HomeMy WebLinkAbout03/04/10 - City Council Newsletter
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER
March 4, 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
E-HOODS: NEIGHBORHOOD PUBLICATIONS GO ELECTRONIC
EUGENE SCHOOLS ATTEND OREGON GREEN SCHOOL SUMMIT
WESTMORELAND LANDBANKINGING SITE OPENS FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROPOSALS
CITY OF EUGENE BENEFITS FROM FEDERAL BROADBAND STIMULUS AWARD
OUTDOOR PROGRAM GOES VIRTUAL
“WHAT THE HEALTH?!” AT EUGENE PUBLIC LIBRARY
SYMPOSIUM: THE STATE OF BLACK LANE COUNTY
HUMAN RIGHTS SUMMIT PLANNED FOR APRIL 10
EUGENE TO APPLY FOR GOOGLE FIBER PILOT PROJECT
AROUND THE CITY
E-Hoods: Neighborhood Publications Go Electronic
Community members or anyone interested in the activities of Eugene’s
neighborhood associations may now subscribe to receive publications
electronically from any of the 19 neighborhood associations as part of a
Telecom grant-funded project to enhance neighborhood communications.
The project includes the creation of an online subscription service for the
electronic delivery of neighborhood newsletters or other publications. Those
interested in subscribing to the service may do so on any of the neighborhood
association pages on the Neighborhood Services website at
http://www.eugene-or.gov/nassociations. All information provided will be kept
confidential.
Anyone can sign up to receive publications from as many neighborhood
associations as they want and can unsubscribe at any time. This service
improvement has the potential to expand the reach of neighborhood
communications since one does not have to have a postal address within a specific neighborhood boundary to
receive an electronic publication. A mailing will be going out to all non-resident property owners inviting those
interested to subscribe.
Phase two of the project will occur in the latter half of 2010, and includes researching and implementing a way for
community members to opt out of receiving paper publications and only receive electronic publications. The
challenge for this second phase will be maintaining connection to all current residents as turnover occurs within a
neighborhood’s boundaries. For additional information, please contact Cindy Clarke at 682-5272 or
cindy.j.clarke@ci.eugene.or.us.
Eugene Schools Attend Oregon Green School Summit
The City of Eugene Solid Waste and Green Building Program is supporting sustainable education in Eugene by
sending five Eugene schools to the statewide Oregon Green Schools Summit conference in Portland on March 5.
The summit is a powerful opportunity for students to see how their efforts to recycle, reduce waste, save energy and
conserve water are magnified by the efforts of students at other schools. By the end of the day, everyone returns
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March 4, 2010
home with a broader sense of community and renewed enthusiasm.
The City of Eugene and Lane County partner to offer $500 incentive grants to any public or private kindergarten
th
through 12 grade school that becomes an Oregon Green School. Eugene hosts 21 of the 28 certified Oregon
Green Schools within Lane County.
The newest school to certify and receive a $500 Green School Incentive Grant is The Little French School in west
Eugene. Also receiving a $500 grant is Cesar Chavez, a 4J elementary school that moved up to merit level by
providing a school tour and outreach to other schools during last November’s Hope in Action Conference held
annually in Eugene. Fourth-grade teacher Tana Shepard heads Chavez’s green school efforts and says, “Ultimately
it is walking your talk, and it truly takes the whole community to be involved to be successful.”
For more information about the Oregon Green School Program, contact Anne Donahue at 541-682-5542 or go to
www.iseesustains.org.
Westmoreland Landbanking Site Opens for Affordable Housing Proposals
The City is seeking proposals to build new affordable housing at the Westmoreland landbanking site in west Eugene.
The three-acre site is located just north of 1717 City View Drive, and was purchased by the City in 2004 from the
Eugene School District for $480,000. Applicants are encouraged to show how they will efficiently use the site and
include units and services that would meet the high needs of families with children in the area. Proposals are due to
the City of Eugene by May 14. Application materials and more information are
available at http://www.eugene-or.gov/affordablehousing. The City of Eugene will
accept proposals from public agencies, and from for-profit and non-profit
developers. All proposals will be reviewed by staff and evaluated by the
intergovernmental Housing Policy Board. The selection process is expected to be
completed by July 2010.
The City’s nationally recognized landbanking program identifies strategic
opportunities to buy land for future affordable housing development. The sites are
made available to developers through a competitive application process. The
program helps reduce land costs for developing affordable housing. The
landbanking program also makes it easier for developers to take advantage of
other state and federal resources. Ultimately, landbanking ensures the creation of
quality affordable housing that enables low- and very low-income persons to
succeed and creates many local jobs during construction of such projects. Since
Playground at Prairie View
Landbanking Site
1983, over 700 affordable housing units have been created in Eugene through the
landbanking program.
For more information, contact Becky L. Wheeler at 541-682-5532 or Becky.L.Wheeler@ci.eugene.or.us.
City of Eugene Benefits from Federal Broadband Stimulus Award
On behalf of a consortium of local government agencies called the Regional Fiber Consortium, the Lane Council of
Governments applied for a grant from the United States Department of Commerce National Telecommunications
and Information Administration for broadband upgrades in three Oregon counties: Douglas, Klamath and Lane. The
grant of $8,375,000 will build fiber optic connections to 110 community anchor institutions, including schools,
medical facilities, and first responder police and fire stations. In communities where some of the critical institutions
are already served, such as Eugene, the project will bring service to the remaining un-served locations. The
consortium has been informed that the grant was approved and preparations are being made for an area-wide press
release involving the local Congressional delegation.
In Eugene, the grant will provide fiber optic connections to Fire Station 8, Fire Station 9, Fire Station 11, Fire Station
15, Petersen Barn, and a backup fiber path to the new police building. Construction is expected to be completed in
12-24 months. For more information, please contact Information Services Director Randy Kolb at 541-682-5070 or
randy.c.kolb@ci.eugene.or.us.
Outdoor Program Goes Virtual
In typical fashion, Recreation’s Outdoor Program has jumped whole-hog into the virtual world – while still remaining
grounded in real-world adventures – as part of a new marketing strategy. With the help of students Julie Onizuka
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March 4, 2010
and Andrew Phillips from the University of Oregon’s School of Journalism and Communication, staff has launched
the River House Outdoor Program blog featuring first-person accounts of
Outdoor Program activities.
In the first entry, Andrew recounts a snowboarding trip he and Julie took with
the Outdoor Program – only his third time on a snowboard. In closing,
Andrew admits he won’t be at the Sochi Olympics, but the day was so
enjoyable, he will visit the mountain again. The blog also contains
biographical information about the Outdoor staff, upcoming events and
programs.
Since a photo is worth a thousand words and because everything the
program does lends itself to photography, the students also helped create a
River House OP Flickr page chock full of visual images of the fun and adventure participants experience in outdoor
activities. The photos include exciting excerpts from whitewater rafting trips, snowboarding, the challenge course,
skateboarding, surfing, adapted skiing and much more.
These virtual adventures augment the program’s Facebook site (become a fan!) and Recreation’s Twitter account
(follow us!). For more information, contact Kathy Madison, 541-682-6342.
“What the Health?!” at Eugene Public Library
The Eugene Downtown Public Library will host the "What the Health?!" film and forum series on Tuesday, March 9,
at 6 p.m. Presented by Lane Coalition for Healthy Active Youth (LCHAY), the evening's film will be the acclaimed
documentary "Unnatural Causes." Facilitated discussion will follow. Admission is free.
Through compelling real-life stories, "Unnatural Causes" explores the connections between health and key
socioeconomic factors. According to USA Today, this “riveting” film explains "why your bank account, race, and zip
code are more powerful predictors of healthiness than your medical coverage, habits and genes."
For more information, contact the Eugene Public Library at 541-682-5450 or www.eugene-or.gov/library.
Symposium: The State of Black Lane County
Blacks in Government (BIG), The University of Oregon Black Student Union and the Urban League of Portland
present a symposium: The State of Black Lane County, Education and Child & Youth Welfare, on Tuesday, March
16, from 4:30 - 8:30 p.m. The event takes place at the Erb Memorial Union (EMU) Ballroom, 1228 University of
Oregon. The Urban League of Portland’s State of Black Oregon report was published this year for the first time in
17 years. It confirmed that social and economic disparities and systemic disadvantage still exist for African-
Americans and other people of color in the state.
The State of Black Lane County Symposium features two topics: Education K-20 and Child and Youth Welfare.
Panel speakers for the Education K-20 session include Nancy Golden, Colt Gill, George Russell, Mary Spilde and
Richard Lariviere. The Child and Youth Welfare panel speakers include Lisa Smith, Lonnie Jackson, Kip Leonard
and Jon Radich. For information, go to the State of Black Oregon’s website at
http://www.ulpdx.org/StateofBlackOregon.html.
Human Rights Summit Planned for April 10
Mark your calendars and save Saturday, April 10, to participate in a community-wide Human Rights Summit. This
fabulous event is co-sponsored by the City of Eugene and the Community Coalition for Advancement of Human
Rights. The summit will address human rights principles as expressed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
and their relevance to local human rights issues. Participants will have the opportunity to explore ways in which
individuals, groups, and institutions can work together to respect, protect, and fulfill human rights at the local
community level.
The event features keynote speakers and facilitated discussion, followed by a wide variety of workshop choices in
the afternoon. Workshop topics include indigenous rights, immigrant rights, health care, anti-violence, food security,
mental health care, surviving trauma, sexual violence, LGBTQ rights, right to shelter, know your rights, water and
human rights, costs of war, environmental rights, neighborhood rights, and rights of the disabled. The April 10 all-
day summit will be preceded by an evening kickoff event at Studio One in the Hult Center in downtown Eugene from
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6:30 - 9:00 p.m., Thursday, April 8. There is a $10 event registration fee; lunch is included in registration. For more
information, contact Holly LeMasurier at 541-682-5619 or holly.k.lemasurier@ci.eugene.or.us.
Eugene to Apply for Google Fiber Pilot Project
Google is planning to build and test ultra high-speed broadband networks in a small number of trial communities
across the nation. Google intends to deliver Internet speeds of up to one gigabit per second, up to 100 times faster
than what most Americans have access to today. The system will use fiber-to-the-home technology to serve as a
test bed for “next generation” Internet services. Google states that the service will be competitively priced. The
company is accepting applications, via responding to a Request for Information (RFI), from communities with
populations of 50,000 to 500,000.
The RFI is due on March 26, 2010. The RFI covers a broad set of areas including community demographics,
terrain, regulatory issues, permitting, construction methods, current Internet providers, and community interest.
Eugene will be submitting an RFI response. In order to demonstrate community interest, the City of Eugene website
now has a page dedicated to this subject. From that page members of the community can learn more about the
Google proposal, take part in a poll and learn how to submit nominations on behalf of the community. These
“Community Nominations” will complement the official RFI response from the City. Go to http://www.eugene-
or.gov/googlefiber to access the Eugene Google RFI page.
Questions or comments about the Google RFI response should be directed to Information Services Director Randy
Kolb at 541-682-5070 or randy.c.kolb@ci.eugene.or.us.
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