HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC Newsletter - 04/27/06
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER
April 27, 2006
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 WEEK’S EDITION
CITY CELEBRATES NATIONAL LAW DAY AND WEEK
CELEBRATE AMERICAN WETLANDS MONTH AT DOWNTOWN LIBRARY
HEALTH INFO AT YOUR FINGERTIPS: INTERNET WORKSHOP AT EUGENE PUBLIC LIBRARY
DOWNTOWN FLOWER POWER IS BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND
MARCH STATUS REPORT ON MAJOR CAPITAL PROJECTS NOW ONLINE
REI EUGENE ANNOUNCES $10,000 GRANT FOR SPENCER BUTTE/RIDGELINE TRAIL SYSTEM
GLITTERARY WORD FESTIVAL AT EUGENE PUBLIC LIBRARY
GETTING THE WORD OUT ON RECREATION SERVICE DIVISION’S SUMMER PROGRAMS
AROUND THE CITY
City Celebrates National Law Day and Week
National Law Day, sponsored by the American Bar Association, is held every year on May 1. This year
Eugene Municipal Court will hold a public forum from 10:00 a.m. to noon, and the public is invited to
"Ask a Judge" their questions about how the court system works. The theme for this event is "Improving
Access to Ensure Equal Justice." In planning the event, Presiding Judge Wayne Allen explained, "The
forum is part of the court's continuing effort to be accessible to every member of the community. We
welcome the public's questions and comments." While Judge Allen will not be able to address questions
related to specific cases before the court, he will be available to discuss how fine amounts are set, how
the judge decides a case, and other questions community members may have regarding the court
system. Eugene Municipal Court is located at City Hall, 777 Pearl Street, Room 104. For questions
about the Law Day open forum, contact Marilyn Nelson at 682-5580.
On Wednesday, May 3, Municipal Court will also host the West Eugene Teen Court in its courtroom at
6:30 p.m. Judge Karen Stenard will serve as judge for the session. For the past several years during the
week of Law Day, Eugene Municipal Court has opened its facility to one of the two City Teen Court
groups. Holding the Teen Court session in an actual courtroom and before an actual judge has a lasting
impression on the youth involved. The City's Teen Court program is coordinated and staffed by the
Youth and Family Services Program of the LRCS Recreation Division. For questions about the Teen
Court session, contact Char Mauch at 682-5088.
Celebrate American Wetlands Month at Downtown Library
On First Friday, May 5, get to know your local wetlands. Starting at
6 p.m., see the "Show Me the West Eugene Wetlands" photo exhibit
and reception for local photographers. Then enjoy an educational talk
by Willamette Resources and Educational Network (WREN) and the
West Eugene Wetlands Partnership, encouraging greater
understanding of both the allure and ecological significance of
Eugene’s wetlands. The exhibit remains on display through June.
At 6:45 p.m., Tom's Kitchenwill play a lively mix of traditional Celtic
jigs, reels, airs, and more. Their performance features instruments
and themes from all over the Celtic world, including the Irish and
Scottish communities of Canada and of the U.S. As always on First Fridays, the Downtown Library stays
open until 8 p.m. For more information, contact the Eugene Public Library at 682-5450.
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 1
April 27, 2006
Health Info at Your Fingertips: Internet Workshop at Eugene Public Library
Every day, more people turn to the Internet for consumer health information. Do you know how to find
what you really need or which websites you can trust? Join Eugene Public Library’s Deborah Kaufman
Health Info @ Your Fingertips
and PeaceHealth’s Library Media Specialist Lois Bjerken for on
Saturday, April 29, 10 a.m. – noon, at the Downtown Library.
This free, hands-on-keyboard training shows you how to get reliable, up-to-date answers to your
questions. Learn to access user-friendly resources created and screened by medical experts and
librarians. Basic Internet skills are required. To pre-register, call 682-5450 (press 2), or visit the
Downtown Library’s 2nd floor Reference Desk.
Downtown Flower Power Is Back By Popular Demand
After last year’s successful inaugural season of providing spectacular
color to the downtown area from May 15 to October 15, the colorful
hanging baskets and sidewalk flower pots will be back again this year,
bigger and better than ever. The Facility Management Division’s
Downtown Crew will begin planting 131 sidewalk flower pots in early
May and 105 hanging baskets will be delivered and installed mid-May.
Funding for the acquisition and ongoing maintenance of this seasonal
beautification program is made possible through a public-private
partnership between Downtown Eugene, Inc., some downtown property
owners and the City of Eugene.
For information regarding planting and maintenance, please contact
Ron Sutton, Facility Management Division, at 682-5438 or via email at
ron.w.sutton@ci.eugene.or.us. For information regarding funding,
please contact Richie Weinman, Planning and Development
Department, at 682-5533 (richie.d.weinman@ci.eugene.or.us).
March Status Report on Major Capital Projects Now OnLine
The Facility Management Division’s quarterly report
for March 2006 is now online. The status report
provides an update on the progress of major capital
projects under the divisions management. With the
=
completion of a series of high-profile projects, this
report reflects the type of building preservation and
maintenance projects that make up the majority of
the Facility Management Division’s projects.
While the projects in this status report make up a
small proportion of the roughly sixty active design
and construction projects currently being managed
by Facilities, they represent either the higher
budgeted projects or projects with significant public
interest. For additional information on Facility
Management projects, please contact Mike Penwell
at michael.j.penwell@ci.eugene.or.us or by phone at 682-5547.
REI Eugene Announces $10,000 Grant for Spencer Butte/Ridgeline Trail System
On the heels of its most successful year ever, outdoor retail co-op Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI),
announced plans to dedicate $1 million to community parks across the country. A total of 100 parks
grants, each in the amount of $10,000, will be given to community parks throughout the U.S. Grant
recipients were selected after REI employees identified community parks that were of particular interest
to their customers, offered outdoor recreation opportunities, and were in proximity to an REI store.
REI Eugene chose the Eugene Parks Foundation to receive a $10,000 grant to go toward the
maintenance and preservation of the Spencer Butte/Ridgeline Trails System through trail enhancements,
maintenance, and conservation projects. In collaboration with the City of Eugene Parks and Open Space
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2
April 27, 2006
Division and Mayor Kitty Piercy, REI Eugene is holding a community recognition event on Saturday,
April 29, at 10:30 a.m. at which the REI Parks Grant will be presented to the Eugene Parks Foundation.
The mission of the Eugene Parks Foundation is to earn,
raise, accept, and distribute funds and other items of
value to improve and enhance this community's parks,
open spaces, and recreational facilities and services.
The foundation is an independent, nonprofit
organization with a governing board of community
volunteers. Its current initiatives include renovating
Monroe Park's wading pool into a spray play park and
building a special reserve fund that could be used to
quickly acquire property identified as desirable in the
City of Eugene Parks Recreation, and Open Space
Comprehensive Plan.
For more information please contact Carrie Peterson,
park development coordinator, at 682-4907 or
carrie.a.peterson@ci.eugene.or.us, or John Winquist,
View from Spencer Butte
Eugene Parks Foundation board member, at
winquistj@lanecc.edu.
Glitterary Word Festival at Eugene Public Library
On Saturday, April 29, kids invite their favorite adults -- and vice versa – to the Glitterary Word Festival,
the annual, free event sponsored by the Young Writer’s Association (YWA) and Eugene Public Library.
It’s a play day for the whole family keyed to this year’s theme:
Creatures and Their People.
From 10 a.m. – 1 p.m., join in a smorgasbord of imaginative activities.
Make an artful book, enjoy animal tales, act out with a theater troupe,
or interview inner creatures. Capture memories of family pets at
KLCC-FM's mobile radio studio, Elsie. Add to a community bestiary
of words and pictures for display at the Hult Center’s Jacobs Gallery
during the Lane Arts Council YouthArts Celebration. Let your fingers
do the talking and invent a poem inspired by the mysterious touchy-
feely box. Chat with children’s book authors, including Linda Crew, winner of the Oregon Book Award for
best young adult book (A Heart for Any Fate) and the judge of the YWA writing contest.
Participants can also visit with live animals, read to dogs, and meet Eugene’s favorite Kitty – the Mayor -
- and more. At 1:30, the winners of the YWA annual writing contest will read their works; then everyone
celebrates with cake! For more information, contact the Eugene Public Library at 682-8316.
Getting the Word Out on Recreation Service Division’s Summer Programs
More folks know about Recreation’s summer activities thanks to Isaac Markehe, outdoor recreation
program assistant, and Lizz Zitron, youth and family recreation activity coordinator. Both appeared this
week on KVAL TV’s Northwest News at noon with host Shelley Kurtz.
Isaac pitched the new “Out in the Artdoors” urban adventure race coming up on May 20, as well as a new
fly fishing class, family blackberry float on the Willamette, Mother’s and Father’s day challenge courses,
Saturday drop-in park walks and the Whiteaker Neighborhood River Festival on July 21.
Lizz promoted the wide range of summer camps and other free and low-cost events, including the Fun
For All program to be held this summer, We are Bethel on June 3, and Touch-a-Truck on July 19.
This was the first of what will be quarterly staff appearances on the program to publicize City recreation
activities. For more information, contact Isaac Markehe at 682-6321.
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 3
April 27, 2006