HomeMy WebLinkAbout03/15/12 - City Council Newsletter
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER
March 15, 2012
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
“LIVING LEGEND” AUTHOR URSULA LE GUIN AT EUGENE PUBLIC LIBRARY
REGISTRATION UNDERWAY FOR SPRING BREAK CAMPS
CITY PROGRAMS SUPPORT DEVELOPMENT OF FIRST LEED PLATINUM MIDRISE IN NORTHWEST
WECAR BRINGS CAR SHARING TO EUGENE AND SPRINGFIELD
AROUND THE CITY
“Living Legend” Author Ursula Le Guin at Eugene Public Library
The Downtown Eugene Public Library will host a free talk by award-winning science fiction writer Ursula K. Le Guin on
Saturday, March 24, at 2 p.m. A prolific and influential writer of science fiction and fantasy, Le Guin has been named a
“Living Legend” by the Library of Congress. She will read from her work, followed by a question and answer session
focused on issues of censorship and her contributions to the genre of science fiction. Her books will be available for
purchase and signing, courtesy of the University of Oregon (UO) Bookstore/Duck Store.
Le Guin has published 21 novels, 11 volumes of short stories, four collections of
essays, 12 books for children, six volumes of poetry and four of translation. Her best
known works include the six Books of Earthsea, The Left Hand of Darkness, The
Dispossessed, as well as the Catwings series for children. Three of her books have
been finalists for the American Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize. Among the many
honors her writing has received are a National Book Award, five Hugo Awards, five
Nebula Awards, and a PEN/Malamud Award.
LeGuin’s talk is part of The Big Read, a month-long, community-wide celebration of Ray
Bradbury’s visionary science fiction novel Fahrenheit 451. The Eugene Public Library
and Springfield Public Library are hosting free events for all ages inspired by the book’s
themes, and Lord Leebrick Theatre Company is presenting the play adapted from the
novel. The Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership
with Arts Midwest; local co-sponsors are the Eugene Public Library, Springfield Public
Library, Lord Leebrick Theatre Company, City of Eugene, UO Duck Store, Friends of Eugene Public Library, and
Eugene Public Library Foundation.
For a complete calendar of local Big Read events, visit www.eugene-or.gov/library or call the Eugene Public Library at
541-682-5450.
Registration Underway for Spring Break Camps
Recreation Services is offering an array of spring break camps March 26 - 30 that will
keep youth aged 3 - 18 active during their week off, March 26-30, as they create, learn,
explore and have fun.
For youth and teens, there are camps for competitive swimming, water polo, dance,
adventure, art, other sports, and a special “counselor-in-training” camp. Soccer camps
are offered for children ages three to eight.
For more information, call Sandy Shaffer at 541-682-6348.
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March 15, 2012
City Programs Support Development of First LEED Platinum Midrise in Northwest
Recently, The Westgate (formerly The Danville) Apartments at 740 East 13th Avenue received Leadership in Energy
and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certification - the highest level of green building certification - making it the
first LEED Platinum midrise in the Pacific Northwest.
This project went through the City’s Green Building Program
and received a Multi-Unit Property Tax Exemption (MUPTE).
The successful completion and certification are the result of
the hard work, professional dedication and coordination
across almost every work group of the Planning &
Development Department - from the very early phases that
included critical code interpretation by the Planning Division,
to work by Community Development staff that led to the
MUPTE, to plan intake, review, permits and inspections by
staff in Building Permit Services. The results are a true asset
to the community and exemplify Eugene’s commitment to
economic prosperity and environmental health in making
decisions and taking actions.
More information about The Westgate is available at
http://paradigmeugene.com/westgate.html.
LEED provides building owners and operators with a framework for identifying and implementing practical and
measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions. Created by the U.S. Green
Building Council (USGBC) in 2000, the LEED rating systems are developed through an open, consensus-based
process led by LEED committees. LEED points are awarded on a 100-point scale, and credits are weighted to reflect
their potential environmental impacts.
For more information, please contact Green Building Analyst Jenna Garmon at 541-682-5541 or
jenna.r.garmon@ci.eugene.or.us.
WeCar Brings Car Sharing to Eugene and Springfield
A new, efficient, affordable and sustainable transportation option is coming to Eugene and Springfield. Beginning April
2, WeCar by Enterprise, in partnership with Point2point at Lane Transit District (LTD), will provide car sharing in metro
areas of Eugene and Springfield. Mayor Kitty Piercy will join officials from Springfield and LTD on March 29, to
announce the launch of the new service.
Parking and transportation staff from the cities of Eugene and Springfield have
worked closely over the past year with LTD and a team of local stakeholders
to introduce car sharing to the region. Car sharing programs provide members
with easy access to a car for short-term use, helping reduce congestion and
parking demand while offering residents an affordable alternative to personal
car ownership. National studies have shown that each shared car can take up
to 15 personally owned cars off the road.
The membership-based, automated car rental program will start with four Ford
Fusions – three parked at Eugene locations and one parked in Springfield.
“Car sharing allows residents to rely on multi-modal options for daily
transportation and limits the use of a personal car to only when they need
one,” said Theresa Brand, manager of the Transportation Options Program at
LTD. “WeCar is already popular at the University of Oregon (UO), and we are
excited to expand this beneficial car sharing service to people in our community who are concerned and committed to
reducing their carbon footprint and helping the environment.”
The car sharing program not only offers round-the-clock access to hourly, daily, and overnight rentals – from
application to reservation – it is totally automated and online at WeCar.com. After reserving a vehicle online, members
access the vehicle using a membership card and return the vehicle to the same location. The first-year membership
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March 15, 2012
cost is $25, and participants receive $35 as driving credits. (The $25 application fee has been waived for the first year.)
Fuel and basic vehicle physical damage and state-required liability protection are included in the standard rate plan.
WeCar membership in Eugene and Springfield is open to all licensed drivers 21 years-of-age and older. At the UO,
where WeCar has been in place for three years, membership is open to students aged 18 and older and to faculty. For
more information, contact Tracy Ellis, LTD Point2point coordinator, at 541-682-6183 or e-mail Tracy.Ellis@ltd.org.
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March 15, 2012