HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council Newsletter - 06/21/07
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER
June 21, 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
SAFETY FEST THIS SATURDAY AT ALTON BAKER PARK
CITY MANAGER PARTICIPATING IN ICMA LAW ENFORCEMENT LEADERSHIP INITIATIVE
DOWNTOWN URBAN RENEWAL PLAN AMENDMENT PUBLIC NOTICE POSTCARD
EUGENE POLICE DETECTIVE HONORED
EUGENE POLICE LAUNCH “HUCKLEBERRY PATROL”
AMBULANCE LICENSES RENEWED; EMTs RECERTIFIED
FREE SUMMER PLAYGROUND PROGRAM GETS UNDERWAY
MOVIE NIGHT IN THE PARK IS FAMILY FUN
WORK CONTINUES ON PROJECT TO REPAIR PORTION OF NORTH BANK TRAIL
AROUND THE CITY
Safety Fest This Saturday at Alton Baker Park
This Saturday, June 23, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at
Alton Baker Park, the Eugene Fire & EMS
Department will take the lead in presenting "Safety
Fest 2007.” This annual event began as "Water
Safety Day." Admission is free, and thousands attend
each year. Over the years, Safety Fest has
developed into a total risk awareness event, not to
mention a fun time in the park with food, music, and
prizes. There will be many exciting and informative
displays and demonstrations provided by a wide range
of local public safety agencies. Through the generous
support of many sponsors, including Bi-Mart, Home
Depot, Les Schwab, Science Factory and the Relief
Nursery, there will also be kids' crafts, rock wall
climbing and a bicycle rodeo with a bike helmet give
away. Over 500 life jackets and 300 bicycle helmets will be distributed to youth in the community. By
engaging the community in a positive, festive environment, a big step toward reaching life safety goals
can be taken. For more information, please contact Cinimint Harper, Eugene Fire & EMS, 682-7120.
City Manager Participating in ICMA Law Enforcement Leadership Initiative
The U.S. Department of Justice is working with local government experts and others on identifying the
core competencies needed for great leaders in law enforcement. The steering committee for the
initiative includes Leonard Matarese, an ICMA Credentialed Manager with more than 35 years in public
safety consulting and public service, including roles as city manager and director of public safety. Input
into the process is being gathered through a survey, feedback from organizations such as the
International Personnel Managers' Association and the International Association of Chiefs of Police, and
focus groups that included participation from incoming ICMA President Ed Daley and Eugene City
Manager Dennis Taylor.
The project is working to identify the key knowledge, skills, abilities, character and the core competencies
important in a great law enforcement leader. The result of the project will be a selection tool that city and
county managers can use to ensure that the best candidates for a jurisdiction are interviewed and
ultimately hired. For more information, please contact Jan Bohman, City Manager’s Office, 682-5587.
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 1
June 21, 2007
Downtown Urban Renewal Plan Amendment Public Notice Postcard
On May 29, 2007, City Council, acting as the Urban Renewal Agency Board of Directors, initiated the
process to amend the Urban Renewal Plan for the Downtown District. The plan amendment would
increase the “maximum indebtedness” permitted in the district. Based on State statutes, changing the
maximum indebtedness is a “substantial amendment” to the plan. Such amendments require an
opportunity for the Planning Commission to review and comment on proposed amendments, notification
to the governing body of each taxing district impacted by the plan, a public notice mailed to the general
public, a display advertisement in the newspaper, and a public hearing.
During the week of June 25, a postcard notice will be mailed out to every property owner in Eugene.
The notice includes information on the proposed plan amendment and information on the July 16 public
hearing date. Additionally, information related to the West Broadway Advisory Committee and general
public input sessions on the West Broadway redevelopment project is included. For questions, please
contact Mike Sullivan, Planning and Development 682-5448 (mike.c.sullivan@ci.eugene.or.us), or visit
the City’s website at www.eugene-or.gov/downtown.
Eugene Police Detective Honored
Eugene Police Detective Dave Burroughs has been honored by the Northwest Outlaw Motorcycle Gang
Investigators Association with an award in recognizing his “outstanding support and effort in the
investigation of Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs” (OMGs).
Over the past several years, Detective Burroughs has developed a considerable amount of expertise in
investigating the crimes committed by motorcycle gang members. He has successfully investigated
dozens of crimes committed by these suspects. He is recognized as an OMG expert by criminal justice
agencies throughout the West. He has given presentations at OMG training seminars in Vancouver,
Canada, and in Washington State, as well as in Oregon.
Detective Burroughs has served the Eugene community for more than 10 years as an EPD employee.
He worked assignments in the Interagency Narcotics Enforcement Team (INET), Special Weapons and
Tactics Team (SWAT) and the patrol division before his current assignment as a detective in the Special
Investigations Unit. He worked for the Lane County Sheriff's Office for five years before joining the
Eugene department. For more information, please contact the EPD Public Information Office at
682-5197.
Eugene Police Launch “Huckleberry Patrol”
A new volunteer team has been launched with the mission of removing
graffiti and educating business owners about graffiti removal. The eight
members of the Eugene Police Department’s Huckleberry Patrol travel
by bicycle in the midtown area, working in two-person teams to locate,
document, and remove or paint over graffiti.
Eugene Police are excited to kick off this new volunteer-based response
to the chronic issue of graffiti in the area. The Huckleberry Patrol—a
nod to Mark Twain’s fence whitewashing project—is the brainchild of
police volunteer George Jeffcott, who has been instrumental in getting
the program up and running. Since its implementation last month, the
team has responded to more than a dozen requests for service.
The Huckleberry Patrol is a component of the Eugene Police
Department’s Volunteers in Policing Program, which partners citizens
and police to better serve the community. The team is seeking new
members who can commit to attend meetings, trainings, and work shifts
in department-issued uniform on weekdays during business hours. Persons age 16 and older who are
interested in joining the Huckleberry Patrol program are encouraged to apply. For more information,
community members may contact the Volunteers in Policing Program Coordinator, Carrie Chouinard, at
682-5355.
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2
June 21, 2007
Ambulance Licenses Renewed; EMTs Recertified
The Fire & EMS Department recently was issued new ambulance licenses for 2007-2008. All
ambulances and ambulance service providers within the state are required to be licensed by the
Department of Human Services, EMS Section(DHS-EMS). This license allows Eugene Fire & EMS to
operate as an ambulance service in the state of Oregon and ensures compliance with all the applicable
administrative rules and revised statutes associated with transporting sick and injured citizens of our
community. This license is renewed annually, and the department updates the State with any changes
that have taken place within the service such as physician adviser, number of EMS personnel, number of
ambulances, or change in Fire Chief.
The department's EMS personnel have also completed the recertification biennium. Every two years
Emergency Medical Technicians are required to recertify with DHS-EMS. Emergency Medical
Technicians are required to have a variety of continuing education and skills checked off to maintain
their certification. July 1st will start the next training biennium which will end June 30, 2009. For more
information, please contact EMS Chief JoAnna Kamppi at 682-7104.
Free Summer Playground Program Gets Underway
City of Eugene Recreation Services’ free, drop-in, playground
program, Fun For All, gets underway at eight neighborhood
parks on Monday, June 25.
Fun For All offers dozens of recreational events and fun for
children and youth ages 7 and up (under 7 years if
accompanied by someone at least 15 years old).
The program is held weekdays, beginning at 10 a.m., through
August 24 (closed on July 4). Ending times vary by site. At
seven of the sites, the program includes a free lunch every day,
provided by Food for Lane County; the eighth site offers a small
snack item.
Fun For All programs include the Roving Storyteller and a “celebrity” mystery reader program; hands-on
science and nature-related arts and crafts with the University of Oregon Roving Artist; and the Super
Special Summer Olympics, featuring such sports as the water balloon toss, baseball bat-go-round, and
an egg race.
Other Fun For All activities are the low-cost Outdoor Adventures Program that features river rafting,
bicycling trips, introduction to fly fishing, yoga in the park and more, and family events, such as the free
Movie Night in the Park, most Friday evenings. A complete list of events and activities is included in the
Fun For All Resource Guide, available at any City community center, at the Eugene Public Library, or
online at www.eugene.gov/recyouth. For information about Fun For All, call Lisa Adler at 682-5521.
Movie Night in the Park is Family Fun
Back by popular demand, Recreation Services begins
its fourth season of Movie Night in the Park this Friday,
June 22. The family event is free – and so is the
popcorn! The season opener is The Muppet Movie,
rated G, shown at Petersen Barn Park. All movies will
have subtitles for the hearing impaired. The movie on
August 24 will be presented in Spanish.
Movies begin at sundown (approximately 9 p.m.) with
pre-show events beginning at 8 p.m. This Friday, Hip
Hop Eugene – area youth who participated in
Recreation Services’ Hip Hop Hope spring break camp
– will perform positive hip hop music they wrote. Other
pre-show events include fire dancing demonstrations, poi spinning workshops, and, on August 10, a
spelling bee to accompany the movie, Akeelah and the Bee. Upcoming movies and locations are:
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 3
June 21, 2007
?
Time Bandits, rated PG, on Friday, July 13, at Amazon Park, 2700 Hilyard Street
?
Ghost Busters, rated PG, on Friday, July 27, at Monroe Park, 10th and Monroe
?
My Neighbor Totoro, rated G, on Friday, August 3, at Washington Park, 19th and Washington
?
Akeelah and the Bee, rated PG, on Friday, August 10, at Churchill Skate Park, next to Churchill High
School on Bailey Hill
?
The Incredibles, rated PG, on Friday, August 24, shown in Spanish at Petersen Barn, 870 Berntzen
Road
The movie schedule is subject to weather and availability. For more information, call Lizz Zitron at
682-5521.
Work Continues on Project to Repair Portion of North Bank Trail
Work on the North Bank Trail has reached a significant
milestone, but cyclists and pedestrians will need to be
patient for another month as construction continues.
The popular bike and pedestrian route has been closed
since early May to allow crews to repair a 1.5-mile-long
section of the Ruth Bascom Riverbank Trail between the
Greenway Bridge at Valley River Center and Club Road
near the Ferry Street Bridge. Wildish Construction Co, the
general contractor on the $785,000 path resurfacing
project, has now finished the concrete overlay portion of
the repairs. The overlay took 180 loads of concrete
totaling almost 2,000 cubic yards.
The next steps include backfilling the shoulder areas next
Workers install concrete overlay on North Bank Trail
to the path with top soil and replacing and installing 3,000
feet of railing that protects path users from steep drop-offs into the Willamette River. For safety reasons,
the path will remain closed until the railing work has been substantially completed in late July.
While the path is closed, cyclists and pedestrians can use the South Bank Trail on the other side of the
river as a detour route. The Greenway Bridge and the DeFazio Bridge remain open to allow path users
to cross the river on either end of the construction. For more information about the North Bank Trail
project, contact Project Manager Jenifer Willer at 682-5364.
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 4
June 21, 2007