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Home My WebLink About05/06/10 - City Council Newsletter EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER May 6, 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 MAYOR PIERCY AND REPRESENTATIVE NATHANSON TO SPEAK AT NATIONAL TRAIN DAY EVENT INSPECTORS OBSERVE BUILDING SAFETY MONTH AT LOCAL HOME IMPROVEMENT CENTERS JUNGLE TALES AND FAMILY FIESTA AT THE LIBRARY FIRST FRIDAY FAMILY FUN NIGHTS ANTI-HATE FORUM PULLS COMMUNITY TOGETHER AROUND THE CITY Mayor Piercy and Representative Nathanson to Speak at National Train Day Event Mayor Kitty Piercy and Oregon State Representative Nancy Nathanson will speak at the Eugene Amtrak Station in celebration of the third annual National Train Day on Saturday, May 8, 2010, from 1:00 - 1:30 p.m. The event, which takes place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., will feature model trains from the Willamette Cascade Model Railroad Club, exhibits and information, and railroad author and photographer Jesse Burkhardt who will be on-site signing copies of his books. For more information, contact Jessica Mumme at 541-682-5049 or Brenda Wilson at 541-682-8441. Inspectors Observe Building Safety Month at Local Home Improvement Centers When you enter a house or building, most likely you’re not thinking about whether it is properly constructed and safe. Fortunately, local safety experts think about building safety and fire prevention every day. To raise awareness of building safety, the City of Eugene is celebrating Building Safety Month during May. Building safety and fire prevention codes address all aspects of construction, such as structural soundness of buildings, reliability of fire prevention and suppression systems, plumbing and mechanical systems, and energy efficiency. To ensure that buildings are safe requires the active participation of building safety and fire prevention officials, architects, builders, engineers, and others in the construction industry, as well as property owners. In honor of Building Safety Month, Eugene building inspectors will answer questions and provide information about building permits and inspections at four local home improvement centers on Saturday, May 8, from 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. The information booths will be at Lowe's Home Improvement, 3595 West 11th Avenue, Home Depot stores, 808 Seneca Road and 1045 Green Acres Road, and Jerry’s Home Improvement Center at 2600 Highway 99 North. Last year, the City of Eugene, conducted 3,700 inspections per month – about 185 per day. The City currently has 14 full- time inspectors who have over 170 years of combined building inspection experience. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 1 May 6, 2010 For more information, contact Kyle Richardson of Building & Permit Services at kyle.richardson@ci.eugne.or.us or call 541-682-8338. Jungle Tales and Family Fiesta at the Library Acclaimed storyteller and mime Antonio Rocha will perform “Jungle Tales” on Sunday, May 9, at 2 p.m., at the Downtown Eugene Public Library. The free show for ages six and up will offer a wild trip into the jungles of Brazil and Africa, featuring animal tales with ecological themes. The stories will be illustrated by Rocha’s exceptionally skilled movement and sound effects. Originally from Brazil, Rocha studied mime with Master Marcel Marceau and has performed in 10 countries on five continents. In the U.S., he’s been onstage everywhere from the National Storytelling Festival to the Kennedy Center to the Smithsonian Institution. On Saturday, May 15, a Bilingual Family Fiestawill bringfun in Spanish and English. The free party will feature live music by Springfield High School's Mariachi del Sol band, dancing, and snacks for kids and families. It will be held from 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.at the Downtown Library. For more information, contact the Eugene Public Library at 541-682-8316 or www.eugene-or.gov/library. First Friday Family Fun Nights Petersen Barn Community Center will hold another First Friday Family Fun Night on May 7, from 5:30 – 8:00 p.m. The evening includes games or crafts, and dinner – all for free – and is regularly attended by more than 100 people. Family nights, originated by Recreation Division staff at Petersen Barn, have proven so popular that Amazon and Sheldon Centers now also offer regular family nights, and Pete Barn is offering a second, similar community gathering each month called “Random Acts of Funness.” The events meet the core of the Youth and Family Services’ mission to “inspire a lifelong passion to imagine, explore, learn, grow and contribute,” and provide a great opportunity for neighbors to meet one another and build community. The free event also meets the Recreation Division’s goal to offer programming that is accessible to all. For more information, contact Peter Chavannes at 541-682-5521. Anti-Hate Forum Pulls Community Together On April 21, 2010, the Human Rights and the Police commissions partnered to host “Community Conversations,” an anti- hate information and action forum at the Downtown Baker Center. The event was well attended with more than 70 people present. Among the attendees were representatives from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Oregon Department of Justice, Community Mediation Services, Eugene Police, Community Alliance of Lane County and many others. The forum began with a panel of four speakers representing the University of Oregon, American Civil Liberties Union, University of Portland and Oregon Department of Justice, and was moderated by Equity and Human Rights staff. Panelists discussed reasons why hate speech and hate activity occurs, what to do when it happens, ways to support the community and the victims when incidents take place, and how to raise awareness around this topic. They noted that under-reporting is one of the major barriers to raising community awareness, coordinating resources, and taking action. After the panel information session, panel members responded to audience questions, giving everyone a chance to weigh in on a variety of topics. The forum wound down with discussion break-out groups focused on four, specific, action-oriented areas: ? Public Safety and Hate Crimes Law ? Neighborhood and Community Action ? Action at Schools ? Anti-Hate Resolution and Government Action This forum provided the opportunity for community members to learn, listen, exchange information, support each other, and provide options to assist victims of hate and bias crimes. For more information, please contact Holly LeMasurier at 541-682-5619 or holly.k.lemasurier@ci.eugene.or.us. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2 May 6, 2010 EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 3 May 6, 2010