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Home My WebLink About01/28/10 - City Council Newsletter EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER January 28, 2010 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 RECOGNIZES FIREFIGHTERS AND CITIZENS FOR JOBS WELL DONE VAN STEENBERGEN HONORED WITH MLK LEADERSHIP AWARD FIRE MERGER: PUBLIC INPUT MECHANISM AVAILABLE FAMED POET W.S. MERWIN AT EUGENE PUBLIC LIBRARY ADULT PROGRAM OFFERS A VARIETY OF FREE ADVICE WORK PROGRESSING ON DELTA PONDS BRIDGE PROJECT REPORT DETAILS LOCAL TRAFFIC CRASHES BY TYPE AND LOCATION AROUND THE CITY Fire & EMS Recognizes Firefighters and Citizens for Jobs Well Done When it comes to training props, it takes a lot of wrecked cars to keep a large fire department up-to-date on the latest motor vehicle extrication and fire suppression techniques. For providing that basic necessity in abundance to the Eugene Fire & EMS Department, Pacific Recycling Inc. of Eugene was honored by the department with this year’s Corporate Partnership Award. Fire & EMS held its annual Awards Ceremony last week. The department would like to thank Mayor Piercy and Councilors Clark and Poling for the honor of their presence. In addition to Pacific Recycling (represented by owner Rod Schultz, pictured at right with Fire Chief Randy Groves), a Life Saving Award was presented to Diana and Dean Chappell for administering CPR to a cardiac arrest victim at Autzen Stadium prior to the arrival of department medics, and U.S. Naval Cdr. Jason Welch received a Certificate of Appreciation for his and his staff’s actions in performing CPR when a person collapsed in the commander’s office. The department’s annual ceremony included, the swearing-in of firefighters who had either been promoted to a new rank or newly hired, as well as recognition of staff members who had gone above and beyond the call of duty either in emergency scene work, special projects, driver safety, medical services, or humanitarianism. For more information, please contact Senior Administrative Specialist Cinimint Harper at 541-682-7120. Van Steenbergen Honored with MLK Leadership Award Each year, the City of Eugene’s Human Rights Commission recognizes a group or an individual for their contributions to making Eugene a more inclusive and supportive city for its communities of color. The 2010 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Leadership Award was presented to Neil Van Steenbergen at the Martin Luther King, Jr., Community Celebration on Monday, January 18. Van Steenbergen has spent decades focused on developing community unity and improving race relations. He was a member of the Eugene Human Rights Commission for 12 years, facilitated race study circles engaging over 50 participants, guided processes on police oversight and improving police and community relations, and played a crucial role in creating the City’s human rights support system, a program providing support and advocacy for people who experience discrimination EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 1 January 28, 2010 or harassment. He is also a co-trainer for a workshop called ‘Unlearning Racism and Understanding White Privilege.’ “For the majority of my life I was a stereotypical liberal, white male who had very little awareness of my privilege, let alone of my racism, sexism, homophobia, classism, and able-ism. I have been blessed with people in my life who have challenged me on my stuff and who have cared enough about me to stay with me as I begin to work through that,” Van Steenbergen commented. “One approach I take is to be willing to really listen to voices in the community that do not represent my voice. We each have a choice to shut out the voices of others, or to pay attention to them. By listening to others in this way I have grown, and I will continue to grow.” To speak with Neil Van Steenbergen, call 541-684-6794. For more information about the Human Rights Commission, call 541-682-5619. Fire Merger: Public Input Mechanism Available As Eugene’s Fire & EMS Department begins to consolidate some of its administrative and support functions with those of Springfield Fire & Life Safety, the opinions of individual residents is being sought to help provide valuable feedback. On the department’s Internet home page, www.eugene-or.gov/fire, an announcement has been posted inviting feedback by e-mail or phone. The department is also interested in providing answers to any questions individuals may have about the merger. In addition to soliciting public comment, the announcement includes web links to information on departments that have undergone mergers, including Livermore-Pleasanton, California at www.ci.livermore.ca.us/LPFD/index.html and www.ci.livermore.ca.us/LPFD/pdfs/2008Annual%20Report.pdf, Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue at www.tvfr.com and Clackamas County Fire District #1 at www.clackamasfire.com. For more information, please contact Public Information Officer Glen Potter at 541-682-7118. Famed Poet W.S. Merwin at Eugene Public Library The Eugene Public Library will host a reading and talk by W.S. Merwin, one of the most acclaimed and widely read poets in the United States, on Sunday, February 7, at 2 p.m. at the Downtown Library. The winner of two Pulitzer Prizes and a National Book Award, in addition to many other honors, Merwin is also an outspoken environmentalist and pacifist. Admission is free. In a career spanning five decades, Merwin has published more than 20 booksof poetry, a similar number of translations, as well as plays, essays, and other prose. He lives, writes, and gardens on the island of Maui, where he moved in the 1970s to study Zen Buddhism. This event is co-sponsored by the Eugene Public Library, Oregon Humanities Center's Endowment for Public Outreach in the Arts, Sciences, and Humanities, Lane Literary Guild, and the University of Oregon’s Bookstore/Duck Store. For more information, contact the Eugene Public Library at 541-682-5450 or www.eugene-or.gov/library. Adult Program Offers a Variety of Free Advice Throughout the year, the Recreation Division’s Adult Services Program offers dozens of free presentations on a wide variety of topics of interest to older adults. Coming up is a presentation on independent living, a series on men’s health, and a class on researching your family tree. The presentation on independent living will be held on February 3, 11 a.m.- noon, and will provide information on safe, effective and affordable ways to help seniors remain independent for as long as possible. Beginning next month, Health and Fitness Director Steve Auferoth, will present a series of free talks on men’s health. The talk on February 5 will be an overview of men’s health. On February 12, the topic is “The Aging Athlete.” On February 15, the presentation is on being “‘D’efficient.” On March 1, the topic is “The Importance of Omega 3, Vitamin E & Other Fat Facts.” All presentations are from 10 - 11 a.m. On February 8, 6 - 7 p.m., the program presents a free class on how to obtain vital records, retrieve information from the U.S. Census, and other local resources available to research genealogy. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2 January 28, 2010 All of these classes are at Campbell Community Center, 155 High Street. The presentations are free, but pre- registration is required. For more information, call Yvaughn Tompkins at 541-682-6315. Work Progressing on Delta Ponds Bridge Project Work is progressing on the new Delta Ponds Bridge, and the next phase of work will require occasional nighttime closures on Delta Highway as the span is constructed over the roadway. Weather permitting, the southbound lanes of Delta Highway will be closed between the Valley River Drive and Goodpasture Island Road exits from 10 p.m. on Monday, February 1, until 5 a.m., Tuesday, as two, 85-foot-high pylon towers are installed. If the work isn’t completed on Monday night, the southbound lanes will also be closed from 10 p.m., Tuesday, through 5 a.m., Wednesday. The outward-leaning pylon towers will eventually carry steel cables that will suspend the bridge decking across Delta Highway so that no support columns are needed in the traffic lanes. About one-third of the work has been completed on the new, elevated, 1,000-foot-long bicycle and pedestrian path and bridge from Goodpasture Island Road on the west to Robin Elevated pathway takes shape east of Goodpasture Island Road Hood Avenue on the east. The new path and bridge will create a much safer route over the Delta Highway, eliminating a miles-long detour and reducing bicycle and pedestrian traffic on the existing Delta Highway interchanges at Valley River and Goodpasture Island Road. Major work that remains to be done includes pouring the concrete for the elevated path, erecting the central pylons, extending the bridge section by section across Delta Highway, constructing the path on the Robin Hood Avenue side and constructing a high-visibility pedestrian crossing on Goodpasture Island Road. The work is scheduled to be completed by fall 2010. The primary sources of funding for the $6 million project are federal highway and federal stimulus funds. The project is being managed by the Eugene Public Works Department with OBEC Consulting Engineers as structural engineering consultants. Mowat Construction Company of Clackamas is the general contractor. Mowat also was the contractor for the Beltline flyover, the bicycle/ pedestrian bridge over I-5, and the Peter DeFazio Bicycle/Pedestrian Bridge in Alton Baker Park. For more information, contact Project Manager Patrick Cox at 541- 682-6854 or visit www.eugene-or.gov/deltapondsbridge. Report Details Local Traffic Crashes by Type and Location The total number of motor vehicle crashes on Eugene streets continued to decline in 2008, but the number of injuries associated with those crashes remained significantly higher than historical averages, according to crash summary statistics recently compiled by the Eugene Public Works Department. Public Works prepares annual crash summaries using data provided by the Oregon Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV). According to the most current full-year information available from DMV, there were a total of 1,660 crashes in Eugene in 2008, down from 1,821 crashes in 2006 and well below the 10-year average of 1,973 crashes per year. However, 751 injuries were reported in 2008, considerably above the 10-year average of 675 injuries per year. The report also showed five fatal crashes, 70 crashes involving bicycles (69 of them resulting in injuries), and 25 crashes involving pedestrians. The 2008 statistics include one fatality related to a bike crash and one pedestrian fatality. The report also details crashes by location. The “top 10” intersections for crashes in 2008 were: Coburg Road at Martin Luther King Boulevard/Country Club (35 crashes); Delta Highway at the eastbound exit to Beltline (30); River Road at Division Avenue (27), River Road at Silver Lane/River Avenue (24); River Road at Irving/Hunsaker th (24); Coburg Road at Willakenzie (18); Valley River Drive at Valley River Way (18); 11 Avenue at Bailey Hill Road (17); Highway 99 at Roosevelt Boulevard (16); and Barger Drive at Cubit Street (15). EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 3 January 28, 2010 “In 2008 we received reports of one or more crashes at 640 intersections throughout Eugene,” says City Traffic Engineer Tom Larsen. “That tells me that motorists need to be careful wherever they’re driving, and especially th along arterials such as River Road, Coburg Road, and West 11 Avenue. It’s also significant that almost every crash involving a bicycle included injuries, which underscores the importance of sharing the roadway and making good eye-to-eye contact when driving.” The complete set of data is available on the City’s website (go to www.eugene-or.gov/pw and click on the link to “2008 Crash Data” under “Today’s Top Links”). For more information, contact Tom Larsen at 541-682-4959. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 4 January 28, 2010