HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC Newsletter - 10/20/05
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER
October 20, 2005
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’S WIRELESS IRRIGATION CONTROL SYSTEM EARNS SUSTAINABILITY AWARD
SHOW AND TELL: LIBRARY SEEKS DISPLAY PROPOSALS FOR 2006
COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO PUT FINISHING TOUCHES ON NEW RIVERPLAY PLAYGROUND
INNOVATIVE CHANNEL BANK REPAIR PROJECT COMPLETED ALONG AMAZON CREEK
CHRIS CRUTCHER LIVE @ YOUR LIBRARY!
HULT CENTER PRESENTS THE GREAT TENNESSE MONKEY TRIAL
AROUND THE CITY
City’s Wireless Irrigation Control System Earns Sustainability Award
Eugene’s parks irrigation conservation program has earned a Julian Prize for Sustainability from the
Oregon Chapter of the American Public Works Association (APWA). The award was presented to Public
Works Director Kurt Corey at the association’s fall conference on October 12.
The City maintains almost 900 acres of turf and has had a centralized, wireless-controlled irrigation
system called Maxicom, maufactured by Rainbird, in place since 1991. Recent advances in technology
rendered the analog system obsolete, necessitating a system-wide digital upgrade. In FY05,
Telecommunications Tax funding was awarded to support the one-time upgrade. In FY06, tax funds
were awarded to add a third weather station this year. The weather stations collect environmental
information such as air temperature, humidity, solar radiation, precipitation and wind speed to calculate
an evapo-transpiration rate. This information is then automatically transmitted to adjust irrigation
schedules and deliver just the right amount of water to each park. The system saves money, conserves
water, and results in beautiful parks for the community.
Other award recipients were the Nehalem Bay Wastewater Agency, Portland Metropolitan Area
Transportation Cooperative, and Tom Liptan of the City of Portland’s Bureau of Environmental Services.
The Julian Prize recognizes systems thinking, long-term design practices and public works infrastructure
systems that sustain society. “There is no better time to promote sustainability of our future than the
present,” says Ned Dempsey, chair of Oregon APWA’s Future Committee. ”We think we can do it best
by recognizing sustainable policies, practices, projects and people with an annual award.” For more
information about the Julian Prize, contact Kurt Corey at 682-5241 or Pam Berrian, Telecommunications
and Cable Program manager, at 682-5590.
Show and Tell: Library Seeks Display Proposals for 2006
Got something interesting, informative, or cool-looking to show the community? Share your—or your
non-profit organization’s—work, art, or issue with thousands of your neighbors who visit Eugene Public
Library (EPL) each week. The Downtown Library is currently accepting proposals for displays for 2006.
The Library features professional display cases in the Children's Center and on both adult floors.
Exhibitors have included community groups, service agencies, charities, awareness campaigns, clubs,
schools, university departments, and individuals. These one-to two-month displays have spanned a wide
diversity of topics—from calligraphy to civil rights and geology to genealogy!
Display proposals are evaluated based on alignment with the Library’s mission to support an informed
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October 20, 2005
community, lifelong learning, and the love of reading by providing access for all City residents to the
universe of ideas and information. More specifically, EPL seeks displays that encourage the love of
reading and the use of library materials and services, reach a variety of age groups, respond to a variety
of educational, cultural, intellectual, and civic interests, promote cultural diversity, create a warm and
welcoming space, foster artistic appreciation, and advance community relationship-building. Additional
aims in the Children’s Center are to reflect playfulness and youthfulness, and to value and honor
children’s and teen’s efforts and accomplishments.
Pick up a display proposal form at the 2nd floor Reference Desk or Children’s Center at the Downtown
Library, or for more information, contact Library staff at 682-5450.
Community Members to Put Finishing Touches on New RiverPlay Playground
On Saturday, October 22, from 9 to 11 a.m.,
more than 100 Rotary members and community
volunteers will join forces with the City of
Eugene’s Parks and Open Space Division to
participate in a “Take Pride in America” event.
Volunteers will spend the day at the new
RiverPlay Discovery Village Playground
constructing and installing all of the remaining
benches, picnic tables, bike racks, and swing
sets; as well as planting over 1,000 varieties of
local trees and shrubs. Discovery Village will be
the largest playground in the region. It will also
be uniquely Eugene and bring the area’s natural
and cultural areas alive in magical ways for
children of all ages and abilities. Imagine
children scaling a play replica of Skinner Butte,
uncovering fossils at an ancient history sand dig, playing with sand and water along a miniature
Willamette River, and recreating the life of the original native habitants and early settlers of this area at
the Kalapuya and pioneer villages.
The design of the playground taps into the dreams of children, while incorporating innovative educational
and accessibility components that will allow children of all abilities to play together. Special features
include ramps and bridges to access the playground’s centerpiece; sand and water features which are
elevated to allow easy access for smaller children as well as those in wheelchairs; and auditory play
devices such as the splashing of water from the “Rain Circle,” that will facilitate greater enjoyment for
people with visual disabilities.
The City of Eugene has been designated a “Take Pride in America” partner city. “Take Pride in America”
is a national partnership established by the U.S. Department of the Interior that aims to engage, support
and recognize volunteers who work to improve public parks, forests, grasslands, wildlife refuges, cultural
and historical sites, local playgrounds and other recreation areas. For more information please contact
Kelly Darnell, Parks and Open Space marketing and outreach specialist at 682-4814 or
kelly.a.darnell@ci.eugne.or.us
Innovative Channel Bank Repair Project Completed Along Amazon Creek
Under the direction of Parks and Open Space (POS) waterway management staff, Rexius Inc. crews
spent the better part of October 6 and 7 completing an innovative channel bank repair on Amazon Creek
downstream of City View Street. Significant erosion at the toe of the bank had caused a 200-foot section
of the lower bank to slump off, creating a serious bank stability problem above. Due to both access
issues and a desire to find a more sustainable method of repairing and protecting eroded channel banks,
open waterway management staff contracted with Rexius to use the new technique in an attempt to
rebuild and protect the bank.
Considered a “pilot project,” the bank repair consists of a tiered system of linear, media filled mesh socks
laid parallel to the creek along the toe of the bank. The base layer socks are filled with crushed rock to
provide a firm footing with the upper tiers filled with a mixture of sand, rock, and compost pre-seed with a
sterile rye grass cover crop. Live willow stakes are also placed between the layers to promote root
growth that will help hold the structure together. Rather than being hauled in and placed by mechanized
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equipment, Rexius has the ability to blow the different filler media into the socks from trucks parked back
away from the banks. This is a more sustainable repair technique than previous City practices for two
reasons: 1) it provides the ability to fix bank failures where bank top access is difficult or non-existent;
and 2) it helps prevent any collateral environmental impacts from the use of heavy mechanized
equipment.
Although Rexius has used this technique previously for lake shore protection projects, this is the first
time crews have installed such media-filled socks in-stream in a channel. Both City and Rexius staff will
be monitoring the site over the fall and winter to see how well the pre-seeded compost mixture grows in
as well as to see whether the configuration and staking of the layered socks is sufficiently stable to
prevent additional bank failure. For more information contact Jack Long, POS Open Waterway Program
supervisor, at 682-4895 or at jack.e.long@ci.eugene.or.us.
Chris Crutcher LIVE @ Your Library!
The national slogan for Teen Read Week 2005 is Get Real @ Your Library. Eugene Public Library (EPL)
rises to the challenge by presenting Chris Crutcher, a writer whose novels for teens are unflinchingly
honest and exceptionally popular -- not to mention funny, scary, and profound. As Crutcher says, "Kids
are asking, 'Who will listen to me? Who will tell me the truth?' . . . When kids ask real questions, I'll go
for real answers -- every single time."
Chris Crutcher will talk to -- and with -- middle and high school age youth at the Downtown Library,
Friday, October 21, 4:00 – 5:30 p.m. Earlier that day, EPL will sponsor Crutcher presentations for
students at Churchill and Willamette High Schools, and a professional development session about young
adult literature and censorship for area library and school staff. (For more information about the staff
presentation, contact EPL Youth Services at 682-8316.)
The National Coalition Against Censorship honored Crutcher with its 2005 Celebration of Free Speech &
Its Defenders Award. He’s the author of Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes, Whale Talk, Stotan!, Ironman,
and his latest, The Sledding Hill. Set in high schools, his novels often include sports themes, and his
characters always face struggles with identity, family, friendship, and, ultimately, right and wrong. His
autobiography, King of the Mild Frontier, reveals the roots of his stories and beliefs in his own youth and
years as a teacher, therapist, and child protection advocate. Learn more about Crutcher and his work at
www.chriscrutcher.com. For more information, contact Eugene Public Library at 682-5450.
Hult Center presents The Great Tennessee Monkey Trial
From the Silva stage on October 25, the Hult Center presents The Great Tennessee Monkey Trial. This
production is based on the original transcripts of the real-life 1925 trial of John
Scopes in Dayton, Tennessee. Starring a cast drawn from the ranks of L.A.
Theatre Works Radio Theatre, including Ed Asner, John de Lancie, and Alley
Mills, this production is sure to provide outstanding performances and thought-
provoking material about a controversy that continues today. The characters at
the center of one of the great debates of American history come to life in this
magnificent production, staged in the style of radio theatre. John Scopes, a high
school science teacher, challenged the state law in Tennessee by teaching
evolution instead of creationism. The trial quickly became a national battleground
which drew the attention of fundamentalists and the ACLU. Kyle Schnabel, a 17-year-old drama student
at North Eugene High School will be playing Howard Morgan, a 14-year-old student who testifies at the
trial. “I’m excited! It’s an honor to perform with these big stars at the Hult Center,” Schnabel says.
For younger audiences, the Hult Center presents The Stinky Cheese Man and
other fair(l)y (stoopid) tales on Saturday, October 29. Based on the hit book,
The Stinky Cheese Man, audiences will enjoy an hour-and-a-half of non-stop
hilarious havoc. “It’s fast and furious funny,” says Dallas Children’s Theater
Education Director Nancy Schaeffer. “The sharp wit of the piece promises to
keep both parents and children in stitches . . . everyone can abandon logic and
just revel in the absurdity.” Come and enjoy story time in the lobby before the
show with Borders Books & Music (9:45 a.m. - 10:05 a.m.) and purchase books
at a 15% discount. Wear your Halloween costume and trick-or-treat in the lobby
after the show. Fun for the whole family! For more information, contact the Hult
Center Ticket Office at 541-682-5000.
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