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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council Newsletter - 08/02/07 EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER August 2, 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 GETTING INFORMED ABOUT WEST BROADWAY REDEVELOPMENT FIRST FRIDAY ARTWALK INCLUDES INFORMATION ON BROADWAY BRICK REPLACLEMENT SIXTH ANNUAL SAFETY FEST REVISED SERVICE DELIVERY APPROACH ATTRACTS NEW USERS RECRUITMENT UNDERWAY FOR BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS FINANCE STAFF ACHIEVES CERTIFIED PUBLIC FINANCE OFFICER DESIGNATION RESURFACING OF GARDEN WAY PATH SLATED TO START AUGUST 6 : CELEBRATING HULT 25SUMMER @ THE HULT AROUND THE CITY Getting informed about West Broadway Redevelopment Two public events are planned this week to inform the community about the West Broadway redevelopment proposal. Friday, August 3, from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. during the First Friday Artwalk, on the plaza at Broadway and Willamette, the community can learn and comment about West Broadway development concepts and the proposed urban renewal plan amendments. Visitors will be encouraged to attend the public workshop on Saturday morning. On Saturday morning, August 4, from 9:00 a.m. to noon in the lobby of the Atrium Building, there will be a hands-on a public workshop. Attendees are encouraged to roll up their sleeves and share their preferences for design elements, mix of uses, parking options and public open space associated with redevelopment proposals. Stephen Coyle, the City’s consultant from HDR Inc. will be facilitating the event, which is sponsored by the West Broadway Advisory Committee. For more information please contact Richie Weinman at Planning and Development, 682-5533 or Richie.d.weinman@ci.eugene.or.us. A City website, www.eugene-or.gov/downtown, includes additional information about the West Broadway Redevelopment proposal. First Friday Artwalk Includes Information on Broadway Brick Replacement Replacing the failed brick work around the Broadway Plaza will be the focus of a booth at the First Friday Artwalk this Friday, August 3. “The Art of Engineering” will provide specific information about the repairs to Broadway at Willamette Street as well as numerous examples of aesthetic features included in projects managed by the Public Works Engineering Division. When the brick plaza was constructed in 1996, Willamette Street was opened to vehicles but Broadway remained a pedestrian-only street. As a result, the brick structures on Broadway are built differently than those on Willamette Street. The existing bricks on Broadway are thin, “patio-style” bricks and are not laterally braced, that is, there is no curb to restrict gradual “outward” movement of the bricks under load. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 1 August 7, 2007 In 2002, Broadway was opened to vehicle traffic. To preserve the artistic aspects of the original brick design, the existing structure was retained to the maximum extent possible. However, traffic loads have taken their toll, and the brick pavement in Broadway has been failing and continues to fail at an ever- increasing pace. Many efforts to maintain the roadway with the bricks in place have been unsuccessful. The resulting asphalt patches mixed in with bricks are a short-term fix. A decision has been made to replace the bricks with artistic colored concrete. Goals for the replacement project include honoring Willamette and Broadway as Great Streets with a Great Intersection and adhering to the Downtown Plan principle of enhancing the functional design of streets and sidewalks with carefully chosen design elements. This will be accomplished by a careful balance of artistic intent and engineering – the Art of Engineering! Scott Wylie, the original brick plaza designer, has been brought in as a consultant on the project to add artistic value to the project design. To minimize impact to local business during construction, the work will be done as quickly as possible after the Eugene Celebration. The booth at the First Friday Artwalk will be open from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Broadway Plaza. It will include samples of decorative concrete materials, detailed plans of the construction project, and display boards showing aesthetic elements in a variety of street and park projects managed by Public Works Engineering. For more information about the Artwalk booth or the Broadway replacement project, contact Project Manager Patrick Cox at 682-6854 or Patrick.M.Cox@ci.eugene.or.us. Sixth Annual Safety Fest The Eugene Fire & EMS Department’s Water Rescue Team held its sixth annual Safety Fest on June 3, 2007 with over 10,000 people in attendance. Twenty-two businesses partnered with the department by donating cash totaling $8,875 used to purchase life jackets, and 18 business contributed products or services totaling more than $15,000. During the event 650 life jackets, 600 bike helmets and 3,500 U.S. Coast Guard life jackets were distributed. Activities such as a bike rodeo and the junior firefighter obstacle course proved to be a huge success. Katrina Luther from Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., one of the event’s corporate sponsors, presented District Chief Craig Callicotte with two checks for $1,000 to help offset the cost of the Safety Fest. The goal of Safety Fest is to educate our community on how to be more safety- conscious while working or recreating on or near waterways. Through information and demonstrations on a variety of safety awareness issues and giving away free life jackets to kids, the department hopes to take a big step toward reaching its life safety goals for our community's youth. Support of local businesses, such as Wal-Mart, is one way the department is working with the community to make that happen. For further information, please contact Cinimint Harper at 682-7130. Recruitment Underway for Boards and Commissions The annual recruitment for boards and commission is underway. The recruitment officially began on Monday, July 16 and will continue through Friday, September 7. In addition to the usual set of term expirations, there have been resignations from several groups increasing the need for a vigorous pool of applicants. The first recruitment for the Sustainability Commission is also included in the process. Below is a list of the vacancies for which applicants are sought: ? Budget Committee 2 vacancies ? Human Rights Commission 5 vacancies ? Planning Commission 1 vacancy ? Police Commission 5 vacancies ? Sustainability Commission 12 vacancies ? Toxics Board 3 vacancies EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2 August 7, 2007 ? Whilamut Citizen Planning Committee 5 vacancies ? Lane Regional Air Protection Authority 2 vacancies ? Library Board 3 vacancies In addition to the application, a supplemental questionnaire is required for the Budget Committee, Human Rights Commission, Planning Commission, Police Commission, Sustainability Commission, Toxics Board and the Whilamut Natural Area Citizen Planning Committee. Both the application and supplemental questionnaires are available on the City’s website or at the City Manager’s Office. The City Council is set to interview candidates for the Budget Committee, Human Rights Commission, Planning Commission, Sustainability Commission, and Toxics Board the week of October 1. The Mayor may interview candidates for the Police Commission, Lane Regional Air Protection Agency and the Whilamut Citizen Planning Committee during the same week; the Mayor nominates candidate for these two bodies. The formal appointments to the boards, commissions and committees are set for Monday, October 22. For more information check the City’s website at: www.eugene-or.gov or call Mary Walston at 682-5406. Revised Service Delivery Approach Attracts New Users Faced with declining individual enrollments for activities offered on set dates, and requests from organizations for customized group activities, Adaptive Recreation Services Programmer Patty Prather developed way to both serve customers and attract new ones. Prather created “Accessible Pursuits”, which uses the expertise and resources of Adaptive Recreation Services to design adapted recreation programs to meet specific needs. The customized activities offered include cycling, snowshoeing, kayaking, river rafting, water ski sports, rock climbing and art. Through Accessible Pursuits, Prather can also provide clinics, workshops, in-services, and trainings in any of the activity areas for staff, teachers, participants and families. Although the content of Accessible Pursuits programs are customized to the needs of the requesting organization, individuals can still register for many of the activities. The Accessible Pursuits program has already attracted three new organizations to the City’s service. For Mainstream Housing, an organization that works with individuals with developmental disabilities who are transitioning from being homeless, Prather organized a trip to Wildlife Safari. For Boundaries, an organization that helps people with mental illness who are transitioning from homelessness, she led a trip to the Oregon coast. And Prather organized a trip to the Newport Aquarium for the Eugene Association for the Deaf. For more information about Accessible Pursuits, contact Patty Prather, 682-6365. Finance Staff Achieves Certified Public Finance Officer Designation Sue Cutsogeorge, the City's Financial Analysis Manager, has achieved the designation of Certified Public Finance Officer (CPFO) from the Government Finance Officers Association. The CPFO is a broad educational self-study program designed to verify knowledge in the various disciplines of government finance. To earn the designation CPFO, candidates must pass a series of five examinations covering the following areas: Governmental Accounting, Auditing, and Financial Reporting; Cash Management and Investments; Debt Management; Operating and Capital Budgeting; and Pensions & Benefits, Risk Management, and Procurement. The GFOA Director, Jeffrey L. Esser, said "This is an outstanding achievement in the career of any public finance officer. The motivation, time, and discipline it took to complete the program is indicative of their dedication to the profession and to public service." Ms. Cutsogeorge is the fourth public finance professional in the State of Oregon to achieve the CPFO designation, and the first at the City of Eugene. In total, 353 people across the US and Canada have EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 3 August 7, 2007 achieved this designation since inception of the program. For more information, contact Dee Ann Raile, Finance Director, at 682-5041. Resurfacing of Garden Way Path Slated to Start August 6 Resurfacing of the Garden Way Path is scheduled to start the week of August 6. The Garden Way Path segment to be resurfaced starts at Garden Way and runs south along I-5 and into Alton Baker Park, ending at the Canoe Canal Bridge. Approximately 0.7 mile of pathway will receive a new concrete surface and a portion will be widened to 12 feet where impacts to the surrounding environment can be minimized. This project will address the unsafe traveling conditions of the cracked and heaved path caused by tree root damage and aging. To address future damage to the surface from the tree roots, portions of the concrete surface will be reinforced rather than impacting the trees themselves. Federal Surface Transportation (Urban) funds administered though the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) will fund approximately 90% of the project with City transportation SDC funds funding the remainder. Brown Contracting, Inc. was selected by ODOT through a competitive bid process and will perform the construction work; City staff will be responsible for managing the contractor and inspecting the work. The project is scheduled to be constructed from early August through September. Path users should expect full path closure during the placement and curing of the new concrete surface in order to protect path users from the construction equipment and prevent damage to the new surface. Path users can bypass the path using Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd to connect to the path near Leo Harris Parkway or Aspen Street (Springfield) during the path closure; although for one phase of the project, the path may be accessed from Lindley Lane. For more information, contact Project Manager Jenifer Willer at 682-5364. : Celebrating Hult 25Summer @ The Hult The third of five free, fabulous, Celebrating Hult 25 events will take place on Saturday, August 4, at 4 p.m., on the Hult Center Plaza—no tickets required. Etouffee, led by fiddler Kelly Thibodeaux of Baton Rouge, will provide a summer afternoon of music in the outdoors combining red hot fiddle, shufflin' rhythm and blues, and kickin' Southern rock to create this exciting new sound. It's music that will roll listeners down Bourbon Street or lead them into the murky swamps— music so danceable that almost no one can resist. This event is presented by the City of Eugene and supported by the Nils and Jewel Hult Endowment of the Arts Foundation of Western Oregon. To join in Celebrating Hult 25 throughout this summer and fall, patrons may visit www.HultCenter.org and select Celebrating Hult 25. For more information, contact Hult Center Marketing & Public Relations Manager Billie Moser at 682-8380. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 4 August 7, 2007