HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council Newsletter - 09/14/06
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER
September 14, 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
PUBLIC OUTREACH UNDER WAY ON PROPOSED TRANSPORTATION FEE
RASOR PARK MIXED-USE CENTER INITIATIVE LAUNCHED
NEIGHBORHOOD MATCHING GRANTS REQUEST-FOR-PROPOSALS
“REC-KIES” HAVE FUN IN CELEBRATION PARADE
WALKING & BIKING SUMMIT TO TAKE PLACE ON SATURDAY, OCTOBER 7
CULTURAL POLICY REVIEW BEGINS PUBLIC DIALOGUE
"LEAVE ME ALONE, I’M READING:” NPR’S MAUREEN CORRIGAN AT EUGENE PUBLIC LIBRARY
GOLDEN GARDENS PARK NEIGHBORS INVITED TO SECOND PUBLIC WORKSHOP
AROUND THE CITY
Public Outreach Under Way on Proposed Transportation Fee
Public outreach on Eugene’s transportation funding needs and the
proposed transportation system maintenance fee (TSMF) is under way.
The goals of the outreach program are to provide information and
receive public comment, culminating in a public hearing before the
council on October 16.
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A comprehensive web site has been created on the City portal
(link to “Street Funding” from the City home page or the Public
Works home page). The web site includes an online comment
form.
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A six-minute video has been created by Metro TV and will run regularly on Comcast cable
channel 21.
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A "Take a Closer Look 2006" newsletter is scheduled to be delivered to Eugene homes via
inserts in The Register-Guard and Eugene Weekly the week of September 18.
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A four-page Q&A fact sheet has been printed and a 28-slide PowerPoint presentation has been
prepared for use in community presentations. Both are available on the web site.
Copies of the newsletter have been placed in the Council Office. For more information about the
outreach effort or to arrange a presentation with a community group, please contact Eric Jones, public
affairs manager for the Public Works Department, at 682-5523, or eric.r.jones@ci.eugene.or.us.
Rasor Park Mixed-Use Center Initiative Launched
On August 22, 2006, the City of Eugene received official notice that the Transportation and Growth
Management Program of ODOT had finalized all signatures on the grant award to begin work on the
“Rasor Park Mixed-Use Center Concept Plan.” This project has been long anticipated by the River Road
Community Organization, which is commended for jump-starting the project with presentations and
discussions about mixed-use at its regularly scheduled neighborhood meetings.
The consultant contract was awarded to Spencer & Kupper out of Portland, Oregon, and John Spencer,
AICP will be the primary contact with this talented project team. On September 11, 2006, the Eugene
Planning Commission voiced its approval of the citizen involvement component of the project. City staff
and consultants have 10 months to work with the neighborhood groups, property owners and interested
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September 14, 2006
parties to develop a common vision for the study area. For further information, please contact Ken
Guzowski at ken.j.guzowski@ci.eugene.or.us or at 682-5562.
Neighborhood Matching Grants Request-for-Proposals
The Neighborhood Matching Grant Request-for-Proposals (RFP) will be released on Friday, September
15. The grant packets are available on the City’s web site and at the PIC, libraries and community
centers. The pre-review deadline is January 15, 2007. Final applications are due on Friday, March 9,
2007.
The Neighborhood Matching Grants Department Advisory Committee (DAC) met and made some
adjustments to the administrative framework. New this year is a $250 minimum and $25,000 maximum
grant. The value of the total project may not exceed $50,000. The Neighborhood Leaders Council
developed a recommendation on how associations should be included in the grant process and the DAC
agreed with the proposal. All grants will obtain an endorsement from their respective associations prior
to submitting for the City’s pre-review. Provisions were made for how to deal with a grant application if
the neighborhood association is inactive.
Grants are available for neighborhood physical improvements or one-time neighborhood-building events.
Project sites are not limited to City property, but must be within the Urban Growth Boundary. Proposals
are accepted from groups of people living, working, or owning property within the area affected by the
grant. City funds must be matched by at least the same amount of cash donations, donated materials
and supplies, or volunteer labor. The DAC rates the applications based on tangible neighborhood
benefit, community involvement, and project readiness. The DAC may adjust the ranking to more
evenly distribute projects throughout the city over time.
For more information about the Neighborhood Matching Grants Program, contact Beth Bridges in the
Planning and Development Department at 682-5272 or via e-mail (beth.b.bridges@ci.eugene.or.us).
“Rec-Kies” Have Fun in Celebration Parade
A ‘70s disco theme helped 50 Recreation Services Division
employees, family members and volunteers Shake, Revel and
Roll in the Eugene Celebration parade on Saturday. Calling
themselves the “Rec-kies,” the group danced to “Playing for
Life” (to the tune of the 70s disco song, “Staying Alive”). The
entry featured one of Recreation’s photograph-decorated buses
wearing huge glasses and towing a float carrying people
representing many of the division’s activities including kayaking,
adaptive skiing, and pottery. Others who frolicked alongside the
bus represented adaptive, senior, youth and family, outdoor and
athletic programs. For more information, contact Recreation Programmer Melissa Perkins at 682-8837.
Walking & Biking Summit to Take Place on Saturday, October 7
Called the number one “Green City” in America by the Green Guide
and ranked “Silver” by the League of American Bicyclists, Eugene is
highly regarded nationally as a great place to walk and bike. To explore
ways of making Eugene an even better place for walking and biking,
City staff is initiating a new community-wide pedestrian and bicycle
strategic planning process.
The kick-off event will be held on Saturday, October 7 from 8:30 a.m. to
1:00 p.m. at the University of Oregon Erb Memorial Union. The
Eugene Walking & Biking Summit will offer informational workshops
and engaging speakers in addition to public input activities. Input
received at the summit will help provide direction for the strategic
planning process.
Workshop topics include sharing the road, safe routes to school and
active youth, the business of biking and walking, encouraging biking and walking, innovations in design,
gateway to recreation and tourism, and effective advocacy for walking and biking. Local and state-level
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September 14, 2006
experts will be speaking at these workshops. Breakfast (coffee and pastries) and lunch will be provided
for free to summit participants.
Immediately following the summit, participants are invited to join City staff on walking and biking tours of
Eugene. The tours will be designed to provide participants with a chance to learn more about Eugene’s
walking and biking infrastructure, recent and upcoming projects geared towards pedestrians and cyclists,
and to provide feedback to staff about how to better serve their transportation needs.
Completion of the strategic planning effort will provide City staff as well as members of the community
with a blueprint for increasing the use of non-motorized transportation in Eugene. People can register for
the Eugene Walking & Biking Summit at www.eugene-or.gov/walkbike or by calling 346-3889
(registration is encouraged but not required). For more information, contact Senior Transportation
Planner Rob Inerfeld at 682-5343 or rob.inerfeld@ci.eugene.or.us.
Cultural Policy Review Begins Public Dialogue
The Cultural Policy Review (CPR) moves into the public dialogue portion this month with the publication
of a situation paper and six Arts and Culture Dialogue sessions scheduled for September 18-20.
Consultants Marc Goldring and Claudia Bach authored the situation paper, which they consider to be the
starting point for conversation in the upcoming public sessions. The paper is available online for public
review and comment by selecting “Arts & Culture Dialogues” under CPR News on the City’s portal page.
The Mayor’s CPR Committee will meet from 2 to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, September 19, in the Bascom
Room at the Downtown Eugene Public Library. Public comments will be heard at the end of the meeting.
The input from the dialogue sessions and the Mayor’s CPR Committee will be considered for inclusion in
upcoming situation papers.
Below is the schedule for the six public dialogue sessions:
Arts and Culture Dialogue sessions:
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Monday, September 18, 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Cultural Participation
– Issues relating to building audiences for all forms of artistic and cultural
expressions among Eugene’s diverse communities.
Location: Downtown Eugene Public Library – Singer Room
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Monday, September 18, 4:30 - 6:00 p.m.
Arts Education in the Schools
– Issues relating to arts learning in the schools and after school,
whether provided by the school district or arts and cultural organizations.
Location: Downtown Eugene Public Library – Singer Room
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Tuesday, September 19, 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Cultural Organizations and Artists
– Issues relating to Eugene’s cultural organizations (of all
budget sizes, staffing levels, and disciplines) and artists, whether vocational or professional
Location: Downtown Eugene Public Library – Tykeson Room
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Tuesday, September 19, 6:00 - 7:30 p.m.
Higher Education and Culture
– Issues relating to the role of the University of Oregon and
Lane Community College in the cultural life of Eugene.
Location: University of Oregon Lawrence Hall, Room 206 (hosted by the UO Arts and
Administration Program)
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Wednesday, September 20, noon - 1:30 p.m.
Cultural Facilities
– Issues relating to the availability, suitability, and operations of visual and
performing arts venues in Eugene.
Location: Downtown Eugene Public Library – Singer Room
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Wednesday, September 20, 2:00 - 3:30 p.m.
Downtown Cultural Development
– Issues relating to the role of arts and culture in downtown
Eugene’s revitalization.
Location: Downtown Eugene Public Library – Tykeson Room
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September 14, 2006
The Mayor’s CPR Committee comprises a diverse group of arts advocates and is chaired by Tina
Rinaldi, a University of Oregon Arts Administration Program Manager and Adjunct Professor, former
director of the Jacobs Gallery and current member of the Lane County Cultural Coalition. Councilor
David Kelly is the committee vice-chair. The Cultural Policy Review is the City’s first in more than two
decades. The objective is to collaboratively review current conditions, services and gaps, and identify
community-supported options that will assist the City Council in defining the City’s ongoing role in arts
and culture.
For more information, contact Mark Loigman, CPR project manager at mark.d.loigman@ci.eugene.or.us,
:
682-5307 (related link go to www.eugene-or.gov/CulturalPolicyReview for background and information).
"Leave Me Alone, I’m Reading:” NPR's Maureen Corrigan at Eugene Public Library
"Readers: Put down that book for just one evening --
it'll be worth it!" Insightful, entertaining book reviewer
Maureen Corrigan speaks at the Downtown Library,
Thursday, September 21, at 7 p.m. Many Eugeneans
recognize Corrigan’s name—and voice—from her pithy
reviews on National Public Radio’s Fresh Air.
Corrigan talks about her book loves and dislikes, the
inside scoop on a book reviewer’s everyday life, and, in
honor of Banned Books Week, the importance of the
right to read, write, and speak freely. Author and
journalist Alan Siporin, a local favorite from his years
with National Public Radio affiliate KLCC-FM,
introduces Corrigan.
Corrigan's recent memoir, Leave Me Alone, I’m Reading: Finding and Losing Myself in Books, depicts
the profound effects of reading on her life, including on her career as an academic from a working class
family. Winner of an Edgar Award for criticism, Corrigan writes a mystery column for the Washington
Post, and her reviews and essays have appeared in the New York Times, Newsday, The Nation, Boston
Globe, and Village Voice. Booklist calls her “immensely likable, eclectic, and dynamic . . . as adept in
her analysis of life as she is in her fresh and significant interpretations of books.” She also teaches
literature at Georgetown University in Washington D.C.
Corrigan's visit is the latest in the Author!Author! Series, co-sponsored by the Eugene Public Library and
the Eugene Public Library Foundation. The evening talk is free and open to all. For more information,
contact EPL at 682-5450. The EPL Foundation holds a benefit luncheon with Corrigan the same day; for
information or to reserve a seat, contact the foundation at 682-5338.
Golden Gardens Park Neighbors Invited to Second Public Workshop
In June, City of Eugene Parks and Open Space Planning staff held the first in a series of public
workshops designed to gain input from the surrounding community about the improvements they would
like to see made to Golden Gardens Park. This second meeting will offer park neighbors and interested
community members the opportunity to review and provide feedback on the short- and long-term
alternatives that have been generated for the site. The meeting will be held Wednesday, September 20,
from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Shasta Middle School, Studio West, 4656 Barger Drive. The report from the
first workshop is available for viewing online at www.eugene-or.gov/parks (click on “Parks and Maps” >
“Bethel/Danebo” > “Golden Gardens”).
Golden Gardens is a 46.8-acre natural area park located in Eugene’s Bethel neighborhood, at the
intersection of Golden Gardens Street and Jessen Drive, north of Barger Drive. A former gravel pit that
provided material used in the construction of Belt Line Road and its overpasses, the land that is now
Golden Gardens Park was acquired by the City of Eugene from Lane County in 1974. For more
information or to give input, contact Carolyn Weiss, Parks and Open Space planning manager at
682-4909 or carolyn.j.weiss@ci.eugene.or.us.
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