HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC Newsletter - 07/21/05EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER
July 21, 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
TWO - WEEK EDITION
EUGENE NAMED ONE OF THE BEST WALKING CITIES IN AMERICA
OFAM 2005: COLE PORTER - NIGHT AND DAY
JOURNAL FEATURES EUGENE'S SUSTAINABILITY EFFORTS
RECREATION SERVICES PROVIDES ACTIVITIES FOR MIGRANT EDUCATION PROGRAM
EPL EN ESPANOL
Eu.qene Named One of the Best Walkinq Cities in America
Put on your walking shoes! The weather is great, so get out and enjoy Eugene, recently named the #8
Best Walking City in America by the American Podiatric Medical Association. Dr. Andrew Schink, along
with five other doctors presented Mayor Kitty Piercy with the award on behalf of the APMA to recognize
Eugene as one of ten U.S. cities most conducive to walking.
In the annual competition, two hundred cities are ranked by an independent research company using 14
direct measures of walking, including the percentage of the population that walks for fitness or exercise,
the percentage of hikers or backpackers, and the percentage of people who walk or bike to work. The
award celebrates the idea of walking as an inexpensive, enjoyable form of exercise and rewards cities
that strive to make their communities walker-friendly. The top ten cities in rank order are: Arlington, VA;
San Francisco, CA; Seattle, WA, Portland, OR; Boston, MA; Washington, D.C; New York, NY; Eugene;
Jersey City, NJ; and Denver, CO. For more information on the 2005 Best Walking Cities competition,
see www.apma.or~q.
OFAM 2005: Cole Porter- Niqht and Day
"Birds do it. Bees do it. Even educated fleas do it. Let's do it. Let's fall in love!"
Audiences will fall in love with Oregon Festival of American Music's 2005
summer festival celebrating the music of Cole Porter. The opening gala
concert "All of You," on August 4, will take place in the Silva Concert Hall and
features renowned jazz vocalist Anne Hampton Callaway accompanied by
Dick Hyman on piano. The festival continues with five performances of the
musical farce "Anything Goes" on the Silva Stage August 6, 7, 9, 10 and 12.
Another side of Cole Porter will be showcased on August 11 with an evening
of "classical" interpretations of his songs by Grammy-winning soprano Sylvia
McNair, a rare talent who is at home both on grand operatic stages and in
intimate cabarets. The festival closes on August 13 with a final Cole Porter
blow-out under the stars at the Cuthbert Amphitheater. Dick Hyman,
saxophonist Harry Allen, and other special guests join OFAM's Emerald City Jazz Kings for a fabulous
evening. For more information, contact the Hult Center Ticket Office at 682-5000.
Journal Features Euqene's Sustainability Efforts
An article by Assistant City Manager Jim Carlson and consultant Joshua Proudfoot entitled, "Managing
and Reporting Sustainability Progress in City Operations" is featured in the Spring/Summer edition of
Sustain magazine. The article highlights the sustainability resolution adopted by the City Council in
February 2000, and outlines the City's innovative and multifaceted efforts to implement the principles set
forth in the resolution. City programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, expand the City's "green
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July 21,2005
fleet," reduce solid waste, and increase recycling are described, as are the City's nationally recognized
West Eugene Wetlands program and the Wastewater Division's Environmental Management System.
In the article, Carlson and Proudfoot focus on the importance of measuring performance on sustainability
issues and increasing accountability and public awareness by reporting results, noting that "Public
reporting of sustainability performance is an effective method for promoting goodwill in the community
and with the most interested stakeholders." Proudfoot's firm, Good Company, was hired to conduct a
review of the City's efforts for internal management purposes as well as to produce a public reporting
document. The journal includes a complete reproduction of the resulting document, "The City of Eugene
and Sustainability." Proudfoot and Carlson conclude the article saying, "The City of Eugene has a lot to
be proud of. It also has a long way to go... By measuring and reporting our success, we build trust
with the internal and external stakeholders that give us room and time to continually improve."
Sustain, a Journal of Environmental and Sustainability Issues, is a quarterly publication of the Kentucky
Institute for the Environment and Sustainable Development, University of Louisville, Kentucky. Other
cities featured in the Green Cities issue are Austin, TX; Portland, OR; New York, NY; and Louisville, KY.
For more information, contact Jim Carlson at 682-5524 or Joshua Proudfoot at Good Company,
www.goodcompany.com "The City of Eugene and Sustainability" brochure can be found on the City's
website, www.eugene-or.gov, by clicking on the "Residents" tab at the top of the home page and going to
the "Sustainability Documents" section at the bottom left of the page.
Recreation Services Provides Activities for Miqrant Education Proqram
Each July, Lane Education Service District
(Lane ESD) conducts a month-long migrant
education program that serves between 175 and
200 migrant students. The program hires
primarily bilingual teachers and aides to teach
and assist students, ages 4 to 14 years, who
have been identified as having reading, writing,
and math needs.
One important aspect of this summer education
program is its "recreation day." As the State
does not allocate money for recreation, the
program must rely on donations. This week, at
the Regional Sports Center in Springfield,
Eugene Recreation Services facilitated the
"recreation break" by supervising and assisting
175 children with arts and crafts activities and
sports, including basketball, volleyball, soccer and in-line skating. Recreation Services Outdoor Program
staff also participated by taking a class of migrant education students who are studying rivers on a river
excursion, to provide firsthand knowledge about our area waterways.
City of Eugene Recreation Services, Willamalane Park and Recreation District, Springfield School
District, Lane ESD and the Regional Sports Center all collaborated to provide migrant students with this
wonderful opportunity for fun and exercise. For more information, contact Youth and Family Recreation
Services Program Manager Sandy Shaffer at 682-6348
EPL En Espa~ol
This summer, the Eugene Public Library (EPL) has been getting the word out en espa~ol! When Adult
Services Librarian Lorie Vik contacted popular Spanish-language radio station La X to inquire about
setting up a guest appearance, she was invited to replace the morning's guest, who had just cancelled!
Without a moment's hesitation, Vik spent an hour on-air, chatting in Spanish with the host about all that
the Library offers including the variety of books, films, music, and events; Summer Reading programs
and the importance of reading at all ages; the El Gozo de Leer (Joy of Reading) program for parents of
infants; computer classes in Spanish; and the basics of where to find the Library's three facilities and how
to get a library card.
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July 21,2005
El Norte, Eugene/Springfield's newspaper "en espaRol para la comunidad latina," featured EPL as its
cover story, complete with photos. The entire front page of the July issue is dedicated to EPL, with
information about its Summer Reading for All Ages programs, including the fun, educational events for
kids and teens.
One measure of these outreach efforts' success can be seen in increasing participation in Intercambio,
the English/Spanish "conversation circles" for adults and teens at the Downtown Library. Currently
offered the 2nd Tuesday of each month, from 6:30 - 8:00 p.m., (the same time as the bilingual Hora de
DiversiOn (Fun Time) for elementary-age kids), Intercambio will increase to twice monthly in
September--the 2nd and 4th week of each month due to its popularity.
In addition to the contacts mentioned above, EPL has placed Intercambio placards inside LTD buses and
distributed flyers at gatherings. At July's Intercambio, new participants were asked how they had heard
about the program. Their responses spoke to the value of pursuing many avenues of publicity: one new
visitor found Intercambio through a Google search, another learned of it in casual conversation while on
an errand at the bank, and another saw a poster at her child's school. EPL greatly appreciates the
support of community leaders and partners such as Centro LatinoAmericano, La X, KLCC, El Notre,
Mercado Latino, Lane Community College, and Eugene School District 4-J in spreading the news about
everything people can find at their Library. For more information, contact Eugene Public Library at
682-5450.
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