HomeMy WebLinkAbout09/17/09 - City Council Newsletter
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER
September 17, 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
PUBLIC ART SURVEY UNDERWAY
BANNED BOOKS READ-OUT AT EUGENE PUBLIC LIBRARY
BELLY-DANCING PERFORMANCES ADVANCE HULT PRESENTS’ MISSION
WEBSITE SURVEY AVAILABLE REGARDING AMBULANCE FUNDING
NEW STORMWATER PLAN FOR RIVER ROAD-SANTA CLARA OFFERS GREEN VISION
COMCAST TELECOMMUNICATIONS EXPANSION IN DOWNTOWN EUGENE
EUGENE TAPPED FOR SUSTAINABILITY NETWORKING MEETINGS
AROUND THE CITY
Public Art Survey Underway
With support from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Cultural Services Division is overseeing the
development of a Public Art Master Plan for the community. The development of a Public Art Master Plan was
identified as a strategy to advance Eugene’s arts and culture in the 2007 Cultural Policy Review report.
Through Friday, October 2, the public is invited to share their views on
public art by taking a confidential online survey. A public workshop on
the Public Art Master Plan will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday,
October 20, in The Studio at the Hult Center. At the workshop, the
results of the survey will be discussed and additional ideas solicited to
further master plan work.
The resulting master plan will be the first time in the 25-year history of
the City’s public art program that a formal public art vision and plan
will define the program priorities and future direction.
The development of the Public Art Master Plan will be guided by an 18-member steering committee comprised of
artists, community leaders and City staff. The committee will be assisted by a consultant team led by Barney &
Worth, Inc. and the Regional Arts & Culture Council of Portland. For more information, contact Theresa Sizemore
at 682-5242.
Banned Books Read-Out at Eugene Public Library
Celebrate free speech and honor defenders of First Amendment rights with a Banned Books Read-Out. Eugene
Public Library is partnering with the Lane County Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Oregon
and Springfield Public Library to host two read-outs this fall.
On Saturday, September 26, the first day of Banned Books Week, Mayor Kitty
Piercy will kick off a read-out at the Downtown Eugene Public Library.
Readings will begin at noon and continue through 4:00 p.m. The week will close
with a read-out at the Springfield Public Library on Saturday, October 3, from
1:00 to 3:00 p.m.
Both events will feature a variety of community members giving 10-minute
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September 17, 2009
readings, highlighting books that have been challenged or banned. The public is invited to stop by to listen, borrow
targeted books, and pin on free “I Read Banned Books” buttons. The events are free.
Many people are under the impression that attempted censorship is a thing of the past or that “it doesn’t happen
here.” In fact, individuals and groups continue to request -- or demand -- that public and school libraries remove or
restrict access to particular books, music, films, and other resources.
According to the American Library Association, more than 500 challenges were reported in the United States in
2008. For information about censorship attempts in Oregon, visit www.aclu-or.org/bannedbooks.
For more information about the Banned Books Read-Out events, contact the Eugene Public Library at 682-5450 or
the Springfield Public Library at 726-3766.
Belly-Dancing Performances Advance Hult Presents’ Mission
Hult Presents is offering two free belly-dance samplers this week. The mission of Hult
Presents is to enrich the cultural life of the community by providing a broad selection of
performances by local, regional, and international artists. Providing reasonable access to
events, including community outreach programs and arts educational activities, is also an
important goal.
To meet those objectives, two free belly-dance samplers will be performed on September
17, at the Eugene Public Library at4:00 p.m., and at Borders Books in Oakway Center at
5:00 p.m. At each of the sampler performances, Hult Presents will give away vouchers
for $3 towards the cost of a ticket and raffle one pair of tickets to the Belly-Dance
Superstars’ performance.
The Art of Belly-Dance featuring Belly-Dance Superstars is on October 13 at 8:00 p.m. Tickets start at $18; youth
tickets start at $11. For more information, contact Billie Moser at 682-8380.
Website Survey Available Regarding Ambulance Funding
As an additional means of gathering public input into ambulance funding issues – beyond the series of community
forums currently under way – the Fire & EMS Department has made available an online survey that provides
information about the issue and offers community members an opportunity to express their opinions and submit
comments. The information and survey are available at www.eugene-or.gov/fire. On the website, users can find
the same written information that is being provided at the forums, along with the same questionnaire which asks
individuals to express their relative approval or disapproval of some long-term ambulance funding options that
have been identified by the intergovernmental task force now studying the issue. All community feedback,
whether given online or at a public forum, will be compiled and submitted to the task force soon after the
completion of the series of forums, which ends October 1. For more information, please contact Glen Potter, Fire
& EMS Department, at 682-7118.
New Stormwater Plan for River Road-Santa Clara Offers Green Vision
The City of Eugene and Lane County are inviting public comment on the
River Road-Santa Clara Stormwater Basin Master Plan. The two agencies
have worked together to produce a plan that describes the City and
County’s proposed approach to managing stormwater in this unique area of
mixed jurisdiction in the northwest corner of the Eugene-Springfield
metropolitan area.
The plan includes data and maps describing the characteristics of the basin,
descriptions of the stormwater-related problems and opportunities in the
basin, and a long-term stormwater capital improvement plan for River
Road-Santa Clara, including projects to address flooding and increase
system capacity, projects to improve surface water quality, and projects to
replace existing drywells that have the potential to impact groundwater
quality. The plan supports previously adopted stormwater development
standards and encourages low-impact development practices and
alternative “green street” concepts for local street improvements.
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September 17, 2009
The document will be available on the Internet at www.eugene-or.gov/pw by September 19. Printed copies may be
obtained at Eugene Public Works (1820 Roosevelt Boulevard and 410 River Avenue), Lane County Public Works
(3040 North Delta Highway), River Road/Santa Clara Volunteer Library (105 Oakleigh Lane), and the Eugene
th
Public Library (100 West 10Avenue).
Comments must be submitted by October 19, 2009, at 5:00 p.m. for consideration in finalizing the plan, and may
be sent directly to Therese Walch, Eugene Public Works, 99 East Broadway, Suite 400, Eugene, 97401. Please
contact Therese Walch at 682-5549 with questions.
Comcast Telecommunications Expansion in Downtown Eugene
Currently, many areas of downtown Eugene are not served by Comcast. This has resulted in problems for some
businesses that need cable television stations and high-speed Internet access.
After encouragement from downtown staff, and planning meetings involving staff from Public Works, Planning and
Development, and Information Services, Comcast has embarked on a significant network infrastructure
investment. Soon Comcast’s high-speed network will be available in the core of Eugene’s downtown.
The project will enable Comcast to offer state-of-the-art voice, data, and video services to commercial businesses
within the expanded footprint which extends roughly from Pearl Street west to Charnelton Street, and 11th Avenue
north to 8th Avenue. Comcast will initially offer high-speed Internet services with up to 50Mb download speeds
and a variety of voice and video services and even faster Internet speeds in the near future are anticipated.
In conjunction with provisions of the renewed public rights-of-way use, License/Franchise, Comcast will receive a
$20,000 City Telecommunications Project contribution when the project is completed.
For more information, please contact Telecommunications Program Manager Pam Berrian at 682-5590 or
pam.c.berrian@ci.eugene.or.us
Eugene Tapped for Sustainability Networking Meetings
City of Eugene and Lane Council of Governments staff will meet with colleagues from across the country in five
days of strategic discussions on land use, transportation and sustainability initiatives. Eugene was selected for
participation in the Climate Leadership Academy: Reducing Carbon Emissions through Smart Transportation &
Land Use Policies and Practices and the first annual Urban Sustainability Directors’ Network meeting, both
occurring in Chicago, September 21-25. Staff will join peers from other communities including Portland, Oregon;
Seattle, Washington; Austin, Texas; and Atlanta, Georgia. Sponsoring organizations have obtained funding that
essentially provides scholarships allowing Eugene and other participants to attend at little or no cost to their
organizations. Heading to the sessions are Eugene Planning Director Lisa Gardner, Transportation Planning
Manager Rob Inerfeld, City Manager’s Office Division Manager Keli Osborn, and Transportation Program Manager
at Lane Council of Governments Andrea Riner. Eugene’s participation in the meetings not only demonstrates the
local commitment to planning and implementing more sustainable land use and transportation decisions, but also
recognizes the continuing related work of the Mayor and City Council, Sustainability Commission, City staff and
the greater community. For information, please contact Keli Osborn, City Manager’s Office, 682-5406 or
keli.m.osborn@eugene.or.us.
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September 17, 2009