HomeMy WebLinkAbout04/09/09 City Council Newsletter (2)
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The new ARFF station will replace the outdated and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.
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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
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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.
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