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Home My WebLink About10/18/12 - City Council Newsletter EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER October 18, 2012 City of Eugene thnd 125 East 8 Avenue, 2 Floor Eugene, Oregon 97401 (541) 682-5010 (541) 682-5414 (FAX) www.eugene-or.gov IN THIS EDITION TH PARTY TO CELEBRATE EUGENE’S 150 BIRTHDAY ON SATURDAY EUGENE POLICE VOLUNTEER SERVICES SHOWCASED AT LANE COUNTY HOME SHOW CITY OF EUGENE NAMED AMONG TOP TEN HEALTHIEST EMPLOYERS IN OREGON IN 2012 BOB WELCH AT EUGENE PUBLIC LIBRARY SHELDON POOL CELEBRATES GRAND REOPENING WIN-WINS MAKE FOR ECONOMIC SUCCESS AND THANK-YOUS EUGENE TRANSPORTATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROJECTS WIN STATEWIDE AWARDS AROUND THE CITY th Party to Celebrate Eugene’s 150 Birthday on Saturday Eugene’s birthday party Saturday, Oct. 20, will get underway at 11:30 a.m. with the dedication of Eugene’s newest cultural icon at 13th and Alder Street – a Great Blue Heron sculpture by found object artist, Jud Turner. At 12:30 p.m., the public is invited to join a procession - decorated bikes and people in costumes will make their way to Campbell Center in Skinner Butte Park where the birthday party will get underway at 1:15 p.m. There will be music by Family Dynamic; dancing to The Sugar Beets; Fred Crafts’ Radio Redux performance of “You are There, the Founding of Eugene;” a Passport to History prize drawing and, of course, the singing of “Happy Birthday” and cake eating! For more information, contact Jan Bohman at 541-682-5587. Eugene Police Volunteer Services Showcased at Lane County Home Show The Volunteers in Policing (VIP) Program staffed an outreach booth at the Lane County Home Show, Oct. 12 – 14, showcasing volunteer services, activities and opportunities. The booth was staffed primarily with volunteers, who spoke firsthand to visitors about their involvement in the VIP Program and how they contribute to the department and community. Volunteer booth staffers shared information and distributed literature about many of the popular services provided to the community through the VIP Program, including home vacation checks, and serialized and valuable property identification. Home Show visitors also learned how to get involved as volunteers themselves. In 2011, 94 volunteers contributed 21,905.73 hours of service valued at $477,325.85.* Opportunities for new volunteers exist on the Seniors on Patrol Team, the Squad Car Maintenance Team, and the Subpoena Service Team. Comprehensive VIP Program information including full volunteer position descriptions can be found at www.eugene-or.gov/policevolunteers. For more information, contact Volunteers in Policing Program Manager Carrie Chouinard at 541-682-5355 or carrie.f.chouinard@ci.eugene.or.us. *The national average hourly value of volunteer time is developed by the Independent Sector. The hourly value of volunteer time is based on the average hourly wage for all non-management, nonagriculture workers as determined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, with a 12 percent increase to estimate for fringe benefits. The current hourly wage is $21.79. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 1 October 18, 2012 City of Eugene Named among Top Ten Healthiest Employers in Oregon in 2012 For the third year in a row, the City of Eugene was named one of Oregon's top ten healthiest employers of its size by the Portland Business Journal. The mission of the Healthiest Employer Program is to reward companies that are demonstrating innovation and leadership in their workplace wellness initiatives. The City’s comprehensive Health & Fitness Program includes on-site fitness facilities, fitness classes, health and wellness workshops, health risk appraisals, biometric health screenings, smoking cessation programs, flu clinics, and the City Manager’s Activity Challenge. The goals of the program are to improve overall employee health and productivity and help control health care costs. Organizations were assessed in six key categories: culture and leadership commitment, foundational components, strategic planning, communications and marketing, programming and interventions, and reporting and analysis. For more information, contact Health and Fitness Director Steve Auferoth, Risk Services/Central Services Department, at 541-682-5610. Bob Welch at Eugene Public Library The Downtown Eugene Public Library will host a talk by writer Bob Welch about his new book “Cascade Summer,” on Sunday, Oct. 28, at 2 p.m. Admission is free. “Cascade Summer” twines together two stories: Welch’s 26 days on the Oregon portion of the Pacific Crest Trail last summer and Judge John Waldo's 26 summers exploring the same tree-thick spine of the state's premiere mountain range. Filled with adventure, suspense, laughter, and tears, "Cascade Summer" is a story of resolve, friendship, history, and the wilderness that Waldo fought to protect. Books will be available for purchase and signing. Bob Welch, a columnist at The Register-Guard since 1999, has been honored with the National Society of Newspaper Columnist's top award two times. He's the author of 15 books, the founder of the Beachside Writer’s Workshop in Yachats and a former adjunct professor of journalism at the University of Oregon. For more information, contact the Eugene Public Library at 541-682-5450 or www.eugene-or.gov/library. Sheldon Pool Celebrates Grand Reopening Repairs to Sheldon Pool’s water supply system have been completed and, in celebration, the public is invited to a grand reopening event on Monday, Oct. 22, from 9 a.m. - noon. The event will include a Fitness Jam at which participants can try a variety of fitness class samplers for free. Also provided will be health and nutrition information, heart healthy snacks, tours of the pool operations area, a photographic display of the repair work, and prize drawings for Aquatics Water Fitness passes, registration in a River House Outdoor Program activity, Eugene Symphony tickets, and more. The pool was closed for repairs June 18 after it was discovered to be leaking as much as 8,000 gallons of water per day. The repairs included installation of new piping for the treated water delivery and return system and new stainless steel overflow gutters. The surge tanks were upgraded to bring them to current code standards. Also installed as part of the repair project were dual systems for water treatment and heating, and new, high-efficiency LED underwater lights. The construction cost of the project was $730,000 which was paid for through the City’s Capital Projects Fund, exclusively used for facility repair and replacement. Also on Oct. 22, Sheldon Pool will provide free swim lesson assessments from 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. and a free Recreation Swim from 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. The new water supply system ensures that Sheldon Pool will continue to serve the community with swim lessons, lap swims, recreation swims, water fitness and more for many years to come. For more information, contact Rich Fay at 541-682-5331. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2 October 18, 2012 Win-Wins Make for Economic Success and Thank-Yous Linda Addison, owner of Sixth Street Grill says, “Thank you for including us in your birthday and promotion! The Wednesday teaser tasting went over really well and we had a ton of people here before and after the show. Bartenders heard great compliments about both the ballet and the beer. I wanted to pass that along to you. We will continue to promote Pearl Red beer along with the Hult 30 birthday and tie it all in.” Saturday night, Oct. 13, the Hult Center was rocking. Through a creative partnership between the Hult Center, Eugene Ballet Company, Oakshire Brewing and Sixth Street Grill, the Hult kicked off its 30-year birthday celebration with the debut of Pearl Red Ale at the Eugene Ballet’s season-opening performance of Dark Side of the Moon. Many people attended the performance, illustrating how the Hult generates dollars that flow back into the community. The high point of the evening was that the patrons could take their beverages into the hall while enjoying the stellar performance of the dancers accompanied by local band, The Floydian Slips. Patrons stayed long after the performance was over to meet and greet the performers and sip a little bit more of that tasty red ale. The response demonstrated that a wonderful time was shared by all. “Thank you! The show was amazing!!! I had goose bumps during the Dark Side of the Moon performance. We went to Sixth Street Grill after the show and had a great time; perfect way to end a perfect evening.” -- Amanda Pence, Oakshire Brewing. th Stay tuned. The Hult Center’s 30 birthday events continue through the holiday season. Over the next 30 years, there will be many more win-wins and success stories to share. For more information, contact Outreach Manager Libby Tower, Hult Center for the Performing Arts, at 541-682-8380. Eugene Transportation and Environmental Projects Win Statewide Awards The City of Eugene took home two awards for public improvement projects at the fall conference of the Oregon Chapter of the American Public Works Association. The Delta Ponds habitat enhancement project was named environmental ‐ project of the year in the $5 million - $25 million category. The recently completed project is the largest urban sidechannel habitat enhancement project to-date in the Willamette Valley. This project is an outstanding example of how local governments can form partnerships with federal, state, and local agencies, local and regional organizations, and community groups to achieve high quality reclamation and habitat restoration projects benefiting multiple species, including threatened Chinook salmon. The City of Eugene has led the way with this project and these efforts are now serving as a model for other regional endeavors to reclaim aggregate mining sites and to restore and enhance Willamette River side channels and backwater sloughs. The Delta Ponds project nomination form is available online. The Alder Street transportation corridor project received the Julian Award for sustainability in the transportation category. The corridor contains some of the heaviest travelled pedestrian and bicycle facilities in Eugene. To maximize safety and promote the use of active modes, the City of Eugene coordinated with multiple agencies, including the University of Oregon and Lane Transit District, to design a world-class facility that would satisfy and attract new and existing pedestrians, cyclists, and transit users. Funding through a variety of local and state partners enabled the construction of a two-way, buffered bicycle lane, widened Mark Schoening accepts APWA award for Alder Street project. sidewalks, contra-flow bicycle lanes, colored pavement, enhanced street canopy, and improved signalization that would enliven an already thriving commercial corridor. In addition, the improvements made a strong statement about the City of Eugene’s commitment to sustainable transportation development. The Alder Street project nomination form is available online. The awards were accepted on behalf of the City and the Eugene Public Works Department by Acting Parks and Open Space Director Mark Schoening and Acting City Engineer Matt Rodrigues. For more information, contact Rodrigues at 541-682-6036. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 3 October 18, 2012