HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC Newsletter - 09/08/05
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER
September 8, 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
IN THIS WEEK’S EDITION
EUGENE RENTAL HOUSING CODE PROGRAM
RECREATION SERVICES TO PRESENT TRAINING ON 40 DEVELOPMENTAL ASSETS
AMAZON HEADWATERS TRAIL PROJECT SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETED
CAMPBELL CENTER VOLUNTEERS HELP RESCUE FOOD
AROUND THE CITY
Eugene Rental Housing Code Program
Staff in the Rental Housing Program has been taking calls and responding to inquiries since the program
went live on July 1, 2005. Most of the inquiries to date have been related to the 7,000 registration forms
mailed to potential rental owners. Staff handled between 100 and 300 calls a day the first week following
the mail-out. They are currently correcting and updating the database as a result of those calls. Staff is
available to answer inquiries from property owners, property managers, tenants, neighboring property
owners and any other interested parties.
Rachelle Nicholas was hired in June to manage the program and hired two code enforcement inspectors
in July, Mark Tritt and Randy Sangder. Mark has been working as a Housing Rehabilitation Specialist in
Community Development the last six years and prior to that worked in various customer service
positions. Randy comes to the City with many years of experience in construction and customer service
in the private sector. The work unit provides service on rental housing code and state building code
enforcement. There is approximately two full-time equivalent staff in the housing code program.
The Rental Housing Code program will be funded with a $10.00 per rental unit fee per year. Billing
statements will be mailed out in cycles starting in October. In October, programmers will have
completed work that will allow for convenient on-line payments of the rental housing fees.
Staff is working on outreach efforts for both property owners and tenants in the city of Eugene. This fall,
staff will be working with the University of Oregon and Lane Community College to get information out to
students. In addition, staff will meet with community partners and use various community resources to
get information out to the public. Rental housing code brochures are being finalized and will be available
in September at the Permit and Information Center, the University, Lane Community College, Eugene
Public Library and branches, community centers, non-profit housing agencies and other community
service organizations.
For more information on the Rental Housing Code, contact program staff at 682-8282 or Rachelle
Nicholas, Planning and Development Department at 682-5495, or rachelle.d.nicholas@ci.eugene.or.us.
Recreation Services to Present Training on 40 Developmental Assets
The City of Eugene Recreation Services Division and the Lane County Departments of Health and
Human Services and Children and Families are collaborating to sponsor a free training on the 40
Developmental Assets. These assets are building blocks that all individuals need to be productive,
caring individuals. For the past 10 years, Lane County youth service agencies have embraced an
approach based on the Search Institute’s youth development model, which brings communities together
to strengthen their commitment to youth. By comprehensively strengthening all of a community’s assets,
its residents increase their ability to make wise choices for themselves and for others.
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 1
September 8, 2005
Clay Roberts, a senior trainer for the Search Institute, will give an overview of the 40 Developmental
Assets, and move participants to the next level of community mobilization and collaboration by providing
information on the following:
How assets can be used to change community perspectives
?
How other communities have used assets to change community environment toward youth
?
How organizations or communities can creatively collaborate to change community norms
?
How to network among other community leaders and resource managers.
?
How to use assets to enhance policy making and implementation.
?
The training will be held in Studio I at the Hult Center on Wednesday, September 14, from 9:30 to
11:00 a.m. For more information, contact Recreation Manager Sandy Shaffer at 682-6348.
Amazon Headwaters Trail Project Substantially Completed
The construction of a new section of trail
linking the Ridgeline Trail system to the
upper Amazon greenway trail system is
substantially complete. The one-mile-long
Amazon Headwaters Trail runs from the Fox
Hollow trailhead on the Ridgeline Trail to the
end of West Amazon Drive across from the
southeast corner of Frank Kinney Park.
The single-track trail follows one of the
headwater streams of Amazon Creek and
includes two bridges and three boardwalks.
The trail has a natural surface of soil and
crushed rock and is open to both hikers and
mountain bikers. A third bridge near the
lower end, which will add a short additional
neighborhood connecting segment, is planned for completion as a volunteer project within the coming
year. Staff anticipates a number of other opportunities for volunteers to continue to enhance the trail.
The $140,000 trail project was funded primarily by the 1998 parks and open space bond measure and a
trail grant from Oregon State Parks. Staff from the Public Works Parks and Open Space and
Engineering divisions designed the trail and managed the construction project. Oregon Woods Inc. of
Eugene was the general contractor for the job. For more information, contact Parks Planner Philip
Richardson at 682-4906 or Engineering Project Manager Adam Steffen at 682-5040.
Campbell Center Volunteers Help Rescue Food
Each week, hundreds of pounds of food that would otherwise be wasted, is now being repackaged,
frozen and dispersed throughout the community, courtesy of Food for Lane County’s “Food Rescue”
program. Leftover, freshly prepared food is accepted by the program from Ya-Po-Ah Terrace, University
of Oregon cafeterias, and area restaurants and then processed for distribution by 20 – 25 volunteers, six
nights a week.
Campbell Center recently joined with the many civic and church groups already involved to help with the
rd
food rescue process, committing at least eight people to assist for an evening on the 3 Friday of each
month. Volunteers are welcome and encouraged to donate as little or as much time as they can spare to
this worthwhile project. For more information, call the Campbell Center at 682-5318.
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2
September 8, 2005