lives, and to encourage greater environmental stewardship by all. Mills is a journalist and media producer focusing on the outdoors and conservation. He has worked as a guide, outfitter, writer, and photographer with experience in expeditions ranging from mountaineering and rock climbing to back- country skiing and kayaking. He was recently named a Yosemite Centennial Ambassador, and was a 2014 Fellow of the Mountain & Wilderness Writing Program of the Banff Centre in Alberta, Canada. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 1 April 14, 2016 In addition to his book, “The Adventure Gap: Changing the Face of the Outdoors,” he is producer of the blog and podcast, “The Joy Trip Project.” His work is widely published, including in National Geographic Adventure and Sierra Magazine. His radio production credits include Wisconsin Public Radio, American Public Media, and Public Radio International. Books will be provided for sale and signing courtesy of UO Duck Store. For more information, contact the Eugene Public Library at 541-682-5450 or www.eugene-or.gov/library. 2015 Transportation Options Programming a Success As the City of Eugene’s Transportation Options team embarks on exciting programming for this summer, it’s a good time to reflect on some successes from 2015 as well. City of Eugene Wraps Up Successful SmartTrip: South-Central Program During the summer of 2015, the SmartTrips: Eugene program came to the Friendly and Southeast neighborhoods in South-Central Eugene. The program was called SmartTrips: South-Central and reached 6,300 households with the goal of improving livability by encouraging residents to walk, bike, take transit, and carpool more often. Browse the Executive Summary of the Final Report to learn more about the findings. The SmartTrips: Eugene program, now in its fourth season, uses personalized information – local bike maps, transit schedules, and more – and fun, supportive events like guided walks, bike rides and group bus trips to encourage residents to try new travel options. Approximately 16.5 percent of target area households (a record-setting participation rate for SmartTrips: Eugene), or 1,042 households, requested SmartTrips materials. Some of those participants participated in one or more of the 13 events hosted by the program. The City of Eugene also added over 800 new email contacts to its monthly Transportation Options e-newsletter, InMotion, as a result of the program. InMotion now reaches about 3,000 people each month. In a supplemental participant survey, 95 percent of respondents who received a travel tools SmartKit reported that the materials they received were useful. In addition, 79 percent of respondents who attended an event said the event helped them make more of their trips using transportation options. Finally, 61 percent of respondents stated that they now consider all trip options before deciding how to travel. Over the course of the program, the target area saw an increase in walking and bicycling. While these neighborhoods already had relatively high rates of walking and bicycling, and low rates of automobile ownership, there are even more walking and bicycling trips being taken for transportation and recreation. Furthermore, these active modes of transportation increased at a time when gas prices have dramatically decreased. In coordination with another City grant, SmartTrips: South-Central sought to increase awareness of local crosswalk and stop laws. Surveys showed that over the course of the program, residents’ awareness of local crosswalk and stop laws increased and their uncertainty about the laws was reduced. The program evaluated residents’ shifts in travel behavior using a household travel diary and opinion survey administered before and after the program. According to those survey responses, residents of the SmartTrips: South- Central area increased bicycling trips by 2.3 percent and walking trips by 0.7 percent. Of the residents surveyed, 88 percent believe that it is a good idea for the City of Eugene to promote transportation options, and 74 percent stated that they would like to drive their car less. This program was funded with Surface Transportation Program – Urban funds and administered by the City of Eugene Transportation Options team. The City of Eugene has received funding through the STIP (State Transportation Improvement Program) for programs in River Road in 2017 and the West Eugene EmX Corridor in 2018. Read a full copy of the report at SmartTrips: South-Central Final Report.For more information on SmartTrips, contact Transportation Planning Manager Rob Inerfeld at 541-682-5343. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2 April 14, 2016 Eugene Sunday Streets Continues to Grow Eugene Sunday Streets 2015 had a record-breaking season, beating previous attendance numbers for both the overall count and the neighborhood event count. Over 7,100 people attended the two events in 2015, 4,000 people at the Downtown event in July, and 3,100 people at the Friendly neighborhood event in September. More businesses were engaged along the route and more vendors were hosted than ever before. Please view the 2015 Executive Summary, full of info and images at https://sundaystreets.atavist.com/execsummary15 or view the full 2015 Eugene Sunday Streets Final Report at http://eugene- or.gov/DocumentCenter/View/27068. The Sunday Streets events are much beloved by the community, as revealed by comments overheard at the events, and collected in emails and surveys. Two full events will again be hosted in 2016, in partnership with EUGfun! , a program of Library, Recreation and Cultural Services ‘ (LRCS)Community Events which offers four more opportunities to interact with the City of Transportation Options in neighborhoods not normally reached. These events will be called Parties in the Parks and will offer, free basic bike repair, learn-to-bike clinics, free helmets and helmet fittings, traffic safety clinics and much more. Along with the transportation options there will be live music and entertainment for families courtesy of EUGfun!, The Parks and ReCREATE bus will be there along with many other fun City programs. Save the dates! Eugene Sunday Streets events are from noon – 4:00 p.m., Sundays, and will be downtown on July 31, and in South University on September 25. Party in the Parks events are held from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m., and will be in Willakenzie Park on Thursday, July 14, Churchill Park on Tuesday, July 19, Bethel Park on Tuesday, August 9, and Awbrey Park on Tuesday, August 16. For more information on Eugene Sunday Streets, please contact Eugene Sunday Streets Coordinator Emily Farthing at 541-682-5059. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 3 April 14, 2016