HomeMy WebLinkAbout09/29/11 - City Council Newsletter
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER
September 29, 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 EDITION
2011 EUGENE GREEN HOME AND GARDEN TOUR A SUCCESS
ADAPTIVE RECREATION OFFERS ACTIVITIES FOR PEOPLE WITH SPECIFIC DISABILITIES
EUGENE SUNDAY STREETS ATTRACTS THOUSANDS
CUENTOS Y CANCIONES: NEW STORYTIME IN SPANISH AT EUGENE PUBLIC LIBRARY
PARKS AND OPEN SPACE HOSTS SECOND PUBLIC WORKSHOP ON BETHEL YMCA PROPOSAL
DISC GOLF APPROVED IN WEST ALTON BAKER PARK
AROUND THE CITY
2011 Eugene Green Home and Garden Tour A Success
On Saturday, Sept. 18, a beautiful late summer day greeted participants of the third annual BRING Home and
Garden Tour. This was also the first year of a new partnership between the City of Eugene, Eugene Water & Electric
Board (EWEB) and BRING to combine annual tours
focusing on green homes. The purpose of the tour was to
inspire people to rethink their use of resources, encourage
the exchange of ideas, foster individual action, and
ultimately reduce the community’s collective carbon
footprint.
The tour highlighted:
Green building;
Energy efficiency;
Active and passive solar energy use;
Urban food production;
Creative reuse of materials; and
Urban density solutions.
Hundreds of attendees were able to visit the 14 homes
and gardens on the tour. They also had the opportunity to
learn more about energy efficiency and renewable energy at workshops held on ductless heat pumps, solar hot
water, and solar electricity. The tour was the public debut of the WaterWise Landscape Demonstration Garden at
Alton Baker Park, a collaboration of the City, EWEB, Nearby Nature, Landcurrent, Schirmer Satre Group, and other
partners.
Please contact Jenna Garmon at jenna.r.garmon@ci.eugene.or.us or 541-682-5541 with ideas for homes to feature
on next year’s tour.
Adaptive Recreation Offers Activities for People with Specific Disabilities
Adaptive Recreation is adjusting its classes and activities to better serve those with “invisible” disabilities such as
traumatic brain injury (TBI), psychological disabilities, and other emotional/behavioral issues. The effort is intended to
reach out to groups of individuals to broaden understanding of community integration and to improve opportunities for
people with psychiatric disabilities and traumatic brain injuries to participate more fully in community life.
The Fall Recreation Guide includes activities for people with specific types of disabilities. For instance, TBI Alive! is a
new social and recreational group for people ages 18 and olderwith traumatic brain injuries. Activities include
community outings, money management skills, self-advocacy and daily living skills.
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September 29, 2011
Adaptive Recreation offers several excursions and trips this fall to the beach, Wildlife Safari, a pumpkin patch, holiday
shopping and to tour holiday lights. All activities are specifically designed for individuals with either TBI or psychiatric
disabilities.
For more information, contact Patty Prather at 541-682-5311.
Eugene Sunday Streets Attracts Thousands
Eugene Sunday Streets was a great success. The City of Eugene Transportation Planning team received many
positive comments from the community on how fun the first Eugene Sunday Streets was for all. Approximately 1,850
community members participated as people of all ages walked,
rolled, skated and danced along the three-mile route, including
Mayor Kitty Piercy, City Manager Jon Ruiz and Slug Queen Holly
GoSlugly. Activity centers at the Washington-Jefferson Park,
Skinner Butte Park and the Campbell Community Center were
bursting with live music, fitness classes, dancing and fun.
Because of all the smiles and positive comments, the
Transportation Planning team will be seeking grant funding to
hold one or two Eugene Sunday Streets next summer. City staff is
in the process of collecting feedback from participants,
businesses, residents along the event route, and 200 volunteers
who helped put on the event.
For more information, contact Lindsay Selser at 541-682-5094, email sundaystreets@ci.eugene.or.us or visit
www.eugenesundaystreets.org.
Cuentos y Canciones: New Storytime in Spanish at Eugene Public Library
The Bethel Branch of the Eugene Public Library will host Cuentos y Canciones (Stories and
Songs), a fun new storytime in Spanish for children and families every Saturday in October and
November, at 11 a.m. Admission is free. The Bethel Branch is located at 1990 Echo Hollow
Road. For more information, contact the Eugene Public Library at 541-682-8316 (English) or
541-682-5450 (press 5 for Spanish).
La Biblioteca Pública de Eugene tiene el placer de anunciar un nuevo programa infantil,
ubicado en la Sucursal de Bethel. Cuentos y Canciones, para familias y niños pequeños, se
presenta solamente en español y es gratis, no hace falta registrarse. Tendrá lugar cada
sábado en octubre y noviembre. Los programas empiezan a las 11 a.m. en la Sucursal de
Bethel, 1990 Echo Hollow Road, en Eugene. Gratis. Información: 541-682-5450 (marque el 5).
Parks and Open Space Hosts Second Public Workshop on Bethel YMCA Proposal
On Wednesday, Sept. 21, City of Eugene Parks and Open Space (POS) staff hosted the second in a series of public
workshops to discuss the YMCA’s proposal for a new 60,000-square-foot facility in the Bethel Community Park.
Approximately 40 neighbors and community members were in
attendance to hear staff report back on the results of the first web-
based survey and discuss site plan options generated from the
comments.
Two options have been posted for review and discussion on the
project website along with a “no-change” option. To date,
community members have expressed several concerns about the
project, including the impact of additional traffic to and from the
park, addition of significant amounts of on-site parking, pedestrian
and bike safety, public safety, and overall building size and scale.
Participants have also expressed enthusiasm for the possibility of
the Y bringing much needed community and recreation services
to the Bethel area.
Bethel YMCA public workshop at Meadow View School
Please visit www.eugene-or.gov/bethelpark to view the
presentation materials, review the site plan options, and to communicate with POS by clicking the link to the second
web-based survey. Contact Emily Proudfoot at emily.a.proudfoot@ci.eugene.or.us or 541-682-4915 with questions.
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September 29, 2011
Disc Golf Approved in West Alton Baker Park
After an 18-month planning process led by staff from the Parks and Open Space and Recreation divisions, a disc golf
course in West Alton Baker Park has been approved. Due to ongoing stakeholder concerns about a course that
would enclose a portion of Pre’s Running Trail on
both sides, a modified area for disc golf that will not
cross to the north side of Pre’s Trail has been
approved. The course will be less than the originally
desired 18 holes. The original proposal was close to
22 acres and the approved area is just under 15
acres. Although the size has been reduced, the
course is expected to provide a fun and popular
recreational amenity that is currently not available in
the community.
In order for the City to incur no additional
maintenance costs, the course will be built,
maintained and managed by a vendor under contract
with the City. The course will be temporarily permitted
for a period of up to five years, with annual permit
review, and renewal based on specific conditions
being met.
The public planning process for the project included
two public meetings that were attended by more than
100 community members and two surveys that
solicited several hundred responses. In addition, a temporary course was set up in the park for three trial days during
which over 1,300 rounds of disc golf were played.
For more information on the project, please contact Parks Planning Manager Neil Bjorklund at 541-682-4909 or
neil.h.bjorklund@ci.eugene.or.us,or visit www.eugene-or.gov/discgolf.
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September 29, 2011