HomeMy WebLinkAbout11/24/10 - City Council Newsletter
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER
November 24, 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
SHELDON AND ECHO HOLLOW POOLS OFFER “TURKEY BURN”
OREGON POET LAUREATE PAULANN PETERSEN AT EUGENE PUBLIC LIBRARY
COMMENTS SOUGHT ON EUGENE’S FUTURE TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM
WINTER STORM UPDATE
CITY OF EUGENE AWARDED GRANT FOR UNIVERSITY DISTRICT STREETSCAPE IMPROVEMENTS
AROUND THE CITY
Sheldon and Echo Hollow Pools Offer “Turkey Burn”
Enjoy Thanksgiving dinner and that second helping of dessert. Then, attend the “Turkey Burn” water fitness class to
help burn it all off. This one-hour class will introduce the benefits of low-impact, high-resistance water aerobics and
provide a chance to win prizes – including a 30-day fitness pass.
Recreation Services offers a variety of water fitness classes
several times a week. Classes are held in water ranging from
shallow to deep and are suitable for beginners or those with more
experience. Certified instructors are happy to tailor any class to
meet the needs of the participants.
The Turkey Burn fitness class will be held from 9:30 - 10:30 a.m.,
Nov. 27, at Echo Hollow Pool, 1655 Echo Hollow Road, and at
Sheldon Pool, 2443 Willakenzie Road. The cost of a single visit
for adults is $4.25.
For more information, call 541-682-5525 (Echo Hollow) or 541-682-5314 (Sheldon).
Oregon Poet Laureate Paulann Petersen at Eugene Public Library
The Downtown Eugene Public Library will host a free reading by Oregon’s new Poet Laureate, Paulann Petersen, on
Saturday, Dec. 4, at 2 p.m.
Born and raised in Oregon, Petersen is a widely published poet, with many collections
including “The Wild Awake,” “Blood-Silk,” “A Bride of Narrow Escape,” “Kindle,” and
“The Voluptuary.” She has been honored with awards including Stanford University's
Wallace Stegner Fellowship in Poetry, two Carolyn Kizer Poetry Awards, and Literary
Art's Stewart Holbrook Award for Outstanding Contributions to Oregon's Literary Life.
Petersen has given hundreds of readings in locations as varied as Powell's Books in
Portland, Omsania University in India, Ross Ragland Theater in Klamath Falls and the
Museum Hotel in Central Turkey, and in virtually every nook and cranny of Oregon. Her
poetry is featured on TriMet public transportation in Portland as part of the Poetry in
Motion project, and she teaches frequently in high schools, colleges and writers’
conferences. Petersen also serves on the board for Friends of William Stafford, organizing the annual William
Stafford birthday events each January.
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 1
November 24, 2010
The poet laureate position is a collaborative project of the state's five statewide cultural partners: Oregon Arts
Commission, Oregon Heritage Commission, Oregon Historical Society, Oregon Humanities, and the State Historic
Preservation Office. The position is funded by the Oregon Cultural Trust and managed by Oregon Humanities.
For more information, contact the Eugene Public Library at 541-682-5450 or http://www.eugene-or.gov/library.
Comments Sought on Eugene’s Future Transportation System
The future of Eugene’s transportation system is open for comment. The Eugene Transportation System Plan will look
at all transportation modes, including freight, pedestrian, bicycle, transit, rail networks, airport and personal vehicles,
to see what changes could be made to better meet the long-
term needs of Eugene’s residents, businesses, and visitors.
Public involvement is crucial to the success of this project, to
understand the goals of the community for the development of
Eugene over the next 20 years.
A survey has been created to gather public input about the
future of local transportation. The survey, called Central Lane
Transportation System Plans, is intended to gather information
to be used by a number of local agencies, including the cities of Eugene, Springfield and Coburg, Lane Transit
District, and the Lane Council of Governments. Soon an interactive map will be provided on which comments can be
“pinned” directly to a regional transportation map.
A link to the survey can be found on the Eugene Transportation System Plan website at www.EugeneTSP.org. The
website also provides background information, links to various transportation planning documents, and places to sign
up for email alerts and submit online comments.
For more information about Eugene’s Transportation System, contact Transportation Senior Planner Kurt Yeiter at
541-6828379 or kurt.m.yeiter@ci.eugene.or.us.
Winter Storm Update
While most Eugeneans were still in bed early Tuesday morning, Public Works Maintenance (PWM) opened its
Emergency Command Center at the Roosevelt Yard and began dispatching crews and equipment to deal with
slippery streets and a skiff of snow.
Beginning at 5 a.m., Tuesday, maintenance staff had six sanders and a de-icing truck in operation. Crews worked
throughout the day, focusing on priority 1 and priority 2 routes and making some headway on priority 3 streets in the
higher elevations. Based on current forecasts, PWM anticipated that crews would continue to sand and de-ice streets
overnight and on Wednesday. As of Tuesday afternoon, it was not necessary to declare an ice-snow emergency.
However, notice has been provided to residents per the Eugene Code, and staff is maintaining current information on
the internet at www.eugene-or.gov/snow.
For more information, contact Surface Operations Manager Eric Johnson at 541-682-4800.
City of Eugene Awarded Grant for University District
Streetscape Improvements
On November 16, the Oregon Department of Transportation
announced Eugene’s successful award in the amount of
$707,000 for pedestrian and bicycle enhancements to streets in
the University District area. Public Works Engineering staff
sought grant funding to make needed pedestrian and bicycle
th
improvements on Alder Street (Franklin Boulevard to 19
th
Avenue) and 13 Avenue (Alder to Kincaid streets) in
combination with a street reconstruction project scheduled for
summer 2011.
Key components of the streetscape improvement project include
the construction of a new north and southbound bicycle facility
on Alder Street, a new signalized crossing at Franklin and Alder,
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on-street parking reconfiguration on 13 Avenue, increased
bicycle parking capacity, and significant pedestrian enhancements in the small business district. The grant-funded
portion of the project is designed to meet social, economic and environmental objectives.
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2
November 24, 2010
Over the next several months, City staff will complete the final design while continuing to work with stakeholders.
Project details and updates are available at www.eugene-or.gov/pwprojects or by calling Associate Transportation
Planner David Roth at 541-682-5727.
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 3
November 24, 2010