HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC Minutes - 04/11/01 Work Session MINUTES
Eugene City Council
Work Session
McNutt Room--City Hall
April 11, 2001
Noon
COUNCILORS PRESENT: Betty Taylor, David Kelly, Nancy Nathanson, Scott Meisner, Gary
Rayor, Gary Pap~, Bonny Bettman, Par Farr.
CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION
Mayor James D. Torrey called the meeting to order.
A. Youth Leadership Program
Evan Rutter and Steen Graham represented Sheldon High School. Mr. Steen raised the issue of students
having excessive free time, at least 83 minutes, each day. He said they spent it in various ways; some left
campus, and some wandered the halls and created a disturbance. He suggested that more credits be required of
students to eliminate large blocks of unoccupied time. Mr. Rudder noted that his concerns had been shared
with the school board. Mayor Torrey observed that he had heard the same concerns expressed by other
residents.
Mr. Rutter discussed the activities of the Sheldon Leadership Class, saying that the students were concerned
about ward redistricting. Students agreed that it would only be fair for wards to have the same population.
Mr. Steen agreed, adding that students also wanted ward geographic boundaries that made sense.
Henry Goldman of South Eugene High School discussed activities at the school, saying the school was trying
to build a student center with the assistance of University of Oregon architecture students. He said the
building was old and was designed for students to be in class at the same time. The high school cafeteria could
no longer accommodate all students at one time. Students had many free periods and there was no where to
go. Mr. Goldman said many students went off-campus. He anticipated that the student center would have
food, places to study, and possibly a student radio station. Mr. Goldman hoped that the school board would
ask the voters to fund the center. He also mentioned the South High School Peer Facilitation Program, which
brought seniors and freshmen together in peer group relationships. He said that program would also be housed
in the new student center.
Mr. Kelly commended the peer group program. Mr. Goldman said as a participant, the program personally
helped him adjust to life as a freshman.
Ms. Nathanson thought the student center sounded like a wonderful idea and commended the commitment of
students who were planning for something they would not be able to take advantage of because of the time lag
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between planning and implementation. She said it would be a legacy for Mr. Goldman's class. She said that
one does not always see the fruits of one's labors right away.
Ms. Taylor agreed with Ms. Nathanson. She suggested other high schools needed student centers too. Mr.
Goldman said discussion at his school was focused on the center's location in the school and how it could be
funded. Ms. Taylor asked if the students supported a central youth center. Mr. Goldman said it would be
"awesome" if such a center existed as students now have few places to go.
Ryan Klote and Shawnna Zinkgraf of Churchill High School joined the council. Mr. Klote said students at
Churchill High School were concerned about the school's rapid growth and how the school could accommodate
that growth. There were about 1,400 students at Churchill this year. There were very large classes for some
subjects. He said that there were fewer counselors available to an increasing number of students, and it was
hard to schedule a meeting with a counselor. Students liked the classes offered but sometimes could not get
into them for a lack of teachers. That was a concern for students.
Mr. Klote discussed Churchill's Small Learning Community Program, describing it as a "schools within a
school" approach that would focus on specific topics and keep the same student group together for one-half
day every day. He thought the program would need more support next year.
Ms. Zinkgraf noted the shortage of parking on the school campus. The buildings were multi-use buildings
housing many functions and activities not related to the school. In addition, the new athletic field impacted
parking use. Ms. Zinkgrafhoped parking could be expanded or used more efficiently. She said that in the
rear of the Churchill campus there was only one entrance/exit to the parking lot, and it created traffic
congestion in the afternoon because of its proximity to a crosswalk. She noted that there were also crosswalk
enforcement problems in the area.
Regarding Ms. Zinkgra?s comments about parking, Ms. Nathanson said that the council was very concerned
about the impact of traffic on the neighborhoods, about the use of nonrenewable resources, and the impact of
automobiles on the streets. In addition, the council was concerned about a compact urban form that fostered
walking, transit, and bicycle use. She asked if students talked about ways other than an automobile to reach
school, such as group bus passes or rider ship program. Ms. Nathanson also asked if students would be
interested in participating in designing a new "way of being students" in a way more geared toward the future.
In response, Mr. Klote, a member of his school's site council, said that one of the school's main objectives was
the "greening" of the school. He said that the school had a Rachael Carson Program and students formed car
pool weeks that awarded students with incentives for car pooling. He said that the school was also looking at
offering more of a discount on bus passes. Mr. Klote noted that the new athletic field was built without
additional parking, which also affected the parking situation. Those facilities were used by community
members, which suggested to him that the discussion was broader than the school itself. Ms. Nathanson
agreed, and expressed pleasure at the activities Mr. Klote described. She requested staff time to discuss the
traffic safety issue raised by Ms. Zinkgraf.
Mr. Kelly was also happy to hear about the students' efforts to reduce automobile use. He believed that
students could advocate for changes in routes or the timing of buses during the next Lane Transit District
service redesign to foster more student use of buses.
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Responding to the concerns expressed by students regarding large class sizes, the impact of growth, lack of
classes, and the need for new student facilities, Mr. Kelly observed that it was "all of a piece"; he said the
voters turned over control of Oregon schools to the State government in 1990, and until that direction could be
changed, he worried about the future.
In response to a question from Mr. Pap6, Mr. Klote described the change in school counselors at Churchill and
noted the high turnover among counselors. Mr. Pap6 urged Mr. Klote to share his concerns about the lack of
counselors with Superintendent George Russell and the 4J School Board.
Ms. Bettman left the meeting.
Billy Schneider and Cami Smith of New Roads joined the council. Ms. Smith said that a problem that New
Roads students experienced with the school was its location; there were drug addicts who hung out in the back
of the school in the alley and harassed students without provocation. She said that the school was located near
7th Avenue, a busy street with traffic traveling at high rates of speed, and the street was difficult for students to
cross because the nearest crosswalk was a block away. Ms. Smith said the student population was increasing
rapidly; the school's kitchen is small, and students have to share a single unisex bathroom.
Mr. Schneider commended the New Roads program for helping youth in getting an education and for
providing them with a small stipend. He said that students pledge funds for various causes and serve as
volunteers. Students do weekly neighborhood clean-ups to improve the area, and were discussing conducting
some car washes to raise money to improve New Roads.
Responding to a question from Mr. Rayor, Mayor Torrey clarified that New Roads was an alternative school
of the 4J District and the facility was under the jurisdiction of the school district. He said that the condition of
the facility could be a subject of discussion at the upcoming meeting between the council and the two school
districts. Mr. Rayor thought the facility was substandard and asked if the City had a role to play. He wanted
to contact the school district and urge improvements. Mr. Rayor expressed appreciation to the students for
attending the meeting, noting he had been unaware of the location of New Roads prior to the meeting.
Mr. Kelly expressed concern over the size of the waiting list for New Roads, saying he thought it indicated the
existing need was not being met. He suggested that the council's Human Services Commission representatives
consider the issue in terms of funding priorities.
Ms. Taylor questioned why New Roads could not be housed in a school that was being closed by the school
district.
Stephanie Proctor and Mandy Jolly of North Eugene High School joined the council. Ms. Jolly said that many
of the concerns of North Eugene students had been expressed already. She cited parking and students in the
halls as examples. Ms. Jolly discussed the leadership classes' community service. She said the school had a
smoking problem with students leaving school to smoke nearby. There could also be drug-related activity
occurring there. Ms. Jolly said there was a limited amount of supervision available to oversee those activities.
Ms. Proctor said that the number of students leaving school was a problem as they spilled off the sidewalk
and impeded traffic for motorists. She thought the students participating in such activities felt neglected; there
had been meetings to reach out to those students, who were open to input. Ms. Jolly agreed. She said that the
meetings had been successful and students involved said they felt treated as people.
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Ms. Taylor congratulated the students for their outreach effort.
Mr. Fart said that smoking was an issue at all the area high schools and middle schools. The council had taken
action to increase penalties against store owners who sold youth cigarettes, but he thought the problem should
also be addressed at the school where smoking occurred.
Mr. Rayor suggested that the subject of inclusiveness and bringing students on the fringe into school activities
be added to the list of discussion items with the two districts.
Ms. Nathanson commented on the nature of the upcoming joint meeting, which she was involved in planning
for. She said the meeting had been initially focused on physical planning issues and appeared to being
broadened in nature, which could considerably elongate the meeting. She thought that the issues raised had
neighborhood impacts, and asked the council for direction. Mr. Rayor indicated he would follow-up on the
New Roads issue individually.
Brent Glover, Marist High School, thanked the council for the stop light at the comer of Kingsley and
Goodpasture Island Road, which helped alleviate traffic problems at peak hours. He said that the traffic flow
was efficient and safety at the comer much improved. He said things were going well at Marist. The student
council was working on achieving unity in schools in Marist's league and with the 4J schools as well. He
thought it a good opportunity for students from different schools to get together and interact with each other
outside the athletic field.
Mr. Rayor asked if there was a good connection from the bicycle path to Marist, and if any students rode to
school on bicyclists through the neighborhood. Mr. Glover said no. Mr. Rayor wanted a throughway that
allowed students to reach Marist through the neighborhood. Mr. Glover said that bicycle path was a
controversial issue for Marist and was not wanted, so for security reasons no pedestrian connection was made.
He agreed it would be convenient for students to have the access, but said it was generally not students using
the bicycle path.
B. Work Session: Downtown City Space Master Plan
Assistant City Manager Jim Carlson joined the council for the item. He provided a Powerpoint presentation
on City space planning efforts and identified the council direction sought by staff, which included the ultimate
disposition of City Hall and a financing plan for short- and long-term projects. He emphasized the policy
nature of the issues before the council, saying staff was preparing more detail that it would present at a future
meeting.
Mr. Carlson reviewed recommended short-term actions: 1) relocate police vehicles from under City Hall; 2)
relocate personnel from City Hall basement; 3) move special operations; 4) dispose of surplus property; and 5)
acquire downtown site for Fire Station 1.
Mr. Carlson noted council policies and goals relevant to the issue of downtown space needs. He noted three
long-term downtown space planning scenarios for downtown space: A) upgrade existing buildings and lease
additional space; B) upgrade City hall for continued use and build a new building; and C) build two buildings
to replace City Hall. Mr. Carlson provided additional details behind each of the three scenarios. The staff
recommendation for the long-term was option C.
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Mr. Fart asked if the top floor of the library had been allocated. Mr. Johnson said yes, for the first nine years
of operation the floor would contain the Information Services and Finance Services divisions.
Mr. Fart asked how much space was required by Police Property Control and Forensic Evidence. Mr. Johnson
clarified that staff was recommending that space for a combination of the laboratory, property control, and
special operations. Knowing that special operations would be separate, why not include forensics and property
into the permanent solution? He added that there were still programmatic decisions to be made. Mr. Fart
questioned whether it made more sense for the City Manager's Office and Human Resources and Risk Services
Department to be relocated to the Library. Mr. Johnson said that was possible, but staff was looking for a
more permanent solution. Mr. Carlson added the cost of creating a lab facility in City Hall would be
expensive, particularly if the City was not to retain the building, and the property involved was heavy and staff
did not believe the building, as it existed, would support the weight of the function.
Mr. Fart asked about a possible partnership with the federal government on a civic center approach to the
federal building. Mr. Johnson did not think the likelihood was high. However, the City could work with the
federal government to make the "civic street" concept a reality.
Mr. Kelly said the idea proposed to move property control, forensics, and special operations out of City Hall
and acquire a quarter block for the fire station sounded good. However, he was disappointed by how "little
meat" there was in the material. He needed more data before he could determine whether the plans made
operational and financial sense. Mr. Kelly said he was not comfortable with the potential of property
condemnation near the 2nd Avenue and Chambers facility, and wanted to know more about the current square
footage needed for those services. He also needed more information about why the City proposed to acquire
additional property. He said a site layout would be useful.
Mr. Kelly noted the proposed motion for short-range actions and questioned what the council was approving if
it approved those actions.
Mr. Johnson said it would be helpful if the council gave the staff individual questions, but emphasized that
staff was trying to keep the discussion at a broader policy level.
Mr. Kelly said if the construction of a new facility was to be partially funded by the sale of surplus property,
he wanted to know how the remainder would be funded.
Responding to a question from Mr. Kelly, Mr. Johnson clarified that the Kaufman Annex was property located
immediately to the west of the Kaufman Senior Center owned by the City.
Mr. Rayor said he preferred that the City owned its buildings. He did not like public/private developments for
City purposes. He said that the ultimate disposition of City Hall was dependent on funding. Regarding the
relocation of the fire station, he agreed with the purchase of land for that purpose. Mr. Rayor suggested the
laboratory and rapid deployment equipment were more industrial in nature and could be housed in an outlying
area of the community. Mr. Rayor said that his specific response would depend on a specific proposal.
Mr. Rayor called attention to a motion he had distributed to the council, saying he had a fundamental problem
with the way the City purchased its buildings now. He cited the library, saying there was too much staff
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involved and the square footage costs were too high. Mr. Rayor thought other cities built libraries for less. He
said the motion attempted to address the problem by directing staff to employ a design/construct approach. He
thought the City could save a great deal of money, perhaps half of its square footage total costs. Mr. Rayor
added that if the motion was not successful he would not be supportive of future facilities proposals.
Mr. Pap~ concurred with Mr. Rayor about the importance of examining the design/build approach.
Mr. Pap~ did not want to lose the work that the council did the previous year on City Hall and City space
needs. He encouraged the council to face the issue and suggested the manager be directed to develop a process
to replace City Hall.
Ms. Nathanson agreed with staWs analysis of what needed to be done and the highest priorities. She asked if
staffhad looked for public safety partners to develop the laboratory. She said that in many places around the
country there were developments shared by different agencies. Mr. Johnson said that he had discussed the
potential of shared property control facilities with Lane County and Springfield. Eugene was the only agency
locally with a laboratory; other local agencies used the State crime lab, which was located in the Gateway area.
Mr. Johnson said some discussion had occurred with the State about a partnership between the two agencies,
although the facility was somewhat distant for Eugene's purposes.
Ms. Nathanson said she had recently been in Spokane and viewed how Spokane used space under a viaduct as
well as how the city developed the waterfront park. She said she would like to discuss what she had seen in
Spokane with staff.
Mr. Meisner said the council needed to have discipline if it was serious about disposing of the surplus
buildings to realize the funding, because councilors would be individually lobbied for use of the buildings by
local nonprofit organizations.
Mr. Meisner recommended that the City embark on a review of the Lincoln Street yards sooner than proposed.
Mr. Johnson concurred.
Regarding property control and the forensic lab, Mr. Meisner endorsed discussions with the State police. He
said that even if inconvenient, consolidation might be the best approach. Regarding the property control space
needs, Mr. Meisner suggested that secured space at 2nd and Chambers could be used.
Mr. Meisner suggested the formation of a County library district meant the fourth floor of the library was
needed for other purposes much sooner.
Mr. Meisner was not interested in substantial further investment in City Hall. He was very interested in the
site and the potential of remodeling the Sears building temporarily and building a new city hall on the site of
the current City Hall because of its location proximate to other government agencies. Mr. Meisner said that
the value of City office consolidation was not discussed in the staff materials and he thought the subject
warranted further discussion.
Ms. Taylor thought the short-range staff recommendations should be implemented. She was concerned about
the idea of purchasing additional property until other possibilities had been exhausted. She wanted to upgrade
City Hall for seismic purposes to protect the employees and citizens who used it.
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Ms. Taylor said that before the council discussed long-range building plans, the community needed to tell it
what it wanted. She thought it was urgent the council find new, equitable sources of revenue before
considering new facilities.
Mayor Torrey said that City Hall would be in place for at least five years and those in the building must be
protected. However, he did not think much money should be spent to improve the building. He supported
acquisition of land for construction of the fire station, although he did not want to build one until the voters
supported it. Regarding how the decisions facing the council were made, he said the council was elected to
make such decisions and the council had expertise that it could use in making them. He was not certain of his
position on the subject of a new City Hall facility given the voters' reactions to the ballot measures related to
new fire and police stations.
Mr. Fart observed that urban renewal funding supported the library. He believed that might be a need in west
Eugene for an urban renewal district in the Bethel Triangle area. He said that might provide part of the
funding for development of City property in that area.
Regarding funding, Mr. Johnson said that he would recommend to the Budget Committee that it reserve some
money in the current budget to help finance the future. He thought that there were certain things the City could
accomplish without having to go to the voters, using savings and the property sale proceeds.
Ms. Taylor said the voters did not have the opportunity to vote on a fire station alone, which she thought was a
more urgent need. She supported buying the land and attempting to get the fire station built.
Mr. Pap~ did not object to purchasing the land for a fire station, but he said that the council needed to make a
decision about what to do about City Hall. He said that if the City was to have a consolidated City Hall, it
should avoid building "outposts" that prejudiced the community against any proposals. Mr. Johnson clarified
that staff did not believe that property control, the laboratory, and special operations would be part of a
centralized City Hall. He did not want to build a facility that physically housed large equipment downtown as
it was too expensive. Mr. Pap~ hoped to include public involvement in the process so the community was
brought along in the council's decision-making process.
Mr. Kelly asked if staff felt the need for a motion related to the short-range recommendations given the
discussion. Mr. Johnson responded that such a motion gave staff direction to proceed. Mr. Kelly said he did
not have enough information to act on the motion, adding he was not trying to put it off for too long. Mr.
Rayor concurred. He said he needed more information. Ms. Nathanson also agreed, saying as an example, she
would need more information about the City's plans to collaborate with Eugene Water & Electric Board in
property acquisition.
Mr. Meisner thought that there were some items on the short-term list the staff could be proceeding with
discreetly. He noted his interest in getting staff out of the basement of City Hall, but said that was not
approval for the remainder of the items on the list. He did not understand the square footage requirements for
those services, wanted more information about it, and wanted more information about shared opportunities.
Mr. Johnson said it did not appear the council was ready to take action on the motion and indicated staffwould
return with more information.
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Mr. Rayor, seconded by Mr. Meisner, moved to direct the City Manager to research a
variety of ways to procure City buildings, such as design build, and report back to the
council before the planning phase begins for the next new City building. The motion
passed unanimously, 7:0.
Mr. Kelly indicated he would e-mail some further thoughts about different approaches, including the potential
of joint development with County and the examination of existing warehouse buildings on the south side of 8th
Avenue across from Agripac for use as a City building, to the council and staff.
Mr. Meisner reported that Ms. Bettman had left the meeting to travel to Salem to testify on behalf of the
council regarding the Oregon Restaurant Association's attempt to preempt Eugene's local smoking ordinance.
Very little notice of the hearing was provided. Mayor Torrey observed that many bills were being introduced
at the last minute, and there was great pressure for the legislature to leave Salem before June 15.
C. Appointments to Boards, Commissions, and Committees--East Alton Baker Park Citizen Planning
Committee
Ms. Taylor, seconded by Mr. Kelly, moved to appoint John Corliss to Position 14 of
the East Alton Baker Park Citizen Planning Committee for a term beginning
immediately and ending October 31, 2003. The motion passed unanimously, 7:0.
The meeting adjourned at 1:30 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
James R. Johnson
City Manager
(Recorded by Kimberly Young)
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