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Home My WebLink About07/03/08 City Council NewsletterEUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER July 3, 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 CITY’S FREE “FUN FOR ALL” PROGRAM UNDERWAY FUN FOR FAMILIES AT LIBRARY'S "UGLY BUG BALL" SUSTAINABLE REUSE OF RIPARIAN SOILS WILL BENEFIT TWO PARKS HYDRATION DURING WARM WEATHER FIRE MARSHAL URGES FIREWORKS SAFETY CITY TO COLLECT NEW BETHEL SCHOOL DISTRICT FEE AROUND THE CITY City’s Free “Fun for All” Program Underway Recreation Services’ drop-in playground program, Fun for All, got underway at 10 neighborhood parks across the city on Monday, June 30, and will continue through August 29. Fun for All offers dozens of free recreational programs, events and fun for children and youth, ages seven and up (younger than seven if accompanied by someone at least 15-years-old). At eight of the sites, the program is held each weekday; the program is held just two days a week at two additional sites. All Fun for All sites open at 10:00 a.m.; closing times vary by site. At seven of the sites, the program includes a free lunch every day, provided by Food for Lane County; the other sites offer a snack item. Each summer, more than 18,000 children participate in Fun for All and over 16,000 free lunches are served. The theme this summer is “The Race to Embrace the Planet, from Eugene to Beijing.” Fun for All participants will go on “Eco-tour 2008” exploring mountains, caves, deserts and oceans. They will fill in survey maps at each site and when the map is complete, they will receive a free swim pass to any City of Eugene pool. Participants will also build miniature sailboats to float in the “Rain Gutter Regatta.” Other no-cost or low-cost family activities this summer include free Movie Nights in the Park, held most Friday evenings, eight free Summer Concerts in the Parks, and 10 summer theme swims. For a complete list of Fun for All events and activities, pick up a Resource Guide at any City of Eugene community center or the Eugene Public Library or online at www.eugene-or.gov/recyouth, or call 682-5521. Fun for Families at Library's "Ugly Bug Ball" Buzz by to celebrate Summer Reading! In concert with this summer's theme, Metamorphosis, kids and their families are invited to a free Ugly Bug Ball on Tuesday, July 8, 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. at the Downtown Eugene Public Library. Activities include creating insect headgear and dragonflies, face-painting, songs and games - plus tasty snacks and the Centipede Hop! Kids who sign up for Summer Reading get to choose a free book.Join in the festivities – that is, the pestivities! For more information, call the Eugene Public Library at 682-8316 or check the website at www.eugene-or.gov/library. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 1 July 3, 2008 Sustainable Reuse of Riparian Soils Will Benefit Two Parks Work is scheduled to begin Monday, July 7, on a project to improve safety and wildlife habitat at Golden Gardens Park and, at the same time, improve habitat in the Delta Ponds area. Over the course of the project, more than 40,000 cubic yards of clean riparian soils are scheduled to be moved from Golden Gardens to Delta Ponds. At Golden Gardens Park in northwest Eugene, City staff used input from a series of public meetings to design a set of improvements that improve public safety conditions in the park in a variety of ways. Bank slopes are being reduced and emergency access is being improved. Perhaps most importantly, additional trails and opportunities for walking, jogging, viewing and other forms of passive recreation are being created. This is intended to increase use of the park by families, neighbors and outdoor enthusiasts which results in a safer environment when more people are present in the park. Another aspect of the Golden Gardens Park project is removing invasive vegetation, especially around the banks of the ponds. Later this fall, native grasses, trees and shrubs will be planted. The work will affect approximately 40 acres of the 200-acre park. The clean riparian soils excavated to lay back the banks at the ponds in Golden Gardens Park will be hauled across town and carefully placed as “benches” along the edge of the Delta Ponds on both sides of Goodpasture Island Road just north of Valley River Center. This will create wetlands and riparian habitat and fill in some of the steep cuts made many years ago when the area was mined for gravel. About $600,000 of the total $920,000 project cost is related to the work at Golden Gardens Park and is being funded through the 2006 Parks, Recreation and Open Space bond measure approved by Eugene voters. The balance of the project costs related to the work at Delta Ponds will be funded by an ongoing collaboration between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Funding for the Delta Ponds work also includes an $87,000 grant from the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife for native plantings once the soil work is completed. “By combining the two projects, we are able to reuse valuable soil materials and see some savings in project administration costs,” says Project Manager Terry Colvin. All work except the plantings is scheduled to be completed by the end of October. KSH Construction of Stayton, Oregon, has been awarded the general contract for the Golden Gardens Park/Delta Ponds project. For more information, contact Terry Colvin at Public Works Engineering, 541-682-5398. Hydration During Warm Weather Summer has arrived! Usually in Oregon the odds are good that temperatures will remain mild until after the Fourth of July. However, this year with extreme temperature fluctuations experienced all spring, our bodies have not been gradually acclimatized to the warmer weather. As a result, people need to be extra diligent about making sure that they are prepared for the heat. The Fire & EMS Department has attended to several patrons at the Olympic Trials who experienced heat-related illness. In general, drink plenty of water and wear sunscreen and a hat for outdoor activities such as gardening and summer picnics and festivals. By the time a person feels thirsty, he or she is already becoming dehydrated. If full water bottles are not allowed in a venue, take an empty bottle to be filled. If someone exhibits symptoms of heat illness, such as headache, nausea, dizziness, and/orexcessive sweating, move them to a cool shaded area and, if possible, an air-conditioned place. More extreme signs of heat illness are confusion and hot red dry skin. If those signs are present, emergency treatment is necessary and the 9-1-1system should be activated. Remember: play safe and stay safe! For more information, please contact EMS Chief JoAnna Kamppi at 682-7104. Fire Marshal Urges Fireworks Safety Last year in Oregon, there were 331 reported fireworks-related fires, with an estimated dollar loss of nearly $1.5 million. The number of fires represented a 17-percent increase over 2006. Fire prevention officials with the Eugene Fire & EMS Department are enforcing state and local laws regarding fireworks, but perhaps even more importantly, they are asking residents to use common sense in handling any potential source of ignition -- especially fireworks. Adults - not juveniles - were responsible for more than three- fourths of last year's fireworks- related fires. Legal fireworks are those that do not fly, explode, or travel more than six feet along the ground. These are available at any of the 36 stands and stores in Eugene that have been inspected and issued permits from the Fire Marshal's Office. Fireworks commonly called bottle rockets, Roman candles, and firecrackers are not legal in Oregon. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2 July 3, 2008 Even when using legal fireworks, normal precautions are a must. Supervise children and pets, have a supply of water readily available, never try to relight a dud, and soak used fireworks in a bucket of water. Eugene Fire & EMS crews will be touring the city on the evening of July 4, and will advise residents on the safe and proper use and handling of fireworks. With safety as its #1 concern, however, the department recommends that families consider enjoying one of the large commercial fireworks displays scheduled in the area. For more information, please contact Assistant Fire Marshal Doug Perry at 682-5887. City to Collect New Bethel School District Fee Beginning July 1, the City of Eugene will collect a construction excise tax on new development for the Bethel School District. This tax, a surcharge on building permits within the Bethel boundaries, was authorized by the 2007 Oregon Legislature and will fund capital improvements to school facilities. Oregon statutes allow districts to implement a $1 per square foot tax on new residential construction and a $0.50 per square foot tax on new commercial construction, with a maximum fee of $25,000 on commercial development. Although State rules allow districts to tax remodels resulting in an expanded building area, the Bethel School Board is imposing the tax only on new structures. Bethel is the sole Eugene-area district that has, to date, adopted the tax. Working to implement this new tax was a successful collaboration of local partners including the school district, Lane County, local municipalities, and staff from the Planning and Development Department, Central Services Department and the City Attorney’s Office. Partners worked hard to streamline collection activities and contain costs, retaining as much revenue as possible for schools. Eugene will retain a small administrative fee to help pay for collection costs. For more information about the City’s role in collecting the tax, contact Shelly Warren, financial services manager, Building & Permit Services, at 682-5513 or shelly.warren@ci.eugene.or.us. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 3 July 3, 2008