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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09/12/1990 Meeting e M I NUT E S Eugene City Council Library Lecture Room--Eugene Public Library September 12, 1990 11:30 a.m. COUNCILORS PRESENT: Emily Schue, Rob Bennett, Debra Ehrman, Freeman Holmer, Ruth Bascom, Roger Rutan, Shawn Boles, Bobby Green. The adjourned meeting of September 10, 1990, of the Eugene City Council was called to order by His Honor Mayor Jeff Miller. I. WORK SESSION: CAMPGROUND PROPOSAL City Manager Mike Gleason provided a brief staff report. On August 8, 1990, the City Council heard a request to establish a campground to serve the homeless. The request was developed following the protests which took place when the Opportunity Shelter closed. The Social Goals Committee reviewed the campground proposal and is providing a progress report to the full council. e Mr. Gleason pointed out the enormous amount of staff work that has gone into this campground proposal, which is an indication of the City's interest and dedication to finding a solution to the homeless problem. He noted, however, that the proposal has many unresolved problems, particularly regarding the City's ability to manage a campground effectively. Because of these prob- lems, Mr. Gleason advised the City Council not to institute this proposal. Jan Childs, Planning and Development Department, reported on behalf of the Social Goals Committee. She noted that the Social Goals Committee has had an opportunity to review the campground proposal and has identified a variety of concerns and issues. She summarized that the Social Goals Committee believes that a campground should be a last-resort solution to homelessness in the community and finds the "night shelter" proposal a preferable alternative. Further, the committee agreed that City efforts should be concentrated on providing permanent, affordable housing within the community. Ms. Childs stated that the Westside Neighborhood Quality Project considered this proposal last night and voted 25:13 in favor of the proposal. In addi- tion, a separate vote of the Jefferson Area Neighbors was 13:12 in favor of the proposal. Mr. Boles remarked that the Social Goals Committee received minimal community response to requests for assistance with the proposed "night shelter" pro- gram. He voiced his support of the Westside Neighborhood Quality Project's e MINUTES--Eugene City Council September 12, 1990 Page 1 e vote on this issue, but noted that there appears to be a lack of support on the council for the campground proposal. He suggested that the council immediately begin discussing the "night shelter" proposal so that it would be available to serve homeless families this fall. Mr. Bennett said that the Social Goals Committee recognizes the extreme seriousness of the homelessness problem in our community. He spoke about the conflict which exists in housing provision between the needs for emergency shelter versus permanent housing. Because of the City's costs and liabili- ties associated with a campground, Mr. Bennett said that he could not support the campground as a solution to the problem. Ms. Schue concurred with Mr. Bennett on the seriousness of the housing prob- lem and agreed that a temporary campground is not the best solution. She offered her support for the "night shelter" program, recognizing that it, too, has problems. She noted that several churches have volunteered their parishes for night shelter and pointed out that homeless families will also need a minimum level of services during the day. Speaking as the council's representative on the Housing Policy Board, Ms. Bascom said that the City has a number of housing projects for low-income families which are nearing completion, evidence that the City is making some headway toward long-term housing solutions. She agreed with Mr. Bennett that funding for emergency housing should not be taken from the City's financial resources for providing permanent housing. e Mayor Miller pointed out that the campground proposal has sparked a great deal of interest and education in the housing problem in the community. He emphasized the importance of finding a solution to this problem quickly and asked about the City's ability to find temporary shelter for homeless fami- lies this winter at a level higher in quality than a campground. In re- sponse, Mr. Gleason said that the City hopes to have the "night shelter" available by Thanksgiving. Mr. Holmer stated that the homelessness issue is an immediate problem that needs an immediate solution. He advised the council that the issues of day- and night-time shelter should be addressed concurrently. Mayor Miller summarized the council's position on this issue. The council directed that the City Manager report back to the council in mid-October on the progress being made to address this problem, with the possibility of a shelter opening in late November. Mr. Miller asked that the proposed solu- tion meet the housing goals identified by the homeless mothers in their report at a higher level of quality than the campground proposal. Mr Gleason indicated that intergovernmental work on this issue has already begun. Mr. Boles moved, seconded by Ms. Schue, to instruct the City Manager to work with the Homeless Mothers Task Force and other interested parties in the community to generate a e MINUTES--Eugene City Council September 12, 1990 Page 2 e proposal for temporary shelter in the community. The con- tents of this proposal, which shall be brought back to the council by Mid-October, shall include a detailed list of both day- and night-time services, an analysis of the potential facility costs, and recommendations on how the City might pay these costs. The motion carried unanimously, 8:0. II. ITEMS FROM THE CITY COUNCIL, MAYOR, AND CITY MANAGER A. Workshop on Drug and Alcohol Abuse Mr. Green announced that the State of Oregon, in conjunction with the Commu- nity Substance Abuse Consortium (COSAC), is planning to sponsor a day- long workshop on drug and alcohol abuse on September 13, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. B. Concentration of Social Services Mr. Boles noted that a perception exists within the community that social service responsibilities are over-concentrated in west Eugene. He asked staff to provide the council with a map detailing where social services are located in the community. C. League of Oregon Cities Ms. Schue announced that she recently spoke before the Domestic Policy Coun- e cil Task Force on Wetlands at the League of Oregon Cities conference in Olympia, Washington. She attempted to educate the committee about the re- gional impact of wetland legislation. D. Chambers Communications Land Use Mr. Bennett reminded the council that several weeks ago it instructed staff to create a plan to deal with the Chambers Communications land-use problem. He noted that staff is looking at new approaches to finding a solution and will be reporting to the council soon. E. Change-of-Date Request for the Goal-Setting Session Mr. Rutan indicated that his schedule conflicts with the council's Goal-Set- ting Session previously scheduled for October 26-27 and asked the council if it would be willing to reschedule. The council directed staff to consider other possible meeting dates and agreed that if a suitable alternate could not be found, the meeting date would remained as scheduled. F. Change in Services to Community Service Organizations Mr. Rutan applauded the University of Oregon on its decision to turn its delivery of services at home football games to community service organiza- tions. He pointed out the tremendous financial benefits that this decision provides to nonprofit organizations in the community and asked the Mayor to e MINUTES--Eugene City Council September 12, 1990 Page 3 e write a letter on behalf of the council commending the University on its decision. The Mayor agreed to draft the letter. G. Flag Prohibition Mr. Holmer spoke about the recently adopted Sign Code provision which prohib- its flag-flying within the city. He noted that the City recently issued a temporary flag-flying permit to the University of Oregon to allow flag-flying at the home football games but suggested that the council consider a more permanent solution. He asked the council to consider an amendment to the Sign Code which would be crafted narrowly enough to address the University only. Mayor Miller voiced concern that such an action might be seen as unfair within the community and might create the perception that local government is not operating consistently. H. Ballot Measure 4 Mr. Holmer said that in order to protect the State's energy supply for the future, the City should urge citizens to vote no on Ballot Measure Four, regarding the continued operation of the Trojan Nuclear Plant. He urged that the Intergovernmental Relations Committee discuss this issue in the near future. Mr. Boles also suggested that the Council Committee on Infrastructure discuss e this issue. I. Literacy Coalition's Request For Funding Ms. Ehrman moved, seconded by Ms. Bascom, to direct the City Manager to proceed with the Literacy Coalition's request for funding. Mr. Holmer noted that the council received little information on the budget of the Literacy Coalition. He requested that more effort be made in the future to provide the council with all information necessary for decision- making. The motion carried unanimously, 8:0. III. LIBRARY CONCEPTUAL DESIGN City Manager Mike Gleason introduced the topic. He noted that on June 27, 1990, the council voted to prepare a site/financing/design proposal for a new Eugene Public Library to be located on the site of the former Sears Building at Charnel ton Street and lOth Avenue. The council also adopted a project time line which called for presenting a conceptual design to the community during September and October. The purpose of this meeting is to provide the council with information and proposed design variations for the library. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council September 12, 1990 Page 4 e Mr. Gleason introduced the members of the Library Board and project archi- tects: Robertson/Sherwood, SERA Architects, and Brockmeyer and McDonald. Jim Robertson, representing Robertson/Sherwood, presented the council with two versions of the library conceptual design. He summarized that the prima- ry goals behind the library expansion project were threefold: generate awareness within the community of the need for a larger library, present the library as a key community asset for education and recreation, and provide information and gather community input regarding possible Sears expansion. Mr. Robertson reminded the council that it had been determined previously that to meet current library needs, the newly expanded library would require a minimum of 100,000 square feet additional working space. Mr. Robertson emphasized the importance the council placed on public involve- ment and input into the library expansion project. He noted that the inter- active design process which has been followed encourages a great deal of outside input. Although little input has been received thus far, it is the hope of City staff that the public information sessions will address this. Mr. Robertson presented the two designs and explained that they vary primari- ly in their use of space and layout. He emphasized that the library designs being presented are concepts of what a library on this site could be--not necessarily what it will be. As further input is received, the design will change. e Mr. Robertson said that Concept A anticipates a three-story building with reinforced ceilings and a two-story, 37,000 square-foot addition to the east adjoining a 10th Avenue public plaza. Some unused space would exist in the lower level of this building, which would create the possibility of some limited expansion in the future. Mr. Robertson commented that because public functions are planned for all three levels of the building, an additional service desk would be required which increases the overhead and maintenance costs of this design. Mr. Robertson said that the total cost of Concept A would be $14,230,000. This figure includes $250,000 in land-acquisition costs and $80,000 in moving costs. Mr. Robertson said that Concept B is similar to Concept A in many respects, but utilizes a three-story addition to the east. Public library functions for Concept B would be limited to two levels, the third level being used for library operational needs only. He painted out that because of ceiling limitations, the basement of the renovated building would not be used by the public at this point. Mr. Robertson explained that the cost of concept B reflects the need for more new construction and would total approximately $14,900,000. Because of its flexibility in function, however, overhead and maintenance costs would be e MINUTES--Eugene City Council September 12, 1990 Page 5 e less for Concept B than for Concept A. Mr. Robertson stated that in Concept B, it might be possible to use the basement space for additional underground parking. The cost of this, which is not calculated into the total, would be approximately $1,273,000. Mr. Robertson noted that from a staffing standpoint, Concept B allows for a more efficient library operation and is the preferred design of the Library Board. Responding to a question from Mr. Boles, Mr. Robertson said that both con- cepts provide elevators for accessibility needs. Mr. Robertson said that the outside of the building is primarily glazed brick with colored ceramic tile and a precast concrete base. Mr. Miller pOinted out the importance of wood products in our community and asked why wood was not chosen for the exterior of the building. In response, Mr. Robertson said that brick and ceramic tile were chosen because they are low-maintenance materials and would rarely need replacing. He noted, however, that wood can playa major role in the interior library design. Mr. Boles observed that the main entrance of the proposed library building is on 10th Avenue, away from the downtown mall. He asked whether consideration was given to deepening the plaza on the other side. Mr. Robertson said that the opportunity exists to extend plaza design to the north and create a larger plaza. e Responding to a question from Mr. Miller, Mr. Robertson said that no consid- eration was given to dividing library construction into phases. Although there might be some additional costs, phased library construction would be a poss i bil ity. Mr. Holmer asked what the costs of constructing an equivalent building on another location might be. In response, Mr. Robertson agreed to provide the council with these figures. He noted that, although they are not as signifi- cant as he would like, there are cost savings associated with renovating rather than destroying the existing building. Responding to a question from Mr. Green concerning library parking, Mr. Robertson said that the architects envision a parking lot renovation to include planting strips, pedestrian walkways, and increased parking widths. The cost of parking redevelopment, which is not included in overall cost figures, would approach $200,000. In light of the current fuel situation, Mr. Boles expressed concern with increasing the size of parking spaces to accommodate less fuel-efficient cars. Ms. Bascom asked whether technological advancements in library operation such as the replacement of books by compact disks have been considered in library design needs. Mr. Robertson said that consideration has been given for the "cutting edge" of library services in the future. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council September 12, 1990 Page 6 e Ms. Ehrman asked whether it would be possible, if growth necessitated, to add an additional floor to the Sears Building in the future. Mr. Robertson said that column-stacking limitations would not allow the addition of another floor. Ms. Bascom noted that both design concepts plan for having the bookmobile on the library premises and asked whether it might be possible to move this facility elsewhere. In response, Assistant Public Librarian Carole Hildebrand said that it is important for bookmobile function to be located on the premises. Additionally, Mr. Robertson pointed out the need to have access to service vehicles on the library premises. Such an area might also provide service to future branch libraries or provide space for volunteer functions. Mr. Rutan felt that the council should present only one library design option to the public. He noted that people would not recognize a substantial dif- ference between Concepts A and B and voiced concern that presenting both designs would only confuse the public. He asked the council whether it might not want to present only one option to the public. Further, he pointed out that the council should be prepared to respond to questions about what a much less expensive option might be. Mr. Robertson said that reducing the amount of new construction is one means of reducing library costs and that a smaller building would result. Ms. Schue pointed out the importance of listening to public feedback before e selecting the most preferred library option. Ms. Bascom concurred. Mr. Bennett said that Concept A is an unsatisfactory option because of its ceiling limitations and felt that it should be eliminated from further con- sideration. He proposed that Concept B should be placed before the public with the possible inclusion of a phased-construction approach. Ms. Ehrman noted that the Sears Building was initially attractive to the council because it already provided sufficient surface parking. With this in mind, the parking option available in Concept B might generate a lot of community controversy. Mr. Miller emphasized the need for public participation in the library design process. He advised the council not to eliminate either concept without first obtaining public feedback. He also stated that library design cost will be a major concern within the community. Mr. Green agreed with Mr. Miller on the need for public feedback. Ms. Schue advised the council to present one concept, Concept B, to the community. She noted further that whatever the decision, the council needs to be genuinely responsive to public input. (At 1:25 p.m., Mayor Miller left the meeting and Councilor Schue became Chair.) e MINUTES--Eugene City Council September 12, 1990 Page 7 e IV. WORK SESSION; DEVELOPMENT SERVICES FINANCING STUDY The council postponed the agenda item due to insufficient time for discus- sion. The council requested that it be placed on the next possible agenda. V. ORDINANCE (REVISION) GRANTING AN EXCEPTION FOR OUTDOOR BURNING IN WILLOW CREEK NATURAL AREA City Manager Mike Gleason introduced the topic. CB 4245--An ordinance granting an exception to the application of Eugene Code, 1971, Section 6.200; and declaring an emergency. Mr. Bennett moved, seconded by Ms. Ehrman, that the bill, with unanimous consent of the council, be read the second time by council bill number only, and that enactment be considered at this time. Roll call vote; the motion carried unanimously, 6:0. Council Bill 4245 was read the second time by bill number only. Mr. Bennett moved, seconded by Ms. Ehrman, that the bill be e approved and given final passage. Roll call vote; with all councilors present voting aye, the bill was declared passed (and became Ordinance 19715). At 1:45 p.m., the meeting of the Eugene City Council adjourned. ~~ Mic eal Gleaso City Manager (Recorded by Traci Northman) mncc 091290-1130 - MINUTES--Eugene City Council September 12, 1990 Page 8