HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC Newsletter - 12/15/05
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER
December 15, 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
DECEMBER STATUS REPORT ON MAJOR CAPITAL PROJECTS NOW ON-LINE
JUVENILE SALMON FOUND IN NEWLY CREATED HABITAT AT DELTA PONDS
WINTER BREAK FUN FOR KIDS AND TEENS AT LIBRARY
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NEXT PHASE OF TWO-WAY CONVERSION OF 10 AVENUE SCHEDULED TO BE COMPLETED
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6 ANNUAL AUTHORS AND ARTISTS LIBRARY FUNDRAISER A SUCCESS
HULT CENTER PRESENTS KID CRITICS
NEW PUBLIC WORKS TRUCKS TRANSFORM TO DO MANY JOBS
AROUND THE CITY
December Status Report on Major Capital Projects Now On-Line
The Facility Management Division’s quarterly report for December, 2005, is now available on the City’s
web site at: http://www.eugene-or.gov (click on Facility Management ~ Facility Projects ~ Council Update
12-05).
The status report provides an update on the progress of
major capital projects under the Divisions management.
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With the completion of a series of high-profile projects,
this report reflects the type of building preservation and
maintenance projects that make up the majority of the
Facility Management Division’s projects. While the
projects in this status report make up a small proportion of
the roughly sixty active design and construction projects
currently being managed by Facilities, they represent
either the higher budgeted projects or projects with
significant public interest. For additional information on
Facility Management projects, please call Mike Penwell at
682-5547.
Juvenile Salmon Found in Newly Created Habitat at Delta Ponds
Just two months after the Army Corps of Engineers created a breach that allowed water to flow directly
from the Willamette River into the first two ponds in the Delta Ponds system, a juvenile salmon has been
found in this habitat.
Historically, the side channels of the Willamette made the river system almost one mile wide in places.
Over the years, the river has been constrained into a narrow channel that makes survival more difficult
for many species, including native salmon. Side channels such as those in the Delta Ponds system
provide more available food and fewer predators, giving young salmon and small species a better
chance to grow. This latest discovery shows that there are juvenile salmon in the Willamette River that
will use the kind of backwater habitat the Delta Ponds restoration project provides.
The recently completed work in the Delta Ponds was just the first phase of a large floodplain restoration
project that will connect the entire Delta Ponds system to the Willamette River during the winter months
and create more diverse habitat for fish and wildlife, such as juvenile Chinook salmon, Western pond
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December 15, 2005
turtles, and migratory birds. For more information, contact Lauri Mullen, Senior Program Specialist, at
682-4850 or lauri.h.mullen@ci.eugene.or.us.
Winter Break Fun for Kids and Teens at Library
School’s out and the Eugene Public Library is inviting kids and teens to come in from the cold and
participate in free events during vacation. Little kids, big kids, and grown-ups can jump into Rich
Glauber’s high-energy mix of rhythm, funny songs, and terrific tales at “What's Up? Music in Action!”on
Thursday, December 22, at the Downtown Library; Tuesday, December 27, at Sheldon Branch; and
Wednesday, December 28, at Bethel Branch. The event will run from 4 – 5 p.m. at all locations.
“
Elementary-age kids createMarvelous Masks” at a New Year’s imagination celebration with puppet-
and-mask troupe Trunk Full of Faces on Tuesday, December 27, 2 – 4 p.m., at the Downtown Library.
(Space is limited; free tickets available at 1:30.)
Kids of all ages will flip for the inventive physical comedy of “The See-Saw Project”on Thursday,
December 29, 2 – 3 p.m., at the Downtown Library. The hilarious clowns of Nomadic Theatre Co.
catapult viewers into a wild world of acrobatics, juggling, and wordplay. Lots of laughs, and leaves the
audience wondering, "How do they do that?!?"
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Teens can get a “zine” of their own atZines 101” a free two-day workshop on Wednesday, December
28, and Thursday, December 29, 2 – 5 p.m., at the Downtown Library. Led by Theresa Molter, an
experienced zine creater, who also organizes the annual Portland Zine Symposium, the workshop
includes choosing a topic, writing the content, laying the zine out, and creating the cover art. Zine
culture, says Molter, is about “making something happen, rather than waiting for others to do it for you.”
To pre-register, call 682-8316.
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Next Phase of Two-Way Conversion of 10 Avenue Scheduled to Be Completed
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The next phase of the project to fully convert 10 Avenue to two-way operation is scheduled to be
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completed in late December or early January. In November, the City converted 10 Avenue to a two-
way street between High and Willamette streets but left the block between Willamette and Olive streets
as a one-way, east-bound street pending a decision on what type of traffic control to use at the
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intersection of 10 Avenue and Olive Street.
Staff’s original recommendation was for all-way stop signs at that intersection. City Traffic Engineer Tom
Larsen subsequently met several times with staff and clients of the Lane Independent Living Alliance
(LILA), other citizens, and representatives of Eugene’s Human Rights and Accessibility Commission. At
the most recent meeting on December 5, community members recommended and supported a phased
approach starting with the addition of a westbound traffic signal at 10th and Olive to accommodate two-
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way traffic on the remaining block of 10 Avenue. Future discussion will focus on options for providing
accessible pedestrian devices (APD) at this intersection and ranking this intersection relative to others
citywide for future APD installation.
“I believe it is in the community's best interest to complete the two-way conversion of 10th Avenue by
adding the westbound phase to the existing signal,” Larsen said. “The concentration of people with
disabilities and the ambient noise levels from buses make this crossing a special case.” Larsen
discussed his decision with other stakeholders, including representatives from the library, Lane Transit
District and Downtown Eugene Inc., and found general support. “I’m glad we were able to reach
consensus on a solution that appears to benefit everyone in the community,” he said.
The signal work will be done by Public Works crews and is expected to take three or four weeks to
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complete the construction and installation of the new signal and open 10 Avenue to two-way traffic. For
more information, contact Tom Larsen at 682-4959.
6th Annual Authors and Artists Library Fundraiser a Success
The 6th Annual Authors and Artists Fair filled the Downtown Library with thousands of happy holiday
shoppers and socializers the evening of December 3, bringing in more than $10,000. Dozens of authors
and artists showed their works, signed autographs, and sold their wares. A portion of sales was donated
to the Eugene Public Library Foundation to benefit its mission of developing advocates, funding, and
resources for the Eugene Public Library.
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December 15, 2005
The Art Totes project displayed and auctioned off more than 40 bookbags, each beautifully decorated by
a local artist. Also popular was a raffle featuring seven themed packages. Music was provided by The
Belle Voix String Trio and Alan McCullough and Peter Thomas. Desserts were served by Lane
Community College Culinary Arts Program students and Euphoria Chocolates, Prince Pucklers, Full City
Coffee, and Eugene Wine Cellars.
Tremendous business support came from the event’s major sponsors: US Bank; Umpqua Bank;
Sanipac; Symantec; The Register-Guard; Funk/Levis & Assoc.; QSL Printing; KVAL-TV; and KLCC.
Generous local businesses also donated more than 50 gift items for the raffle.
According to Barbara Dellenback, executive director of the EPL Foundation, “The Authors and Artists
Fair is made possible by the generosity of volunteers from the EPL Foundation Board, Friends of the
Library, community members, and the authors and artists. Special appreciation goes to Library staff as
well. And of course, a million thanks to everyone who comes and joins in the fun to make Authors and
Artists a success!” For more information, contact the Eugene Public Library Foundation at 682-5338.
Hult Center Presents Kid Critics
It is often said that “everyone’s a critic.” At the Hult Center, staff wants to listen to our critics, especially
the younger patrons. In November, the Hult launched the Kid Critic program where children and teens
are invited to attend events compliments of the Hult Center. Kid Critics are seated in the skybox and
provide feedback through an evaluation form on which they can answer
questions or just draw a picture of their experience. Staff asked Kid
Critics to attend the “DORA the Explorer’s Pirate Adventure” and
“BREAK! The Urban Funk Spectacular” performances and received
great feedback. Asia Wooten (age 7) says “I like coming to the Hult
Center because it’s an exciting place to be, to see, to learn and
discover things. I want to be a Kid Critic forever!” Jan Carlson (age 4)
said “It was hard to see over the skybox wall,” but she gave a fantastic
drawing of her favorite part of the DORA show –“Issa Turn the Wheel.”
The most common sentiment among the young critics is how big the
Hult Center is and how many people come here. More Kid Critics will be invited for The Martha Graham
Dance Company and Leahy in January and for the remaining Hult Presents performances.
For more information, or to recommend a Kid Critic, give Hult Center Administrative Aide Theresa
Sizemore a call at 682-5242.
New Public Works Trucks Transform To Do Many Jobs
Two of the most recent additions to the Public Works fleet illustrate the department’s commitment to
maximize efficiency by using equipment and crews that are able to quickly adapt to meet seasonal
needs.
One new vehicle is a 2006 all-wheel-drive Freightliner
with a hook lift system that enables crews to quickly
change out body types based on the type of work they
are performing. For example, during the winter
months, Public Works Maintenance Division staff will
outfit the truck with a snow plow, sander and pre-
wetting system and use the vehicle as the first
response truck for snow and ice call-outs. The need
for an all-wheel drive truck with the capability to plow
and sand in the steep south hills was realized after the
snow storms of 2004. During the summer months,
this truck will be used by Parks and Open Space
(POS) Division crews to perform maintenance
activities in parks and wetland areas. In just a few
minutes, the operator can transform the vehicle by
removing winter street equipment and installing summer maintenance add-ons such as a standard dump
box for dirt and gravel or an extra-large dump box for lighter, high-volume materials such as vegetation.
The vehicle was purchased jointly by the Maintenance and POS divisions, with the funding split between
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December 15, 2005
road and stormwater funds.
The other new vehicle in the City’s fleet is a 2006 Ford
cab-over flatbed truck. This vehicle is shared between
two PW Maintenance sections. In the winter months,
surface maintenance crews will use the truck for anti-
icing/deicing operations. Mounted on the flatbed is a new,
1000-gallon applicator tank and hydraulic application unit.
With the ability to apply both calcium magnesium acetate
(CMA) and magnesium chloride, this vehicle can be
dispatched to maintain road surfaces on bridges,
overpasses, main intersections and other areas within the
snow and ice routes that historically are trouble spots
during freezing conditions. During off-winter months, the
anti-icing/deicing applicator system can be easily unloaded and stored, and substituted with the spray
system used by traffic operations to apply street legends.
“The bottom line is that with two truck chassis we can support two operating divisions and four seasonal
maintenance programs,” says Eric Johnson, street operations manager for the Maintenance Division.
“We’ve already used both vehicles for snow and ice control and they have proven to be a welcome
addition to our fleet.” For more information, contact Johnson at 682-4904.
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December 15, 2005