Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council Newsletter - 08/24/06 EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER August 24, 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 MAYOR AND CITY MANAGER JOIN IN HONORING EUGENE VOLUNTEERS EPD COMMUNITY SERVICE OFFICERS MITIGATE NEIGHBORHOOD PROBLEMS DURING FAIR RECREATION GUIDE OFFERS DOZENS OF IDEAS FOR “WHAT TO DO” THIS FALL NEIGHBORHOODS CELEBRATE GRAND REOPENINGS OF LOCAL PARKS EUGENE FIRE & EMS AT THE LANE COUNTY FAIR SUMMER READING SOARS AT EUGENE PUBLIC LIBRARY FIRE SAFETY POSTER DISTRIBUTION CREST DRIVE UPDATE AROUND THE CITY Mayor and City Manager Join in Honoring Eugene Volunteers In the past year, more than 7,400 volunteers of all ages donated over 97,500 hours to the City -- a record-breaking total for annual hours! On Sunday, August 13, Alton Baker Park was filled with good vibes at the 5th Annual City of Eugene Volunteer Celebration to honor their work. Staff and elected officials hosted volunteers and their families to a barbeque dinner, raffle prizes, live music by the Tim Clarke Quartet and a KidZone complete with a clown and face painting. Mayor Piercy and City Manager Dennis Taylor remarked on their personal experiences with volunteerism over the years and their respect and appreciation for those who give their time and talents to the community. During the year ending June 2006, the greatest number of volunteer hours was served with the Eugene Public Library (21,842 hours), Volunteers in Policing (18,949 hours), and the Senior Volunteer Program (12,974 hours). Some City programs involved a greater number of individual volunteers for fewer hours, such as for one- day events. Programs with the most individual volunteers in the past year were Neighborhood Services (4,640 volunteers), Volunteers in Parks (573 volunteers), and Eugene Stream Team (562 volunteers). Hundreds more volunteered in key roles with the City's programs for Hendricks Park, NeighborWoods, Solid Waste and Recycling, Support Hult Center Operations (SHO), Adaptive Recreation, Teen Court, and as members of many boards and commissions. Volunteers in all City programs share the satisfaction of making a vital contribution to their community. Volunteering with the City also offers diverse benefits, including learning new skills, being outdoors, enjoying cultural resources, being physically active, meeting great people, and having fun. A brochure about the City's volunteer programs is available through the City Manager’s Office. For more information about the annual Volunteer Celebration, contact Carrie Peterson, park development coordinator, at 682-4907. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 1 September 7, 2006 EPD Community Service Officers Mitigate Neighborhood Problems During County Fair Each year during the Lane County Fair, Eugene Police work to mitigate the impact of the additional traffic, parking, and crowds on the surrounding Jefferson-Westsideneighborhood. This year, during the last four days of the fair, EPD's Community Service Officers conducted focused patrols to keep the area clear from illegal parking, a common neighborhood complaint during the week of the fair. Citations were written for vehicles that were blocking driveways, in front of fire hydrants, in the bike paths, and in yellow zones blocking visibility near intersections. thth The area patrolled was a large portion of the Jefferson-Westside neighborhood, from 8 to 19 Avenues and Lawrence to Polk Streets. Nearly 100 parking citations were issued in the four days. Several neighbors took the time to thank officers for the patrols. For further information, please contact Community Service Supervisor, Norman Babcock, Eugene Police Department, at 682-5858. Recreation Guide Offers Dozens of Ideas for “What to do” this Fall Whether seeking fun, fitness or fulfillment, Eugene residents will find plenty of opportunities in the City’s Fall Recreation Guide. The guide, which was delivered to 65,000 households this week, lists dozens of programs, activities and events that will occur from September 1 through the end the December in aquatics, child care, outdoor adventures, adaptive recreation, team athletics, arts, youth and family, and adult education. Some of the returning programs are Kid City Adventures and RecZone after-school care – including holiday and winter break camps; visual and performing arts classes for all ages; teen leadership programs; adaptive recreation’s alpine ski adventures; land and water fitness classes for adults and youth; and a series of talks on health and topics of interest to adults age 55+. New classes this fall include Brazillian dance for tots, Breaking Free empowerment for teen girls, obedience and therapy dog training, mosaic art design, impressionist “en plein air” painting, and “Awareness Through Movement” instruction. To learn more about all the fun, adventurous and educational opportunities provided by Eugene Recreation Services this fall or to register, browse the Recreation Guide, use RecEnroll at www.eugene- or.gov/rec, or call 682-5333. Neighborhoods Celebrate Grand Reopenings of Local Parks Throughout the remainder of the summer, several neighborhoods will be celebrating the grand reopening of their local park. Complete with updated play structures, paths, and picnic areas, these newly renovated parks are ready to be enjoyed by all. The character of each park, paired with strong neighborhood involvement, creates unique design elements from preserving natural areas to connecting park paths with community trails. In addition, these efforts have helped create a safe place for children to play and neighbors to gather. The Parks and Open Space Division hosted the first celebration in this series at Monroe Park on Tuesday, August 22. The remaining celebrations will be held from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Marche Chase Park on Thursday, August 31; Arrowhead Park on Thursday, September 7; and Acorn Park on Thursday, September 21. Each celebration includes children's games, prizes, music, food, and a ribbon cutting. For more information contact Carrie Peterson, parks development coordinator at Getting ready for three-legged race at carrie.a.peterson@ci.eugene.or.us or 682-4907. Monroe Park reopening EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2 September 7, 2006 Eugene Fire & EMS at the Lane County Fair Eugene Fire & EMS had apparatus and personnel stand by at the Lane County Fair in order to provide public relations, deliver urgent and emergency medical assistance, and offer emergency response. Over the six-day event, two medics staffed a medical aid tent and provided a fire engine and crew to assist as needed with any emergency response needs at the Fairgrounds. Overall, eight patients were transported to the hospital, and more than 50 fairgoers were treated for various minor injuries and ailments. On Friday night, Fair Manager Warren Wong got a bird's eye view of the fairgrounds with a ride in the bucket of the 105' aerial ladder truck. For more information, please contact Acting Deputy Chief of Operations Randy DeWitt at 682-7130. Summer Reading Soars at Eugene Public Library Eugene Public Library's Summer Reading 2006 was HOT, with record-breaking participation by people of all ages. More than 4,300 children and teens signed up, an increase over 1,000 from 2005. Adult sign-ups increased from just over 500 during last year's debut, to more than 900. Appreciated partners in this success were Library volunteers, the Friends of the Library, the Eugene Public Library Foundation, local schools, Lane Arts Council, Novella Café, Second Hand Prose, Destinations: The Travel Store, and LetterHead Fine Papers & Gifts. Summer Reading for Kids' animal-themed Paws, Claws, Scales, and Tales program, and the teens’ Creature Feature, encouraged young readers to set individual goals of a number of books or number of minutes to read. Younger kids’ parents pledged to read aloud to them. Each youth got to choose a free book to take home and get started. Special events for kids and families ranged from witty, wacky performances to spellbinding storytellers to live animals, including birds from the Cascades Raptor Center and dogs from the Eugene Police K-9 Unit. Storytimes hosted therapy dogs, guinea pigs, and even pygmy goats. More than 350 kids and their th adults turned out for the 13 annual Teddy Bear Picnic in the park. Teen workshops offered opportunities to try new activities including printmaking, drawing fantasy beings, making 3-D masks, and improvisational acting -- plus Retro Thriller Cinema screenings of unintentionally hilarious movies such as Attack of the Killer Tomatoes! At the closing Creature Contest, teams of teens sculpted creatures of recycled materials to vie for awards, including Most Sturdy, Most Odd, and Most Magnifico. The Summer Reading for Adults travel theme brought an enthusiastic response, including more than 700 brief book reviews and over 300 event participants. Summer selections for EPL book groups, book lists, displays, and programs were each tied to the theme. Events including a Writer’s Fair, hands-on workshops to make a travel journal, and a "time traveling" First Friday were filled to capacity. A how-to class about finding travel information on the Internet was so popular that a second session was added. For more information, contact the Eugene Public Library at 682-5450. Fire Safety Poster Distribution Staff from the Eugene Fire & EMS Fire Prevention Section is distributing the first of a seven-part poster series from the Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Office. Messages on the posters range from cooking fire prevention to home heating precautions. The series of posters, as well as informational brochures, will be distributed to various senior housing facilities as well as the University of Oregon, an EPD substation EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 3 September 7, 2006 and Centro LatinoAmericano. All seven posters are available in both English and Spanish. For more information, please contact the Fire Marshal's Office at 682-7100. Crest Drive Update The Crest Drive Community Team (CDCT) met on August 17 to discuss elements of a public involvement plan, and to hold the first of a three-part educational series on engineering principles for street design. The CDCT is targeting late September/early October to begin outreach efforts to the broader Crest neighborhood. Outreach strategies discussed include a project update at the Crest Drive Community Association meeting in September, one-on-one meetings with CDCT “Street Captains” and the residents on their streets, and a public open house. A subcommittee of the CDCT will be meeting to develop and refine plans for the open house event. The CDCT also received a presentation on elements of physical and topographic surveys as the first in a series of “Engineering 101” educational opportunities requested by the committee. Information covered in the presentation included survey-related research typically conducted, type of background data collected, and a brief overview of the methodology for taking survey measurements. Crest residents can expect to see survey crews taking measurements on Crest, Friendly, and Storey in the coming weeks. The next scheduled meeting of the CDCT is September 14, 2006 at the Washington Park facility. The CDCT will finalize plans for public outreach events in September/October, and will receive part 2 of “Engineering 101”with a presentation on Stormwater management principles. For more information contact City Engineer Mark Schoening at 682-5243 or mark.a.schoening@ci.eugene.or.us. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 4 September 7, 2006