HomeMy WebLinkAbout06/16/11 - City Council Newsletter (3)
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER
June 16, 2011
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
ENVISION EUGENE WINS STATE CITIZEN INVOLVEMENT AWARD
SEVEN RECRUITS GRADUATE FROM METRO FIRE RECRUIT ACADEMY
“SUMMER” BEGINS WITH OPENING OF AMAZON POOL JUNE 20
“TALK THAI” AUTHOR AT EUGENE PUBLIC LIBRARY
EUGENE AIRPORT RECEIVES KUDOS FROM THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION
AROUND THE CITY
Envision Eugene Wins State Citizen Involvement Award
Envision Eugene set out to use a more collaborative public involvement approach than typical land use projects. The
Citizen Involvement Advisory Committee (CIAC) of the state Department of Land Conservation and Development
(DLCD) thinks that is a good thing. The committee recently awarded Envision Eugene its annual STAR Award for
citizen involvement in land use.
CIAC members noted that
Envision Eugene is innovative,
represents substantial effort
and commitment, and has
demonstrated successful
results.
The Envision Eugene Public
Involvement Team used the
following public engagement
methods:
Community Resource
Group of over 60 active
community members with
various points of view
Community Resource Group
Listening Interviews with
individuals and interested
groups, boards and commissions
Monthly E-Newsletter to over 400 people
Kid-friendly public workshops and open houses
Redevelopment Tour for the Community Resource Group, with self-guided option for anyone using Google Maps
Art class projects on Envision Eugene with 100 sixth graders, and High School Art Contest
Facebook page with over 250 fans
Comprehensive website at www.envisioneugene.org
On-line surveys and comment forms
Videos of project events and neighborhood outreach,posted on the website, YouTube and Facebook
Co-sponsor of guest speakers with Transportation Planning and Lane Transit District
Presentations to neighborhood groups, University of Oregon classes, and other groups
City Club programs,rebroadcast on community radio station KLCC
The award will be presented to CRG participants and City staff in Salem on June 22. For more information, contact
Terri Harding, Envision Eugene public involvement manager, at terri.l.harding@ci.eugene.or.us or 541-682-5635.
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 1
June 17, 2011
Seven Recruits Graduate from Metro Fire Recruit Academy
As part of the Metro Fire Merger Initiative between the Eugene Fire & EMS and Springfield Fire & Life Safety
Departments, the first Eugene/Springfield Metro Fire Recruit Academy class (Class #14) graduated on June 10,
2011. Seven firefighters – five for Eugene
and two for Springfield – reported to their first
24-hour shift assignment on Monday, June
13, 2011. In order to graduate from the
academy, recruit class 14 completed 13
weeks of intensive training covering
numerous areas of fire and emergency
medical service including basic firefighting,
paramedic-level EMS, auto extrication, water
rescue, special rescue, and diversity,
hazardous materials, physical fitness, city
orientation, airport operations and live fire
training.
Over the course of the next year, the
firefighter recruits will be evaluated on their
fire and paramedic skills to ensure
competence in their job functions. Each
Metro Fire Recruit Class 14 and Training Section Staff
firefighter recruit has been assigned a station
captain for fire training and mentorship.
Additionally, each will be assigned a field training officer who will focus on emergency medical services knowledge
and skills. Throughout their first year of employment, the firefighter recruits will continue to train and meet mandatory
firefighter and medical skill requirements in order to pass their probation period.
For more information, and for those interested in becoming a firefighter, please contact Training Chief Lance Lighty
at 541-682-7131.
“Summer” Begins with Opening of Amazon Pool June 20
Summer unofficially begins at 2 p.m. on Monday, June 20, when Amazon Pool opens for the first recreational swim of
the season. This favorite summer site annually draws more than 100,000 visits from June through September.
The facility includes a 50-meter, eight-lane pool with an accessibility ramp, two one-
meter diving boards, a three-meter diving board, a five-meter diving platform, a
shallow, multi-purpose pool, a 112-foot water slide, water play features, a 15-person
spa, and a bath house with three family changing rooms.
From June 20 through September 5, recreation swims at Amazon Pool will be held
Monday through Sunday from 2 - 5 p.m. and Mondays and Wednesdays from 6:30 -
8:30 p.m. Family Swim times (one adult must be in the water with children) will be held
Monday - Friday, 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m., and Monday – Thursday, 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. Lap
swimming and swim lessons are also offered at Amazon Pool during the summer months.
For more information, call Rich Fay at 541-682-5331.
“Talk Thai” Author at Eugene Public Library
The Downtown Eugene Public Library will host a free talk by Ira Sukrungruang,
author of “Talk Thai:The Adventures of Buddhist Boy, Monday, June 20, at 6 p.m.
His talk is part of Summer Reading 2011 at the Eugene Public Library, a series of
events for all ages united by the theme, “One World, Many Stories.”
In this richly-told memoir, by turns hilarious and deeply touching, Sukrungruang
relates his childhood attempts to reconcile his immigrant family’s expectations with
the reality of 1980s America. Born to Thai parents newly arrived in the U.S.,
Sukrungruang shifted constantly between cultural institutions from X-Men comics to
the Buddhist temple. Though he tried desperately to fit in, he struggled with feelings
of not belonging to either of his two worlds.
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2
June 17, 2011
In addition to the author as a child, readers meet his mother, who started packing for her return to Thailand the
moment she arrived in this country; her best friend, his “second mother,” who lived with and cooked for the family;
and Sukrungruang’s wayward father whose dreams never quite came true.
Ira Sukrungruang has published fiction, nonfiction, and poetry in numerous periodicals, and co-edited “What Are You
Looking At? The First Fat Fiction Anthology” and “Scoot Over, Skinny: The Fat Nonfiction Anthology.” He is an
Assistant Professor of English at the University of South Florida.
For more information, visit www.eugene-or.gov/library or call the Eugene Public Library at 541-682-5450.
Eugene Airport Receives Kudos from the Federal Aviation Administration
Staff at the Eugene Airport and Public Works Engineering (PWE) have received kudos from the Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) for construction safety management practices.
An FAA Safety Management Specialist, Mark Taylor, and local stakeholders met this week to discuss upcoming
airport construction projects. The purpose of the Safety Risk Management panel is to discuss safety management
plans for the projects and the effects of operating aircraft in a changed environment due to construction.
After a detailed review of projects, the panel discussed potential hazards and causes of those potential hazards
during construction, possible effects, existing safety requirements, severity and probability of hazards, and completed
a risk matrix to determine FAA acceptance of individual construction projects.
At the conclusion of the meeting, Taylor complimented the organizational skills of Public Works Airport and
Engineering staff stating that this was the best panel of which he had been a part. He also requested the generic use
of a change proposal submitted by PWE to use as a blueprint for other airports nationally, a great tribute to the hard
work and dedication of the two divisions.
For more information, contact Eugene Airport Director of Communication and Development Cathryn Stephensat
541-682-5430.
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 3
June 17, 2011