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Home My WebLink About04/09/09 City Council Newsletter EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER April 9, 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 AIRPORT FIRE STATION PLANNING FAST-TRACKED 2009 NEIGHBORHOOD SUMMIT A SUCCESS LIBRARY PATRONS GO “MAD” FOR LECTURE ON FIRST AMENDMENT FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY BOOK SALE: APRIL 18 AND 19 WORK RESUMES ON ROOSEVELT BOULEVARD OVERLAY APRIL 13 YOUNG SINGERS INVITED TO SING WITH BROADWAY STARS ON HULT CENTER STAGE WORKSHOPS ENVISION FUTURE OF RASOR MIXED USE CENTER AROUND THE CITY Airport Fire Station Planning Fast-Tracked Eugene Airport and Fire & EMS officials recently learned Federal Aviation Administration discretionary funding for a new Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) station will soon be released. The $5.1 million dollar project is funded 95% ($4,845,000) by FAA funds and 5% ($255,000) by the Airport Construction Fund. To receive the FAA funding, the project must be bid by June 2, 2009. While the site selection had been made and the architecture and engineering team had been hired, moving forward on the project would have required a significant investment of Airport funds with no assurance of when federal funding would become available. Airport officials placed the project on hold until receiving notice from the FAA that the funding would be released and have now fast-tracked the project planning. The project is a joint effort between the Eugene Airport, Fire & EMS, Facilities, Information Services Division, RS&H, a facilities and infrastructure consulting firm and PIVOT Architecture, a Eugene design firm. RS&H has extensive experience in planning airport fire stations. PIVOT designed several of the new EFD stations. The new ARFF station will replace the outdated and undersized Fire Station 12 building. Relocating the station on the north end of the airfield will provide the ability for Fire personnel to access either runway under the required FAA response time. The current building is the only remaining fire station operated by the City of Eugene that lacks separate quarters for both male and female firefighters. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 1 April 9, 2009 Construction of the new ARFF station is anticipated to begin late this summer and be completed by mid- to late- summer 2010. The 11,600 square foot building will feature four ARFF vehicle bays, specialized equipment storage, conference space, and living quarters for four firefighters. For more information, contact Eugene Airport Director of Marketing & Public Relations Cathryn Stephens at 682- 5430 or cathryn.e.stephens@ci.eugene.or.us or Fire & EMS Public Information Officer Glen Potter at 682-7118 or glen.d.potter@ci.eugene.or.us. 2009 Neighborhood Summit a Success On March 7, 2009, neighborhood leaders, City councilors,County commissioners, City staff from across the organization and 27 non-profit organizations met in the Wheeler Pavilion for the 2009 Neighborhood Summit. With over 200 individuals attending, the theme of this year’s summit was Collaborating for a Livable Eugene. Participants received and shared information and were charged with identifying ways neighborhoods and the City could work together in areas of common interest. Attendees were invited to participate in breakout discussion groups on a variety of topics from sustainability to land use planning. This process generated 94 ideas for collaboration that were included in a dot-vote exercise open to all participants at the end of the day. The results are available on the neighborhood services webpage at http://www.eugene- or.gov/summit. Staff is currently working to identify connections between the generated ideas and existing City initiatives, programs and plans. In addition, listserves have been established to encourage on-going conversations among attendees. A subcommittee of the Neighborhood Empowerment Initiative will meet to discuss additional strategies for follow-up to the ideas generated at the summit. The concept of annual forums for neighborhood associations was part of the action plan developed in response to the City Council Neighborhood Empowerment Initiative. The first summit was held in 2007. For more information, contact Michael Kinnison at 682-5009 or Michael.j.kinnison@ci.eugene.or.us. Library Patrons Go “Mad” for Lecture on First Amendment April’s First Friday at the Downtown Library informed and entertained 468 Alfred E. Neumaniacs who came to hear Senior Editor of Mad Magazine Joe Raiola, speak on “The Joy of Censorship.” (Referring to his position at the iconic publication, Raiola insists his title “means nothing since I work at the only place in America where if you mature, you get fired.”) Raiola's acclaimed presentation on the First Amendment has been seen at countless libraries, colleges, and professional conferences nationwide, and has been broadcast nationally on C- SPAN’s American Perspectives. Friday’s version opened with recordings of songs recommended for banning after 9/11, followed by Raiola’s sharp and hilarious lecture, which included a multimedia show, some vigorous leaps from chairs, and a rousing blues rendition of his own composition, “Don’t Put a Fatwa on Me." After the hour-long program, the audience pressed for an additional 30 minutes of Q & A. Many attendees expressed appreciation for the Library as a promoter of free speech, and said how much they'd enjoyed Raiola's talk. For more information, contact Library Adult Services Manager Nancy Horner at 682-8377. Friends of the Library Book Sale: April 18 and 19 Book lovers can indulge themselves for a good cause once again at the 31st Annual Friends of Eugene Public Library Book Sale. The sale will be held Saturday, April 18, 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. and Sunday, April 19, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., at Lane County Fairgrounds' Performance Hall. Parking and admission are free. The Friends of the Library Book Sale offers 90,000 gently- and never-used books of all kinds for all ages and interests. Most books are only $1.50, with EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2 April 9, 2009 small paperbacks just $1. There are rare and specialty items sold in the category, Individually Priced, and recent bestsellers in Good-As-New. There are also audio books, DVDs, videos, and music CDs. The book sale is the Friends' main fundraiser. Last year, the event took in more than $78,000 to support and enhance Eugene Public Library programs and services. "This Book Sale is made possible by the whole community's generosity and commitment to Eugene Public Library,” says organizer Jane Gilbert. Year-round, the public donates books, and more than 300 community members volunteer for the project. For more information, call the Library at 682-5450. Work Resumes on Roosevelt Boulevard Overlay April 13 The second phase of paving repairs on a 2.7-mile-long section of Roosevelt Boulevard is scheduled to begin Monday, April 13. Last summer, Eugene Sand Construction was awarded a $1.7 million bid to mill and overlay Roosevelt Boulevard from Chambers Street to Beltline Highway. The first phase, from Chambers Street to Maple Street, was completed last fall. The second phase, from Maple Street to Beltline Highway, is scheduled to take place this spring, as weather allows. The paving repairs include removing the top layer of deteriorated pavement, doing extensive subsurface repairs as needed, and then resurfacing the roadway with a new layer of asphaltic concrete. These repairs will add many years of life to Roosevelt Boulevard, which is a fully improved city street. Funding for the project comes from a combination of local gas tax revenues and federal funds. In general, working hours for the project are 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. As in years past, Public Works will provide information about this and other road repair projects through the Metro Roadwork Hotline, 984-8484, and the City’s traffic relief web site www.eugene-or.gov/traffic. For more information about this project, contact Project Manger Matt Rodrigues at 682-6036. Young Singers Invited to Sing with Broadway Stars on Hult Center Stage Hult Presents is offering a fabulous opportunity for young talent to sing with the five Broadway stars who will appear on the grand Silva Concert Hall Stage in “Neil Berg’s 100 Years of Broadway” on Friday, May 15, at 8:00 p.m. Young singers have until 5:00 p.m. on Friday, May 8, to submit their audition videos by uploading them to YouTube, FaceBook or Myspace. The show’s panel of industry experts (including producers, singers and managers, as well as Neil Berg himself), will select up to two winners who will get to sing a solo in the show finale. Up to 10 runners-up will sing one chorus number with the five Broadway stars and everyone will receive complimentary tickets to the show. Submission guidelines are posted at www.singingwiththebroadwaystars.com. The Cultural Services Division is thrilled to be offering this chance to sing on the big stage with big stars and a real New York all-star band. For more information, contact Billie Moser at 682-8380. Workshops Envision Future of Rasor Mixed Use Center Approximately 50 people attended two public workshops for the Rasor Mixed Use Center project on March 19, 2009. The purpose of the workshops was to help participants understand what uses are currently allowed in the mixed-use area and to obtain input about desired future development. Images of Eugene housing types, other mixed-use projects, and commercial buildings helped participants understand the building forms that might be appropriate to the area. Attendees formed break-out groups to make recommendations about the types of buildings and uses that would fit the area and support mixed-use goals. Ideas included a well designed entrance to the River Road neighborhood, public gathering places, a Farmer’s Market and small grocery store, and attractive housing that supports the project’s density goals. The Rasor Mixed Use Center project is planning to accommodate higher density while promoting a walkable community that protects the natural features along the Willamette River. A nine-member Community Advisory Committee includes representatives from the River Road Community Organization, Whiteaker Community Council, area business owners, Lane County Housing Authority, Planning Commission and interested residents. This group meets regularly and is working to help craft the final concept plan and implementation strategies. To learn more about the Rasor Mixed Use Center project, go to http://www.eugene-or.gov/rasorpark For further information, contact Ken Guzowski at ken.j.guzowski@ci.eugene.or.us or 682-5562. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 3 April 9, 2009 NEXT WEEK 4/13 M 5:30pm All Council Work Session McNutt Room 4/13 M 7:30pm All Council Meeting Council Chamber 4/15 W Noon All Council Work Session McNutt Room 4/15 W 1:15pm AO, GP, BT IGR McNutt Room 4/15 W 5:30pm AZ Sustainability Commision McNutt Room 4/15 W 6:30pm All Budget Committee Bascom/Tykeson Rm UPCOMING 4/20 M 7:30pm All Council Public Hearing Council Chamber 4/22 W Noon All Council Work Session McNutt Room 4/27 M 5:30pm All Council Work Session McNutt Room 4/27 M 7:30pm All Council Meeting Council Chamber 4/29 W Noon All Council Work Session McNutt Room 4/29 W 5:30pm All Budget Committee Bascom/Tykeson Rm UNAVAILABLE FOR CITY COUNCIL BUSINESS Mayor Piercy: April 19 - 21 ** Denotes changes or additions to calendar EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 4 April 9, 2009