HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC Newsletter - 04/14/05EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER
April 14, 2005
City of Eugene
777 Pearl Street, Room 105
Eugene, Oregon 97401-2793
(541) 682-5010
(541) 682-5414 (FAX)
www.ci.eugene.or, us
HYBRID VEHICLES HELP FLEET SERVICES MEET SUSTAINABILITY GOALS
EXCITEMENT ABOUT EUGENE'S FIRST REGIONAL PLA YGROUND GROWS
ARBOR DAY BRINGS PEOPLE AND TREES TOGETHER
DAVID SEDARIS AT THE HULT ON APRIL 22
Hybrid Vehicles Help Fleet Services Meet Sustainability Goals
On April 12, Fleet Services received 10 new
Toyota Prius sedans, the first installment of an
order for 12 of the gasoline-electric hybrids. As
Fleet implements strategies that maximize
efficiency while reducing negative environmental
effects, hybrid vehicles will become the standard
rather than the exception. The Prius averages
60 miles per gallon (mpg) in the city with a
slightly lower average of 51/mpg on the highway.
Prior to this delivery, Fleet Services had 15
hybrid sedans in active service, 19 percent of the
sedan fleet, excluding patrol cars. Once the new
Prius' are processed into service, 34 percent of
the sedan fleet will be hybrids. In addition, Fleet Services has one hybrid sports utility vehicle, a Ford
Escape.
Fleet Services is using a business tax credit offered by the Department of Energy (DOE) to offset the
cost of purchasing hybrid vehicles. The tax-credit equals 25.5 percent of the total certified purchase
costs. Fleet previously received a $26,140 credit for six Prius' and one Ford Escape that were
purchased in 2004. Unfortunately, the tax credit which Fleet Services has relied upon is diminishing.
DOE representatives project that the tax credit will not be available after fiscal year 2006. Therefore,
Fleet would like to purchase as many hybrids as feasible before the funding is exhausted. For more
information of Fleet's sustainability goals or the purchase of hybrid vehicles, call Fleet Manager Carlos
Davis at
682-4800.
Excitement about Euqene's First Reqional Pla¥.qround Grows
News about the $150,000 Meyer Memorial Trust Grant for RiverPlay and the beginning of construction of
Eugene's first regional playground drew all three local television stations, former Mayor Jim Torrey, City
Councilor Andrea Ortiz, City Manager Dennis Taylor, other city staff, approximately 25 Eugene Rotary
Club members, and half a dozen Eugene school children to the sit this past Monday. Former Mayor Jim
Torrey rallied the crowd as he touted RiverPlay as a unique destination playground for Eugene's families
- a playground where children of all ages and abilities can learn about the natural and cultural history of
the area and have "a lot of fun!"
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April 14, 2005
The former mayor asked the school-age children gathered for the news conference what Phase 1 play
areas they liked best and why. Nearly all the play elements were cited, though the mammoth Skinner
Butte play structure and the Rain Circle water feature received the most votes. "1 think the Skinner Butte
play structure is gonna be really cool because I like to
climb on things, and it looks really BIG," said Xander
Marx, a 5th grade student from Family School.
Bob Mylenek, chair of the Eugene Rotary Club RiverPlay
Fundraising Committee, discussed the significance of the
$150,000 Meyer Memorial Trust Grant. "The Meyer
Memorial Trust Grant application process is really
rigorous," said Mylenek. "We're really excited they chose
RiverPlay and awarded one of the largest grants in this
funding cycle to this project." Mylenek unveiled the
project's fundraising thermometer at the news
conference, which showed that nearly $820,000 has been
raised to date. This includes the recent Meyer Memorial
grant, other grants, cash and in-kind donations, and
funds from the 1998 parks and open space bond
measure. Construction is scheduled to begin in the next
couple of months, and Mylenek appealed to the community to "step up and donate in-kind services,
material and labor, as well as sponsorships of some of the remaining, unfunded play structures and $100
engraved bricks." The fundraising campaign is two-thirds of the way to its goal of raising $1.2 million to
fund the project in its entirety.
The last part of the news event was a site tour of the Phase 1 play areas, led by project construction
manager Emily Proudfoot. Proudfoot described the play replica of Skinner Butte, Pioneer Village, stage
coach, ferry, and Rain Circle and millrace water features. For more information about the construction of
the playground, call Proudfoot, landscape architect in Public Works Engineering, at 682-6019. For more
information about donation opportunities, call Park Development Coordinator Carrie Peterson at
682-4907. All newscasts were recorded. To receive a copy of the coverage, contact Parks and Open
Space Public Information Specialist Therese Picado at 682-4814.
Arbor Day Brings People and Trees Together
Here's a pop quiz in honor of Arbor Day - do you know
what the following equation means:
6H20 + 6CO2 .......... > C6H1206+ 602?
When Urban Forester Mark Snyder posed this question
to the children gathered for Eugene's Arbor Day
celebration last Saturday, one girl had her hand up
before he even finished asking the question. When
Snyder asked her to come up and give her answer, she
said, "1 think it's what trees do--take carbon dioxide and
water and make oxygen." Snyder confirmed her
answer and described the important process of
photosynthesis by which trees and other green plants
use the carbon dioxide we humans exhale to produce
oxygen, or clean air. When he asked the girl her name,
she said, "Flora," much to the delight of the audience.
For her correct answer, Flora Waske earned the right to use the "silver shovel" and help Mayor Kitty
Piercy plant the ceremonial Arbor Day tree (see photo at right).
Nearly 50 people gathered near the PC Market of Choice at Franklin Boulevard and Orchard Street for
the celebration, including City Councilor David Kelly, councilor for the East University neighborhood,
local business owners John Hirons and Steve Romania, Eugene Tree Foundation (ETF) President Phil
Carroll and several other ETF members, employees from the Red Lion Hotel (this tree planting season's
newest star volunteers), and a group of 3rd to 5th grade students and their parents from Home Source, a
home-school association from Bethel. Mayor Piercy accepted Eugene's 26th consecutive Tree City USA
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2
April 14, 2005
award from Rick Rogers, district forester for the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF). Tree City USA,
a program of the National Arbor Day Foundation and sponsored by ODF, recognizes cities that have
developed programs that plant and care for trees.
The crew then got busy planting trees and native plants. In this "Trees for Concrete" project, organized
by the City of Eugene's NeighborWoods program and its community partner, ETF, 36 tons of concrete
were replaced by trees and native plants. In total, 11 new street trees were planted at Franklin and
Orchard and five red maples were planted at Pearl Street and 18th Avenue. The over 100 native plants
and shrubs for the plantings were provided by Eugene Stream Team's volunteer-run native plant nursery.
Arbor Day is America's national tree holiday, a day set aside to plant ceremonial trees, educate children
about the importance of trees and honor the important role trees play in the daily lives of people in
communities across the country. Founded in 1872, Arbor Day is now celebrated in all 50 states.
Oregonians celebrate Arbor Week the first full week in April. For more information about Arbor Day, call
Urban Forester Mark Snyder at 682-4819. For more information about NeighborWoods, call Program
Coordinator Rick Olkowski, at 682-4831.
David Sedaris at the Hult on April 22
While David Sedaris now consistently sells out venues across the country, including Carnegie Hall, his
early days as a housecleaner in New York City never foretold such widespread
recognition. Sedaris made his comic debut with the "SantaLand Diaries" on National
Public Radio's Morning Edition - a recounting of the strange-but-true experiences of
his job as a Macy's elf, clad in green tights. Named by Time Magazine as "Humorist
of the Year" in 2001, Sedaris is a best-selling author, playwright, commentator, and
National Public Radio humorist. His piquant essays are as meticulously honed and
precisely timed as the best stand-up comic routines. Author of five best-sellers,
Sedaris who is openly gay, nervy and sharply hilarious, has a unique ability to
supply exactly the right details to bring funny, awkward, ludicrous, and painful real-
life moments into crisp focus. This show contains adult language and themes. For
more information, contact the Hult Center Ticket Office at 682-5000.
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April 14, 2005