HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council Newsletter - 02/15/07
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER
February 15, 2007
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
DETECTIVE RECOGNIZED AS OREGON ARSON INVESTIGATOR OF THE YEAR
JAPANESE AMERICAN MEMORIAL TO BE DEDICATED FEBRUARY 19
2007 AFFORDABLE HOUSING REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
FIREFIGHTER/PARAMEDIC LATERAL RECRUIT ACADEMY
KIDSPORTS BURGLARY SOLVED
ADVANCED TESTING PROGRAM FOR PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT
CITY NEWS AND EVENTS AVAILABLE AS WEB NEWS FEED
MEET READIN' IN THE RAIN AUTHOR - FREE TALK AT HULT CENTER
AROUND THE CITY
Detective Recognized as Oregon Arson Investigator of the Year
For his dedicated and successful work on arson investigation and the prevention of construction industry
theft and vandalism, Eugene Police Detective Bob Holland has been named tops in the state by two
separate Oregon agencies.
The Oregon Chapter of the International Association of Arson Investigators named Detective Holland its
Arson Investigator of the Year in late fall. On February 13, Detective Holland was presented the 2007
Law Enforcement Award by the Construction Industry Crime Prevention of the Pacific Northwest, also
known at CICP.
Detective Holland, a 25-year Eugene Police veteran, has been an arson investigator for the past 10
years. He has been instrumental in numerous successful prosecutions of local arson incidents, including
the recent North Eugene High School fire and arson at a high school administrator’s residence committed
by disgruntled students. The Arson Investigator of the Year award also cited his work as one of the lead
arson investigators on the multi-agency investigation dubbed "Operation Backfire," which included
Eugene-area fires attributed to eco-terrorists. Arson investigations are highly complex and specialized
cases; they are particularly difficult crimes to solve because much of the physical evidence is destroyed
during the commission of the crime. At each arson scene, investigators must work toward solving a
complex puzzle in which many of the pieces have been destroyed.
The Law Enforcement Award recognizes Detective Holland’s instrumental work in creating partnerships
between CICP members and law enforcement, and activity in promoting cooperation for the prevention
of construction industry theft and vandalism. According to CICP, Detective Holland has been a
tremendous resource, and encourages not only other law enforcement agencies to utilize CICP but also
contractor victims to practice prevention and participate in CICP. Detective Holland frequently notifies
CICP of recovered material, often with no known owner, and he provides CICP information about various
types of metal thefts occurring in the Eugene-Springfield area so that CICP can quickly notify
contractors, recyclers and other law enforcement officials of the activity. For further information, please
contact Melinda Kletzok, Eugene Police Department, at 682-5124.
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 1
February 15, 2007
Japanese American Memorial to be Dedicated February 19
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The Japanese American Memorial “Forced Journey,” installed near the 6 Avenue entrance to the Hult
Center, will be dedicated on Monday, February 19, at noon. The memorial is a donation to the City of
Eugene from the Eugene Japanese American Art Memorial Committee. The Memorial Committee’s goal
is to publicly and collectively remember and learn from a sad chapter of American history – Executive
Order 9066, which called for the internment of Japanese-Americans during WWII. The site of the
memorial is important as it is directly across the street from where Japanese Americans living in Lane
and surrounding counties were ordered to report for transfer to internment camps.
City Manager Dennis Taylor approved the site selected for the memorial after the proposal was reviewed
by the City's interim Public Art Committee. David Gilhooly's ceramic "Performing Frogs," part of the
public art collection funded during the Hult Center's construction, were located on the site until last year.
Due to damage from weather and vandalism, the frogs were moved to the Hult Center lobby.
The Memorial honors the families interned, those who challenged the order and were thereby
imprisoned, and the young Nisei men—second-generation Japanese Americans who volunteered to
serve their country in WWII while their families remained in the internment camps. The memorial also
honors the Issei—the first-generation Japanese immigrants who helped build America, specifically on the
West Coast.
Artist David Clemons, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, created a sculpture of a little girl waiting for the train and
Kenge Kobayashi, Eugene, created three panels depicting the concepts of Justice, Perseverance and
Honor. Citizens and organizations were given the opportunity to purchase message pavers which have
also been installed as part of the memorial.
An education program will be funded to tell the story of racism, unjust incarceration, and the
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achievements of the all-Nisei 110/442 Regimental Combat Team and the Military Intelligence Service.
For further information on the memorial and education program, go to www.lane.k12.or.us/drafts/ejaam.
For other information, please contact Theresa Sizemore, Hult Center Administration, 682-5242.
2007 Affordable Housing Request for Proposals
In November, the City of Eugene issued an invitation to affordable
housing developers to apply for funds through the annual Affordable
Housing Request For Proposal. Proposals are due on February 22,
2007. Eligible proposals include those from for-profit developers,
non-profit developers, and public agencies for the development of
housing affordable to low-income households. Resources offered
through this RFP include federal and local housing subsidies.
Acceptable proposals will be reviewed by City of Eugene staff and the
Intergovernmental Housing Policy Board (HPB). The HPB
recommends proposals to be considered for funding to Eugene City
Council. The recommended proposals will be presented to the City
Council in June. Final funding decisions are made by Eugene City
Council and other appropriate governmental bodies. For further
information, please contact Stephanie Jennings, PDD, at x5529.
Firefighter/Paramedic Lateral Recruit Academy
Next week, the Eugene Fire & EMS Department will post for a Firefighter/Paramedic lateral recruit
academy. This academy, slated for a July start, will replenish staffing levels due to upcoming
retirements and unanticipated departures. For the first time in history, the Fire & EMS Department will
recruit only personnel already experienced as firefighters and paramedics. This will allow the department
to conduct a shorter, but still very comprehensive, training academy and then be able to assign the new
firefighters to fire stations more quickly. This hiring will also replace personnel vacancies that were part
of the City’s Safer Act Grant, which allowed the re-staffing of Engine Company at Station 9. For more
information please contact Acting Deputy Chief Operations Randy DeWitt at 682-7130.
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2
February 15, 2007
Kidsports Burglary Solved
Collaborative work by two Eugene Police
divisions helped solve last week's Kidsports
burglary and led to the return of much of the
equipment to the nonprofit agency.
On Friday afternoon, February 9, Eugene
Police Property Control Unit noticed a report
from a vehicle that had been impounded for
safekeeping. On that report was a list of
property that had been inventoried prior to
towing. Property Control staff, who had
watched news reports about the burglary,
noted the items were similar and notified
Eugene Police Property Crimes detectives.
Property Crimes Unit's Jay Shadwick (center) and Detective Scott Thomas
Detectives conducted an investigation over
(right) returning property to Kidsport Operations Manager Steve Rogers.
the weekend and recovered the property.
Kidsports had engraved or etched
identification on much of the property, making it easy to identify and quickly return to the nonprofit
agency on Monday, February 12.
Arrested on Burglary II was William Boyce Sommer, age 32. Police are continuing to investigate and
look for other suspects in the case; anyone with information is asked to call 682-5171. For other
information, please contact Melinda Kletzok, Eugene Police Department, 682-5124.
Advanced Testing Program for Personal Protective Equipment
In addition to addressing daily equipment and maintenance requests for the Eugene Fire & EMS
Department, the majority of efforts of Logistics Section staff are currently focused on bringing in and
processing, cleaning, inspecting, and repairing turn-outs for line personnel.
This is the beginning of the first stage of performing advanced inspections and decommissioning
turnouts that do not pass testing. Turn-outs fall under the category of personal protective equipment
(PPE) for line personnel, which meet and maintain strict National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
standards. Turn-outs cost approximately $1,500.00 per set. It is necessary to maintain them according
to national standards, which will help extend their useful life expectancy and keep responders safe.
PPEs include the following: firefighting helmet, equipped with goggles; coat; pants; leather or rubber
firefighting boots; full coverage hood; pair of firefighting gloves; and SCBA and face piece. For more
information, please contact Acting Logistics Manager Eric McGillvrey at 682-7130.
City News and Events Available as Web News Feed
City of Eugene-featured news and events, published on the City’s web home page at www.eugene-
or.gov, are available also as a syndicated news feed.
Using Real Simple Syndication (RSS) mark-up technology, updates of City news and events can be read
using any software program that aggregates RSS news feeds. Subscribers add the City news feed to
their news aggregation software list of subscribed content. The feed title is City News and Events.
(Techniques to subscribe vary by software program: see further information about news readers below.)
Once subscribed to the RSS feed, the aggregator checks for updates at user-determined intervals and
retrieves the content. This dynamic allows updates to be "pulled" to the subscriber, as opposed to
"pushed" with email. The subscriber can easily elect to unsubscribe from a feed without requesting to be
removed from a list. Updates to the City News and Events feed typically are published each week. This
initial RSS offering will allow the City to gauge community interest in using news aggregators to receive
updated content from the City’s web site.
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 3
February 15, 2007
About RSS News Readers:
Many RSS news reader software programs are available without charge on
the Internet. News readers are available that use various delivery channels to collect and present feeds;
delivery channels include email, desktop operating system (Mac, Windows, and Linux), web sites like
Yahoo or Google, web browsers and handheld devices. The City of Eugene does not recommend,
provide support for, or endorse any particular news feed channel or program.
Sample Display of City News and Events via Yahoo News Reader
For more information about the City’s News and Events RSS feed, contact Kimberly McCrea at 682-
5234.
Meet the Readin' in the Rain Author: Free Talk at Hult Center
Chris Chester, author of this year's Readin' in the Rain book,
Providence of a Sparrow, visits Eugene for a free talk, reading, and
booksigning at the Hult Center on Wednesday, February 21 at 7 p.m.
Each February, Readin' in the Rain invites Eugene/Springfield
residents to read, talk about, and celebrate one book. The project is
organized by local libraries, schools, and bookstores. The 2007
selection is Oregon Book Award winner Providence of a Sparrow:
Lessons from a Life Gone to the Birds by Chris Chester of Portland.
Providence of a Sparrow is an insightful, funny memoir in which Chester's chance meeting with a
newborn bird ultimately transformed the author’s life—and his beliefs about life. The book details an
extraordinary cross-species friendship, raising questions about animal intelligence, what pets mean to
people, and the relationship between humans and nature. Throughout February, everyone is invited to
share their views in drop-in book discussions at libraries and bookstores, and online at
www.registerguard.com/blogs/books.
Now in its sixth year, Readin’ in the Rain is a collaborative project of the Eugene Public Library,
Springfield Public Library, Lane Community College Library, University of Oregon Libraries, Northwest
Christian College, Barnes & Noble Booksellers, Borders Books, Music, & Café, and University of Oregon
Bookstore. Additional support is provided by the Hult Center for the Performing Arts, Pacific Northwest
Booksellers Association, and Smith Family Books; and thanks go to Churchill High School, Rachel
Carson Center, and The Register-Guard. For a complete calendar of free Readin' in the Rain events,
visit www.read-rain.org or call 682-5450.
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 4
February 15, 2007