HomeMy WebLinkAbout01/22/09 City Council Newsletter
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER
January 22, 2009
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
RURAL/METRO AMBULANCE TO PROVIDE NON-EMERGENCY TRANSPORT SERVICE
CITY BOOTH PROMOTES EARTH-SMART LANDSCAPE
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CITY HOSTS 3 ANNUAL WALKING AND BIKING SUMMIT
AROUND THE CITY
Rural/Metro Ambulance to Provide Non-Emergency Transport Service
Following an extremely thorough proposal and evaluation process, the City's Fire & Emergency Medical Services
Department has selected Rural/Metro Ambulance, which is part of the Arizona-based national firm Rural/Metro
Corporation, to provide non-emergent Basic Life Support (BLS) inter-facility medical transport services in Eugene's
ambulance service area. The addition of this service is a means of addressing the ever-increasing demand for
ambulance services in the community and the resulting capacity and workload issues in the department. The
contract with Rural/Metro is seen as a cost-effective alternative to providing an additional Fire-based and staffed
medic unit, particularly as the contract will limit Rural/Metro to a non life-critical segment of the work. Rural/Metro
is already engaged in similar public/private partnerships with Salem, Tacoma, San Diego, and other jurisdictions.
Their proposal is to operate from one to three ambulances, depending on demand, under contract to the City of
Eugene. The contract is under negotiation at this time, and the new service is expected to be operating as of early
February. For further information, please contact Deputy Chief of Administration, Denise Giard, at 682-7111.
City Booth Promotes Earth-Smart Landscape
“Greening Your Landscape” is the focus of an
information booth hosted by staff from Public Works
and Planning and Development at this year's Good
Earth Home, Garden and Living Show, scheduled at
the Lane County Fairgrounds, January 23-25. Stop
by booth #401 to see the display with ideas about
lean and green yard care and practical and
innovative ways to manage water flow. Handouts
and a clever give-away item are available, as well
as technical assistance from staff. There will also be
a special display for kids along with bug posters and
new coloring pages. In addition, the City's Solid
Waste and Green Building program will team up with
OSU Extension Service in Lane County to provide
information on backyard composting, worm bin
composting and compost tea in booth #708.
Compost Specialist volunteers will showcase
affordable ideas on do-it-yourself, low-cost compost
bins, and emphasize sustainable backyard composting methods to recycle organic debris at home and to divert
food waste from the landfill. For stormwater management education questions or information, contact Stormwater
Information Specialist Kathy Eva, of Public Works Administration, at 682-2739 or kathy.a.eva@ci.eugene.or.us.
For information about the Green Building Program, contact Green Building Analyst Jenna Garmon, of Building and
Permit Services, at 682-5541 or jenna.r.garmon@ci.eugene.or.us. Questions about solid waste and recycling
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 1
January 22, 2009
education can be directed to Compost Specialist, Anne Donahue, in Planning and Development, at 682-5542 or
anne.c.donahue@ci.eugene.or.us. Additional information is available at www.eugene-or.gov.
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City Hosts 3 Annual Walking and Biking Summit
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Community members are encouraged to attend the 3
Annual Eugene Walking and Biking Summit. The Walking
and Biking Summit is an opportunity for all who are
interested in walking and biking to get together, celebrate
successes, and plan for the future. The summit will be held
th
at the South Eugene High School Cafeteria, 400 East 19
Avenue, on Saturday, January 31, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00
p.m. Doors open at 8:30 a.m., with workshops from 1:00 to
3:00 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. The
summit agenda includes a town hall meeting to discuss $50
million in potential funding for Eugene-Springfield walking
and biking improvements. There will also be entertainment
and a bike fashion show. Workshops include William
Sullivan speaking on car-free recreation in Lane County and
Participants at the 2008 Walking and Biking Summit
sessions on bike commuter skills, an update on Eugene’s
Bicycle and Pedestrian Strategic Plan, basic bike repair, issues of accessibility, and an update on the Safe Routes
to School Program. The Eugene Police Department will register bikes from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The town hall
meeting will be focused on the area’s engagement in Rails-to-Trails Conservancy’s 2010 Campaign for Active
Transportation, whose goal is to double the amount of money the federal government spends on walking and
biking. Specifically, the plan is to target these federal dollars to dozens of communities, which could include
Eugene and Springfield. The idea is to bring $50 million of federal funds to the local area to build a complete
network of safe places to walk and bike and to reduce auto-dependence. Local staff, officials, and the Rails-to-
Trails Conservancy need the community’s participation to make this campaign a reality. For additional information,
contact Lindsay Selser, Public Works, 682-5094 or lindsay.r.selser@ci.eugene.or.us . Learn more about the Rails-
to-Trails’ campaign at http://www.railstotrails.org. For more information on the Campaign for Active Transportation
for the Eugene-Springfield metropolitan area, go to www.lcog.org/cat. The summit website is at www.eugene-
or.gov/bicycles.
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2
January 22, 2009