HomeMy WebLinkAbout05/20/10 - City Council Newsletter
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER
May 20, 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
OPPORTUNITY SITING HEATS UP
NEXT ENVISION EUGENE WORKSHOP COMING SOON
JUNE 1 COMMUNITY CONVERSATION – ANNUAL LISTENING OPPORTUNITY
DIVERSITY AND EQUITY STRATEGIC PLAN ANNUAL REPORT
THE INSIDE SCOOP: GET THE MOST FROM YOUR LIBRARY CARD
COMMUNITY SENIORS LOVE PROGRAM’S HIKE
“GET PLUGGED IN” EVENT HIGHLIGHTS ELECTRIC VEHICLES FOR ENERGY-EFFICIENT FUTURE
CITY OF EUGENE AWARDED FUNDING TO DESIGN IMPROVEMENTS TO TWO SHARED-USE PATHS
AROUND THE CITY
Opportunity Siting Heats Up
As Envision Eugene begins to engage the community in
how it grows for the next 20 years, the role of
Opportunity Siting (OS) as a tool to sensitively locate
new and denser housing types is increasingly important.
Created by the City Council as a parallel project with
Infill Compatibility Standards (ICS), OS promotes dense
housing designed and located in ways that enhance the
community. Lessons learned by the Opportunity Siting
Task Team led to focusing on areas in and around “Hot
Spots” locations that are already magnets for activity.
Based on these hot spots, the OS program now has a
pilot study underway. The pilot “Hot Spot” is the area
thth
around South Willamette, roughly between 24 and 29
avenues. Last year, the Friendly Area Neighborhood
and the Southtowne Business Association began
working together to find ways to make the South
Willamette area a more vibrant business center and
enhance its attractiveness as a place to walk, bike, shop
and live. In recent months, they have engaged City
planning and transportation staff in helping to envision
the future and find tools to promote goals about mixed-
use living and commercial success.
Though Opportunity Siting continues to be a tool to
promote the right kind of dense housing, this wider visioning approach, as developed by the OS Task Team, also
considers the surrounding neighborhood and amenities that make it a good place to live, before narrowing in on a
specific site. Involved Friendly Area neighbors and Southtowne businesses are enthusiastic about gradual but important
changes to their area. Their work can serve as a model for future efforts in other hot spots and for possible ways to
increase density as a part of Envision Eugene.
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 1
May 20, 2010
For more information, contact Patricia Thomas at 541-682-5561 or patricia.thomas@ci.eugene.or.us.
Next Envision Eugene Workshop Coming Soon
The room at the Eugene Hilton was buzzing with conversation on May 4. Approximately 200 community members
attended the two sessions that day to discuss how they envision Eugene in the year 2030. The conversation will continue
later this month as the second Envision Eugene workshop is held:
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
6 p.m. Open House
7 - 9 p.m. Workshop
Churchill High School Cafeteria
1850 Bailey Hill Road
The goal of this meeting will be to collect
community feedback on ways to use land within
the current urban growth boundary more
efficiently and still maintain quality of life.
Participants will have the opportunity to learn
more about Eugene’s expected population
growth for the next 20 years and the land and
housing needs that may come with that growth.
Based on feedback from the first Envision
Eugene meeting, specific strategies to use land
more efficiently will be presented for people to
discuss and prioritize.
Learn more about Envision Eugene and watch a new video overview of the project at www.EnvisionEugene.org. For
more information, please contact Terri Harding at 541-682-5635 or terri.l.harding@ci.eugene.or.us.
June 1 Community Conversation – Annual Listening Opportunity
Mark your calendars and save the date for a Community Conversation on Tuesday, June 1. The City of Eugene Human
Rights Commission and the Equity and Human Rights Board are jointly hosting a Community Conversation on the “State
of Equity and Human Rights in the City of Eugene.” This event will be held from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the University of
Oregon Downtown Baker Center, 975 High Street.
The forum will be an opportunity for both groups to talk about the Human Rights Commission Work Plan and progress on
the Diversity and Equity Strategic Plan (DESP) action items. It will also be an opportunity for City leadership and
community members to talk about human rights issues and future actions. This is an annual listening opportunity for
meaningful dialog about important community issues. The event is free, everyone is welcome and Spanish and sign
interpretation will be provided. For more information, please contact Equity and Human Rights Manager Raquel Wells,
or Human Rights Analyst Holly LeMasurier at 541-682-5177 or ehrcenter@ci.eugene.or.us.
Diversity and Equity Strategic Plan Annual Report
The Diversity and Equity Strategic Plan (DESP) Annual Report is underway and is slated for completion by mid-June.
The report provides a recap of some of the Year 1 accomplishments. Plan implementation is a collaboration of the
Equity and Human Rights Board, which has representatives from all City departments, the City Manager and Executive
Management Team, and the Human Rights Commission. Equity and Human Rights Board members have provided City
department- level “stories” of the type of work they do as it relates to specific goals in the plan.
The report opens with a message from executive managers, has a short information item about City Manager Jon Ruiz,
includes links to City Council Goals, and is sprinkled with colorful images visualizing how the City’s work benefits the
community and City organization. The report also provides ways for staff to become involved with City-wide efforts and
diversity work in their departments. The report concludes with the forecast for FY11 (Year 2) DESP goals and what
implementation strategies might look like. For more information, please contact Equity and Human Rights Manager
Raquel Wells at 541-682-8439 or Raquel.c.wells@ci.eugene.or.us.
The Inside Scoop: Get the Most from Your Library Card
Maximize the value of a library card with the hands-on computer class, “The Inside Scoop: Your Library Catalog & Card”
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2
May 20, 2010
at 4 p.m. on Sunday, May 23, at the Downtown Eugene Public Library.
Participants will learn how to get the most out of the catalog and their library cards. Topics include how to:
- conduct a search quickly;
- get e-mail notices about new library items in areas of interest;
- place a hold for a specified volume in a series of books or TV episodes;
- suspend requests temporarily, without going to the back of the line;
- keep a reading history, and
- pay fines online.
There are more tips and tricks to increase convenience, save time, avoid fines and
frustration, and get better results. Participants must have a Eugene Public Library card and
password, and experience using a keyboard and mouse.
The class is free, but due to limited space, pre-registration is required. For more information or to pre-register, call the
Eugene Public Library at 541-682-5450 (press 2).
Community Seniors Love Program’s Hike
Hikes are among the most popular activities offered by the Adult Services Program
and provide opportunities to meet the program’s mission to promote health and well-
being, enhance quality of life, and assist individuals in remaining active. The Adult
Program is offering six hikes this summer and all still have openings.
The Mt. June hike on June 21 is a 2.4 mile, constant uphill hike to the top where
hikers will see wildflowers and a 360 degree view of the Willamette Valley, Coast
Range and peaks of the Cascade Range. The Echo Basin hike on July 2 is 2.4 miles
along a steep, overgrown logging-road-turned-trail that leads to a mountain basin
filled with wildflowers.
The Baker Beach hike on July 19 is a 1.4 mile loop along the beach and over dunes
to Lilly Lake and back through the dunes. The Green and Alsea Falls hike on August
2 is in the cool Coast Range forests. Hikers choose between a short .2 mile hike to
Alsea Falls or a more strenuous three miles to see both falls.
The Opal Creek hike is in an old growth area which sparked an environmental battle in the 70s. Hikers will see what the
fuss was all about on this four-mile hike on August 16. The August 25 Fuji Mountain hike in the Willamette Pass offers
spectacular views of the Waldo Lake basin and surrounding peaks.
The cost of the hikes is $27-$35 and includes transportation from Campbell Community Center. They are led by
professional guides. For more information, contact Mel Mann at 541-682-6392.
“Get Plugged In” Event Highlights Electric Vehicles for Energy-Efficient Future
Students at the University of Oregon are hosting a community event to raise awareness about electric vehicles and
charging stations. They will also share results from a year-long study on local infrastructure needs for electric vehicles.
The “Get Plugged In” event will be held on Wednesday, May 26, from 6 – 9 pm. at
the Wheeler Pavilion at the Lane County Fairgrounds, 796 West 13th Avenue. It will
showcase electric vehicles and charging stations and feature guest speakers and
industry experts who will talk about the future of electric vehicles. The keynote
address at 6:30 p.m. will be Driving the Transformation: The Rise of Electric
Vehicles in Oregon by Professor George Beard, of Portland State University. A
panel discussion with Mayor Kitty Piercy, Arcimoto President Mark Frohnmayer,
eTec Representative David Mayfield, and City of Eugene Sustainability Commission
Member Joshua Skov will be held at 7 p.m.
Among the electric vehicles and charging stations showcased will be Arcimoto, Shorepower, BRAMMO electric
motorcycle, Coulomb Technologies and the Lane County Electric Vehicle Association’s display of their “BugEV.”
Sponsors for this event include Epark (City of Eugene’s parking program), Eugene Water & Electric Board, the University
of Oregon’s Office of Sustainability and Community Planning Workshop and the Oregon Transportation Research and
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Education Consortium. Admission to the event is free.
For further information, please contact Molly Promes at 541-346-3206 (Community Planning Workshop).
City of Eugene Awarded Funding to Design Improvements to Two Shared-Use Paths
The City of Eugene has been awarded $193,600 in Oregon Department of Transportation Rapid Readiness funds to
design two path rehabilitation projects on the Fern Ridge and North Bank shared-use paths. The Rapid Readiness funds
were provided by the Oregon Transportation Commission (OTC) to help local government agencies get non-highway
projects to “construction ready” status if new federal stimulus funds become available. The OTC is interested in assisting
the development of projects that have multi-modal benefits that improve system-wide access by emphasizing added
pedestrian/bicycle features, energy conservation, sustainability improvements, and opportunities for modal connections
or access improvements. These projects are an opportunity to bring substandard sections of the path system up to the
City standard of a 12-foot-wide, concrete-surfaced path with lighting.
City staff will develop a new alignment for the Fern Ridge Path from Arthur Street to Chambers Street and add new
components that will include a new concrete path, lighting, bike racks, trash cans and benches. The existing path is in
poor condition and too close to the Amazon Channel’s steep, eroding banks. The regional Metro Waterways Plan
recommends that this path be relocated away from the channel so the slope of the bank can be lowered to improve the
waterway and prevent further deterioration of the path.
The Willamette River North Bank path project is within Alton Baker Park from the DeFazio Bridge to the Frohnmayer
Bridge and may include a new concrete path where needed, lighting, widening and straightening in some areas, bike
parking, trash cans and benches. Part of the existing path surface is very poor and narrow in places, resulting in unsafe
conditions.
Engineering staff will involve path users, neighborhoods, bicycle and pedestrian groups, and other interest groups in
developing the new designs, including a portion of the North Bank path in the Whilamut Natural Area. The design grant
requires construction of the improvements within five years; actual construction dates have not been set at this time. For
more information, contact Project Manager John Bonham at 541-682-5300.
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May 20, 2010