HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council Newsletter - 07/13/06
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER
July 13, 2006
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
THAILAND’S PRINCESS TO VISIT EUGENE PUBLIC LIBRARY
STATE SENATORS JOIN MAYOR, VOLUNTEERS TO CLEAN UP WILLAMETTE RIVER
ENGAGING YOUTH THROUGH VOLUNTEERISM VIDEO NOW AVAILABLE
DELTA PONDS PROJECT SELECTED FOR SALMON AND TROUT ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM
WALKING TOUR LETS CREST DRIVE RESIDENTS IDENTIFY OPPORTUNITIES, CHALLENGES
RECONSTRUCTION OF HILYARD STREET ON SCHEDULE
TRAVEL INFO @ YOUR FINGERTIPS: INTERNET WORKSHOP AT THE LIBRARY
AROUND THE CITY
Thailand’s Princess To Visit Eugene Public Library
On Saturday, July 15, the public is invited to join Mayor Kitty Piercy
and Library Director Connie Bennett in welcomingThailand’s
Princess Bajrakitiyabha in a formal state ceremony at the Downtown
Eugene Public Library.
Her Royal Highness will dedicate a collection of books Thailand
th
donated to the Library in honor of the 60 anniversary of the Thai
King’s accession to the throne.
Doors open at 10:00 a.m. To attend the ceremony, arrive at the
Library before 10:30 a.m. During the morning, access to the
Downtown Library will be limited; library services will not be
available, and the parking garage will be closed. Regular library
services will resume at noon.
The Library’s Bethel and Sheldon Branches, as well as the Library’s
website (www.eugene-or.gov/library), will provide full service all day.
For more information, please call Eugene Public Library, 682-5450.
State Senators Join Mayor, Volunteers to Clean Up Willamette River
Recreational Equipment, Inc.’s (REI) Eugene store has chosen the Willamette River for its 2006 Outdoor
Service Project. Almost 200 volunteers (including three Oregon senators: Ben Westlund, Vicki Walker
and Floyd Prozanski) are expected to help clean the river of garbage and debris on Saturday, July 15,
from 9 a.m. to noon. Volunteer teams will be working along the banks to pick up trash and help clear
garbage from boats as they ferry back and forth across various islands and areas of the river.
The project begins at Island Park in Springfield and extends north to the Beltline overpass in Santa
Clara. The event is organized in cooperation with the State of Oregon (DEQ & ODOT), the cities of
Eugene and Springfield, Willamalane Recreation District, HIV Alliance, Committed Partners for Youth,
Lane Metro Youth Corps, Eugene Stream Team, Willamette Riverkeepers, and private property owners.
Eugene’s Volunteers in Parks program will coordinate the collection and disposal of the litter that is
picked up. The Eugene Stream Team is focusing its clean-up volunteers along the West Bank Trail
between the Greenway Bridge and the Owosso Bridge.
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 1
July 13, 2006
Community volunteers are invited to participate by registering by phone with REI Customer Service at
541-465-1800 or in person at 306 Lawrence Street by Friday, July 14. Volunteers must be at least 15
years old and should plan to wear closed-toe shoes, lightweight shirts (preferably long-sleeved) and
pants. REI will provide gloves and sunscreen. Volunteer gifts, prizes, pizza and a keynote address will
follow the clean-up at 1 p.m. in Maurie Jacobs Park. Speakers include senators Ben Westlund and Vicki
Walker and Mayor Kitty Piercy. For more information about Eugene activities, contact Stream Team
Coordinator Lorna Baldwin at 682-4850 or Volunteers in Parks Coordinator Matt McRae at 682-4845.
Engaging Youth Through Volunteerism Video Now Available
In April, the National Volunteers in Police Service (VIPS) Project Director and video production staff
visited the Eugene Police Department to tape interviews with staff and youth volunteers, and to film
volunteer activities. The video, Engaging Youth through Volunteerism, has been completed, and is now
available both in DVD format and electronically at www.policevolunteers.org/resources/VIPSvideos.cfm.
The purpose of the video is to provide information to law enforcement executives and volunteer
coordinators about how to better involve youth in law enforcement volunteer programs. Also featured in
the video are police departments in Helena, Alabama and Redlands, California.
Youth volunteer opportunities at the Eugene Police Department include assignments in the Records
Section, neighborhood substations, Volunteers in Policing office, disaster/emergency preparedness
exercises (as role players), Cadet Post, Police Activities League and Safety Town. The department also
offers a summer youth academy for youth ages 15-18 interested in learning about law enforcement.
The National VIPS Program is managed and implemented by the International Association of Chiefs of
Police in partnership with and on behalf of the White House Office of the USA Freedom Corps. It is
funded by a grant through the Bureau of Justice Assistance, U.S. Department of Justice. The goal of the
National VIPS Program is to enhance the capacity of state and local law enforcement to utilize
volunteers.
For more information, contact Volunteers in Policing Program Coordinator Carrie Chouinard at 682-5355
or carrie.f.chouinard@ci.eugene.or.us.
Delta Ponds Project Selected for Salmon and Trout Enhancement Program
Eugene’s Delta Ponds project was recently
selected for inclusion in Oregon’s Salmon and
Trout Enhancement Program (STEP).
“Recognition of the Delta Ponds project at the
state level is an honor,” said Trevor Taylor, the
City’s natural resource planning supervisor. “It
not only brings additional support and scientific
legitimacy to the Delta Ponds project as an
important salmon recovery project, but also
formalizes our partnership with Oregon
Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW)."
STEP was established by the Oregon
Legislature in 1981 as a program of the ODFW.
The program seeks to achieve the recovery and
Four-centimeter juvenile salmon recently captured and released in Delta Ponds.
sustainability of the state’s native salmon,
steelhead and trout through a four-pronged
effort that includes habitat enhancement, fish propagation, monitoring, and public education and
involvement.
The Delta Ponds project fits several program categories. Local ODFW staff proposed the Delta Ponds
project because it is one of a handful of state projects to improve habitat – something ODFW would like
to see more of throughout the state. The newly created habitat in the ponds will provide juvenile Chinook
salmon a safe place in which to shelter and grow before returning to the river. Because the Delta Ponds
project qualifies for the STEP program, the state will expedite approval of the Delta Ponds project to
divert a portion of the water from the Willamette through the ponds and back to the river. ODFW is
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2
July 13, 2006
assisting with fish monitoring in conjunction with City staff and citizen volunteers coordinated through the
City's Stream Team. The City is also working cooperatively with ODFW on public education elements of
the Delta Ponds project. For more information contact Lauri Mullen, habitat enhancement coordinator, at
682-4925.
Walking Tour Lets Crest Drive Residents Identify Opportunities, Challenges
The Crest Drive Community Team (CDCT) met on July 6 to
participate in a walking tour of the affected sections of Crest
Drive, Storey Boulevard and Friendly Street. The goal of the
walking tour was for CDCT members to record observations
about physical elements on a street map and to identify
opportunities, constraints and challenges that may arise during
the street improvement project development and design phase.
Following the tour, CDCT members reconvened at the Wayne
Morse Ranch to share observations. Staff recorded issues on a
large-scale aerial map. Issues identified on the map will be
categorized into issue areas that will be considered as the
project moves into the design phase.
The walking tour was well-attended by CDCT members, and
resulted in a productive and engaging meeting for the group.
The next scheduled meeting of the CDCT is August 17 at the
Washington Park Community Center. The group will work on the public involvement plan, and begin
preliminary planning for a public outreach event in the fall. For more information, contact City Engineer
Mark Schoening at 682-5243 or mark.a.schoening@ci.eugene.or.us.
Reconstruction of Hilyard Street on Schedule
Work is progressing on schedule for the rehabilitation work on Hilyard Street. The contractor, Wildish
thth
Construction, began work in mid-June and initially focused on the section between 13 and 18 avenues.
That section is scheduled to be completed and re-opened to traffic on August 1. Work is now shifting to
thth
the section between 18 and 24 avenues.
thndth
Starting July 24, Hilyard Street between 18 and 22 avenues will be closed to through traffic. Also, 20
st
and 21 avenues will be closed to through traffic at Hilyard. Starting August 2, the remaining portion of
ndththnd
the project from 22 to 24 avenues will be closed, including the intersections at 19 and 22 avenues.
Motorists should use alternate routes such as Amazon Parkway. Residents along Hilyard within the
closure areas will need to park on nearby side streets. Daily on-street parking passes are available from
the City through the Public Works Engineering Office. Staff will work with the contractor to minimize
disruption and inconvenience as much as possible. All work will be substantially completed early in
September 2006. For more information, contact Project Manager Steve Gallup at 682-8460.
Travel Info @ Your Fingertips: Internet Workshop at the Library
Come to the Eugene Public Library to learn how to get the best travel tips from the Internet. Travel Info
@ Your Fingertips is a fun, practical, free hands-on computer workshop on Saturday, July 29, 10 a.m. -
noon at the Downtown Library.
City of Eugene librarians have identified some of the best Internet travel sites to explore, and will show
attendees how to use search engines effectively to research trips and destinations. Get handy hints to
find bargains, book tickets, locate hotel, tour, and cruise reviews, and more. Or, enjoy armchair travel,
“visiting” famous cities and sites around the globe! Internet experience is required. To pre-register, call
682-5450, or visit the Downtown Library’s 2nd floor Reference Desk.
This workshop' is inspired by Summer Reading for Adults, which features travel-themed writing this year.
While at the Library, adults can pick up official review forms and receive a coupon worth $1 towards
used books at the Friends of the Library's Second Hand Prose book store or a free coffee at Novella
Café, both located at the Downtown Library. Return three brief reviews and receive a free journal (while
supplies last), plus a chance in a drawing for a Library book bag filled with great reads and gift
certificates for Destinations: The Travel Store and LetterHead Fine Papers & Gifts. For more
information, contact the Eugene Public Library, 682-5450.
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 3
July 13, 2006