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Home My WebLink AboutCC Newsletter - 07/29/04EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER July 29, 2004 City of Eugene 777 Pearl Street, Room 105 Eugene, Oregon 97401-2793 (541) 682-5010 (541) 682-5414 (FAX) www. ci.eucjene.or, us 2N~ ANNUAL MULTICULTURAL FESTIVAL PLANNED PLANNING STAFF OFFERS TRAINING CLASSES FOR NEIGHBORHOOD LEADERS WHITEAKER NEIGHBORHOOD RIVER FESTIVAL A STUDYIN CONTRASTS AT THE JACOBS GALLERY CREST DRIVE AREA OUTREACH UNDER WAY CITY BUILDING AVAILABLE TO MOVE STREAM TEAM VOLUNTEERS HELP MONITOR AND PROTECT WESTERN POND TURTLES AT DELTA PONDS 2n= Annual Multicultural Festival Planned The Library, Recreation and Cultural Services Department, in cooperation with the Eugene Police Department, will host the 2nd Annual Multicultural Festival at Sheldon Community Park on August 3, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Everyone is invited to celebrate the diversity of their community at this entertaining outdoor event. The festival will kick off with a keynote address by popular Magic 94.5 radio personality Dennis Nakata, followed by the last of the free Concerts in the Parks series with Mariachi music by Los Mex Pistols and Lo Nuestro. The festival also features the Eugene Taiko drummers, a Cosmic Swim, food and information booths, guest appearances by UO athletes, classic cars, and an opportunity to meet Eugene Police officer K-9 and motorcycle units as part of "National Night Out." This free event is co- sponsored by The Coca-Cola Company, LTD, Magic 94.5, and KEZI. For more information, contact Recreation Programmer Kimberly McManus at 682-6343. Planninq Staff Offers Traininq Classes for Neiqhborhood Leaders During May, June, and July, Planning staff offered training classes for neighborhood leaders and Neighborhood Association Board members. Planning Director Susan Muir led the first session, "What is Planning in Oregon?" After sharing an overview prepared by the Oregon Chapter of the American Planning Association, Susan answered questions about statewide and local planning issues. The second session was presented by Steve Nystrom, manager of the Land Use Permits section. Steve shared information on Eugene's land use permits and processes and tips on how neighborhood associations can most effectively be involved in this type of activity. The third session featured Kurt Yeiter, manager of Community and Metropolitan Planning, and described comprehensive planning efforts in Eugene. Kurt discussed why and how the Metro Plan is periodically updated and emphasized how Planning works to achieve balance among competing needs and values. About 12 to 15 neighborhood association representatives attended each session. The last two sessions were taped by Metro TV so that videos and DVDs could be made available to those who were unable to attend. For more information, please contact Beth Bridges, Planning and Development, at 682-5272 or via e-mail (beth.b.bridges@ci.eugene.or. us). EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 1 July 29, 2004 Whiteaker Neiqhborhood River Festival With temperatures sizzling over the 100 degree mark last Friday, the Whiteaker community was given a cool treat by the River House Outdoor Program. Joining the youth from the Sladden Park Fun For All site, more than 400 people gathered on the banks of the Willamette River (at River House Eddy) to enjoy the first-ever Whiteaker Neighborhood River Festival. This free event gave families the opportunity to test, paddle and splash around in 20 different kayaks and canoes. ^ continuous stream of youth and adults also took turns sloshing down the 60- foot Slip 'n Slide, happy to be hosed down by members of Eugene Fire Department. While drying off, children could take part in the storytelling hour with Eugene Library staff, and families could join in on a drumming circle with Hands On Drumming or step into a Tai Chi demonstration by Suman. The event concluded with a performance by Dance^bility, bringing dancers from all over the world to the Whiteaker neighborhood. The only time that smiles weren't seen on faces was when hotdogs, lemonade, and a huge "community cake" (donated by La Petite Bakery) were being consumed. The response from those who attended was overwhelmingly positive. Many thanks were received by River House staff and much encouragement was given to continue to hold the event in the future. For more information about the event, contact Craig Smith at 682-6340. A Study in Contrasts at the Jacobs Gallery The Jacobs Gallery, which rents space from the Hult Center, has just opened a new exhibit featuring the works of Kris Ibach and Claudia Marchini. Tina Rinaldi, gallery director, calls the show a study in contrasts between two very talented and innovative portrait painters. This is especially significant because portraiture is not much in vogue today. Marchini, inspired by reading the testimonies and letters of blacks who were enslaved in the United States, paints portraits of African Americans on marble. Of her approach Marchini says, "1 took the liberty to give an imaginary face to those slaves whose letters and writings touched me the most." The paintings are displayed alongside relevant passages from the book so the viewer can make the connection. "These accompanying testimonies cross the boundaries of race, gender, religion and origin," adds Marchini. "They carry deep emotions which make us all equal." Ibach always paints either from models or from photographs, and does so with great skill. She has created hundreds of images calling attention to both the personal and the political in her renderings and she finds the human face most compelling. In this exhibition, Ibach is interested in contrasting her very large, confrontational portraits with her smaller, more intimate ones. A patron views Kris Ibach's "Woman with Flowers," The Jacobs Gallery regular viewing hours are: Tuesday - Friday, noon. to 4 p.m. and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The gallery is also open one hour prior to and during all Hult Center performances. For more information, please call Tina Rinaldi at Lane Arts Council (684-5635). Crest Drive Area Outreach Under Way Public Works Engineering staff is seeking public input on street classification in the Crest Drive area through a variety of outreach efforts. A public meeting has been scheduled for Tuesday, August 10, beginning at 6:45 p.m. in the picnic shelter at Morse Ranch Park. This meeting will help frame the issues around street classification and solicit comments and suggestions for options and alternatives. A second public meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 29, at Crest Drive Elementary School, 1155 Crest Drive from 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. This follow-up meeting will be used to present more specific proposals, taking into account the feedback from the first meeting and from other public input opportunities. Proposals will incorporate techniques such as context-sensitive design. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2 July 29, 2004 While the public meetings are intended as a key way to involve the public in the discussion around street classification in the Crest Drive area, staff is working with a local consulting firm, Satre and Associates, to develop other ways people can be involved. A website has been created at www.ci.euqene.or, us/pw/crest, which includes a variety of informational materials and allows members of the public to e-mail Project Manager Gary McNeel with input. A fact sheet with answers to frequently asked questions has been updated, and all materials prepared for the public meetings will also be available on the website. More than 3,600 postcards are being mailed by July 30, inviting neighbors in the Crest Drive area to the public meetings and publicizing the website. Signs are also being placed at half a dozen locations in the area so motorists who may not live in the neighborhood but use area roads are aware of the meetings. A news release and newspaper advertisement will also be utilized to let the broader public know about the meetings and input opportunities. Staff goals in the involvement effort are to ensure that the council receives broad, representative input in the decision- making process and that citizens, particularly those who feel they have the greatest stake in the outcome, receive clear and accurate information on the impacts of street classification decisions. For more information, contact Gary McNeel in Public Works Engineering at 682-8451 or by email at gary.a.mcneel@ci.eugene.or, us. City Buildinq Available to Move The Facility Management Division wants find a new home for a 3,462 square-foot, single story, heavy-timber building with historic character reputed to have been used as a fire department stable in the early 1900s. This building is part of the City's Lincoln Warehouse at the northeast corner of Lincoln and 3rd Avenue, and it is slated for demolition as part of the 3rd - 4th Connector reconstruction project scheduled in 2005. Facility Management staff would like to know of any organizations capable of removing and re-using the building in whole for a viable use and retaining its historic character as a community resource. If serious interest is identified, the City Manager will notify the council of the terms and conditions recommended for the disposal of the building. Then, a formal Request for Proposals can be prepared to solicit detailed proposals including financial, organizational and schedule aspects as well as identification of the legal and buildable land the interested party has available for the building site. If interest is not identified by Friday August 6, 2004, the City will solicit proposals for demolition, incorporating recycling and reuse of the building components as much as possible. A legal advertisement seeking to identify interested parties will be published in The Register-Guard on Sunday, July 31 and Monday, August 1 and in the Daily Journal of Commerce on Monday. Individuals or organizations interested in pursuing this opportunity should send a written expression including information listed in the ad, to Russ Mecredy, City of Eugene Facility Management, 210 Cheshire Avenue, Eugene, 97401. To view the facility, contact Russ at 682-6024. Stream Team Volunteers Help Monitor and Protect Western Pond Turtles at Delta Ponds After attending a training last month led by Kat Beal, an Army Corps of Engineers biologist, seven Eugene Stream Team volunteers applied the skills they learned to look for and identify nests of the western pond turtle. The turtle is a species native to the Pacific Northwest whose population has been declining sharply over the past 30 years. The cadre of volunteers recently spent a week scouting for nests at Delta Ponds, an urban natural area that encompasses over 130 acres. They discovered four western pond turtle nests. Unfortunately, none were intact; all had been dug up and the eggs eaten by predators. However, the volunteers mapped the location of these nests and plan to get started in early June 2005, the beginning of the nesting season, and take proactive measures to monitor and protect nests, as well as study and document the status of the population at Delta Ponds. Stream Team Coordinator Lorna Baldwin is hopeful that these trained volunteers will be able to make a difference for western pond turtles, considered to be a sensitive species by the State of Oregon. "Our main goal for the pilot project this year was to get volunteers involved in this effort. We now have a group of trained volunteers with some experience looking for and identifying nests and a dozen other people who have expressed interest in the project." EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 3 July 29, 2004 Western pond turtles dig holes and lay their eggs in areas with little vegetation. Their eggs hatch in the fall and the baby turtles remain in the nest until spring when they emerge and make their way to the pond. About the size of a quarter at this stage in their development, they are vulnerable to predators including raccoons, opossum, fox, and even dogs. Common predators once they hatch and leave the nest are herons, non-native bullfrogs and large mouth bass. The turtles are 12 to 14 years old before they begin to reproduce. Volunteers will protect nests by securing wire over the top of the nests. This effort to protect and enhance the western pond turtle's nesting habitat is part of a larger restoration project underway at Delta Ponds by the City of Eugene, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Bureau of Land Management. Stream Team volunteers have been working to improve habitat at Delta Ponds for nearly a decade through monitoring, educational and hands-on projects. For more information or to volunteer, call Lorna Baldwin, Stream Team coordinator, at 682-4850. AUGUST .................................................................................................................................................... 08/09 M 5:30pm All Council Dinner Work Session McNutt Room ABSENT: Meisner 08/09 M 7:30pm All Council Meeting Council Chamber ABSENT: Meisner 08/11 W Noon All Council Lunch Work Session McNutt Room 08/31 T 4:00 pm JT Mayor's One-On-One Council Chamber COUNCIL BREAK: August 12 - September 7 ** Denotes changes or additions to calendar EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 4 July 29, 2004