HomeMy WebLinkAbout12/13/1982 Meeting
MINUTES
. Eugene City Council
City Council Chamber
December 13, 1982
7:30 p.m.
COUNCILORS PRESENT: John Ball, D. W. Hamel, Mark Lindberg, Brian Obie, Emily
Schue, Betty Smith, Cynthia Wooten.
COUNCILOR ABSENT: Grete hen Mi 11 er.
Regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Eugene, Oregon, was called
to order by His Honor Mayor Gus Keller.
1. PUBLIC HEARINGS
A. Annexation/Rezoning Request for Property Located on the East Side
of Prairie Road and South of Beltline from County M-3 Heavy Industrial
Di strict to City M-2 Li ght Industrial Di strict and the City Industri al
Sign District (Lloyd Maxwell)(A/Z 82-1) (memo, map, background informa-
.tion distributed)
. Recommended approval by Planning Commission September 21, 1982 Vote--5:0
City Manager Micheal Gleason introduced Tom Hayes, Planning. Mr. Hayes sai d
that the council had considered this annexation and rezoning request at its
September 25, 1982, meeting and had agreed to hold the item over pending
resolution of discussions with the Lane Rural Fire Protection District (LRFPD)
for provision of fire service to the subject property. He sai d that the council
had originally asked to hold the item over to November 15 but that staff had
requested further postponement to this meeting. Mr. Hayes noted that copies of
the agreed-upon contract had been distributed to councilors at the commencement
of the heari ng. He said letters regarding the request from the Southern Pacific
Rail road (SPRR) and from the Irving Grange had al so been distributed to the
counci 1 . He said the letter from SPRR voiced opposition to the City's policy of
non-contiguous annexation, and the letter from the Irving Grange opposed the
withdrawal of the land in question from the LRFPD taxing district. Mr. Hayes
noted that the latter question had been dealt with as a result of the contract
wi th LRFPD.
Public hearing was opened.
Those speaking in favor of the request:
LLoyd F. Maxwell, 935 St. Andrews Drive, the applicant, referred to information
that had been submitted with the application and said he would be glad to answer
questions from councilors.
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~IINUTES--Eugene City Council December 13, 1982 Page 1
Those speaking in opposition to the request:
fit Marie Gray, 353 Knoop Lane, asked that her time for testimony be alloted to John
~Iehri nger.
Betty Donaldson, 398 Hawthorne, asked that her time for testimony be alloted to
John Mehringer.
John Mehri nger, 165 West Hi 11 i ard Lane, referred to a personal. letter from
himself ana a letter over his signature from the River Road Community Organiza-
tion, which he had distributed to the council, and asked that these documents be
entered into the recora. He discussed the content of the letters and referred
to the objectives of Chapter II of the Metropolitan Area General Plan, which he
felt would be violated by granting of the proposed request. He fel t that
Objective 10 on page 11-B-3 of the plan was intended to allow small communities
to plan for their own future without being engulfed by larger communities.
He said that the River Road/Santa Clara area was moving toward incorporation as
a city and that the Maxwell property would be an assest to the tax base of that
city. He felt that the City of Eugene's non-contiguous annexation policy could
mean that by the time the River Road/Santa Clara area was ready to put the
matter of incorporation to the voters, much of the valuable tax-base land would
already have been made a part of the City of Eugene, making the incorporation
legally possible but practically impossible. He noted that the City had no
written prohibition of the annexation of commercial land abutting annexed
non-contiguous industrial parcels and said this could lead to creation of an
lIisland of cityll in the middle of an unincorporated area. He said the written
. materials he had submitted also addressed the issues of reducing leapfrogging,
eliminating scatterization, and providing for orderly outward growth of the
city.
There being no further testimony, public hearing was closed.
Responding to a question from Councilor Wooten, Mr. Mehringer said that the
exact geographic configuration of the proposed incorporation of River Road/Santa
Clara had not yet been determined, but that the area roughly extended north from
the City of Eugene limits and included land developed with urban development
extending into the Awbrey area and ending south of Beacon Drive. Responding
further, he said he had no estimate of the tax-base value of the Maxwell property.
IVls. Wooten sai d that at the time the council had adopted the non-conti guous
annexation policy staff had said that only one applicant was interested in such
an annexation at that time and that the policy would be evaluated in October
1 ~82 . Jim Farah, Planning, responded that Mr. Maxwell was the only person who
had applied for a non-contiguous annexation and that he was the person to whom
staff had referred at the time of council consideration of the policy. Ii e sa i d
the staff evaluation of the policy would probably not be presented to the
Planning Commission until February 1~83. He said staff's position was that
requests similar to Mr. Maxwell's should be hanaled on a case-by-case basis
until the Planning Commission and council have had time to review the urbani-
zation policy paper.
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M1NUTES--Eugene City Council December 13, 1982 Page 2
Responding to a question from Councilor Wooten regarding the fiscal impact of
flit the annexation on the City, Mr. Hayes said that costs of extending sanitary
sewers would be the only extraordinary fiscal impact of the annexation.
~Ir. Hayes responded to Mr. Mehringer's testimony and noted that the Metropolitan
Plan acknowledged Eugene and Springfield as being the logical providers of city
servi ces in the metro area. Mr. Hayes said that annexation of commercial
properties abutting annexed non-contiguous industrial land would not be considered,
since the policy on non-contiguous annexation dealt exclusively with industrial
1 and.
Res. No. 3732--A resolution forwarding a recommendation to the
Boundary Commission for annexation of property
located on the east side of Prairie Road and south
of Beltl ine to the City of Eugene and Lane County
Metropolitan Wastewater Service District.
Councilor Obie said he believed the staff notes outlined the reasons why this
annexation was important to meeting the needs of the community.
No ex parte contacts or conflicts of interest were declared by councilors.
Staff notes and minutes were entered into the record.
Mr. Obie moved, seconded by Ms. Schue, that findings supporting
the annexation as set forth in Planning Commission staff notes
and mi nutes of September 21, 1982, be adopted by reference thereto;
. and that the resolution be adopted. Roll call vote; motion
carried unanimously.
CB 2549--An ordi nance authori zi ng rezoning from County M-3 Heavy
Industrial District to City M-2 Light Industrial
District and City Industrial Sign District for property
located on the east side of Prairie Road and south
of Beltline.
Mr. Obie moved, seconded by Ms. Schue, that findings supporting
the rezoning as set forth in Planning Commission staff notes
and minutes of September 21, 1982, be adopted by reference thereto;
that the bill be read the second time by council bill number
only, with unanimous consent of the council; and that enactment
be considered at this time. Roll call vote; motion carried
unanimously.
Council Bill 2549 was read the second time by council bill number only.
Mr. Obie moved, seconded by Ms. Schue, that the bill be approved
and given final passage. Ro 11 call vo te . All councilors present
voting aye, the bill was declared passed and numbered 19082.
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MINUTES--Eugene City Council December 13, 1982 Page 3
B. Proposal to Restructure Human Rights Commissions (memo, ordinance,
- additional information distributed)
Mr. Gleason introduced Marge Beck, Director of Council and Community Services.
Ms. Beck noted that at the December 8, 1982, council meeting she had explained
the process that had been used in developing the restructuring proposal before
the council. She said that the proposal before the council included one element
that would require adoption by the council to make changes to the City Code and
one element that contained procedural rules or bylaws to be adopted by the human
rights commissions themselves. Ms. Beck said that the first element involved
minor changes to the structure of the commissions. She said one of the proposal s
was to change the title of the Commission on the Rights of the Handicapped to
the Commission on the Rights of the Disabled, since "disabled" was a more widely
accepted term. She said the proposed change to Section 2.260(2} of the code
would reduce the number of commissioners from the present 9 per commission to
the proposed 7 per commission. Ms. Beck said there had been some misunderstanding
between staff members and commissioners regarding the term of office for
commi ss i oners. She said staff thought commissioners had concurred with the
staff preference of two-year terms for commissioners, but that this was not the
case . She indicated some commissioners would likely testify to the council on
this matter during the public hearing.
Ms. Beck then referred to a proposed change to Section 2.260(3}(b} of the
ordinance and said this was a technical amendment to the definition of the
Commission on the Rights of Minorities to make the language of the City Code
consistent with the language of national legislation regarding fair employment
. practi c es. She said that the proposed change to Section 2.270 called for
eliminating the present ten-member Human Rights Council and replacing it with a
five-member Presi dents' Council made up of the presi dents of the fi ve commi ssi ons.
She said the Presidents' Council would have certain supervisory duties in
monitoring the work of the commissions relative to established performance
criteri a.
Ms. Beck referred to Section 2.280 regarding the Youth Commission and noted that
commission would remain separate from the other four in terms of the City Code,
since, in the absence of Federal legislation dealing with discrimination against
youth, the Youth Commission would not be empowered to deal with discrimination
compl ai nts. Ms. Beck discussed other minor changes or corrections to typographical
errors in the draft document before the council.
Ms. Beck said that if the above changes were adopted by the council, staff would
return in the future with a routine resolution updating the list of City boards
and commissions.
Ms. Beck then discussed the procedural rules commissions had agreed to adopt as
a part of the restructuring. She said these included basic operating requirements
for the commissions and provided for development of yearly work plans at a
general meeting of all members of all commissions; quarterly reports from each
commission to the Presidents' Council; a required minimum performance by each
commission of two direct service activities per year; and requirements for
attendance at sponsored activities and at commission meetings.
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MINUTES--Eugene City Council December 13, 1982 Page 4
.. Ms. Beck responded to a question raised by Councilor Obie at the December 8
council meeting regarding the fiscal implications of the restructuring.
She said that the present budget for the human rights program included $7,800
for commission service activities, $4,000 for minutes recording, and salaries
for the human rights staff positions in the City Manager's Office. She noted
that the human rights staff members would be assuming new responsiblities
including oversight of fair housing and employment practices mandated as a part
of the Community Development Block Grant program. Ms. Beck sai d that the new
structure would be somewhat less expensive in that the number of commissioners
would be reduced to 35 from 45. She said the supervisory role to be executed by
the President's Council and the adoption of specific performance criteria would
make the role of the commissions clearer and reduce the demands on staff time.
Councilor Lindberg asked for more information on the funding structure for human
rights commissions' servi ce to the community. Ms. Beck said that sometimes the
commissions themselves perform direct services to the community, and sometimes
they provide funding to other groups providing services. She said that funding
guidelines were used in making decisions on funding allocations.
Public hearing was opened.
Ann Bunnenberg, 29U2 Metolius, said she was president of the Human Rights
Counc i 1 . She said commission members and staff had worked for approximately six
months to develop the proposal before the council. She said they had worked for
more effective operation of the commissions within the City structure, for
closer ties to the goals adopted by the City Council, and for more efficient
. use of staff resources. She fel t that the proposal to have the Human Rights
Presidents' Council supervise the work of the commissions, using specific
performance criteria, was an excellent one. She fel t that the seven-member
commissions would provide a good working size while still allowing adequate
representation of subgroups represented by the commissions. She favored a
three-year term for commissioners.
Robin Casey, 450 East 30th Avenue, said she was the president of the Women's
Commission. She said that group supported a three-year term for oommissioners
as providing more continuity and efficiency of operations and allowing development
of new leadership.
G. G. Goldthwaite, 2310 Van Ness Street. said he was the president of the Aging
Commission. He said that group unanimously supported retaining three-year terms
for commissioners. He commended Ms. Beck and human rights staff members Chris
Mahoney and Kent Gorham for their work on the restructuring proposal.
There being no further testimony. publiC hearing was closed.
Council or Hamel noted that commissioners desiring longer terms on the commission
could always reapply for second terms. Ms. Beck said it was the hope of those
involved in the restructuring that reappointment to commissions would not be
automatic but would be dependent on the quality of a member's previous service.
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MINUTES--Eugene City Council December 13, 1982 P ag e 5
Responding to a question from Councilor Lindberg, Ms. Beck said that there was
.- no limit on the number of terms a commissioner could serve.
Responding'to a question from Mr. Lindberg, Minority Commission members present
i ndi cated support for three-year terms on the cOlllni ss ion.
Mr. Lindberg thanked Ms. Beck, staff, and commissioners for their work and for
the excellent report. He urged commissioners to work with other community
organizations and service providers in their community service activities.
Councilors Smith, Wooten, and Ball concurred and indicated support for three-year
terms on the commission.
CB 25~5--An ordinance concerning the Human Rights Commissions,
and Youth Commission; amending Sections 2.260, 2.270,
2.280. 2.2~5 and 4.625 of the Eugene Code, 1971; and
declaring an emergency.
Mr. Obie moved, seconded by Ms. Schue, that the bill be amended to
refl ect three-year terms for commi ss i oners and to incorporate
other amendments recommended by staff, that the amended bill be
read the second time by c0uncil bill number only, wi th unanimous
consent of the council, and that enactment be considered at this
time. Roll call vote; motion carried unanimously.
Council Bill 2585 was read the second time by council bill number only.
. Mr. Obie moved, seconded by Ms. Schue, that the amended bill be
approved and given final passage. Roll call vote. All council ors
present voting aye, the bill was declared passed and numbered
19083.
C. Jefferson/Far West Refinement Plan (memo, background information
distributed)
Recommended approval by Planning Commission November 22, 1982 Vote--6 :0
Mr. Gleason introduced Teresa Bishow, Planning. Ms. Bishow said that the
Jefferson/Far West refinement planning process had been initiated in the fall of
198u. She said that the planning team had consisted of two representatives of
the business community, representatives from the two neighborhood groups, one
representative from Ida Patterson Community School, one representative of the
Lane County Fairgrounds, one representative of religious facilities in the plan
area, and an ex-officio representative from the 4-J School District. She sai d
that in August 1982, 3,50u copies of the plan were mailed to property owners and
addresses in the pl an area. She said that the neighborhood groups had held
information sessions on the plan and had recommended the plan to the Planning
Commission, with proposed revisions. Ms. Bishow reviewed each element of the
plan. She said that the Planning Commission had discussed how to address the
issue of the impact of churches in residential neighborhoods and had recommended
as an implementation strategy that consideration be given in the zoning ordinance
update to making churches a conditional use in the R-1 and R-2 zoning districts.
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MINUTES--Eugene City Council December 13, 1982 Page 6
-- r-
e Ms. Bishow said that the transportation element of the plan primarily reflected
existing traffic patterns. She said testimony had been made at the Planning
Commission hearing by residents of the Westmoreland Family Housing Project about
the difficulty of crossing Garfield Street. She said the Planning Commission
had recommended that the plan be amended to include language in support of '
methods to alert drivers to pedestrians crossing in that area.
Ms. Bishow said that the plan designated a Garfield Commons area north of the
Amazon Canal and west of Chambers Street. She said that land in this area had
been purchased by the City in the past for an expressway and that when plans for
the expressway were abandoned, the land had been turned over to the jurisdiction
of the Parks Department.
She said that the planning team had used a bird's-eye view map, referred to as
the "Big Map", of the area in its work and had recommended use of such a map in
all City land use referrals. She said the Pl anning Commi ssi on had recommended
that the Citizen Involvement Committee review this recommendation.
She said that at the neighborhood hearings it had been agreed to add a
recommendation that the raising of chickens and small livestock be allowed in
the plan area as an economic development measure.
Ms. Bishow concluded her presentation by noting that the plan contained proposed
strategies for implementing the policies and said that some of these strategies
were already being pursued by the neighborhoods.
e Public hearing was opened.
Kitty Murdoch, 1040 West 16th Avenue, said she was the chairperson of the
Jefferson Area Neighbors. She expressed pleasure with the smooth process
involved in development of the plan and the fact that there were few contro-
versies. Speaking as an individual, Ms. Murdoch referred to page 57 of the plan
draft and asked that material be added recognizing Jefferson Pool as an important
community resource which shoul d be supported until it can be repl aced by another
central city pool.
Mel Jackson, 2006 Grant Street, said he was the chairperson of the Far West
Neighborhood Association. He said that group supported the adoption of the
plan. He said the group was concerned with the possible impacts of the proposed
Chambers Connector on the neighborhood.
Gordon Elliott, 93~ Jefferson Street, said that he owned property in the plan
area that was designated in the plan for use by a major religious facility.
He requested that the draft be amended to provide RP Residential/Professional
zoning for the property, since he felt this would be the best use for the land.
John Etter, City of Eugene Department of Parks and Recreation, appreciated the
planning team's cooperation with the Eugene Public Library and hoped that the
neighborhoods could work with the Parks and Public Works departments in develop-
ment of the Garfield Commons and Amazon Channel areas.
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MINUTES--Eugene City Council December 13, 19~2 Page 7
e There being no further testimony, public hearing was closed.
Responding to a question from Councilor Wooten, Ms. Murdoch said that she would
take her concerns about Jefferson Pool to the Jefferson Area Neighborhood
Association. Ms. Murdoch said that, unfortunately, there had not been a quorum
of the neighborhood group present to take action on the Jefferson Pool issue at
the group's last meeting.
Councilor Wooten asked if the planning team had considered "'Ir. Elliote s request.
Ms. Bishow responded that the planning team had discussed allowing office use on
arterial streets in the plan area and had made a conscious decision not to
recommend this since the groups did not want to promote new commerciar-strip
development on the basis of traffic volume. She referred to page 22 of the pl an
draft and notea that if the land in question were to be developed at a more
intense use than single-family residential, the plan policies would indicate
intensification through increased residential density, not office use.
Responding to a question from Councilor Wooten, "'Is. Bishow said that the planning
team had discussed the Jefferson Pool issue and that a statement in the Public
Services and Facilities Element (p. 59) of the plan called for promoting efficient
use of public facilities and resources. She noted that at the time of the
planning team's deliberations it had been hoped that a new city pool might be
built in the downtown area. Councilor Lindberg noted that last year's City
budget had included funds for a feasibility study of the costs of maintaining
and upgrading City pools.
e Councilor Obie asked Ms. Bishow the intent of implementation strategy 10.6 on
page 68 of the plan draft, calling for establishment of a neighborhood center.
Ms. Bishow responded that some neighborhoods have centers with meeting and
office space and that the planning team felt this was something to aim for.
Councilor Obie said he had no difficulty with neighborhoods operating out of
existing facilities, but he did not feel that the cost of a separate facility
should be added to the tax burden. Ms. Bishow said it would be possible to
remove item 10.6 and reminded councilors that the implementation strategies were
only suggestions and would not be carried out unless recognized as desirable and
found to be feasible. Councilor Obi e suggested that the statement be suppl emented
to read that such centers woul d be created onl y "without creating on-going
costs to the City". Councilor Wooten questioned this phrasing and pointed out
that no neighborhood groups were using City funds for their centers. She sai d
centers were funded through moneys raised by the neighborhood groups and/or
through Community Development Block Grant funds. Councilor Obie felt that
Neighborhood Improvement Program (NIP) funds could be put to better uses than
funding neighborhood centers. Ms. Wooten said neighborhood groups may feel
using NIP funds for centers is a high priority. Councilor Lindberg said that
one neighborhood group was currently operating out of the Lincoln School building.
He said the plan draft contained no specific proposal for a neighborhood center,
just a suggestion. Councilor Obie felt if there was no specific proposal, the
item could be eliminated from the plan.
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t>'IINUTES--Eugene City Council December 13, 1982 Page 8
e Councilor Lindberg said he supported Ms. Murdoch's suggestions on inserting
findings, a policy, and implementation strategies recognizing the importance of
Jefferson Pool as a neighborhood resource. Regarding the recommendation of the
Planning Commission for consideration of a change in the treatment of church use
in the Zoning Ordinance, Mr. Lindberg noted that one church in the plan area was
planning a 1,200 to 5,000 seat expansion. He therefore wondered if the matter
should be considered with more immediacy than it would receive if deferred until
the zoning ordinance update. Ms. Bishow responded that the expansion plans of
the Faith Center were long-range plans and that, since development was not
imminent, the matter could be deferred to consideration of the residential
module of the the planned ordinance update, which would likely be considered in
the spring of 1983.
Responding to a question from Councilor Lindberg, Ms. Sishow said that staff
would return with suggestions for specific language to address the problem
identified at the Planning Commission hearing regarding safe pedestrian access
on Garfield Street.
Councilor Schue said she was concerned, given the overall picture of the City's
financial future, that insertion of text in the plan regarding Jefferson Pool
might give area residents false hopes regarding the City's commitment to maintaining
a pool on this property. Councilor Wooten noted that the plan already contained
items regarding future improvements to Westmoreland and Kaufman Centers and said
it seemed clear that inclusion of these statements did not indicate any commitment
of funds on the part of the city.
e Councilors agreed to hold consideration of this item over until staff could
return with proposed specific wording for amendments discussed by the council.
D. Eugene's Capital Improvement Program (memo, background information
distributed)
Recommended approval by Planning Commission November 22, 1982 Vo te--6 : 0
~lr. Gleason introduced Kirk McKinley, Planning. Mr. McKinley said that the
Capital Improvement Program (CIP) dealt with the capital side of the City's
budget as opposed to the operating budget. He said that capi tal projects were
defined as projects or aggregate of projects or purchase of land greater than
$25,000 or purchase of equipment valued at greater than $100,000. He revi ewed
the CIP document and its listing of fundable projects based on September 1982
proj ected revenues. He said criteria used in selecting projects recommended for
inclusion in the 1983-84 budget included implementation of the City's economic
diversification program, maintenance of the City's existing infrastructure,
enhancement of operating efficiency, and meeting City Council goals. He sai d
additional funding was needed for the second phase of the West Eugene Sewer
Trunk Line ($1.8 million) and for expansion of the tenninal at Mahlon Sweet
Airport, Phase One ($6 million). Mr. McKinley said that the program had been
reviewed by the Economic Diversification Task Team, the Joint Committee on
Economic Development, the Revenue and Taxation Subcommittee of the Eugene
Chamber of Commerce, and the Eugene Neighborhood Leaders Association.
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MINUTES--Eugene City Council December 13, 1982 Page 9
.
He said the Planning Commission had held a public hearing on the plan and
e recommended it to the council with the suggestions that the council seek establish-
ment of a continuous, long-range capital funding source for the future and that
neighborhood need requests in the future be timed to fit into the CIP process.
The following materials were entered into the record: a letter from Leslie
Whitelaw regarding proposed improvements to Dillard Road; a letter from O. E.
and Louise Elroy, also regarding proposed improvements to Dillard Road; the
staff notes, which included reference to timing of neighborhood needs requests;
and a December 9, 1982, staff memorandum regarding inclusion in the CIP of funds
for acquisition of property at 8th Avenue and High Street.
Councilor Wooten asked how the timing of neighborhood need request responses had
gotten out of synchronization with the CIP. Mr. McKinley and Interim Planning
Director Jim Farah said that last year the CIP process had been elongated into
the following calendar year. They said that neighborhood need requests were a
part of the budget process but not of the CIP. Mr. Farah said that since the
change in timing of the CIP, the two processes did not mesh. He said that this
would be rectified in the future. Mr. Gleason said that last year there had
been criticism of the fact that the CIP and the budget process had not meshed,
so changes in timing had been made. He said the timing of the neighborhood
needs requests now needed to be restructured so that it meshed with the CIP and
budget processes.
Councilor Wooten reviewed page 14 of the eIP. She felt there was a need to
identify funds to be used and indicate which items were self-funding. Assistant
e City Manager David Whitlow said that explanations of each fund were given on
pages 5 and 6 of the CIP. He said that of the eight or nine funds in the
capital budget, only one was undedicated, Fund 312 (Federal Revenue Sharing
Fund). He said that Fund 312 contained 50 percent of the Federal revenue-sharing
moneys for the next year. Ms. Wooten asked if the $4.2 million bond issue
listed in Fund 331 was limited to use on particular sites. Mr. Whitlow said
there was some flexibility with use of these funds. He noted that Fund 331 was
in its final year.
Responding to a question from Councilor Wooten, Irv Berman, Public Works Planning,
said that the office of Superintendent of School District 4-J had requested
construction of sidewalks on Dillard Road from Hilyard Street to West Amazon,
based on a recommendation from the School Safety Task Force. He said that
before final design of the project, staff would analyze the minimum amount of
sidewalk needed. He said staff would work with the school district to determine
where children in the area would be walking. Ms. Wooten asked if information
was available on the number of accidents in the area. Mr. Berman said that he
did not have that information and added that he believed the district's request
was based on prior use and use which has occurred since Dunn School had been
closed and on concern for students walking across Amazon to reach Ellis Parker
School.
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MINUTES--Eugene City Council December 13, 1982 Page 10
e Mr. Gleason compared this request with a previous request regarding the Lorane
Highway area and said he believed that the school district hoped to eliminate
the need for busing children to school by assuring a safe sidewalk system.
Councilor Schue asked staff to determine whether this was the case and whether
the school district was now busing children to Ellis Parker because it believed
sidewalks were unsafe.
Public hearing was opened.
Thomas Bellamy, 3970 Dillard Road, said this was the first time citizens had had
an opportunity to address the council regarding the proposed improvements to
Dillard Road. He said ~sidents of the area agreed safety of children was
important but saw no children using Dillard Road at present and therefore
wondered if the proposed widening of the street and construction of sidewalks,
storm sewers, and bike paths was really needed. He said children could get to
Ellis Parker School without using Dillard Road. He believed that the proposed
improvements would create safety hazards on the street. He said that since 1975
automobiles had been able to use West Amazon as a connection from Hilyard Street
to Fox Hollow Road and that improvements were therefore not needed on Dillard to
accommodate through traffic.
William Ayres, 3980 Dillard Road, said those who live on this portion of Dillard
feel the proposed widening of the street would not increase safety. He said
through automobile traffic should be encouraged to use the West Amazon connection
between Hilyard and Fox Hollow. He said his already steep driveway would be
affected by the widening.
e Ray Klein, 3990 Dillard Road, asked that this portion of Dillard be
closed to through traffic. He said widening Dillard would encourage cars to use
that street as a connection between Hilyard and Fox Hollow, thereby increasing
traffic past the Good Samaritan Nursing Home. He said school children from Dunn
cross Dillard at a blind curve to go down 39th Avenue. He felt it would therefore
be safer to close the street and noted that street closings had been done on the
east side of Amazon for safety near Ellis Parker School.
Jessie ACklen, 3990 Dillard Road, said she had lived in the area since 1914.
She said there had not been any accidents on Dillard Road. She said that
widening the road would hurt an historically significant old coach house on the
street.
Don Kimmel, 3105 Lincoln, referred to page 60 of the CIP and asked in which
columns the General Fund items were located. He questioned whether providing
weatherization was cost-effective and asked how the amounts allocated for
weatherization had been determined.
Leslie Whitelaw Scott, 3977 Dillard Road, said that at the Planning Commission
hearing on the CIP she had used a map to show existing routes for children from
the Fox Glen and Dunn areas to get to Ellis Parker School. She said there is an
existing safe route, with sidewalks and bike paths. She felt the widening of
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MINUTES--Eugene City Council December 13, 1982 Page 11
. ,
e Dillard, which has a sharp dip at one point and a blind, sharp curve, would
create safety hazards. Ms. Scott sai d she 1 i ved in the 01 d co ach house referred
to by Ms. Acklen. She said if the street were improved, the sidewalk would be
ten feet from the front door of the house, or, taking into consideration the
10-foot slope easement, one foot inside the existing house. She said there was
no way to design improvements with two separate directional bike lanes on
Dillard and suggested that bikes should use East and West Amazon.
There being no further testimony, the public hearing was closed.
Mr. Gleason responded to Mr. Kimmel's questions. He sa i d that the General Fund
dollars were shown in Fund 312. He said that two years ago the Budget Committee
had asked that one quarter of federal revenue-sharing funds be removed cumulatively
each year. He said this was discretionary money in the budget. He said that
items in the capital budget were not line items and that estimated figures were
therefore used. Mr. Gleason said each individual project would have a separate
planning, design, and budgeting process. He said the proposed weatherization
would be accomplished through requests for proposals, a feasibility statement,
and letting of bids. Counc i 1 or Wooten asked if the City were el i gi b 1 e for
weatherization funds from the Bonneville Power Administration. Mr. Gleason
responded affi rmatively and said that $100,000 in BPA funds had been used for
weatherization this year but that City funds also had been used.
Mr. Gleason said he would recommend that staff not respond to specific design
questions raised in testimony on the Dillard Road improvements, since he did not
feel that level of detail was appropriate at the CIP stage.
,_ Councilor Smith said the need for the Dillard Road project should be reviewed by
staff. She asked staff to gather that infonnation and return to the council for
direction on proceeding with or eliminating the project.
Councilor Obie said he had several questions for staff and suggested that the
council hold over consideration of the CIP until his and other councilors'
questions could be answered. He was concerned with inclusion of $75,000 in the
CIP for construction at Fire Station #6 when the City was unable to meet operating
and staffing expenses for satellite stations. He referred to the item for
lighting of the Amazon Bike Path and noted that the path is currently in disrepair.
He felt funds should be used to fix the path as opposed to lighting it. Council or
Obie referred to an item for construction of the Fern Ridge bike path from
Beltline Road to Bertelsen Road. He questioned whether the amount of $60,000
was sufficient to build this path. He asked what bicycle arrangements would be
made from Bertelsen to Bailey Hill Road. Mr. Obie said he did feel the City
should proceed with the Dillard Road project without further infonnation and
justification.
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tlIINUTES--Eugene City Counci 1 December 13, 1982 Page 12
, ' .
e-^ Mayor Keller asked staff to report back at the council IS first meeting in
January on questions raised during the discussion. He noted that those who had
testified on the CIP would have several other opportunties to testify if the
Dillard Road project were placed in the CIP, including neighborhood ~view
hearings, a hearing before the City Council Hearing Panel, and a possible
hearing before the full council.
Councilor Schue urged council members to tour the Dillard Road area.
The meeting was adjourned to December 15, 1982.
Respectfully submitted,
~~-
Micheal D. Gleason
City Manager
(Recorded by Darcy Marentette)
MDG:DCM:dcm/CM8a1
.'"
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MINUTES--Eugene City Council December 13, 1982 Page 13
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