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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06/19/08 City Council NewsletterEUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER June 19, 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 LOOK FOR THREE RECYCLING BINS! NEW BIKE THEFT PROGRAM HAS OUTSTANDING RESULTS RECREATION AND CULTURAL SERVICES STEP UP FOR EUGENE 08 FESTIVAL FIRE PREVENTION OFFICE OFFERS LANDSCAPING ADVICE TO NEIGHBORHOODS SUMMER READING FOR ADULTS AT EUGENE PUBLIC LIBRARY PERMIT CUSTOMER SURVEY HIGHLIGHTS IMPROVEMENTS/ AREAS FOR ATTENTION OVER 270 VOLUNTEERS HELP CLEAN EUGENE’S PARKS AND WATERWAYS FOR EUGENE 08 PUBLIC WORKS PROJECTS CONTRIBUTE TO EUGENE 08 LEGACY AROUND THE CITY Look For Three Recycling Bins! As part of the ad work under an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grant, “Going for the Gold in Zero Waste Events,” for the recycling system to be used at Eugene 08, ads began appearing in the community earlier this week. The goal is to increase recycling at local events by making it easier for the public to understand how to participate. Ads will be displayed inside Lane Transit District buses, reminding people of the three-bin system used at special events. There will also be an ad in the Sustainable Living supplement to The Register Guard, which will appear on June 27 – coincidentally the first day of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials Track and Field. For more information, please contact Nancy Young, Planning and Development Department, nancy.a.young@ci.eugene.or.us, or 682-6849. New Bike Theft Program Has Outstanding Results Crime prevention specialists are delighted with the success of recent efforts to increase the rate of bicycle registration in Eugene. Eugene is a great bicycling city, but, like most college towns, this area has a significant bike theft problem. Bicycles are valuable, portable, and easy to resell, making them attractive to thieves. In the past three calendar years, nearly 2,500 bike thefts were reported to Eugene Police—and many more went unreported. Police recover lots of bicycles they suspect were stolen, but without detailed information in a crime report matching up to the recovered bicycle, it is impossible to track down the rightful owner. To help ensure that identifying information is available when a bike is stolen, increasing the likelihood the owner will get it back, the Eugene Police Department offers free bicycle registration to area residents. Registrants' bicycles are marked, and information including serial numbers is kept in a database maintained by the police department. If a registered bicycle is stolen, the resident can simply call the police to report the theft, and all identifying information will be readily at hand. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 1 June 19, 2008 Having offered bike registration at its four neighborhood police stations for the past few years, the Eugene Police Department recently began taking the program to the people. In addition to providing bike registration and crime prevention information at large community events such as Project Homeless Connect and the Annual Bike Day event, crime prevention specialists and volunteers have successfully held several independent registration events at parks, schools, mobile home communities and a café. These events offer free on-site bike registration to Eugene bicyclists, eliminating the need to make a special trip to a neighborhood police station. Nearly 400 residents have registered their bicycles at these recent community events, and registration at the neighborhood stations has also increased due to publicity around the events. It's too soon to see any change in overall bicycle theft or recovery numbers, but police registration has already aided in the recovery and return of some stolen bicycles. The next bike registration event will be offered as part of the 2008 Annual Family Fun & Safety Fest in Alton Baker Park on Saturday, June 21. Community members are also invited to bring their bikes to be registered at any of the Eugene Police Department’s four neighborhood police stations, which are open on weekdays. For more information about bike registration and theft prevention, please see this brochureor contact Crime Prevention Specialist Steven Chambers at 682-5178. Recreation and Cultural Services Step Up for Eugene 08 Festival Many City of Eugene departments are involved in making the 2008 US Olympic Track and Field Team Trials the best event possible for fans and athletes, as well as for all those residents who don’t have tickets to watch the competition. Recreation and Cultural Services, in concert with many community partners, have organized family activities and entertainment at the free, 10- day, Eugene 08 Festival, located in the area outside of Hayward Field. With funding provided by Nike, recreation staff have organized several family events, including The Starting Block, a fun, high energy, interactive center with a track obstacle course, electronic interactive games, and where you can “picture yourself at the Hayward Field finish line,” make your mark on the “Track Town is My Town” mural, and watch “the greatest running film of all time,” Fire on the Track, the Steve Prefontaine Story. The I’m a Track Fan booth, also organized by recreation staff, is a great place to learn about track and field athletes, test your knowledge of the sport, write a postcard to your favorite athlete, and win prizes. Together with Oregon Track Club and other community running clubs, recreation staff has organized two all-comers meets and a youth track and field clinic on July 1 and 2, the two non-competition days of the Olympic Trials. Kids and adults of all abilities can have an “Olympic experience” by running on the Hayward Field track and experiencing track and field equipment hands-on. Every meet participant gets a ribbon and a tee shirt from Nike. Cultural Services staff chaired the community entertainment committee, which has been responsible for booking the entertainment at the Eugene 08 Festival Stage. A wide range of local, regional and internationally known entertainers will perform a variety of music, from classical to hip hop, soul to EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2 June 19, 2008 Brazilian beat and folk to disco. Entertainers will perform each day before and after the competition and will include a variety of acts from great Northwest bands to local ACT-SO medalists. Find out about all the family and entertainment opportunities at the Eugene 08 Festival, and watch a 17-minute video on more of the City’s involvement in presenting the 2008 Olympic Trials, at www.eugene-or.gov/recfestival. For more information, call Tim Patrick, 682-6347. Fire Prevention Office Offers Landscaping Advice to Neighborhoods The advent of warmer weather is a good time for all area residents to assess the fire safety of their homes and surroundings. During dry, hot weather, the hilly, wooded areas in south and southwestern Eugene are particularly vulnerable. Responding to a recent request, Eugene Deputy Fire Marshal Sandra Johnston met with neighbors in the Videra section of southwest Eugene for a walking tour of the neighborhood. Deputy Johnston was able to advise residents to remove flammable vegetation, including blackberries, Scotch broom, and downed trees and branches, from common areas near residential structures. The neighborhood contracted with Northwest Youth Corps for the removal work, which was accomplished this week. Specifically, the Eugene Fire & EMS Department, in alignment with state and national fire safety authorities, recommends a 30-foot "defensible space" around all homes, free of flammable vegetation and debris. Officials also recommend clearing roofs and gutters of dry leaves and twigs, trimming away branches that are near a structure, and keeping fuels and firewood well away from the home. For more information, please contact the Eugene Fire Marshal's Office at 682-5411. Summer Reading for Adults at Eugene Public Library Try something new! Metamorphosis is the theme of this year's Summer Reading programs at Eugene Public Library. Along with great free events for kids and teens, the Library offers a fun opportunity for adults. Read three books, write brief reviews to share, and get a free coffee at Novella Café or $1 towards books at the Friends' Second Hand Prose book store. Visit any Library location to pick up official review forms plus a free Library mini-notebook (while supplies last). Return the reviews for a Novella/Second Hand Prose coupon. And that’s not all: reviewers also get a chance in a raffle for a Library book bag with a gift certificate good at any of the stores of Unique Eugene. What to read? Find ideas in the Library's Metamorphosis booklists featuring novels with characters transformed by travel, coming of age, overcoming obstacles, and more. There’s even a list of books with surprise endings. Readers can also discover books to match individual tastes and interests with the online sites NoveList and Books in Print. These premium tools are available free at Great the Library as well as offsite through the Library website: www.eugene-or.gov/library. A special Reads computer class provides an introduction and expert how-to tips on Saturday, June 21, at 10:00 a.m. For more information or to pre-register, call Eugene Public Library at 682-5450 (press 2). Permit Customer Survey Highlights Improvements/Areas for Attention Results from the most recent City of Eugene building permit customer survey are in, with operations receiving an overall performance rating of 3.9 on a 1- to 5-point scale (5 being excellent). Every two years, Building and Permit Services contracts for an independent, statistically valid telephone survey to provide feedback on services. Since 2002, there have been substantial, perceived improvements in getting information and assistance on: zoning and public works requirements, the inspection phase of the building permit process, and obtaining a building permit. The rating for availability of service at the counter also has improved, from a score of 3.4 in 2004 to 4.2 in 2008. These scores appear to reflect a number of changes at the Permit and Information Center, including dedicated public information staff in certain areas, expanded service hours and increased use of technology. Staff knowledge, referrals, respectful communication, and counter service all ranked highly with survey respondents, while the perceived reasonableness of fees ranked lowest on a list of characteristics that included consistency and speed of service. Staff continues to move forward with strategies to improve service delivery to our diverse customer base. For example, field inspectors now are more easily reached via cell phone by homeowners and contractors, and staff teams are running pilot programs for reviewing EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 3 June 19, 2008 plans and issuing permits at the counter – identifying more residential and commercial projects potentially eligible for same-day permitting. For information, please contact Keli Osborn in Planning and Development, at 682-5288 or keli.m.osborn@ci.eugene.or.us. Over 270 Volunteers Help Clean Eugene’s Parks and Waterways for Eugene 08 On Saturday, June 14, two of the City of Eugene’s largest volunteer clean-up efforts took place in local parks and waterways. As part of the Volunteers in Parks program, over 170 members of the LDS Church worked alongside City Parks and Open Space crews to complete 28 projects in five local parks. Volunteers and staff spent the day landscaping, removing invasive species, painting, replacing seating, and improving wildlife habitat in Alton Baker, Skinner Butte, University, Sladden, and Fairmount parks. In and along the Willamette River another 100 volunteers spent the morning removing garbage from Island Park in Springfield to Owosso Footbridge in Eugene. The City of Eugene’s Stream Team program helped lead the effort, which removed approximately 80 yards of trash. Partners for the project included REI, Willamalane, City of Springfield, LDS members lend a hand through the Volunteers in Parks program. EWEB, Willamette Riverkeeper, and Oregon River Sports. For more information contact Lorna Baldwin, volunteers in parks coordinator, at 682-4845 or Matt McRae, stream team coordinator, at 682-4850. Public Works Projects Contribute to Eugene 08 Legacy In preparation for Eugene’s hosting of the 2008 Olympic Trials, City of Eugene Public Works has completed a number of projects that will be of lasting benefit to the community. These projects include: Wayfinding Signage A total of eight new wayfinding signs and 48 quarter- mile mileage markers were installed along the 12- mile loop of the Ruth Bascom Riverbank Path. This project was completed in partnership with the Eugene Parks Foundation. For bicyclists, 34 wayfinding signs recently were installed around town to help provide on-street directions to the riverbank trail and nearby attractions such as RiverPlay and Autzen Stadium. The signs provide distance and the time to bike to the riverbank paths. Alton Baker Park Signage New kiosks have been installed throughout the park that will include new park maps, a Pre’s Trail map, and interpretive signage related to the park’s cultural and natural values. Pedestrian Bridge Improvements The five pedestrian bridges crossing the Willamette River have been cleaned and enhanced with new railings. Park Clean Up In preparation for a dramatic jump in park usage, staff and volunteers have been busy working on a number of park improvement projects that include resurfacing running trails, landscaping, re-striping parking areas in parks, adding crosswalks and directional signage, and removing invasive plant species. Crewinstallsnewlightfixturenexttooldpole. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 4 June 19, 2008 Autzen Path Improvements This project replaced the light fixtures along the multi-use path through Alton Baker Park, from the south side of the Willamette River to Autzen Stadium. A total of 36 new pedestrian-scale light fixtures were installed with banner arms for event announcements. The system improves lighting on the path for increased safety and reduces total electricity usage. New fencing and recycling receptacles were also installed. Street Repairs Public Works Engineering and Public Works Maintenance have worked collaboratively to repair streets in the east campus area. While not funded through state funds, these projects result in timely and lasting improvements that will benefit visitors to the Trials as well as local residents. Examples of coordinated th street repair projects include the improvements to East 18 Avenue last summer and repairs to Villard th Street and 13 Avenue completed this spring. Public Works also has taken steps to ensure that no major road construction occurs during the time of the Olympic Trials. Funding for non-street projects included $200,000 in Oregon State Lottery Funds administered by the Oregon Economic and Community Development Department and directed to the Eugene/Springfield area for Willamette River corridor enhancement projects and safety during the Olympic Trials. For more information, contact Kelly Darnell, Parks and Open Space Marketing and Outreach Manager, at 541-682-4814. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 5 June 19, 2008