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Home My WebLink About09/30/10 - City Council Newsletter EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER September 30, 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 NEIGHBORHOOD SUMMIT PROMOTES COLLABORATION & EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP UPCOMING EVENTS - TRANSGENDER AWARENESS WEEK AND INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS DAY EUGENE TO TEST PLUG-IN HYBRID VEHICLE THAT CUTS CARBON EMISSIONS NEW VACTOR TRUCKS MAKE LIFE BETTER FOR BOTH DUCKS AND BEAVERS MUSICAL FUN AT THE LIBRARY ADAPTIVE RECREATION OFFERS FREE SLED HOCKEY CLINIC EVERYONE WINS (AND LEARNS) AT THE NEIGHBORHOOD LEADER ORIENTATION! AROUND THE CITY Neighborhood Summit Promotes Collaboration & Effective Leadership With the theme, Partners in Effective Leadership, the 2010 Neighborhood Summit will be an exciting gathering of neighborhood association leaders, members of City boards and commissions, elected officials, City of Eugene staff and representatives from other partner public agencies. The event is scheduled from 8:30 a.m. – 2 p.m., Saturday, October 2, in the cafeteria of South Eugene High School. This is the third Neighborhood Summit in Eugene coordinated by the Neighborhood Services Program. Neighborhood Summits are annual topic-based forums designed for neighborhood association board members, elected and appointed officials to discuss needs and priorities and build relationships. Organizers include volunteers from neighborhood organizations, boards and commissions and staff from the City Manager’s Office, Finance Division and Police Department. Neighborhood Services facilitates community involvement and promotes citizen initiative by providing support to the City’s recognized neighborhood organizations. For more information, please contact Michael Kinnison, Neighborhood Services Manager, michael.j.kinnison@ci.eugene.or.us or 682- 5009. Upcoming Events - Save the Dates Transgender Awareness Week is November 15 – 20, and Transgender Day of Remembrance is November 20. The Human Rights Commission’s Community Education and Outreach Committee is working cooperatively with the Gender Center to promote a week-long line-up of activities including workshops, first-run movies and films, and focus topics on trans-healthcare, homelessness and youth. On November 20, the Day of Remembrance, there will be an all-day symposium culminating in evening activities. For more information, contact Holly LeMasurier or Michelle Mortensen at ehrcenter@ci.eugene.or.us or at 541-682-5177. International Human Rights Day is December 10 and will offer a 20-year retrospective of the City of Eugene’s Human Rights Commission. The City will celebrate 20 years of successful events, activities and a history of advocating for inclusiveness, equality and human rights in Eugene. The event is still being planned and the location is yet to be determined, but save the date for what is sure to be an amazing view of times past, events, successes, activities and familiar faces as the event pages back through the history of Human Rights Commission work. For more information, contact Holly LeMasurier at holly.k.lemasurier@ci.eugene.or.us or 541-682-5177. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 1 October 1, 2010 Eugene to Test Plug-in Hybrid Vehicle that Cuts Carbon Emissions The latest addition to Eugene’s vehicle pool moves the City one step closer to a fully sustainable fleet. Fleet Manager Tony Jobanek on Monday took possession of a demonstration model Toyota plug-in hybrid. Eugene has the free use of the vehicle through Thanksgiving under a state program being run through Gov. Kulongoski’s office and Portland State University. Mayor Kitty Piercy encouraged the Fleet Section to apply for the demonstration program earlier this summer, and Eugene was one of a handful of Oregon communities and private companies selected for the pilot program. The plug-in hybrid is essentially a Toyota Prius gas- electric hybrid with one notable difference: it can be Fleet Manager Tony Jobanek with demo Toyota plug-in hybrid plugged into any 110-volt outlet and charged up to run 14 miles at 62 mph on battery-stored electric power before it reverts to its gas-electric hybrid function. While at first blush 14 miles may not seem like much of a range, it is well within the typical daily usage requirement for most City fleet users. That means the vehicle can operated with virtually no gasoline as long as it’s recharged every night and used for local trips. Eugene already has 94 standard hybrids in its fleet, and other all-electric vehicle options are on the near horizon. Overall, Eugene is committed to sustainable fleet technologies aimed at reducing greenhouse gases emitted by fossil fuel-burning vehicles. As part of that commitment, Eugene is active in a federally funded electric vehicle (EV) project to gather information about EV infrastructure and driver needs as increasing numbers of electric vehicles are put into service in Oregon. For more information about the plug-in Toyota Prius plug-in demo or the EV project, contact Fleet Manager Tony Jobanek at 541-682-4808 or Parking Service Manager Jeff Petry at 541-682-5079. New Vactor Trucks Make Life Better for Both Ducks and Beavers Orange and yellow may be the colors of rivalry on the football field, but they’re on the same team at Eugene Public Works. Recently, the Public Works Maintenance Subsurface Operations Section ordered two new Vactor trucks to replace aged equipment. For traffic safety reasons the trucks need to be painted with special, high-visibility colors. As it turns out, both orange and yellow qualify as safety colors. Throw in a little black detailing on the orange truck and some green detailing on Subsurface Maintenance crew with new Vactor trucks the yellow truck and – voila! – school colors! The paint color choices didn’t add any extra cost to the trucks, which are now in service cleaning local wastewater lines. Vactor trucks are used to clean both wastewater and stormwater underground lines. Essentially they’re giant vacuum cleaners that suck up debris into large, onboard holding tanks that are then emptied at special disposal sites. In a typical year, Public Works crews clean about 300 miles of underground wastewater lines and 7,500 stormwater catch basins using Vactor equipment. Keeping sewers and catch basins clean helps prevent sewage backups and reduces the amount of pollution that winds up in local waterways – which is why both Ducks and Beavers should be happy that two new Vactors are on the job, regardless of the colors they’re painted. For more information about the new Vactor trucks or the subsurface services provided by Public Works, contact Jim McLaughlin, Public Works Maintenance Director AIC, at 541-682-4912. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2 October 1, 2010 Musical Fun at the Library How did WaHoo! Cowgirl Band come up with that name? They say their high-spirited blend of acoustic blues, jazz, country, and swing “gets folks on their feet shoutin' WaHoo!” This entertaining new band is composed of talented musicians Fiddlin' Big Sue, Janet Nelson, and Alegria. Catch their free concert on First Friday, October 1, 6 p.m. at the Downtown Eugene Public Library. On Saturday, October 2, at 11:30 a.m., kids and family are invited for bilingual fun at a free Family Fiesta at the Downtown Library. Enjoy live music by Mariachi Jalisco, plus snacks and more. For more information, please contact Eugene Public Library: 541-682-8316 or www.eugene-or.gov/library. Adaptive Recreation offers Free Sled Hockey Clinic The Adapted Recreation program will host a free clinic on sled hockey, a sport designed to allow participants who have a physical disability to play the game of ice hockey. The one-day clinic is for youth, age 5 and older, and adult participants who want to learn about and play this sport. The clinic promises to be action-packed, with some of the best instructional opportunities for sled hockey players in attendance. It will th be held Oct. 3, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. at Lane Ice Center, 796 W. 13 Ave. All equipment will be provided as well as lunch. The clinic is free, but pre-registration is required. To register, call 541-682- 5311 or go to: www.eugene-or.gov/recenroll. For more information, call Patty Prather, 541-682-6306. Everyone Wins (and Learns) at the Neighborhood Leader Orientation! Neighborhood Services staff held the annual neighborhood leader orientation on Thursday, September 16. Ten neighborhood associations were represented by 17 neighborhood board members and interested residents. Staff provided information about City services including funding for neighborhood publications, land use notifications, and support for outreach, events and meetings. Participants played Neighborhood Jeopardy! with categories covering various aspects of neighborhood work including the Neighborhood Organization Recognition Policy, City Model Charter, guidelines for neighborhood publications and use of public information and outreach funds, City services and neighborhood demographics. Attendees participated in a speed networking exercise where they discussed the opportunities and challenges of engaging their neighborhood and City government. Each participant received the revised Toolkit for Effective Neighborhood Leadership which is also available on the City’s Web site at www.eugene-or.gov/NLToolkit. Leader orientation is one of the core training opportunities provided by Neighborhood Services to build the capacity of neighborhood association board members. For more information about the annual leader orientation or the Toolkit, please contact Neighborhood Planner Rene Kane at 541-682- 6243 or rene.c.kane@ci.eugene.or.us. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 3 October 1, 2010