HomeMy WebLinkAbout01/29/09 City Council Newsletter (2)
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER
January 29, 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
VOLUNTEERS IN POLICING PROGRAM ACHIEVES MILESTONE IN 2008
OREGON READS: AUTHOR LAUREN KESSLER AT PUBLIC LIBRARY
2008 LRCS ANNUAL REPORT AND DIVISION VIDEOS AVAILABLE ONLINE
PALLET COMPANY RECEIVES FIRE & EMS CORPORATE AWARD
GRANT PROMOTES SALVAGE AND RE-USE OF BUILDING MATERIALS
AROUND THE CITY
Volunteers in Policing Program Achieves Milestone in 2008
In 2008, 107 Eugene Police volunteers donated 25,116 hours of service to the department and community, with an
added value of $490,013. (The national average hourly value of volunteer time is developed by the Independent
Sector. The hourly value of volunteer time is based on the average hourly
wage for all non-management, non-agriculture workers as determined by the
Bureau of Labor Statistics, with a 12 percent increase to estimate for fringe
benefits. The current hourly wage is $19.51.) This is a milestone for the
program; never before have volunteers contributed more than 25,000 hours in
a year. Current volunteers range in age from 20 to 84 and include students,
citizens who support law enforcement and want to give back to their
community, retirees, full-time employees and individuals who have
aspirations of ultimately working for the department. Thirty-six volunteers are
graduates of the Citizens’ Police Academy. By involving volunteers, EPD is
able to provide additional services – services the public wants, but the
department is unable to provide or unable to make a priority due to budget
and staffing limitations. Examples include home vacation checks and
enforcement of disabled parking violations. Volunteers also maximize existing
resources. By assisting Crime Prevention Specialists with bicycle registration events, more citizens are able to
register their bicycles with EPD. Volunteers provide support at Police Activities
League summer camps, Safety Town and the Prevention Convention, assist with
administering the Crime Stoppers Program, purge property for the Property
Control Unit, participate in a speakers bureau, photograph events, provide
chaplain services and role play for disaster preparedness and team training
exercises.
Volunteers relieve paid staff of routine duties, better allowing employees to
concentrate on other responsibilities. Examples include filing police reports and
citations for the Records Section, assisting the Property Crimes Unit by entering
transaction data from metal recyclers into a database, preparing certified copies
of audio tape records for the Communications/911 Center, filing adult arrest
fingerprint cards and entering data for the Forensic Evidence Unit, writing articles
for newsletters, providing reception at neighborhood substations, entering details
concerning allegations of child abuse and neglect into a spreadsheet for the
Violent Crimes Unit and digitally dubbing news stories for the Public Information
Office. Seasoned volunteers further relieve paid staff by serving as trainers for
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January 29, 2009
new volunteers. Other highlights for 2008 include the activities of three volunteer teams. Twenty-two Seniors on
Patrol Team volunteers spent nearly 6,000 hours patrolling streets, bike paths and parks, providing a theft-from-
vehicle prevention service, issuing warnings and citations to violators of signed disabled parking spaces, assisting
with traffic calming efforts and digitally photographing serialized and valuable property for Eugene residents.
Members of this team also recovered 45 stolen vehicles and conducted vacation checks at the homes of 108
Eugene residents. Ten Huckleberry Patrol Team volunteers located, digitally photographed, and removed 622
graffiti tags in the midtown area. Nineteen Squad Car Maintenance Team volunteers spent 4,445 hours shuttling
police cars needing mechanical work to and from Fleet Maintenance (1,237 times), washing cars inside and out
(849 times), inventorying and restocking trunks (521 times), performing minor repairs (319 times) and changing
tires (57 times).
For more information, contact Volunteers in Policing Program Manager, Carrie Chouinard, at 682-5355 or
carrie.f.chouinard@ci.eugene.or.us.
Oregon Reads: Author Lauren Kessler at Public Library
In honor of Oregon’s 150th birthday this year, the Oregon Library Association is encouraging everyone in the state
to read one book: "Stubborn Twig" by Eugene author Lauren Kessler. The Eugene Public Library and Springfield
Public Library will co-host a free, illustrated talk by Kessler on First Friday, February
6, 6:00 p.m., at the downtown Eugene Public Library. A widely published writer,
Kessler has won Oregon Book Awards for both "Stubborn Twig" and "Dancing with
Rose: Finding Life in the Land of Alzheimer’s." She also directs the graduate
program in literary nonfiction at the University of Oregon. “Stubborn Twig” tells the
true story of three generations of a Japanese American family in Oregon, beginning
in 1903 when Masuo Yasui arrived "with big dreams and empty pockets." It's
a classic American tale of immigrants making their way in a new land, a journey
overflowing with both perils and promise. Masuo Yasui worked on the railroads, in a
cannery, and as a houseboy. Eventually, he and his wife owned a successful
orchard. As he broke the color barrier in the local business community, his
American-born children broke it in school, scouts, and sports, excelling in most
everything they tried. Yet none of their accomplishments could shield them from the
sometimes intense racism that scarred their formative years. For the Yasuis' first-
born son, the constraints and contradictions of being both Japanese and American
led to tragedy, while his seven brothers and sisters steadfastly pursued the American
Dream. One became Oregon's first Japanese-American lawyer. Two became
surgeons. The bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, changed their lives completely and forever. Forced
by the U.S. government from their homes with only what they could carry, and interned in vast inland "camps"
during WWII, the family was shamed and broken. Still the Yasuis endured, as immigrants always have, to claim
their place in this diverse nation. For more information about Oregon Reads events statewide, visit
OregonReads2009.org. For more information about Kessler's February 6 talk, contact the Eugene Public Library at
682-5450 or www.eugene-or.gov/library.
2008 LRCS Annual Report and Division Videos Available Online
The Library, Recreation and Cultural Services 2008 Annual Report is now available. The report recaps the year’s
highlights for the department, including its involvement in the Olympic Trials, implementation of the Cultural Policy
Report and a record number of check-outs at the Eugene Public Library. The
16-page document emphasizes how LRCS enriches lives through the
outcomes of the programs, events and services it offers. A long list of these
outcomes is on the back cover. In an introductory letter, LRCS Executive
Director Renee Grube presents the department’s Strategy for Mission
Alignment which articulates how the needs of individuals direct the City
Council’s vision which, in turn, guides the department’s mission and creates
community. The annual report also contains a variety of interesting statistical
information about the department, including budget sources, number of
employees, and significant division statistics such at the number of visits to
the library (1.5 million), attendance at Recreation events (650,000), and
number of Hult Center attendees (230,000). Spotlight articles feature patrons
and staff from each division, and photos and narrative briefly recount each
division’s accomplishments for the year. While the LRCS annual report is
routinely posted online, this year LRCS is printing only a small quantity of
paper copies to encourage those who have computer access to read the
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January 29, 2009
paperless, online version at www.eugene-or.gov/LRCS. Four videos about the department that were recycled from
the Working City Program and other projects have also been posted to that webpage, creating an “electronic
annual report.” For information, contact Kathy Madison at 682-6342.
Pallet Company Receives Fire & EMS Corporate Award
Eugene's Fire & EMS Department is fortunate to have the use of a
state-of-the-art cinderblock structure that can accommodate repeated
live fires for training purposes. Just four years old, the burn building
has already housed hundreds of fires, for the benefit of veterans and
new recruits alike. So, it may be asked, what burns in those fires?
Answer: wooden pallets. The building is on the drill field at the City's
Emergency Services Center at 2nd and Chambers. A stone's throw
away is the headquarters of Eugene Pallet Services, which for years
has been supplying the Fire Department with free surplus pallets for
training purposes, often at a moment's notice. In recognition, company
owner Lee Sparks was presented with the department's 2008 Corporate
Award during ceremonies held last week. The award, which is given to
just one of the department's business partners each year, serves not
only to recognize the contributions of an individual business, "but also
to remind us of how much more we can do when we work together in
partnership with other members of the community," said Fire & EMS
Chief Randy Groves in making the presentation. For more information,
contact Training Chief, Lance Lighty, in Fire & EMS at 682-7120.
Grant Promotes Salvage and Reuse of Building Materials
In spite of Lane County’s exceptional rate of recycling, per capita waste generation continues to rise, up 22 percent
since 1992, reflecting a disturbing statewide trend. According to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
(DEQ), construction debris is one of the top contributors to this local increase in waste generation and one of three
areas with the greatest potential for reduction. Ninety percent of construction waste comes from remodeling and
demolition. The City of Eugene has partnered with BRING Recycling for Solid Waste Program grant funding from
DEQ. Project goals are to 1) create broad-based community awareness of the environmental benefits of reusing
building materials; 2) foster market supply and demand for reused building materials; and 3) help make reuse as
mainstream as recycling is today. DEQ awarded $29,551 in funds for the project in early December. BRING will
produce an 8- to 10-minute educational DVD, focusing on reuse of building materials. The video will address the
life cycle of materials and show how reuse and recycling of building materials are highly effective and achievable
strategies to reduce waste. To foster broad-based behavior change, BRING and the City will implement a public
education campaign targeting construction and demolition businesses, civic, service and business organizations,
industry and stakeholder groups, planning agencies, educational institutions and other key stakeholders. Video pre-
production activities are slated to begin in spring 2009. The final video will be produced in fall 2009, followed by
commencement of the education campaign in early 2010. For more information, please contact Green Building
Analyst, Jenna Garmon, at the Planning & Development Department, at 682-5541, or
jenna.r.garmon@ci.eugene.or.us.
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January 29, 2009