HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council Newsletter - 11/30/06
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER
November 30, 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
PERMIT AND INFORMATION CENTER EXPANDS ONLINE SERVICES
CODE AMENDMENT OPEN HOUSE SCHEDULED
DOWNTOWN EUGENE GEARS UP FOR HOLIDAYS
NEIGHBORHOOD TO SAY FAREWELL TO ‘LEMON TREE’ AND PLANT NEW TREES IN PARK
CAMPBELL CENTER KICKS OFF HOLIDAYS
FIRE & EMS ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES STAFF COMPLETE TRAINING
ADAPTIVE RECREATION HOLDS “ART CAREERS” SHOW AND SALE ON DECEMBER 1
COLLABORATIVE HIGH-RISE STRUCTURE FIRE TRAINING
AROUND THE CITY
Permit And Information Center Expands Online Services
The City of Eugene has teamed up with Lane County and the City of Springfield to provide contractors
with streamlined building permit services accessible at any hour of the day or night.
The three local jurisdictions join cities and counties throughout the state in offering online permitting
through BuildingPermits.Oregon.gov, the state’s e-permitting Web site. This online application will allow
contractors to purchase plumbing, mechanical and electrical permits from Lane County and the cities of
Eugene and Springfield from their office or home.
Many contractors are doing business with all three agencies and current processes require that
customers visit each jurisdiction separately. The new program will make all three jurisdictions services
available for customers, 24-7.
The site has a number of features available with a few clicks of a mouse and strokes on a keyboard,
including:
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an address locator that indicates the building department responsible for a project;
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downloadable plumbing, mechanical and electrical permits from participating jurisdictions;
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an option to purchase permits for minor electrical, plumbing and residential mechanical installations
that can be used anywhere in the state; and,
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links to permit forms and contact information of participating jurisdictions.
The state launched www.BuildingPermits.Oregon.gov in late May 2005 as part of Governor Ted
Kulongoski’s Regulatory Streamlining Initiatives. There was a pilot program that included the cities of
Beaverton, Hillsboro, Milwaukie and Portland; and Clackamas and Washington counties.
The online permitting program is one of two e-permitting Web sites providing regional services for
multiple jurisdictions and the first program nationally to provide such services on a statewide basis.
Online permitting is an additional service the City is providing to be more accessible to the public. Others
include an online permit tracking system that allows contractors, owners and designers to view plan
review and inspection results from the convenience of their homes and offices – as well as telephone
and online systems for scheduling and cancelling inspections.
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 1
November 30, 2006
The customers using City services are diverse and have different needs. Staff is continuously evaluating
programs and information resources to help ensure they are useful and more accessible – whether it’s by
phone fax, online or in person. For more information, please contact Building and Permit Services
Manager, Marsha Miller at 682-5224 or marsha.a.miller@ci.eugene,or.us.
Code Amendment Open House Scheduled
In 2001, the City of Eugene completed a multi-year process resulting in the adoption of a major update of
the City’s land use code. Since its adoption, City staff and community members have had an opportunity
to assess the effectiveness of the updated code. The City is now asking the community to make
suggestions on how the land use code can be further improved. This process will commence with an
open house on Thursday, December 7, 2006, at 4 p.m. in the Bascom-Tykeson Room at the Eugene
Public Library. The open house will provide the first of several forums for the community to share their
ideas for improving the land use code. For more information on the Code Amendment Project, visit the
City’s webpage at www.eugeneplanning.org (click on “Code Amendments” tab), or contact Steve
Nystrom, project manager, at 541-682-8385 or steven.a.nystrom@ci.eugene.or.us.
Downtown Eugene Gears Up for Holidays
The holiday glow in downtown Eugene will shine even brighter starting this Friday evening, December 1.
That’s when several organizations have planned events to spread holiday cheer in downtown.
To start off the evening at 5:15 p.m., Downtown Eugene, Inc., (DEI) will host a tree-lighting ceremony on
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the northeast corner of 8 and Oak in the park blocks. Eugene City Councilor Andrea Ortiz will flip the
switch to illuminate a live tree with holiday lights. DEI has also compiled a list of holiday gift needs from
Looking Glass New Roads homeless youth and will encourage tree-lighting ceremony attendees to
choose a need from the list and return to the DEI office by December 15.
Following the lighting ceremony, First Friday ARTWalk will begin at DIVA, 110 W. Broadway St., at
5:30 p.m. December 1 is World Aids Day and DIVA will feature art that highlights HIV awareness. Diane
Lang, executive director of HIV Alliance, will lead the tour. Also taking place on December 1 is the third
annual Downtown Holiday Party organized by the Downtown Merchants’ Association. Participating stores
will stay open late, until at least 8 p.m., and many will offer sales, live music, art, trunk shows and
refreshments. Businesses hosting the party include Footwise, Letterhead, Harlequin, Freudian Slip, Nick
& Nora’s, Passionflower, Perugino, Goldworks, Vintage Home, Footloose, Glamour Girl, Poppi’s
Anatolia, The Kiva and the Oregon Wine Warehouse. For more information, contact Russ Brink at
Downtown Eugene Inc., (541) 343-1117.
Neighborhood to Say Farewell to ‘Lemon Tree’ and Plant New Trees in Park
The West University Neighborhood Association
(WUN) plans to say farewell this Saturday,
December 2, at 2:00 p.m., to the “Lemon Tree,” a
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big leaf maple at 13 Avenue and Mill Street that
has been scheduled for removal as a hazard tree
by City urban forestry staff. The adjacent
homeowner, Charlotte Lemon, who died recently,
cared for the tree for decades.
Neighborhood leaders asked that the removal be
delayed until the tree could be discussed at a
monthly WUN meeting. Local arborist Alby
Thoumsin, president of the Eugene Tree
Foundation, and Mark Snyder, City urban forester,
spoke at the October and November meetings,
describing the health, condition and safety
problems posed by the tree, whose trunk and roots are decayed, leaving the tree unstable. The tree will
be removed by City contractors next week and a replacement tree will be planted a few feet away. The
farewell ceremony will include old photos and a discussion of the history of the tree and neighborhood.
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2
November 30, 2006
For more information about the ceremony, go to www.drix.com. Following the ceremony, residents will
join City NeighborWoods and Tree Steward volunteers in planting new trees at the West University Park,
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on 14 Avenue at Hilyard Street. For more information, contact Urban Forester Mark Snyder at
mark.r.snyder@ci.eugene.or.us or 682-4819.
Campbell Center Kicks Off Holidays
Campbell Community Center began the holiday season on November 18 with its annual Holiday Bazaar.
The opening day raised more than $4,000—a $500 increase over last year. The proceeds go to the
center’s trust fund and will be used to purchase major equipment items not covered by the City’s General
Fund. Last year’s funds helped upgrade the computer room. The bazaar continues for the next couple
of weeks with remaining items for sale in the lobby.
More than 100 seniors attended Campbell’s annual Thanksgiving Turkey Dinner on November 22. The
traditional dinner, which includes “all the trimmings,” helps to promote friendship and fellowship among
patrons. Campbell Center staff enlisted the help of the Eugene School District to cook the turkeys, and
dozens of volunteers to serve the food. For more information, contact Campbell Community Center
Manager Yvaughn Tompkins at 682-6315.
Fire & EMS Administrative Services Staff Complete Training
Sudden cardiac arrest can happen to anyone, anytime,
anywhere. The likelihood of successful resuscitation
decreases 10% for each minute that passes without
defibrillation. With this in mind, the Eugene Fire & EMS
Department is pleased to announce the completion of CPR
and Automated External Defibrillator (AED) training for all
department employees. EMS Chief JoAnna Kamppi and
Paramedic Monica Hull provided training to Fire
Prevention, Logistics and Fire Administration staff over the
last three weeks. Additionally, EMS Training Coordinator
Karen Anderson provided CPR training to all line personnel
in March. It has been the department’s goal since CPR
guidelines were updated in March to place AEDs in
strategic locations within the department and to provide
training to all department staff in those locations. AEDs can now be found in the conference room across
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from the Fire Prevention Office at 13 and Willamette, in the Logistics warehouse and in the front lobby
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of the Emergency Services Center Training Building, both at 2 and Chambers.
Additionally, AEDs are sited throughout all other City organization locations. Eugene Fire & EMS hopes
that other departments understand the importance of providing training to staff at each location. City
employees trained in CPR and the use of AEDs can assist emergency responders in making the
community a safer place to be, as well as promoting this essential life-saving training. For more
information, please contact EMS Chief JoAnna Kamppi at 682-7130.
Adaptive Recreation Program Holds “Art Careers” Show and Sale on December 1
The semi-annual Art Careers Show and Sale will be held from 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. on
Friday, December 1, at the Hilyard Community Center, 2580 Hilyard Sreet. The show
features cards, prints, pictures, and jewelry made by Art Careers students in the City
of Eugene’s Adaptive Recreation Program.
The program provides individuals with developmental and/or physical disabilities an
opportunity to practice and create marketable art. All proceeds go directly to the
artist. For more information, contact Hilyard Center Recreation Programmer Molly
Elliot at 682-5311.
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 3
November 30, 2006
Collaborative High-Rise Structure Fire Training
The Eugene Fire & EMS Department will be conducting joint training with the Springfield Fire & Life
Safety Department this week. A three-day class has been developed in which both fire departments will
receive updated training on strategy and tactics as they pertain to high-rise structures. Firefighters
consider any buildings with four or more stories as a high-rise structure, and this presents unique
challenges with fire suppression and occupant rescue.
The class is being taught by a chief officer from the Portland Fire Bureau and will be held at the National
Guard Armory on MLK Boulevard. In addition to the off-duty personnel that will attend, this centrally
located facility will allow both departments to send selected on-duty fire companies for training while still
being available for emergency response. For more information, please contact A/Deputy Chief
Operations Randy DeWitt at 682-7130.
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 4
November 30, 2006