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Home My WebLink About07/15/10 - City Council Newsletter EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER July 15, 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, EWEB COOPERATE ON NEW TRAINING PROP NATIONAL THERAPEUTIC RECREATION WEEK NEW VIDEO PROMOTES SMART PRESSURE-WASHING NEW PARKING IPHONE APPLICATION MAPS METERS AND GARAGES IN EUGENE “ULTIMATE CHEAPSKATE” AT EUGENE PUBLIC LIBRARY AROUND THE CITY Fire & EMS, EWEB Cooperate on New Training Prop If you think it isn’t much to look at, imagine the view from inside. The Fire & EMS Department’s new confined space rescue prop is mostly an underground concrete vault, designed to develop rescuer proficiency in the extrication of trapped victims. In addition to serving as a valuable training resource, the confined space prop also stands – or rather, rests – as a tangible example of the result of intergovernmental partnership, this time with the Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB). The Fire Department collaborates with EWEB on a number of issues, most notably fire hydrants and water supply. During talks going back two years, the subject of using an electrical conduit vault for rescue training has been discussed. This spring, EWEB identified a surplus vault and agreed to further donate crews and materials for its installation (the cost of a crane was split with the department). The northeast corner of the Fire & EMS drill field at the Emergency Services Center was selected as the ideal location, due to its sloping topography and its proximity to related urban rescue props such as natural gas facilities and a railroad car. The 8x8x14-foot vault is technically still in the installation phase, as certain interior features (creating a more realistic representation of occupied space) have yet to be added. However, it is expected to go into service by this fall. All Eugene and Springfield firefighters are trained in confined space rescue to at least an awareness level, and members of the Metro Urban Search & Rescue Team undergo more extensive training. Developing and maintaining confined space rescue capabilities is also important to local industry and government. Every time a confined space entry permit application to the State is completed, a local rescue team must be identified before the permit is issued. The agreement with EWEB also allows that agency’s rescue-trained personnel to have access to the prop, which is located in an area that allows other training to continue, and the new addition further solidifies the Eugene drill field’s credentials as a regional emergency response training facility. For further information, please contact EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 1 July 15, 2010 Training Captain Matt Ennis at 541-682-7133. National Therapeutic Recreation Week National Therapeutic Recreation Week, July 11 – 17, supported by the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA), serves to enhance public awareness of therapeutic recreation programs and services, as well as expand recreation and leisure opportunities for individuals with disabilities. Therapeutic recreation uses treatment, education, and recreation services to help people with illnesses and disabilities develop leisure activities to improve their health, functional abilities, independence and quality of life. The City of Eugene’s award-winning Adaptive Recreation Services program has four certified therapeutic th recreation specialists (CTRS) on staff. The program celebrated its 40 anniversary in 2009, and has led the way in the development of inclusion services to assess an individual’s abilities and identify accommodations that can enable that individual to participate in any recreation program. National Therapeutic Recreation Week coincides with July’s designation as National Park and Recreation Month. For more information about National Therapeutic Recreation Week, visit the NRPA’s website at www.nrpa.org. For more about the City of Eugene’s Adaptive Recreation Services programs, go to www.eugene-or.gov/recadaptive or contact Andy Fernandez at 541-682-6306. New Video Promotes Smart Pressure-Washing Warm weather and outdoor cleaning activities seem to go hand-in-hand in the summer. As pressure-washers have grown in popularity, it’s easier than ever to power-wash grills, sidewalks, houses and other objects, removing undesirable grime, moss, chemicals and more. If runoff from cleaning isn’t properly contained, it can head down storm drains and into local rivers. To raise awareness about pressure-washing and runoff concerns, the Stormwater Management Program recently completed a 30-second video that can be seen on KEZI through September and is posted on the stormwater education website at www.eugene- or.gov/happyrivers. A pressure-washing fact sheet is also available on the stormwater education web page. Funding for video production and air time is provided by Telecom funds and stormwater fees. For more information, contact Public Information Specialist Kathy Eva at Kathy.a.eva@ci.eugene.or.us or 541-682-2739. New Parking iPhone Application Maps Meters and Garages in Eugene A new mobile phone application developed by the City of Eugene can make it easier to find parking downtown or near the University of Oregon. Just load the free app (short for application) called Epark on an iPhone, type in an address, and it will display all the public, on-street parking spaces in the area, as well as any time limits, hours of operation, and costs associated with them. The goal of the parking app is to make it easier for drivers to locate available parking, and reduce the time spent driving in search of a parking space. All publicly owned parking spaces are displayed on a map and color-coded to indicate any time limits. The app identifies public parking garages, parking lots, parking meters, spaces for vehicles with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) permits, commercial parking spaces, and residential zones. Selecting a specific parking garage on the map will display a photo of the garage, its hours of operation, the cost of parking, and when free parking is offered. The app also allows live-time tracking of the user’s current location. It is currently available on the iPhone, iTouch, and iPad through iTunes or the App Store. Last year, with the assistance of the Lane Council of Governments, the City completed the first-ever count and digital map of all the publicly available, on-street parking spaces in Eugene. Telecom funds, which re-invest telecommunication tax revenues into telecommunications projects benefiting the Eugene community, funded the creation of the mobile phone app. For more information, contact Parking Services Manager Jeff Petry at Jeff.T.Petry@ci.eugene.or.us or 541-682-5079. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2 July 15, 2010 “Ultimate Cheapskate” at Eugene Public Library Spend less and enjoy life more. That’s the bottom line for “Ultimate Cheapskate” and personal finance expert Jeff Yeager, who declares that “cheap is the new cool.” Currently on a national book tour by bicycle, Yeager will pedal into town to speak at the Downtown Eugene Public Library on Wednesday, July 28, at 6 p.m. Admission is free. Both humorous and practical, Yeager appears widely in the media to share the secrets of creating a debt-free, low- stress, comfortable, and meaningful life. He is a frequent guest everywhere from CNN to National Public Radio, and from USA Today to the Today Show. Yeager’s latest book is “The Cheapskate Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of Americans Living Happily Below Their Means.” To research it, he traveled the country interviewing his fellow cheapskates and learning their strategies. He found that these “Miser Advisors” are weathering the economic storm with barely a scrape and feeling relatively little stress about money. From simple money-saving tips to truly life-changing principles, they share common strategies for living well while spending far less than the average American, and offer suggestions for “saving green by going green,” raising money-smart kids, and retiring early. According to Publishers Weekly, “Yeager and his ‘Miser Advisers’ are proof that living more frugally isn’t about sacrifice - it’s about making choices every day to live a better, happier, more thoughtful life with less.” Books for purchase and signing will be available courtesy of the UO Bookstore/Duck Store. For more information, contact the Eugene Public Library at 541-682-5450 or www.eugene-or.gov/library. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 3 July 15, 2010