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HomeMy WebLinkAbout07/01/10 - City Council Newsletter EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER July 1, 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 ENVISION EUGENE YOUTH ART SHOW AND AWARDS RECEPTION AT FIRST FRIDAY GROVES SWORN IN AS SPRINGFIELD FIRE CHIEF SUMMER READING FUN FOR KIDS AND TEENS JULY IS PARKS AND RECREATION MONTH JULY BUSY TIME FOR INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS ON GOODPASTURE ISLAND ROAD TH BAT LANE WILL PROVIDE VARIETY OF BENEFITS ON EAST 11 AVENUE AROUND THE CITY Envision Eugene Youth Art Show and Awards Reception at First Friday Envision Eugene is working to create a collective community vision for how and where Eugene may grow over the next 20 years, and young people in our community are a critical part of that vision. As part of the Envision Eugene project, an art contest for Eugeneans ages 14 - 21 was held earlier this year. Participants were invited to submit a video, poster or poem of how they envision the future of their community. In addition, three sixth-grade classrooms from across the city created their own Envision Eugene artwork. Awards for the art contest will be presented during a reception from 5:00 - 5:30 p.m. and the art will be available for viewing until 7:00 p.m., as part of First th Friday Art Walk in the Atrium Building at 99 West10 Avenue. For more information, contact Terri Harding at 541-682-5635. Artwork by Ethan Blackwell and Meerah Powell Groves Sworn in as Springfield Fire Chief Eugene Mayor Kitty Piercy and Springfield Mayor Sid Leiken, who officiated, were present for ceremonies Thursday morning, July 1, at Fire Station 3 in Springfield, officially swearing in Eugene Fire & EMS Chief Randy Groves as Springfield Fire & Life Safety Chief, pursuant to an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) providing for consolidation of some administrative functions of the two departments. The IGA is effective for the current fiscal year, and also includes the positions of Operations Chief, Training Chief, and Fire Marshal. In addition to position savings, the consolidation offers opportunities to develop more efficient services in both jurisdictions. Emergency response operations, already operating in a unified system, will not be affected. The functional consolidation will be evaluated throughout the fiscal year, and a decision will be made during that time regarding whether to proceed with further consolidation of the departments. For more information, please contact Community Relations & EMS Chief Mark Walker at 541-744-3388. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 1 July 1, 2010 Summer Reading Fun for Kids and Teens This year’s Summer Reading theme is “Make Waves!” Free events coming up soon include “Stories to Dive For” told by award-winning storyteller Christopher Leebrick at the Bethel Branch Library on Tuesday, July 13, at 2 p.m.; the Sheldon Branch Library on Wednesday, July 14, at 2 p.m.; and at the Downtown Library on Thursday, July 15, at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. The Library’s annual Teddy Bear Picnic for families with young children will be Saturday, July 17, at 11 a.m. in the park outside Amazon Community Center, 2700 Hilyard Sreet. Bring a stuffed animal friend and enjoy live music by McCornack’s Garden Variety Band. On Monday, July 19, at 1:00 p.m. and 2:30 p.m., the Oregon Coast Aquarium will present “Tales of Whales” at the Downtown Library for ages 6 - 12, featuring songs, puppets, real whale teeth and bones, and a giant inflatable whale. Thousands of children and teens have already signed up for Summer Reading at the Eugene Public Library, but there’s still plenty of time to join in the fun. Sign up at the Downtown Library or the Bethel or Sheldon branch and get a free book, plus a full calendar of events. For more information, contact the Eugene Public Library at 541-682-8316 or www.eugene-or.gov/library. July Is Parks and Recreation Month With the return of warm, summer days, it’s worth noting that July is National Park and Recreation Month. Eugene’s strong legacy of parks and recreation provides plenty to celebrate. Since 1906, when Hendricks Park was donated to the City, Eugene’s parks and natural areas have grown to some 4,000 acres including 53 playgrounds, and 123 miles of on- and off-street bike and pedestrian paths. Eugene’s recreation programs are something to feel great about. The City’s Recreation Division offers hundreds of activities year-around in six program areas, including Adaptive Recreation and the Outdoor program, which continue to set the standard for service nationwide. It’s exciting to identify how parks and recreation opportunities fit the triple bottom line of sustainability. Parks and recreation preserve our natural environment by improving water quality, protecting groundwater, preventing flooding, improving the quality of the air, providing vegetative buffers to development and producing habitat for wildlife. Parks and recreation promote economic prosperity by increasing property values, expanding the local tax base, increasing tourism, attracting and retaining businesses, reducing crime, and maintaining the social equity of access and opportunity that enables everyone to enjoy the area’s resources and services. Eugene’s parks and recreation activities provide social equity by being accessible to all. Parks are open to everyone and hundreds of recreation opportunities, activities and community festivals are offered each year for free or at a low cost, and scholarships are available to subsidize fee-based programs. Every recreation program is open to people of all abilities, and inclusion services are offered to ensure everyone is welcome. As they enjoy the return of the sun this month, it’s a sure bet many Eugeneans will also be enjoying the wonderful opportunities offered by the City’s park resources and recreation services. For more information, contact Craig Smith at 541-682-5334. July Busy Time for Infrastructure Projects on Goodpasture Island Road Goodpasture Island Road will be closed to through-traffic just north of Valley River Center for at least a month starting Tuesday, July 6, to install a major culvert in the Delta Ponds area. The culvert-crossing being constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the City of Eugene will complete a hydrologic connection between the Willamette River and ponds to the west of Goodpasture Island Road, and the ponds east of the road. Combined with other work the City is completing in the Delta Ponds, this culvert will create off-channel habitat for migrating Chinook salmon and contribute to improved water quality in the Delta Ponds. The primary source of funding for the EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2 July 1, 2010 $1.2 million culvert-crossing project comes from federal stimulus funds allocated to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Doyon Project Services, Inc., of Federal Way, Washington, is the general contractor on the project. The culvert work is scheduled to be substantially completed by September 10. Almost all of the work will be done during daytime construction hours. Access will be provided for emergency vehicles. The culvert-crossing is one of four major public works projects taking place in the Goodpasture Island area this summer. Together, these projects represent an infrastructure investment of almost $10 million to improve natural resources and transportation systems. The other projects include:  Paving Goodpasture Island Road (from Delta Highway to Kingsley Road, and from the culvert-crossing to Valley River Drive) and Valley River Drive (from Willagillespie Road to Goodpasture Island Road). Work on that project is scheduled to begin in mid-July and be substantially completed by late September. At least one lane of traffic in each direction will be maintained at all times, except at the culvert-crossing location.  Completing the Delta Ponds Bridge from Goodpasture Island Road to Robin Hood Avenue on the east side of Delta Highway. That work will require occasional lane closures on Delta Highway. As part of the bridge project, a new pedestrian crosswalk will be constructed this summer on Goodpasture Island Road just south of the culvert-crossing. A bridge dedication event is tentatively set for Saturday, September 11.  Restoring banks and habitat in the Delta Ponds. That work is scheduled to begin August 1, and be substantially completed by October 15. Almost all of the work will be done during daytime construction hours. No lane closures or detours are anticipated. Public outreach prior to the start of construction included postcard mailings, individual contacts with affected businesses, project signage and production of a video. The video, a fact sheet and additional information on the projects being constructed this summer in the Goodpasture area is available at www.eugene-or.gov/goodpasture. For more information about the culvert work, contact Project Manager Scott Milovich at 541-682-6086. th Business Access and Transit Lane Will Provide Variety of Benefits on East 11 Avenue Lane Transit District (LTD) and the City of Eugene are proposing to change the north lane on East 11th Avenue between Mill and Olive streets into a “business access and transit” (BAT) lane. The BAT lane will be reserved for vehicles turning right (north) and for transit th vehicles. Through-traffic will travel in the center or left lanes on that section of 11 Avenue. More than 2,000 postcards are scheduled to be mailed July 9 to residents and property owners in the area between th 8th Avenue, Mill Street, Lincoln Street and 13 Avenue. In addition, LTD staff will go door-to-door to business owners along 11th Avenue between Mill and Olive streets to assure them that the existing business access and on- street parking will be maintained and to explain how the BAT lane will function. There are several benefits to the proposed BAT lane: it maintains business access and on-street parking; it allows through-traffic to flow past right-turning vehicles and buses; it improves traffic visibility; and it adds an EmX station serving East 11th Avenue near High Street. The East 11th BAT lane is proposed to improve the operation of the new Gateway EmX service and is not related to the West Eugene EmX extension. The City of Eugene will review the plan in July. If approved, road striping and EmX station construction will proceed during August and September 2010. For more information, contact Public Works Transportation Planning Manager Rob Inerfeld at 541-682-5343. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 3 July 1, 2010