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Home My WebLink About09/02/10 - City Council Newsletter EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER September 2, 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 ADDITIONAL CITY SITES RECEIVING FREE COMCAST CABLE TV PROGRAMMING WATER MAIN PROJECT A WIN-WIN FOR NEIGHBORS ‘BOUNTIFUL’ SCULPTURE AT FOOT OF NEW BRIDGE TAKES THEME FROM NATIVE FISHING SUMMER READING A SUCCESS AT EUGENE PUBLIC LIBRARY CITY OF EUGENE FLEET PROUDLY ACCEPTS DEQ FLEET FORWARD DESIGNATION AROUND THE CITY Additional City Sites Receiving Free Comcast Cable TV programming The City of Eugene negotiated additional free cable TV programming connections during the last Comcast-City public rights-of-way use agreement in 2008 (through 2018). As a result, in addition to the historical list of connected sites - such as City Hall, the libraries, and all fire and police stations - 19 additional connections were secured for City of Eugene facilities, contingent on criteria such as the building being owned by the City and within a certain distance of the Comcast system. The availability of standard basic tier programming makes possible the ability to view the government and educational channels as well as 24-hour news and weather, CSPAN, and other business-related programming, when necessary. Within each connected site, one or more TV locations are available based on needs. Eight new sites have been connected, including three buildings at Public Works Maintenance, the Hult Center, Echo Hollow Pool, Sheldon Pool/Community Center, the Wellness Center, and the new west Eugene, Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB) building. Eleven connections remain available and City telecommunications staff will work with interested City facility managers to allocate those connections. For more information, please contact Telecommunications Program Manager Pam Berrian at 682-5590 or pam.c.berrian@ci.eugene.or.us. Water Main Project a Win-Win for Neighbors The Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB) has recently completed a project to connect almost 80 households near the top of Hendricks Park to the 1.75 million-gallon reservoir located at 3751 Agate Street between the intersections of Firland and Spring Boulevard. Once connected, these customers will no longer rely on a pump station for water service, reducing interruptions during electrical outages and improving fire protection for area homes. To accomplish the connection, a new 12-inch main needed to cross a section of a City right-of-way running south off 30th Avenue at Spring Boulevard downhill about 1,400 feet to Central Boulevard. Within the right-of-way, a small, dirt walking path had been carved out over the years. Since EWEB would be clearing vegetation and EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 1 September 2, 2010 trenching through the area to install the new water main, staff offered to place gravel over the top of the main to create a more level, bike-friendly path for neighbors. For a number of years, the City has been seeking to improve connectivity from 30th Avenue to the hiking trails around Hendricks Park, but with no funding in sight for the project, City planners welcomed EWEB’s offer to improve the path. Last fall, EWEB met with various City staff to plan a water main route/hiking trail that minimized tree removal and visual impacts to immediate neighbors. With an approved route, permits in hand, and crews ready to roll, construction started in July 2010. The new main has now been installed and tested, and crews have created a five- foot wide walking path over the top of most of the water main. City staff is working with volunteer groups to build the steeper portion of the trail, which will require erosion control measures and switchbacks for improved functionality. EWEB has supplied the gravel for that future project and had a mulch/native-seed mix blown in on either side of the trail to encourage healthy re-vegetation. The result is a more reliable water delivery to EWEB customers and a neighborhood amenity that can be enjoyed for years to come. For more information, contact Brenda Wilson at 541-682-8441. ‘Bountiful’ Sculpture at Foot of New Bridge Takes Theme from Native Fishing A sculpture titled “Bountiful,” by Eugene artist Lee Imonen, has been installed at the western end of the new Delta Ponds pedestrian and bicycle bridge next to Goodpasture Island Road, just north of Valley River Center. Imonen said the sculpture “serves as a marker to the public and a response to the wetlands habitat and its history.” Rising 30 feet from the ground, the sculpture metaphorically references the tradition of Native American net and weir fishing in the Northwest region. The elevated stainless steel structure takes the form of a fishing net lifted from the ponds, brimming with its shimmering harvest of salmon and other native fish. The sculpture also expresses a time- honored and renewed commitment to the natural and restored environment, which is intended to shed light on Eugene’s long-term investment in the restoration of the Delta Ponds wetlands and fish passage, and the new bridge that provides sustainable access to the natural areas. The artwork and other visual enhancements to the bridge were financed by the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. True to the spirit of stimulus funding, artist Lee Imonen fueled local commerce by using Oregon-based material suppliers, engineers, specialty fabricators, and tradesmen, along with the help of local labor. The sculpture’s design, location, materials and scale help Eugene’s public art achieve a community vision called for in the City’s 2010 Public Art Plan. This vision includes a call for art that is integrated into urban design, large- scale pieces located at prominent locations, and an increase in the variety of art media in the collection. The sculpture will be formally recognized at a bridge dedication ceremony at 11 a.m., Saturday, September 11. For more information about Eugene’s Public Art Program, visit http://www.eugene-or.gov/publicart or contact Isaac Marquez at 541-682-2057. Summer Reading A Success at Eugene Public Library This year, Summer Reading programs at the Eugene Public Library drew thousands of readers of all ages. Diving into the “Make Waves” theme, more than 6,000 children and teens signed up. Each got to choose a free book to keep, courtesy of the Friends of the Library. Summer storytimes served more than 4,600 young children and the grown-ups who accompanied them. Nearly 3,000 elementary-age kids and EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2 September 2, 2010 teens attended Summer Reading activities, featuring hands-on learning about writing, visual arts, music, dance, nature, and more. Special events ranged from the annual Teddy Bear Picnic, to a talent show, to a family swim party. More than 1,000 adults signed up for Summer Reading. Books flew off display shelves, and events were well attended, including workshops on arts, health, and writing, literary-themed raft trips, and more. Large audiences were informed and inspired at talks by international water activist Alexandra Cousteau, and “ultimate cheapskate” Jeff Yeager. Summer Reading is fun and, also, important to the community’s well-being; studies show that summer reading programs help keep students' reading skills up while school is out. Community partners supporting this success included dozens of Library volunteers, the Friends of the Library, Novella Café, and the University of Oregon Bookstore/Duck Store. For more information, contact the Eugene Public Library at 541-682-5450 or www.eugene-or.gov/library. City of Eugene Fleet Proudly Accepts DEQ Fleet Forward Designation The City of Eugene fleet and radio section was awarded the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Fleet Forward three-star designation on August 24 at an event in Portland. To be eligible for Fleet Forward designation, an organization must operate commercial medium- to heavy-duty vehicles greater than 14,000 pounds, or commercial diesel equipment at least 50 percent of the time, in Oregon. The DEQ recognized Eugene’s efforts to reduce the environmental impact of diesel emissions. Specific efforts were the use of B-20 and B-50 biodiesel in 100 percent of the diesel fleet. Biodiesel is supplied by SeQuential. In B-20, 20 percent of a gallon of gas is made from regional feedstock (materials producing vegetable oils) and the rest of the gallon is low-sulfur petroleum diesel. In B-50, 50 percent of the gallon of gas is made from regional feedstock and the rest of the gallon is low-sulfur petroleum diesel. Additional fuel-saving efforts include a no-idling policy, preventative maintenance to keep the fleet in top muster, and a no-top-off policy that pre-dated the state mandate not to top-off. Citywide fuel consumption has been reduced by three percent or 12,500 gallons. The City of Eugene was also honored as one of the Top 100 Fleets and has its sights set on EcoBiz certification. For more information, contact Fleet Manager Tony Jobanek at 541- 682-4808. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 3 September 2, 2010