HomeMy WebLinkAbout12/08/11 - City Council Newsletter
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER
December 8, 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
ENERGY CONSERVATION STILL BEST WAY TO MEET NEEDS OF FUTURE
EPD’S SQUAD CAR MAINTENANCE TEAM FEATURED IN PUBLICATION
RECORD ORIGINAL POETRY AT EUGENE PUBLIC LIBRARY
PARTNERSHIPS KEY TO NEWEST ACQUISITION IN RIDGELINE PARK SYSTEM
NEW WINTER/SPRING RECREATION GUIDE OFFERS HUNDREDS OF THINGS TO DO
POLICE COMMISSION TO HOST PUBLIC FORUM ON DOWNTOWN PUBLIC SAFETY ZONE
SPECIAL TOWN HALL TO BE HELD ON BUDGET
‘WORKING CITY’ HAS NEW LOOK, NEW HOST, NEW EPISODES
AROUND THE CITY
Energy Conservation Still Best Way to Meet Needs of Future
City of Eugene staff recently participated on an advisory committee that helped Eugene Water & Electric Board
(EWEB) plan for Eugene’s energy needs over the next 20 years. About every five years, EWEB undergoes an
intensive planning process to guide decisions about how the utility will meet the community’s future electricity needs.
To create the Integrated Energy Resource Plan (IERP),
EWEB engaged an advisory committee of EWEB customers
and community representatives, including the City of
Eugene. The IERP Advisory Committee met over the
course of six months and reviewed technical, economic, and
social equity data focusing on developing a recommendation
that would meet EWEB’s triple bottom line objectives. This
effort resulted in a set of strategies that were tested under
many different scenarios and met the projected demand for
power at the highest value to EWEB customers.
Past electricity resource plans have prioritized energy
conservation as the preferred resource strategy. With this
guidance and in partnership with its customers, EWEB’s
conservation programs save enough energy to offset about
14 percent of Eugene’s annual electricity usage.
The most recent planning effort confirmed that energy conservation is still the most cost-effective and least risky way
to meet future electricity needs. It also set a new milestone for EWEB and the community: meet all projected growth in
demand for electricity for the next 20 years with new conservation. Put another way, if EWEB is successful in meeting
this target, it will not have to contract for additional power supplies.
Everyone knows that energy conservation encourages more efficient use of electricity resources. From a cost/benefit
perspective, there is a whole lot more ‘bang for the buck’ investing in conservation than energy-producing technologies
(even renewable energy). And, to top it off, conservation keeps money in the local economy with associated jobs and
lower utility bills for customers.
EWEB is proud to present this win-win-win strategy as the cornerstone of the new energy resource plan, which will be
available for public review and comment in early December. For more information, please visit the EWEB energy plan
website at www.eweb.org/2011ierp/ or contact Ethan Nelson at ethan.a.nelson@ci.eugene.or.us or 541-682-5224.
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 1
December 8, 2011
Police Squad Car Maintenance Team Featured in Publication
Eugene Police Department’s (EPD) Squad Car Maintenance Team is featured in a recently published National
Volunteers in Police Service (VIPS) booklet, Volunteers in Police Service Add Value While Budgets Decrease. To help
agencies think creatively about potential volunteer roles, this latest VIPS publication highlights innovative ways
agencies around the country are engaging citizens and increasing their reach in the community. EPD has a number of
volunteer programs that add incredible value to the organization and free up time for officers and detectives to work
proactively to reduce crime.
EPD’s volunteer teams are greatly valued by the department. For instance:
Squad Car Maintenance Team
Implemented in 2004, the saves EPD $54,000 annually. Fifteen retirees
inventory and restock patrol vehicle trunk supplies, perform minor maintenance and repairs, wash vehicles
inside and out and shuttle vehicles needing service to the City ‘s Fleet Shop. Prior to creating the team, paid
mechanics had to shuttle the vehicles.
Seniors on Patrol Team
Among other duties, the volunteers issue warnings and citations to violators of
signed disabled parking spaces. In 2010, the team issued 650 warnings and 335 citations ($190/citation).
Police Range Recycling Team
A was created in July 2010. Volunteers assist with a variety of sorting,
recycling and other support duties at Short Mountain Range. To date, 2,025 pounds of brass and aluminum
collected at the range have been taken to Schnitzer Steel and generated $3,453 for the City of Eugene.
Since April 2010, volunteers have been serving subpoenas to victims and witnesses. Prior to the formation of
Subpoena Service Team
the , most of the more than 1,000 subpoenas served annually were processed by a
paid contractor. In the team’s first 12 months of operation, the volunteers served 1,447 subpoenas at a
savings of $41,963. The contractor was paid $29 per subpoena.
Image Retrieval Team
Based on requests for service from EPD officers and detectives, volunteers retrieve
surveillance videos (relating to property crimes) from businesses and lodge them into evidence. In 2010, the
volunteers retrieved 154 videos.
Cold Case Squad
A was formed in 2010, with the goal of improving the capacity of the Eugene Police
Department to investigate and solve cold cases through a team of volunteers. Three law enforcement retirees
investigate cold cases and a retired teacher provides administrative support to the team.
focused crime prevention operations targeted at
Together with employees, volunteers participate in
property crimes hot spot areas
. Through this partnership with volunteers, department resources are
expanded. EPD is able to reach more citizens and provide them with important crime prevention information
and services.
The EPD has openings on the Squad Car Maintenance Team, Seniors on Patrol Team and Subpoena Service Team.
Those interested should contact Carrie Chouinard at 541-682-5355 or carrie.f.chouinard@ci.eugene.or.us or go to
www.eugene.or.gov/policevolunteers for more information.
Record Original Poetry at Eugene Public Library
All poets are invited to come to the Eugene Public Library to record original poetry for a new online archive. Oregon
Poetic Voices is traveling around the state collecting poetry readings for all to enjoy. To record poetry, drop in to the
Downtown Library on Thursday, Dec. 15, between 6:00 and 7:30 p.m., or Saturday,
Dec.17, between 3:00 and 4:30 p.m.
The Oregon Poetic Voices Project, funded by the Library Services and Technology Act
2010, builds on three major existing collections of recorded Oregon poetry: two
decades of sound archives of the Fishtrap Writers' Gathering in Wallowa County,
collected by Rich Wandschneider; 15 years of weekly interviews conducted by
Barbara LaMorticella and Walt Curtis at KBOO radio; and recorded archives at Sandra
Williams' long-running Mountain Writers Project.
Among them, these archives contain recordings of almost every significant Oregon poet of the last quarter of the 20th
Century, along with a good selection of recent innovators and creative spirits in the increasingly diverse world of
Oregon poetry.
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2
December 8, 2011
To learn more about the poetry archive, and to listen to already-collected poems, visit oregonpoeticvoices.org. For
more information about recording original poetry at the Eugene Public Library, please call 541-682-5450 or visit
www.eugene-or.gov/library.
Partnerships Key to Newest Acquisition in Ridgeline Park System
This week, the Parks and Open Space Division acquired a 193-acre site called “South Eugene Meadows” for the
Ridgeline Park system. With this addition, the Ridgeline Park system has grown to approximately 2,000 acres. The
acquisition was possible because of partnerships with the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB) and the
Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), and because the
landowner made a significant donation to make the
transaction possible. The funding package for the
acquisition included a $750,000 grant from OWEB, an
$886,000 grant from BPA, $713,000 in City bond measure
funds, and a $790,000 donation from the landowner.
South Eugene Meadows is located to the west of Spencer
Butte Park and contains a beautiful mixture of oak
woodland, oak savanna, and upland prairie habitats, which
have been identified by multiple conservation organizations
as priority habitats to conserve in the Willamette Valley.
Furthermore, the site contains magnificent views of
Spencer Butte. In the future, the Ridgeline Trail will be
extended through the site, providing additional opportunities
for the community to recreate and experience nature close
to home. The site’s strategic location in the Ridgeline helps
193-acre South Eugene Meadows site offers magnificent views of
fulfill the community’s vision, as identified in the Rivers to
Spencer Butte.
Ridges Vision and Action Plan, of a continuous habitat and
recreational corridor from Fern Ridge Reservoir to Buford Park. The City’s grant applications were strongly supported
by organizations in the Rivers to Ridges Partnership (of which the City is one of 14 partner organizations) and many
community groups.
In addition to the acquisition funds, the City was able to secure three years of “stabilization funding” from the BPA. This
funding, which totals $188,175, will allow the Parks and Open Space Division to maintain the site for the next three
years. In a time of limited City funding for maintaining parks and natural areas, this stabilization funding from BPA is
particularly important.
For more information, contact Natural Resources Manager Eric Wold at 541-682-4842 or eric.n.wold@ci.eugene.or.us.
New Winter/Spring Recreation Guide Offers Hundreds of Things to Do
The City of Eugene’s Winter/Spring Recreation Guide offers opportunities to stay healthy,
entertained and informed from January through May. The 72-page virtual recreation guide
is now available online at www.eugene-or.gov/recenroll. Those on the mailing list will
receive paper copies next week. In addition, copies of the guide are available for pick-up at
City community centers, pools, libraries and many other public locations. Registration is
now underway for most activities.
The cover of the new guide features an adult volleyball league. Every year, there are more
than 100,000 participants in the five adult sport leagues offered by the City of Eugene
Recreation Department, including volleyball, basketball, ultimate, softball, and soccer. In
addition to league sports, the Winter/Spring Recreation Guide contains hundreds of events,
classes, activities, social opportunities, and health and wellness programs for all ages and
abilities. The City also offers a variety of spring break camps for children in kindergarten
through age 14.
Many activities are free and scholarships are available. For more information, call Kathy
Madison at 541-682-6342.
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 3
December 8, 2011
Police Commission to Host Public Forum on Downtown Public Safety Zone
On Wednesday, Dec. 14, from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., the Police Commission will host a public forum on the
Downtown Public Safety Zone in the McNutt Room at City Hall. The zone will sunset in April 2012, unless the City
Council takes action to extend the deadline.
The Downtown Public Safety Zone (DPSZ) was created in 2008, and created a 20-block area in downtown Eugene
where officers could request a 90-day or one-year civil exclusion for persons arrested for certain offenses. The
ordinance establishing the safety zone was amended and extended in December 2010. Information on the use of the
DPSZ and a copy of the ordinance will be available Friday, Dec. 9, or at http://Eugene-or.gov/policecommission, and
will be available at the forum.
The forum will begin with a brief presentation, and the remaining time will be used to provide up to three minutes per
person for participants who wish to speak. The length of time for comments may be shortened, depending upon the
number of people who wish to speak.
All comments received on December 14, and received in writing by January 10, 2012, will be compiled and presented
to the City Council for their consideration in late January. A City Council public hearing on this topic is scheduled for
February 21, 2012.
Community members who would like to provide written comments or who have questions can send them via email to
Police Commission Analyst Carter Hawley at Carter.R.Hawley@ci.eugene.or.us or call 541-682-5852.
Special Town Hall to Be Held on Budget
State Senator Floyd Prozanski and Representative Paul Holvey will hold a special Eugene Town Hall on the budget
situation with special guest, Representative Peter Buckley. The meeting will be hosted by City Councilor George
Brown and will take place on Tuesday, Dec. 13, at 6:30 p.m., at Washington Park Community Center, 2025
Washington Street.
For more information, contact Intergovernmental Relations Manager Brenda Wilson at 541-682-8441 or
brenda.s.wilson@ci.eugene.or.us.
‘Working City’ Has New Look, New Host, New Episodes
It has a new format and a new host, but “Working City” continues to tell stories about the many services provided by
the City of Eugene and present those stories to the community through television and online video. “Working City” is
produced by Lane Council of Governments’ (LCOG) Metro TV working under
contract to the City of Eugene.
The monthly series debuted in October 2004, and over the years it has aired
more than 160 stories ranging from “Holiday Fire Safety,” to “Summer in the
City.” Recently, the program was revamped to offer a more modern look and
shorter segments that are easier to watch on YouTube, Facebook and other
online services.
The latest “Working City” piece, titled “Get There Safely,” explains some of the
newest traffic safety features such as green bicycle lanes, shared bike-auto
lanes, and stutter-flash pedestrian crossing signals. This segment is narrated by
Mandy Rose, the new host featured in the updated format.
Mandy Rose narrates a new “Working City”
episode about traffic safety features.
Metro TV cable channel 21 is one of the dedicated channels provided to the
City under Comcast’s public rights-of-way use agreements. The “Working City” series is funded by the City’s
Telecommunications Fund, dedicated to communications technology projects of community benefit.
In addition to being available online, the episodes continue to be broadcast on Comcast cable channel 21 on Friday,
Saturday, and Sunday evenings and before the start of each regular Eugene City Council meeting on Monday
evenings.
To view the episodes online, go to the City home page, www.eugene-or.gov, and click on the YouTube link to go to the
City’s YouTube channel. Episodes can also be seen via the City’s Facebook site, or online at www.metrotv.org. For
more information, contact Jan Bohman, the City’s community relations director, at 541-682-5587.
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 4
December 8, 2011