HomeMy WebLinkAbout03/05/09 - City Council Newsletter
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER
March 5, 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
NEIGHBORS AND STAFF VISIT VANCOUVER TO LEARN ABOUT NEIGHBORHOOD ACTION PLANNING
EUGENE CONSTRUCTION SITES GET PERFECT SCORE
LAST-MINUTE SPECIALS AVAILABLE ON PHONES WITH ARTS ALERTS
CELTS AND SUFFRAGETTES AT EUGENE PUBLIC LIBRARY
FAMILY FUN NIGHTS MEET SEVERAL GOALS
DEPUTY FIRE MARSHALS MEET STATE CERTIFICATION STANDARDS
AROUND THE CITY
Neighbors and Staff Visit Vancouver to Learn about Neighborhood Action Planning
On February 11, 2009, Eugene Planning staff and leaders from seven different
Eugene neighborhoods took a field trip to the city of Vancouver, Washington, to
learn more about its Neighborhood Action Planning model. In Vancouver,
Neighborhood Action Plans help each neighborhood identify priority issues and
projects, and develop a plan for neighborhood improvement. The plans are
initiated by neighborhood groups and facilitated by city staff. The final products
are action-oriented, easy to update, integrated into city-wide systems, and
accepted by the city council. Early in the day, staff met with Vancouver’s city
manager, and other executives, to learn how the program was integrated into
their municipal system for budgeting and prioritization of neighborhood needs.
Eugene neighbors joined the group for a tour of Neighborhood Action Plan
projects and a meeting with Vancouver neighborhood leaders. Overall, response
to the Neighborhood Action Plan model was positive. Planning and
Development staff will use lessons learned from the field trip to help develop a
customized Neighborhood Action Planning program for Eugene. For more
information contact Carolyn Weiss at 682-8816, carolyn.j.weiss@ci.eugene.or.us
or Lorna Flormoe at 682-5670, lorna.r.flormoe@ci.eugene.or.us.
Eugene Construction Sites Get Perfect Score
In January, a surprise inspection by several state agencies took
place in the Eugene area to verify compliance with their
respective regulations. An enforcement team from Oregon’s
Building Codes Division conducted a multi-agency enforcement
sweep with the Workers Compensation Division, Employment
Department, Bureau of Labor and Industries, and Department
of Revenue. The sweep took place over a two-day period. The
Planning and Development Department was informed recently
that out of the 28 construction sites visited and the 144
individual interviews of contractors and their employees, not a
single violation was found. While this is great news for the
health and safety of workers at these sites, it is also
acknowledges the hard work of many building permit and land
use staff who make sure businesses and contractors know and follow these important regulations. For more
information, contact Stuart Ramsing at 682-6801 or stuart.g.ramsing@ci.eugene.or.us.
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 1
March 5, 2009
Last-Minute Specials Available on Phones with Arts Alerts
The Hult Center is now able to communicate via text messaging. Patrons
of the Hult want to receive information in many different ways: some like
brochures; some prefer e-news and others prefer text alerts. The Hult
Center debuted its new Arts Alerts program from the stage before Hult
Presents Thomas & Friends with the announcement, “Sign-up now and
you may win tickets to Hult Presents 100 Years of Broadway!” The
program will also be announced in the upcoming issue of OVATION.
Patrons are encouraged to sign-up for the service via the Hult website,
or by texting “HULT” to 74700. Hult texting will be limited to ticket
specials, last-minute information like weather closures, and contests -
and there is no such thing as a boring contest at the Hult Center. For
more information, contact Billie Moser at 682-8360.
Celts and Suffragettes at Eugene Public Library
Actress and historian Tames Alan will bring ancient Celtic culture to life – in authentic costume – with "Learning
Among the Oak Groves" on First Friday, March 6, at 6:30 p.m., at the Downtown Public Library. An entertaining
expert, Alan will share what it was like to live in Britain at the time of the Roman invasion. The program will include
information about the hierarchy of Celtic tribes, rites of passage, holidays, art, music, dance, and the Celts’
worship of lands and waters. On Saturday, March 7, at 3:00 p.m., Alan will perform “Soldiers in Petticoats,”
changing into the outfit and character of a suffragette to share the inspiring story of American women’s long,
determined fight for the right to vote. Hear about the turbulent time when some women were granted voting rights
by some states -- only to see them taken away by those in power in Washington, D.C. Learn how American women
adopted the militant tactics of their English sisters, how the suffragettes influenced child labor laws and other
issues, and how they eventually won. A favorite visiting performer at Eugene Public Library, Alan studied theater
and history at Willamette University and theater at the American Conservatory Theater and the Dell Arte School.
She has taught fashion history at the Art Institute of Seattle, including a class combining fashion history, social
history, and women's studies. More recently, she has been a speaker for the Washington State Commission for the
Humanities in its Inquiring Minds series. For more information, contact the Library at 682-5450, or www.eugene-
or.gov/library.
Family Fun Nights Meet Several Goals
Many events and activities held by Recreation’s Youth and Family Services have multiple goals. This is especially
true of the Family Fun Nights held monthly at Petersen Barn Community Center and at Sheldon Community
Center and Pool. Each of the events is free and includes a dinner, family activities and entertainment. Some 85-
250 people attend each of the events, which have been offered for more than four years. The fun nights provide
an opportunity for families to eat and play together, a chance for attendees to get to know their neighbors, and to
learn more about other activities and services offered at their regional community center. At the First Friday
Family Fun Night at the Petersen Barn on March 6, a taco dinner will be served, and attendees can make paper
flowers and tambourines and play other games. Entertainment will be provided by ACT-SO students and Tango
dancers. At the Family Fun Night at Sheldon Center and Pool on March 13, the theme is “carnival.” A dinner of
hot dogs and chips will be served and there will be 12 carnival games with small prizes for winners. Attendees can
also swim at Sheldon Pool and watch the movie, Dumbo. For more information, contact Kathy Madison at 682-
6342.
Deputy Fire Marshals Meet State Certification Standards
Supervising Deputy Oregon State Fire Marshal Bob Wright was in Eugene on Thursday to confer state Fire & Life
Safety Specialist certifications on Eugene Deputy Fire Marshals Amy Linder and Sandra Johnston, both of whom
have successfully completed the training required to comply with Oregon guidelines that were developed by the
State Fire Marshal's Office at the direction of the Governor. The state standards carry compliance deadlines of
July 2010 for Fire & Life Safety Specialist 1 and January 2011 for Fire & Life Safety Specialist 2. Fire code
enforcement personnel must meet the requirements by those deadlines in order to continue to provide inspection
and fire code enforcement services in Oregon. Deputies Linder and Johnston are first among Eugene's Fire
Prevention staff to earn the credentials (both are now certified at the Specialist 1 and Specialist 2 levels), but all
members of the staff are on, or ahead of schedule, to become certified prior to the deadlines. The state
certification standards were developed as a means of providing uniformity in fire and life safety code
administration across the state so that communities and builders are all operating under the same procedures and
expectations. For more information, please contact Interim Fire Marshal Doug Perry at 682-5887.
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2
March 5, 2009