HomeMy WebLinkAbout09/06/09 - City Council Newsletter
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER
September 6, 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
CELEBRATE EUGENE AND VISIT CITY BOOTH THIS WEEKEND
GREEN BUILDING INCENTIVES SUPPORT A GREENER EUGENE
FINAL PARK DEDICATION OF SUMMER AT FILBERT MEADOWS
WEST EUGENE INTERSECTION RECONSTRUCTED USING INNOVATIVE “WHITETOPPING”
CITY’S BICYCLE-PEDESTRIAN COORDINATOR APPOINTED TO STATE ADVISORY COMMITTEE
COMMUNITY FORUMS ON AMBULANCE FUNDING SCHEDULED
NORTHWEST CREDIT UNION VOLUNTEERS CLEAN BOOK COVERS AT LIBRARY
ADULT PROGRAM WINS ICE CREAM CONTEST TO ENHANCE BLOCK PARTY
AIRPORT RESCUE AND FIRE FIGHTING STATION GROUNDBREAKING
LEARN HOW FORM-BASED CODES CAN TRANSFORM CITIES AND TOWNS
AROUND THE CITY
Celebrate Eugene and Visit City Booth This Weekend
th
The City of Eugene is an active participant in the 27 Annual Eugene Celebration this weekend. Mayor Kitty Piercy
and City Manager Jon Ruiz will help kick off the Celebration and introduce University of Oregon President Richard
Lariviere to the community at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, September 4, at the Broadway Stage at Broadway and
Willamette. The parade, which begins Saturday morning at 9:30 a.m., will feature City Councilors and the Mayor
as Grand Marshals, travelling on a unique, people-powered vehicle.
Throughout the weekend, the City will be hosting a booth located on Willamette Street just north of Broadway.
The theme of the booth is “Moving Forward Together,” highlighting a number of current activities seeking
community input and involvement, including boards and commissions recruitment, surveys for Eugene Counts and
neighborhood associations, and additional information about other upcoming events and involvement
opportunities. The Mayor and several City Councilors will be at the booth on Saturday to meet and greet the
Celebration crowd. Maps and information in the booth will help people identify their City Councilor, their
neighborhood association, and the crime prevention specialist who serves their area. Think you know Eugene?
You’ll have the chance to test your knowledge at the booth’s Eugene Trivia Wheel.
For more information about the booth, contact Community Relations Director Jan Bohman at 968-2829. For more
information about the Eugene Celebration and a schedule, go to the website at www.eugenecelebration.com.
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 1
September 3, 2009
Green Building Incentives Support a Greener Eugene
The new Green Building Incentive Program begins this week to promote sustainable building practices in the
community. Projects that achieve certification by either Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) or
Earth Advantage programs will be eligible for priority plan review and inspections, same-day permits, system
development charge reductions, technical assistance, and recognition and publicity benefits. Residential projects
that meet high standards for energy efficiency and waste reduction
will also be eligible for permit fee rebates.
These incentives will help to reduce the time and costs of building
green, encourage green building practitioners and highlight the good
work that is happening in the community. Depending on the type of
building, permit fee rebates will range from a maximum of $1,000 to
$5,000 per project. The rebates are partially funded by the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 through the Energy
Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant and will be provided once
the project receives its LEED or Earth Advantage certification.
Response to the new incentives has been positive. Dan Hill,
architect/senior principal with Arbor South Architecture noted, “Arbor South is committed to sustainable design and
construction so it is great to have the City of Eugene as a partner in developing a greener community.”
For more information, contact Jenna Garmon in the City’s Green Building Program at 682-5541 or
jenna.r.garmon@ci.eugene.or.us.
Final Park Dedication of Summer at Filbert Meadows
The seventh and final park dedication of the summer will take place
on Wednesday, September 9, at Filbert Meadows Park. Santa
Clara neighbors will gather for an evening of food, music, and
games in celebration of their neighborhood park. The celebration
will take place from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. with a formal dedication at
6:00 p.m. The three-acre Filbert Meadows Park was developed in
late 2006, with approximately $400,000 in systems development
charge (SDC) funds.
Improvements to the previously undeveloped park include a dual
purpose amphitheater and basketball court, children’s play area,
walking paths, site furniture such as picnic tables, benches and
drinking fountain, a rolling open turf playfield, landscaping and accessible on-street parking. Filbert Meadows is
located at the corner of Hyacinth Street and Naismith Boulevard. For more information, contact Park Development
Coordinator Carrie Peterson at 682-4907 or carrie.a.peterson@ci.eugene.or.us.
West Eugene Intersection Reconstructed Using Innovative “Whitetopping”
th
As part of the pavement preservation project on Seneca Road between Roosevelt Boulevard and 7 Avenue, the
st
intersection of 1 Avenue and Seneca Road was rehabilitated using an emerging paving technique called concrete
“whitetopping.”
Whitetopping is a paving method where existing asphalt is overlaid
with a thin section of concrete pavement. Six inches of existing
asphalt was removed at this location with a roto-milling machine, and
fiber-reinforced concrete was put back in its place. The concrete slab
was then sawcut to create smaller slabs that mimic the movement of
the flexible asphalt paving beneath the whitetopped surface.
Whitetopping is a faster and more economical solution for providing a
concrete paved surface compared to a full concrete reconstruction
that would require completely excavating and rebuilding the
intersection. Using the whitetopping method, the intersection was
closed for less than five days.
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2
September 3, 2009
The advantages of whitetopping treatment are increased rut resistance and pavement life compared to traditional
asphalt paving. Due to the high volume of truck traffic at this intersection, and the condition of the existing asphalt
pavement, this was an ideal location to test the whitetopping treatment. For more information about this technique,
contact Pavement Preservation Program Manager Matt Rodrigues at 682-6036.
City’s Bicycle-Pedestrian Coordinator Appointed to State Advisory Committee
City of Eugene Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator Lee Shoemaker was appointed to the Oregon Bicycle and
Pedestrian Advisory Committee (OBPAC) by Governor Kulongoski. OBPAC is an eight-member committee
appointed by the governor, and acts as a liaison between the public and the Oregon
Department of Transportation (ODOT) and the Oregon Transportation Commission.
Committee meetings are held in various locations around the state to listen to the views and
concerns of interested citizens, local officials and ODOT region staff. Shoemaker was
selected as the local government representative on the committee and will serve a four-year
term through August 2013.
OBPAC members advise ODOT and the Oregon Transportation Commission in the regulation
of bicycle and pedestrian traffic, the establishment of bikeways and walkways,
recommendations for pedestrian and biking policies and best practices to improve walking and
biking in Oregon. The committee makes recommendations to the Oregon Transportation
Commission on which projects should receive Oregon Bicycle and Pedestrian grant funds for walking and biking
th
improvements. Recent Eugene projects constructed with these funds include Bailey Hill Road (18 to Warren),
th
18 Avenue (Agate to Alder), and 10 pedestrian crossing improvements on several streets in Eugene. For more
information, contact Lee Shoemaker at 682-5471.
Community Forums on Ambulance Funding Scheduled
At the direction of the Ambulance Transport System Joint Elected Officials Task Force, and in partnership with
Springfield Fire & Life Safety and Lane Rural Fire/Rescue, the Eugene Fire & EMS Department has scheduled a
series of community forums for late September (and October 1) to gather public input regarding options for
stabilizing funding of ambulance transport service in the region. The task force is studying this issue because
Medicare reimbursement reductions and other economic factors have left ambulance providers – here and across
the U.S. – facing unsustainable revenue deficits. Following the public forums, the task force will develop and
present a long-term recommendation, or series of recommendations, to the full governing bodies of the three
jurisdictions and to the Lane County Board of Commissioners. The community forum schedule is as follows:
Tuesday, September 15 – 7:00 p.m., Hilyard Community Center, 2580 Hilyard Street
Wednesday, September 16 – 7:30 p.m., Fire Station 51, 29999 Hallett Street
Thursday, September 17 – 7:30 p.m., Fire Station 11-1, 88050 Territorial Highway, Veneta
nd
Tuesday, September 22 – 7:30 p.m., Eugene Emergency Services Center, 1705 W. 2Avenue
Wednesday, Sept.ember 23 – 7:00 p.m., Churchill Estates, 1919 Bailey Hill Road
th
Thursday, September 24 – 7:30 p.m., Springfield Library Meeting Room, 225 5 Street
th
Tuesday, September 29 – 7:30 p.m., Fire Station 3, 1225 28 Sreet, Springfield
Wednesday, September 30 – 7:30 p.m., Petersen Barn, 870 Berntzen Road
Thursday, October 1 – 7:30 p.m., Fire Station 6, 2435 Willakenzie Road
For more information, please contact Glen Potter at Eugene Fire & EMS at 682-7118.
Northwest Credit Union Volunteers Clean Book Covers at Library
This summer, Northwest Credit Union decided to hold a day of community service with their employees instead of
a company picnic.
On Saturday, August 22, seven NW Credit Union employees and their family
members spent three hours at the Eugene Public Library cleaning the covers of
children’s books – nearly 700 of them. The now-shining 12 shelves of books
included frequently-handled picture books, cookbooks, and high-use titles such as
the Harry Potter series.
“Thank you, Northwest Credit Union, for offering such generous and practical
support to the community through the Library,” said Library Youth Services
Manager Mary Ginnane.
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 3
September 3, 2009
For more information, contact the Eugene Public Library at 682-5450.
Adult Program Wins Ice Cream Contest to Enhance Block Party
The Adult Services Program is throwing its first annual Neighborhood Block Party from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. on
September 12 at Campbell Community Center, and, thanks to Dreyer’s Slow Churned Ice Cream, the free party
will include lots of ice cream.
Eugene Adult Services is one of just 30 organizations in Oregon to win the Dreyer’s Slow
Churned Neighborhood Salute contest. In a letter submitted to Dreyer’s as part of the contest
entry, Adult Services Programmer Rayna Luvert noted that Campbell Center has historical
significance as the first senior center in the Northwest. She explained that the program’s first
annual block party will be a truly intergenerational event intended for grandparents, parents,
children, and grandchildren and will build community by helping neighbors get to know one
another.
In addition to the ice cream, the event will include food, snacks, face painting, egg races, Wii
games and music. For more information, call Rayna Luvert at 682-5318.
Airport Rescue and Fire Fighting Station Groundbreaking
A groundbreaking ceremony for a new Aircraft Rescue and
Fire Fighting (ARFF) station was held Wednesday,
September 2, at the Eugene Airport. The 11,600 square-foot
building will feature four ARFF vehicle bays, specialized
equipment storage, conference space, and living quarters for
four firefighters.
The project, originally estimated at $5.1 million, was awarded
to John Hyland Construction with a $3.84 million bid. The
project is being funded through FAA entitlement and
discretionary funds with a 5% Airport fund match of about
$192,000.
The project is a joint effort between staff from the Eugene
Airport, Eugene Fire & EMS Department, City of Eugene
Facilities and Information Services Divisions, 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 give fire personnel the ability 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.
Construction of the new ARFF station is expected to be complete by mid- to late-summer 2010. For more
information, contact Eugene Airport Director of Marketing and Public Relations Cathryn Stephens at 682-5430.
Learn How Form-Based Codes Can Transform Cities and Towns
Please join the Planning and Development Department for a webinar presentation to learn how form-
based codes can transform cities and towns. Designed by the Form-Based Codes Institute (FBCI), this
100-minute session provides an introduction to form-based codes, why they may be better suited to
desired development outcomes compared to traditional codes and how they are developed and used.
The City is developing a form-based code for the Walnut Station area, a proposed mixed-use center
located across from the University of Oregon, and at the eastern gateway of Eugene along Franklin
Boulevard. Walnut Station is also along a bus rapid-transit line, a critical component of creating a
quality urban neighborhood with a mix of uses and a reduced reliance on the automobile.
Specific topics to be covered in the webinar include:
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 4
September 3, 2009
?
Why use form-based codes
?
The rise of conventional zoning and the decline of urbanism
?
How form-based codes differ from conventional zoning
?
Where form-based codes are typically used
?
The process for preparing a form-based code
?
Components of a typical form-based code
?
Legal issues of form-based codes
The webinar, hosted by the Eugene Planning Division, will be held at the City of Eugene Public Library
(Bascom/Tykeson Room) on September 9 from 4:00 – 6:00 pm. For more information, contact Lydia McKinney at
682-5485 or at lydia.s.mckinney@ci.eugene.or.us.
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 5
September 3, 2009