HomeMy WebLinkAbout02/26/09 - City Council Newsletter
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER
February 26, 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
ADAPTIVE RECREATION’S INCLUSION LAUDED IN NATIONAL MAGAZINE
COUNTDOWN TO NEIGHBORHOOD SUMMIT
EUGENE RECEIVES AWARD FOR PAVING EXCELLENCE
ONLINE CLASSES AT EUGENE PUBLIC LIBRARY
INTERAGENCY PROJECT STANDARDIZES FIRE HYDRANT MAPPING
AROUND THE CITY
Adaptive Recreation’s Inclusion Lauded in National Magazine
In this month’s edition of the National Recreation and Parks Association’s
magazine, the article, “Something for Everyone,” recognizes the City’s
Adaptive Recreation Program for its continuing leadership in the field of
inclusion. Certified therapeutic recreation specialist Molly Elliott, who joined
Recreation the same year the City adopted its inclusion policy, captures the
program’s philosophy, “It’s important to look at people not as a deficit or a
problem, but as having assets. We’re trying to increase their assets.” The
article also commends City policymakers for recognizing the positive and
profound impact recreation activities can have on individuals with
disabilities. For more information about the inclusion program, contact
Molly Elliott at 682-6307.
Countdown to Neighborhood Summit
Collaborations for a Livable Eugene, the 2009 Neighborhood Summit, will be an exciting gathering of
neighborhood association leaders, elected officials, non-profit organizations, City of Eugene staff and
representatives from other public agencies. The event is scheduled from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., Saturday, March
7, in the Wheeler Pavilion of the Lane County Fairgrounds. The summit's goal is to support and expand new and
existing community collaborations within Eugene's 19
neighborhood organizations. It will be a unique opportunity
for neighborhood leaders, government agencies and
community organizations to work together on topics of
concern like sustainability, transportation, parks/open
spaces, land use, human rights and public safety. The event
will be lively and engaging. Small groups of neighborhood
leaders, elected officials, City staff and others will
brainstorm about neighborhood concerns and ideas. After
reviewing all these ideas, participants will discuss
opportunities for follow-up and action. Staff from every City
department will also be available at information booths to
discuss work programs and priorities with summit
participants. City boards and commission members, from
Planning and Sustainability to Police, will be on hand to
share their knowledge and experience as citizen volunteers
in government. Representatives from local non-profit groups, University of Oregon, Lane Transit District and the
Eugene Water & Electric Board will also be present to discuss ways to work together."These are extraordinary
times. Neighborhood associations are perfectly positioned to bring together diverse organizations --
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February 26, 2009
neighborhoods, government and non-government – for a more resilient community," according to Jan Spencer,
River Road neighborhood member of the summit planning team. This is the second Neighborhood Summit in
Eugene. This event is being organized by volunteers from neighborhood associations and staff from the City of
Eugene Neighborhood Services.
Eugene Receives Award for Paving Excellence
On February 24, Eugene received the second place award for paving excellence for urban pavements by the
Asphalt Paving Association of Oregon (APAO) in recognition of its Pavement Preservation Program project on
Chambers Street from Railroad Boulevard to 8th Avenue.
Each year, the APAO reviews paving projects by cities,
counties, ODOT, the federal government, and private parties
all over the state, and recognizes the owner and the contractor
of the top projects at an awards ceremony at its annual spring
meeting. The Chambers Street project was built in 2008 by
Wildish Construction. It was a difficult project due to the
amount of traffic, bridges, variable width and the night work
involved. City staff Matt Rodrigues and Katie Marwitz were
credited for doing a great job designing and managing the
project. Tom Fahsbender, Dan Kepley and Mike Koivula
inspected the project and did a very good job working with the
contractor to ensure good quality materials and construction
practices were used; and the contractor did an excellent paving
job leading to a finished pavement which is very smooth and of
high quality. The APAO rating team members said they "were impressed with the quality of the finished product
especially considering the difficult site conditions. We also like the way this treatment and pavement section fits
into the perpetual pavement and sustainable pavement management scenario." For more information, please
contact Pavement Preservation Program Manager Matt Rodrigues at 682-6036.
Online Classes at Eugene Public Library
The Downtown Library will offer a window into the wide world of blogging with a free introductory class, Saturday,
February 28, at 10:00 a.m. Participants will learn to use the free website Blogger, RSS, Bloglines, or Google
Reader to automatically deliver updated information and entertainment from their preferred online sources.
Internet experience is required as is a Google "gmail" account. Participants should sign up for the free gmail
account in advance and bring their username and password to class. Both classes require pre-registration, which
may be done by calling the Library at 682-5450 (press 2).
Interagency Project Standardizes Fire Hydrant Mapping
Eugene's Fire & EMS and Public Works departments, in partnership with EWEB, have undertaken a
comprehensive mapping and numbering project for all 4,500-plus public fire hydrants in Eugene. The result will be
more accurate and more consistent information for
both EWEB and the City. Before, each had relied
upon -- and communicated with the other agency
based on -- its own hydrant mapping and
numbering system. As time has passed, and as
hydrants have gone into and out of service around
the city, exact location and ID number
discrepancies have arisen. In recognition of this,
the City's Geographic Information Services
Committee, and GIS staff in Public Works, are now
reconciling the two mapping and ID systems for the
benefit of both agencies. (In a related measure,
EWEB has agreed to assume responsibility for
routine hydrant flow-testing in a manner that
preserves residential water quality, while Fire &
EMS will continue to maintain all public hydrants in
proper working order.) The improved mapping
information will allow for more efficient location of
hydrants for routine and non-routine maintenance,
clearing away of shrubs and other obscuring objects, and emergency use in the field. The graphic image above
shows a portion of the work to-date, with hydrant locations in Eugene's North Gilham area. The project is expected
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to be completed by this summer. For more information, please contact Fire & EMS Deputy Chief of Special
Operations Joe Zaludek at 682-7103.
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