HomeMy WebLinkAbout03/27/08 City Council NewsletterEUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER
March 27, 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
MARCH STATUS REPORT ON MAJOR CAPITAL PROJECTS NOW ONLINE
PRESENTATION ADDRESSES PERSONAL SAFETY FOR SENIORS
AMBULANCE RATE INCREASE IN PROCESS; FIREMED CAMPAIGN GEARS UP
WORDS & MUSIC: FIRST FRIDAY @ THE DOWNTOWN LIBRARY
AROUND THE CITY
March Status Report on Major Capital Projects Now Online
The Facility Management Division’s status report for March, 2008, is now online. A link to the current
project report, as well as previous reports, can be found on the division’s current projects page at the link
below. To see the current Council update, click on the “more” tag at the bottom of the list:
http://www.eugene-
or.gov/portal/server.pt?open=512&objID=210&PageID=723&cached=true&mode=2&userID=2
This status report provides an
update on the progress of major
capital projects under the division’s
management. This periodic report
to council reflects the type of build-
ing preservation and capital
maintenance projects that make up
the majority of the Facility
Management Division’s projects.
While the projects in this status
report make up a small proportion
of the roughly sixty active design
and construction projects currently
being managed by Facilities, they
represent either the higher budg-
eted projects or projects with
significant public interest. For any
additional information on Facility Management projects, please contact Mike Penwell by phone at 682-
5547 or at michael.j.penwell@ci.eugene.or.us.
Presentation Addresses Personal Safety for Seniors
Recreation Services’ Senior Program, in collaboration with Eugene Police Department’s Crime
Prevention Unit, is offering a free presentation about personal safety for seniors. The program will show
seniors how to protect themselves in various situations, teach them special techniques and self-defense
tips to increase their awareness, and provide the most up-to-date information about safety.
The presentation will be held from 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 17, at Campbell Community
Center. For more information about the presentation, contact Rayna Luvert, 682-6394.
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 1
March 27, 2008
Ambulance Rate Increase in Process; FireMed Campaign Gears Up
In accordance with City Council direction, the
Fire & EMS Department has initiated an
administrative order that would raise the City's
basic one-way ambulance transport fee from
$900 to $1,150. This fee was last raised in
2006. The new rate brings Eugene to the
same rate currently charged by our two
neighboring ambulance providers, Springfield
Fire & Life Safety and Lane Rural Fire/Rescue.
The fee increase is necessary in order to
continue the City's ambulance service on a
self-supporting basis (i.e., without General
Fund support). As council learned in a recent
work session, other, more fundamental
measures are being studied in order to address
worsening negative revenue projections
caused by declining Medicare and Medicaid
reimbursements and other factors. For Eugene and other emergency medical service providers
throughout the U.S., rate increases are only a short-term solution.
Meanwhile, the three area providers kicked off the 2008-09 FireMed membership campaign last week at
Mahlon Sweet Field with the announcement that LifeFlight Air Ambulance Service would be basing rotary
and fixed-wing emergency transport aircraft in Eugene, and would be offering air medical transport
service as an adjunct to basic FireMed membership. FireMed membership, providing emergency ground
ambulance service to an entire household at no out-of-pocket cost, is available for $52 for the full fiscal
year, and FireMed Plus, which includes air ambulance service, is offered for $84. Revenue from FireMed
memberships is another important element in the overall funding base for the area's ambulance transport
systems. For more information, please contact Denise Giard, Deputy Chief of Administration, at
682-7111.
Words & Music: First Friday @ the Downtown Library
On Friday, April 4, an evening of free entertainment begins at 6:00 p.m. at the downtown Eugene Public
Library with live music by the Eugene Contemporary Chamber Ensemble, presented by host Giancarlo
Guerrero, Music Director of the Eugene Symphony. The program features performances of Introduction
et Allegro (flute, clarinet, harp, and string quartet) and Duo (violin and cello) by Maurice Ravel. This
community performance is part of the Discovering Daphnis Festival, celebrating the life and work of the
French Impressionist composer.
At 7:00 p.m., author Cai Emmons talks about the challenges and
joys of the writing life and how her novels evolve. Her first book,
His Mother’s Son, won the Ken Kesey Award for the Novel.The
Stylist, her latest work, was praised by Booklist, “with family
relations as twisted as a French braid and language as vivid as a
platinum dye job, Emmons’ potent novel features magnetic
characters and complex and compelling secrets.”
Emmons’ short work has been published widely, including in Now
Write: Writing Exercises from Today’s Best Writers and Teachers.
Before turning to fiction, she wrote for theater, film, and television.
Books will be for sale, courtesy of the U of O Book Store, during
the book signing. For more information, call Eugene Public Library
at 682-5450.
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2
March 27, 2008