HomeMy WebLinkAbout02/14/13 - City Council Newsletter
City of Eugene
125 East 8 Avenue, 2 Floor
thnd
Eugene, Oregon 97401
(541) 682-5010
(541) 682-5414 (FAX)
www.eugene-or.gov
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER
February 14, 2013
IN THIS EDITION
Asian Celebration Focuses on Sustainability Awareness
“Dead Man Walking” Community Read Begins at Eugene Public Library
Owen Rose Garden Rejuvenated
Possibilities Are Endless with Apps
AROUND THE CITY
Asian Celebration Focuses on Sustainability Awareness
The Eugene/Springfield Asian Council will present the 28 Annual Oregon Asian Celebration Feb. 16 and 17, at the Lane
th
Events Center/Fairgrounds. This year's theme "Choose the Path to Awareness" highlights sustainability, environmental
awareness, and global prosperity through two days of cultural activities for all ages.
Doors open at 10 a.m., Saturday, Feb. 16, with the traditional Chinese Lion Dance to scare away
evil spirits and usher in a weekend of good fortune. Mayor Kitty Piercy will follow with a
welcome at 10:30 a.m. The City will feature booths staffed by the City Manager’s Office, Human
Rights Commission and Eugene Police Department. Children’s activities include screen printing
led by Recreation staff, and bookmark-making by representatives of the Jinju Sister City.
Celebration Chair David Tam says this year, “We want to infuse greater awareness of the future
of our planet as we will be dependent on the actions we take today. Also, we are entering the year
of the snake, the sixth sign of the Chinese Zodiac, which symbolizes intuitiveness, introspection,
and kindness." In keeping with its theme of sustainability, the celebration is partnering
with Waste Free Oregon to recycle and reduce waste at the event. Styrofoam will be banned from
the food court, and all materials will be printed on recycled paper with environmentally friendly
ink.
The celebration is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday. Adult tickets are $6 per day or $10
for both days and children under 12 are free. A complete schedule of activities and performances is available at
www.asiancelebration.org. For more information, please contact Francisca Johnson at 541-682-8442 or
francisca.e.johnson@ci.eugene.or.us.
“Dead Man Walking” Community Read Begins at Eugene Public Library
In conjunction with the citywide “Prisons, Compassion, and Peace” project, the Eugene Public Library
will host a community reading of the national bestseller “Dead Man Walking” by Sister Helen Prejean.
Everyone is invited to an opening event on Saturday, Feb. 23, at 3 p.m., at the Downtown Eugene Public
Library. Admission is free.
The kick-off will include welcomes by Eugene Mayor Kitty Piercy, Eugene Public Library Director
Connie Bennett, and Sponsors, Inc. Executive Director Paul Solomon.
Keynote speakers will be University of Oregon Professor Steven Shankman, UNESCO chair for
Transcultural Studies, Interreligious Dialogue, and Peace, and the General Director of Eugene Opera, Dr.
Mark Beudert. The event will also feature readings of poetry by prisoners, organized by Sponsors, Inc.
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 1
February 14, 2013
On display will be “Visions from Within,” an exhibit of works by artists who are currently or formerly incarcerated. Curated
by Sponsors, Inc., the exhibit features pieces in mixed media including fiber arts, stencils, painting, and more.
“Prisons, Compassion, and Peace” will include many events in the coming month, including the “Prisons and Peace”
UNESCO/UO international conference; Eugene Opera’s Northwest premiere of the opera “Dead Man Walking”; and the 40th
Anniversary celebration of Sponsors, Inc. Sister Helen Prejean will visit Eugene for a number of events, including a free talk
at the Downtown Library on Saturday, March 16, at 2 p.m.
For a complete community calendar, visit www.eugeneopera.com/events.For more information about free events at the
Eugene Public Library, call 541-682-5450 or visit www.eugene-or.gov/library.
Owen Rose Garden Rejuvenated
In 2011, a 30-percent budget cut reduced staffing levels at Owen Rose Garden by half and necessarily set into motion a
thoughtful restructuring of this historic and beloved garden. The overall goals of the project were to scale back the garden
collection and improve sustainable garden practices while retaining the lush visual aesthetic and historic stature of the
garden.
Over the course of the last two years, aged and diseased roses
were removed and replaced with lower-maintenance rose
varieties, and the number of planting beds were reduced. Several
capital investments augmented these efforts, including automatic
irrigation system expansions into areas that were previously
hand-watered, removal of two large arborvitae hedges to improve
safety and visibility into the garden, renovation of several paths
and paved areas to reduce weeding time and improve access and
circulation, and a new lawn installation east of the green rose
arbor.
This fall, 370 hybrid tea roses were removed by a contractor, 210
of which were donated to the Eugene Parks Foundation and the
remaining 160 were transplanted within the garden. Volunteers
with the foundation hosted a successful surplus rose sale last
Sunday that had people anxious to own an authentic piece of the
garden lining up more than an hour before sale time. Not
The line at last Sunday’s surplus rose sale formed more than an
surprisingly, 70 bundles of three sold quickly for $15 each. The
hour before sale time.
remaining 50 roses were donated to the OSU Extension Master
Gardener’s plant sale coming up April 20 at Eugene Water & Electric Board.
The benefits from work to date are paying off. Owen Rose Garden looks tidier and better cared for than it has in several
years. Safety, visibility and accessibility within the garden have improved significantly while staff inputs, and water and
chemical use have gone down. Combined, these steps will help ensure the health and beauty of the rose garden into the
future in a fiscally and environmentally sustainable way.
For more information about Eugene Park Steward volunteer events, contact West Region Volunteer Coordinator Lorna
Baldwin at 541-682-4845 or lorna.j.baldwin@ci.eugene.or.us. For more information about Owen Rose Garden rejuvenation
efforts, contact Emily Proudfoot, Landscape Architect at 541-682-4915 or emily.a.proudfoot@ci.eugene.or.us.
Possibilities Are Endless with Apps
Recreation’s Adult Services is offering a free class on the applications available for use on an iPhone, iPad, or iPod.
Attendees will learn how to easily download free, or nearly free, services that help keep track of blood pressure and heart
rate, track stocks, weather forecasts, and more.
The class is offered on Monday, March 4, 3 - 4 p.m., at Campbell Center, 155 High Street. Attendees
should have some experience operating a device. The class is free, but pre-registration is required.
Bring an iPhone, iPad, or iPod to the presentation.
For more information about this class or other classes in Campbell Center’s “Technology Institute,”
call Tom Powers at 541-682-5318.
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2
February 14, 2013