HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council Newsletter - 06/28/07
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER
June 28, 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
CITY RECEIVES $15,789 THROUGH BUSINESS ENERGY TAX CREDIT PROGRAM
FIRE & EMS DEPARTMENT REORGANIZES, HIRES THREE NEW DEPUTY CHIEFS
CREST DRIVE COMMUNITY TEAM UNVEILS STREET DESIGN CONCEPTS
POLICE RUN TO SUPPORT SPECIAL OLYMPICS
WORK TO BEGIN ON SECOND-PHASE OF DELTA PONDS RESTORATION PROJECT
FIDDLIN' AROUND WITH HISTORY: TUNES & TALK AT EUGENE PUBLIC LIBRARY
KIDS LEARN LESSONS IN SUCCESS AT POLICE ACTIVITIES LEAGUE CAMP
AROUND THE CITY
City Receives $15,789 through Business Energy Tax Credit Program
On Tuesday, June 26, Diane Sellers, vice
president of Government Banking, and Mark
Johnson, senior vice president of Commercial
Banking, with Sterling Savings Bank, met with
Mayor Kitty Piercy at City Hall to present her with
a check for $15,789 as part of the Business
Energy Tax Credit (BETC) program offered
through the Oregon Department of Energy. The
City of Eugene is eligible for the BETC because of
its participation in the Group Pass Program
offered by Lane Transit District. The Group Pass
Program is a program that allows employers to
provide bus passes for all employees at a
significantly reduced rate.
The Business Energy Tax Credit Pass-Through
program offered through the Oregon Department
of Energy allows the City to partner with a business to transfer a tax credit to a pass-through partner, in
this case Sterling Savings Bank, in return for a lump-sum cash payment that helps fund this sustainable
transportation program for the next year.
The Oregon Department of Energy offers the Business Energy Tax Credit to businesses that invest in
energy conservation, recycling, renewable energy resources and less-polluting transportation fuels as
part of the mission to protect Oregon’s environment.
For more information on the Business Energy Tax Credit program please visit
http://egov.oregon.gov/ENERGY/CONS/BUS/BETC.shtml, or contact Cindy Clarke, Transportation
Options Coordinator, at 682-5285.
Fire & EMS Department Reorganizes, Hires Three New Deputy Chiefs
Fire & EMS Chief Randy Groves has announced the appointment of three new Deputy Chiefs under a
new department structure that replaces the former two-division configuration. The third Deputy Chief
position was added by reclassifying the vacant Planning Chief position. The divisions within the
department are now Shift Operations; Special Operations, Prevention and Training; and Administrative
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June 28, 2007
Services and Support. The new design is expected to effectively address the many initiatives currently
before the department, including stabilizing the ambulance transport system, building existing efforts and
successes in the area of regional training, raising the profile of the department's special teams and
special operations, and working with Lane Community College to further develop local fire and EMT
training programs. The department is also in discussions with LCC about the possibility of a high school-
based EMT pathway program.
Deputy Chief Denise Giard will head the Administrative Services and Support
Division. Chief Giard's first day on the job was Monday, June 25. Chief Giard
holds Master's degrees in Public Administration and Business Administration
and a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Massachusetts. She is
also a graduate of the National Fire Academy's Executive Fire Officer Program.
Chief Giard has 32 years of fire service experience, and was most recently EMS
Chief for the Albany Fire Department. She has served on many EMS-related
state and local boards, and has been a recipient of the Director's Medal from the
Oregon Department of Human Services and a two-time recipient of the Medal of
Excellence from the Oregon Fire Chiefs' Association. As Deputy Chief for
Administrative Services and Support, Chief Giard will supervise emergency
medical services, planning, financial, ambulance billing, and logistics
operations.
Deputy Chief Joe Zaludek has been promoted from his previous position of
Training Chief for Eugene Fire & EMS. Chief Zaludek has 22 years of fire and
EMS experience and has served in Eugene as a Firefighter, Engineer,
Lieutenant, Captain, Training Captain, District Chief, and Training Chief. He
has been a member of the Oregon State Regional Hazardous Materials Team
for 14 years (with duty as a Hazardous Materials Technician, Shift Team
Leader, and Team Supervisor), and also has 11 years of experience as a
member of the department's Water Rescue Team as a boat operator, diver,
and surface rescue member. Chief Zaludek and his wife, Rhonda, have four
college-age children (two Ducks and two Beavers). In his new role, he will
supervise the Fire Marshal's (Fire Prevention) Office, the department's training
programs, special team operations (HazMat, water rescue, technical rescue,
and aircraft rescue and fire fighting program), and all ad hoc special operations
and protective details.
Deputy Chief Karen Brack will join the department on July 23. Chief Brack has
served 24 years with the Fulton County Fire Department in the Atlanta, Georgia
metro area, working her way up through the ranks to her current position as a
Battalion Chief in Operations. She is a National Registry Paramedic and a
Hazardous Materials Technician, and was a member of her department's bomb
squad during the 1996 Summer Olympics. She has also served as a Division
Chief in Special Operations, Training, and Community Risk Reduction. Chief
Brack holds Associate's degrees in Fire Science and Paramedic Technology and
a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology. She is currently enrolled in a Master's-
level program in Public Administration. Upon assuming her duties in Eugene,
Chief Brack will be responsible for supervising the department's line operations
(fire stations and District Chiefs).
The department extends a warm welcome to the new Deputy Chiefs, and has every expectation that the
new organizational structure will position Eugene Fire & EMS for stability and success in the future. For
more information, please contact Chief Randy Groves, at 682-7115.
Crest Drive Community Team Unveils Street Design Concepts
On Wednesday, June 20, the Crest Drive Citizen Team (CDCT) held the third open house in a series of
public involvement events for the Crest Drive Context Sensitive Solutions (CSS) street design process.
Formed in early Spring 2006, the CDCT is a collaborative effort to develop a recommended street design
for Crest Drive, Storey Boulevard, and Friendly Street using the CSS framework. Members of the CDCT
include neighborhood residents, property owners, at-large neighborhood residents and City staff.
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Throughout the CSS process, committee members collected and incorporated input from neighbors,
community members, and critical stakeholders to inform elements of the street design concepts. Under
development for the past three months, the preliminary concept drawings were unveiled to participants at
the June 20 open house. The event was well-attended, with over 75 people showing up to actively
participate and provide feedback on the preliminary design concepts. During the event, CDCT members
and City staff were on hand to take feedback on their work to further refine the concepts before reaching
a final recommendation. In general, open house participants were pleased with the concept designs and
expressed gratitude to members of the CDCT for their commitment to the project.
According to their work plan, the CDCT members will reconvene for at least two additional meetings to
refine the concept designs incorporating open house and stakeholder feedback. A final recommendation
is expected to be submitted in early August 2007. For more information, contact Transportation Planning
Technician David Roth at 682-5727.
Police Run to Support Special Olympics
Members of the Eugene Police Department and other local law
enforcement agencies participated in the Law Enforcement Torch Run
on Monday, June 25, carrying the Special Olympics Torch through
Oregon to help kick off the Special Olympics Summer Games. For
the Lane County leg of the Law Enforcement Torch Run, Special
Olympians ran alongside members of the Eugene Police Department,
Lane County Sheriff's Office, Springfield Police Department, Junction
City Police Department, and Federal Bureau of Investigations.
In addition to being a show of support for Special Olympics and a great
—
photo opportunity for local mediacovered by all three local television
—
stations as well as news radio this yearthe Torch Run also raises
funds for the Special Olympics organization. Participating officers
worked to solicit donations for the run and had Torch Run t-shirts
available for sale to interested community members. Through this and
other fundraising efforts, Eugene Police employees raise tens of
thousands of dollars for Special Olympics each year.
This year’s Special Olympics Summer Games will be held in Hillsboro
this weekend, with law enforcement officers assisting and presenting awards. Eugene Police
representatives will rejoin the torch for the final leg of the run to Hillsboro on Friday, June 29, as a lead-in
to the Summer Games' opening ceremonies that evening. For more information please contact
Sergeant Mike Galick at 682-8189.
Work to Begin on Second-Phase of Delta Ponds Restoration Project
Construction begins July 9 on the second phase of a multi-year project to
enhance habitat and recreational opportunities in the Delta Ponds area.
Contractors will be installing two sets of culverts to improve seasonal
flows from the Willamette River into the southern Delta Ponds near
Valley River Center. Two 9-foot-wide, arched culverts will run beneath
the East Bank Trail. These will be gated to allow for flood control. A third
12-foot-wide culvert will be constructed under Goodpasture Island Road
north of Valley River Center. The work is being done by Pro Landscape
Inc. under a contract managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Beginning next week, the connecting path between the East Bank Trail
and Goodpasture Island Road will be closed for several months as the contractor begins to mobilize
heavy equipment in that area. A section of the East Bank Trail from the Delta Ponds to the Boulders will
be closed from July 9 through mid-September. There will be lane closures and lane detours on
Goodpasture Island Road while the culvert is being installed under the roadway. On-site signage, fact
sheets, e-mail and other forms of outreach will provide users with project details and alternate routes for
the duration of construction.
The goal of the Delta Ponds restoration and recreation project is to re-establish vital habitat for native
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June 28, 2007
wildlife and provide recreational and educational opportunities for residents who use the area. The first
phase of the project began in 2004 and included removing invasive, non-native vegetation, constructing
gravel and paved paths and parking areas, and excavating inlets and weirs for improved water flow.
Future improvements include trails, restoration of pond bank habitat and interpretive signage.
The Delta Ponds project is an ongoing collaboration between the City of Eugene, the Army Corps of
Engineers and other resource agencies. Sixty-five percent of the estimated $6.2 million multi-year
project funding is provided through Section 206 of the federal government’s Water Resource
Development Act. The City’s share of approximately $2 million over the life of the project comes from
stormwater fees and 1998 parks bond measure funds.
For more information about the Delta Ponds restoration project, contact Scott Milovich, landscape
architect, at 682-6086. A number of volunteer opportunities exist at Delta Ponds; contact Matt McRae,
Stream Team coordinator, at 682-4850 to learn more.
Fiddlin' Around With History: Tunes & Talk at Eugene Public Library
On First Friday, July 6, at the Downtown Eugene Public Library, toes start tappin' at 6 p.m. with a free
concert by the Oregon Old Time Fiddlers Association. Enjoy hoedowns, waltzes, cowboy songs and
more with this talented and experienced group of musicians.
At 6:30, Tom Nash of Southern Oregon University gives a fascinating talk on “True Stories and Other
Fictions in Northwest Oral History.” He explores provocative questions such as: Where does local
history end and folklore begin? Are we duped by tall tales, or do they reflect the dynamic interplay
between events and memory? What is the role of fiction in history?
Nash looks at the elements of folklore embedded in supposedly nonfiction stories of frontier Oregon and
the West, drawn from oral histories recorded in the 1930s and 40s. These oral histories reveal the hand
of the interviewer in both subtle and bold ways. "Literalists" took down every hiccup and expletive along
with the story, while "wordsmiths" perked up dull recitations and fictionalized uneventful details.
"Collaborators" became so involved that their own narrative vision interacts with the interviewee's
version. This is a presentation of the Chautauqua Program of the Oregon Council for the Humanities.
For more information, please call the Eugene Public Library at 682-5450; www.eugene-or.gov/library.
Kids learn lessons in success at Police Activities League Camp
Wrapping up an outstanding day camp offered during the first week of
summer break, the Eugene Police Activities League Camp sent
dozens of young participants through the Spencer Butte Challenge
Course on Friday. The City’s Challenge Course—the only full-service
accessible course in the region—consists of ropes, cables, poles,
tires, swinging bridges, bolts, ladders, log pilings, and platforms,
making up challenge course elements that group members help each
other get over, under, around, or across.
The 92 PAL Camp participants went through the Challenge Course in
—
teams, finding some parts easy and fun and othersas the name
—
impliesa true challenge. When each participant reached a portion of
the course they found personally challenging, other kids
spontaneously offered outstanding peer support and encouragement,
in a demonstration of the camp's success in teambuilding.
The Eugene Police Activities League Camp is offered to youth ages
–
813 through a partnership between the Eugene Police Department
and Recreation Division. The kids join teams, each led by a police
officer, and have a great time participating in a wide range of games and activities. Leading up to the
Challenge Course climax, PAL Camp participants build team trust and individual confidence through a
week of activities that include team sports, disc golf, bowling, the Amazing Mini Race, Dance Dance
Revolution, nutrition education, art classes, and leadership skills training. This program is designed to
give kids an opportunity to work with positive role models and learn about success and failure on a
playing field without drugs or violence.
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For background information about the PAL Camp and to learn more about other summer youth programs
offered by the police department, please visit http://www.eugene-or.gov/police (look for the area titled
“Summer Opportunities for Youth” on the right side of the page). For more information about the
Challenge Course, visit http://www.eugene-or.gov/challengecourse (click on the links at the left side of
the
page for more details). To learn more about other summer camps offered by the City of Eugene, visit
http://www.eugene-or.gov/rec. For questions about the PAL Camp or the upcoming Youth Academy and
Safety Town, please call Sergeant Mike Galick at 682-8189.
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