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Home My WebLink About11/19/09 - City Council Newsletter EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER November 19, 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 FIRE & EMS HOSTS CAREER DAY FOR HIGH SCHOOLERS COMMUNICATIONS PROGRAM MANAGER KRISTI WILDE RECEIVES LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD IMPROVEMENTS TO MAPLE STREET AND ELMIRA ROAD SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETED POLICE DIVERSITY COMMITTEE SECURES TRAINING FROM NATIONAL SPEAKER ON HATE CRIMES THE ARTS: “HIGH OCTANE FUEL” THAT DRIVES EUGENE’S ECONOMY EPD AND EARS HONORED BY CRIME PREVENTION ASSOCIATION OF OREGON LIBRARY RECEIVES $1.12 MILLION GIFT FRIENDS OF EUGENE PUBLIC LIBRARY MYSTERY SALE CITY’S SENIOR PROGRAM SERVES THANKSGIVING MEAL CLOSED CAPTIONING FOR EUGENE CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS AROUND THE CITY Fire & EMS Hosts Career Day for High Schoolers Appropriate education is the key to moving into a career. This was the message conveyed to local high school students on Friday as the Fire & EMS Department hosted its second annual (soon to become twice-yearly) Career Day for high school students. A total of 65 young people registered for the full-day event, which included both classroom time and hands-on demonstrations on the drill field. Fire officials encouraged the students to prepare themselves for careers in the fire service by working toward paramedic certification, volunteering with rural fire districts, and maintaining good academic and personal standards. Other safety-related agencies (American Red Cross, Rural/Metro Ambulance, etc.) were present to share information about careers with their organizations. During the afternoon, the students donned protective gear and tried their hand at hose deployment, high-rise rescue (stair climb), working in smoke-filled areas, and controlled fire suppression. The event allowed the students to meet a career-investigation academic requirement, and the hope is that, through the years, the Career Day program will provide the Fire & EMS Department (and perhaps other nearby departments) with a high-quality and diverse pool of properly trained applicants for firefighter positions. For more information, please contact Special Operations Deputy Chief Joe Zaludek at 682-7103. Communications Program Manager Kristi Wilde Receives Lifetime Achievement Award Kristi Wilde received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the October annual training conference of the Oregon Association of Public Safety Communications Officers/National Emergency Number Association (Oregon APCO/NENA), in Bend, Oregon. The award recognizes a distinguished member of the chapter who demonstrates commitment to, and has made significant contributions toward, the advancement of emergency communications in Oregon. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 1 November 19, 2009 Kristi has served as president, and executive board and legislative committee member of Oregon APCO/NENA. Since 2002, she has represented the chapter as vice-chair of the Statewide Interoperable Executive Council. Kristi has been a Eugene Police Department employee since 1981. For more information, contact Operations Support Division Manager Lynn Reeves at 682-5362. Improvements to Maple Street and Elmira Road Substantially Completed Work is substantially completed on a $3.3 million project to improve Elmira Road and Maple Street in west Eugene. The Elmira-Maple project consisted of reconstructing old county roadway, transforming it to meet City standards. The project included a lengthy public outreach process and a number of design changes. Public Works Engineering strove to adhere to design standards while respecting the residents’ desires to minimize assessable costs and preserve their front yards, including landscaped areas that extended into the public right-of-way. The final result was a 24-foot-wide street with mostly curbside sidewalks, no on-street bike lanes, and only a few paved parking spaces. With agreement on the design and a contract in place with Knife River Corporation, work began in mid-June. The old roadway was excavated, and concrete curbs, gutters, sidewalks and driveway aprons were constructed. The contractor installed a new, piped stormwater drainage system with bioswales for water quality treatment. The new roadway was constructed with several thick lifts of asphalt paving. Finishing touches included re-seeding grassy areas and installing signage and lockable group mailboxes. Before the project is fully completed, a modification to the turning radius at Maple and Elmira streets will be made. The construction of the project was lengthy and tested some residents’ patience, requiring them to take alternate routes while portions of the road were closed. Overall, however, the project went well and stayed within budget. The pending assessments are estimated to be levied early next year. For more information, contact Project Manager John Bonham at 682-5300. Police Diversity Committee Secures Training from National Speaker on Hate Crimes The Eugene Police Diversity Committee secured Joseph T. Roy, Sr., chief investigator of the Intelligence Project of the Southern Poverty Law Center, for national-level hate crimes training for its officers, November 17 and 18. The training was offered free of charge to regional law enforcement agency personnel. “We opened the training to others in our region because our goal is to combat hate crimes in our city, region and state,” said Eugene Police Acting Lieutenant Doug Mozan. “This training by Joseph Roy, Sr. will advance those efforts. We are extremely pleased with the opportunity to have someone with his level of expertise in our area.” Roy provided a presentation titled “Hate in America Today - A National Overview of Far-Right Domestic Terrorism.” The session examined the wide variety of hate groups currently active in the United States - their history, activities and leaders. Beginning with a broad overview of the various factions of the hate movement, which include the Ku Klux Klan, neo-Nazis, racist skinheads, and black supremacists, it then focused on the most prominent national organizations and state and local chapters of hate groups. The session examined various techniques that enable law enforcement professionals to spot and investigate potential domestic terrorist or hate groups. In addition to Eugene Police officers, detectives, 9-1-1 operators and other employees, there were participants from Springfield Police, Salem Police, Lane County, Linn County, Lincoln County, Marion County, Washington County, Multnomah County, Newport, Lake Oswego, Hood River, and state and federal agencies. As chief investigator, Joseph T. Roy, Sr., gathers intelligence on extremist activities nationwide, assists the U.S. Justice Department and other law enforcement agencies in criminal investigations involving these organizations, and trains law enforcement and community groups on the threat of domestic terrorism using lecture, interactive EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2 November 19, 2009 exercises and Internet investigative techniques. He is called on as an expert in domestic terrorism by the national media and has testified before Congress on the subject. He serves as an instructor for the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC)’s Hate/Bias Crimes Training course, and is a certified instructor for the California POST Robert Presley Institute for Criminal Investigation. Roy served seven years on the Montgomery Police Department, much of that time in the Intelligence Unit and the Robbery/Homicide Division. For more information, contact Acting Lieutenant Doug Mozan at 682-5066. The Arts: “High Octane Fuel” that Drives Eugene’s Economy At the Arts and Business Alliance of Eugene’s (ABAE) first BRAVA (Business Recognizing Arts Vision and Achievements) Breakfast, attendees learned that 2,891 people are employed by 617 arts-related businesses in Eugene. Randy Cohen, vice president for Local Arts Advancement with Americans for the Arts (AFTA) made a strong case for the connection between business and creative industries. These industries are composed of arts-centric businesses that range from nonprofit museums, symphonies, and theaters, to for-profit film, galleries, architecture, and design companies. At the breakfast, Cohen detailed the AFTA’s Creative Industries report, which provides a research-based approach to understanding the scope and economic importance of the arts in Eugene and other cities. He said the creative industries are the high-octane fuel that drives the “information economy,” the fastest growing segment of the nation’s economy. Cohen said arts-centric businesses play an important role in building and sustaining economic vibrancy by employing people, spending money locally, and generating government revenue, and are a cornerstone of tourism and economic development. The BRAVA Breakfast recognized five strong partnerships between business and arts organizations for their unique and innovative relationships. They were: Davis’ Restaurant and DIVA (Downtown Initiative for the Visual Arts), BRING Recycling and MECCA (Materials Exchange Center for Community Arts), Oregon Bach Festival and Wells Fargo Bank, Lord Leebrick Theater and Lane Forest Products, and the Eugene Symphony Association and Kesey Enterprises. The BRAVA Breakfast was the first of a series of events the ABAE has planned to honor successful partnerships between the arts and business. Americans for the Arts has selected Eugene to be included in Arts & Economic Prosperity IV, a national economic impact study of the nonprofit arts and culture industry in America. The study will include at least 200 communities. This three-year study and final reports will provide economic impact numbers specific to Eugene and also provide data for comparable cities.For more information, contact Theresa Sizemore at 682-5242. EPD and EARS Honored by Crime Prevention Association of Oregon In recognition of excellence in crime prevention, Eugene Police Department Community Service Officer Lupe Thompson has been awarded the prestigious Ken Mainwaring Award by Crime Prevention Association of Oregon (CPAO). Ken Mainwaring was a charter member of CPAO and an officer with the Medford Police Department. The recipient of this award must have contributed significantly to the general purpose of CPAO and have impacted crime prevention on a local or statewide basis. The award recognizes contributions over several years including recent events. There are two plaques for the award: one plaque is kept by the winner and the second is a “traveling plaque,” which is returned to the CPAO for the next annual conference. CPAO’s Media Award was given to Eugene Area Radio Stations. This award was created to recognize media producers for their efforts in promoting crime prevention in the community. Eugene Area Radio Stations (EARS) was honored for its support of Eugene Police Department’s signature event, Prevention Convention. For more information, contact Sgt. Lisa Barrong at 68-8248. Library Receives $1.12 Million Gift The City of Eugene has received a bequest of $1.12 million from the charitable remainder trust of Frederick O. Rankin, “for use by the Eugene Public Library.” EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 3 November 19, 2009 Dr. Rankin had been a physician and surgeon, and owned property in Eugene for more than 30 years. He died February 18, 2004, of age-related causes. He was 96. He cared deeply about education and literacy, enjoyed reading and was a friend to the Eugene Public Library for more than 50 years. This donation to the Library will be transferred to the Eugene Public Library Foundation to establish a permanent endowment through the Oregon Community Foundation. The proceeds of the endowment will become part of the Library Foundation’s ongoing support to the Eugene Public Library. For more information, contact Library Director Connie Bennett at 682-5363. Friends of Eugene Public Library Mystery Sale It’d be a crime to miss the Friends of Eugene Public Library’s Used Mystery Novel Sale on Saturday, November 21, from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m., at the Downtown Library. Browsers will be able to choose from thousands of popular, gently-used detective stories and spy thrillers priced at just $1.00 each. All proceeds will go to support Eugene Public Library programs. Admission is free. For more information, please contact the Eugene Public Library at 682-5450 or www.eugene-or.gov/library. City’s Senior Program Serves Thanksgiving Meal The Recreation Divisions’ Adult and Senior Services program will hold its annual Thanksgiving luncheon at 11:30 a.m., on Wednesday, November 25, at Campbell Community Center. Adults 18 and older are invited to enjoy a meal of turkey and all the trimmings with old friends, or new, for just $5. Attendees are asked to RSVP to Campbell Center at 682-5328. Last year 140 people attended the Thanksgiving luncheon at Campbell. For more information, call Yvaughn Tompkins at 682-6315. Closed Captioning for Eugene City Council Meetings Starting on November 9, the City of Eugene began offering televised captioning of Eugene City Council meetings as part of a three-year telecommunication fund pilot project. Closed captioning displays the audio portion of a television program as text on the screen. The City has contracted with LNS Captioning in Portland to provide this service. The captioned City Council meetings are published simultaneously on the City’s website and Metro TV, cable channel 21, as well as being archived on the City’s webcast site. This service was requested by the Human Rights Commission Accessibility Committee and community members who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. National Institute of Health statistics on disability reveal that more than 10 percent of the population has measurable hearing loss, and that percentage is expected to increase as the population ages. Closed captioning makes television broadcasts and webcasts accessible to deaf and hard-of- hearing people and enhances access in noisy environments, or for anyone who prefers to read text on the screen while watching a program. Captioning provides an opportunity for more people to participate in local government. The City will continue to explore options for enhanced access and cost recovery made possible by this new service as part of the pilot project. For more information, contact Shawna Adams at 682-2653. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 4 November 19, 2009