HomeMy WebLinkAboutJune 6, 2013 - City Council Newsletter
City of Eugene
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Eugene, Oregon 97401
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www.eugene-or.gov
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER
June 6, 2013
IN THIS EDITION
EUGENE NEIGHBORHOODS WIN NATIONAL AWARDS
NORTHEAST NEIGHBORS: CONNECTING PEOPLE TO PLACES
ENVISION EUGENE WINS STATE AWARD
CUTHBERT AMPHITHEATER OPEN FOR SEASON
SOUTH WILLAMETTE STREET ALTERNATIVES TOPIC AT JUNE 11 MEETINGS
SUMMER READING FOR ALL AGES AT EUGENE PUBLIC LIBRARY
EUGENE RECREATION’S 100 SUMMER CAMPS OFFER VARIETY, EXPERIENCE, ACCESSIBILITY AND FUN
POLICE COMMISSION TO HOST KEY LANE COUNTY LEADERS FOR STATE OF PUBLIC SAFETY FORUM
AROUND THE CITY
Eugene Neighborhoods Win National Awards
On May 24, two Eugene neighborhood associations were recognized for their outstanding work at the Neighborhoods USA
(NUSA) conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Harlow Neighbors was selected as the top pick in the Social Revitalization – Neighborliness category and the overall
Neighborhood of the Year grand prize winner! The neighborhood was nominated for the work of Feed Hope, which is one
of the outcomes of Harlow’s Strategic
Neighborhood Assessment and Planning (SNAP)
project supported by the City of Eugene’s
Neighborhood Services. As 2013 NUSA
Neighborhood of the Year, Harlow receives a
check for $1,400 to support neighborhood
activities. Congratulations to Jennifer Yeh, chair
of Harlow Neighbors, and Aaron Box, pastor of
North Park Community Church and a member of
the Harlow Neighbors Board, and all the other
neighbors and partners who participated.
Feed Hope, a joint project between the
neighborhood association, area churches, Bertha
Holt Elementary School and Food for Lane
County, served the needs of many elementary
school children who, although qualified to receive
free or subsidized breakfast and lunches during
the school year, had limited access to healthy daytime meals during school breaks. With over 300 volunteers, Feed Hope
coordinated donations, and packaged and distributed 4,500 healthy, nutritious meals to children in the Harlow
neighborhood.
The Santa Clara/ River Road Outreach and Learning (SCROLL) project received second place in the Multi-Neighborhood
Partnership Projects category. The SCROLL project was led by members of the Santa Clara and River Road community
organizations and supported by Neighborhood Services through the SNAP process. SCROLL engaged neighborhoods in
community conversations about the challenges of governance and service delivery amidst a mosaic of City- and County-
owned property. SCROLL has helped identify community priorities and provided a strong foundation for future work
around the issue of annexation. Congratulations to Jerry Finigan and the SCROLL team for this recognition.
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June 6, 2013
This is exciting news for Eugene’s neighborhood associations, and is especially notable because Eugene will host the next
Neighborhoods USA national conference on May 21 - 24, 2014. Plans are underway for three days of informative
workshops, exciting tours and engaging speakers.
For more information, please contact Michael Kinnison, Neighborhood Services, at 541-682-5009 or
Michael.j.kinnison@ci.eugene.or.us.
Northeast Neighbors: Connecting People to Places
This fall, Northeast Neighbors (NeN) began working with Neighborhood Services staff on a Strategic Neighborhood
Assessment and Planning (SNAP) project. The project “Connecting People to Places” focuses on bike, pedestrian and traffic
safety and connections to amenities in northeast Eugene.
The SNAP project supports Envision Eugene pillars and allows the City to pilot the
Climate and Energy Action Plan’s 20-Minute Neighborhood concept in an actual
neighborhood, while providing direct service to the neighborhood; the process will
serve as a template to implement the concept in other Eugene neighborhoods. Project
collaborators include the neighborhood association; City staff from Neighborhood
Services, Planning, Sustainability, and Transportation Planning; local businesses;
schools, and other community groups. Project outcomes will include prioritized actions,
supported by NeN members and City staff, and improved safety and bicycle and
pedestrian connections that neighborhood leaders can use to advocate for viable
solutions.
Community outreach for the project is underway. Staff and neighbors developed a
survey to gather input on safety and connections in the neighborhood. The survey is
available online and is being implemented face-to-face in various strategic
neighborhood locations. The 2009 Eugene Neighborhood Survey served as a survey model and the 2011 Neighborhood
Analysis is helping to ensure a demographically representative response across age, income and tenure. The survey went
live two weeks ago, resulting in 170 responses to date; it is expected to close in July. Help get the word out!
To take the NeN SNAP survey, go to http://tinyurl.com/northeast-survey. For more information, please contact Lorna
Flormoe, Neighborhood Services, at 541-682-5670 or lorna.r.flormoe@ci.eugene.or.us.
Envision Eugene Wins State Award
The City of Eugene received the Professional Achievement in Planning Award for its work on Envision Eugene from the
Oregon Chapter of the American Planning Association (OAPA) in Portland on May 30. The OAPA Awards Committee
praised the project for its collaborative approach to building a
shared vision for future growth of the community.
The Envision Eugene process included 17 full days of meetings
with the Community Resource Group, hundreds of hours of
volunteer work by the Technical Resource Group, dozens of
community workshops, listening sessions, meetings, surveys, and
forums. The project launched innovative engagement strategies
including an art contest and on-line open houses. The approach to
finding new ground focused on ‘best outcomes’ is becoming well
known in the community, and has set a new standard for planning
in Eugene.
The Envision Eugene Recommendation provides a balanced vision
for growth centered around seven pillars, or community goals. In June 2012, the Eugene City Council directed staff to begin
the process of plan adoption. Over the next year, plan amendments, zone and code changes, a new Urban Growth Boundary,
and a Eugene Comprehensive Plan will be brought forward to the City Council.
Visit http://www.oregonapa.org/awardinformation for a complete list of award winners. For more information, contact
Terri Harding at 541-682-5635. For more information on the Envision Eugene project visit www.EnvisionEugene.org.
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2
June 6, 2013
Cuthbert Amphitheater Open for Season
With flowers blooming and bees buzzing, the Cuthbert Amphitheater has been brought to life for the 2013 season! Owned
by the City of Eugene and operated by Kesey Enterprises Inc. (KEI) of Eugene and Double-Tee Promotions of Portland, a
strong partnership is enjoyed by all. Cuthbert is the City’s iconic outdoor music venue located in the middle of the city in
beautiful Alton Baker Park. The copper-roofed stage is drawing internationally and nationally renowned artists ranging
from silver-haired crowd-pleaser Tony Bennett, on Wednesday,
June 12, and the fifth annual free performance by the Eugene
Symphony on Saturday, July 20, (tickets required and available
on June 11), to the upbeat reggae band, Rebelution, on Friday,
Aug. 16.
In 2012, the venue hosted 16 events and drew 47,675 people.
Over the course of the season, the venue hosted 19,709 visitors
(32 percent of the total audience) from outside Lane County who
poured an estimated $1,207,000 into the local economy. This
conservative estimate is based on a visitor impact formula
provided by Travel Lane County.
When the Cuthbert season is announced, it’s a sure sign of
summer and great concerts under the stars! Under KEI’s
management, the Cuthbert’s concert schedule is developing into another great season. For the full schedule, check
www.thecuthbert.com where new concerts are added. Experience Cuthbert Amphitheater and enjoy an evening of music in
the outdoors.
For more information, contact Isaac Marquez at 541-682-2057.
South Willamette Street Alternatives Topic at June 11 Meetings
A community forum to rank and refine a series of options for redesigning Willamette Street from 24th to 32nd avenues will
be held in two sessions on Tuesday, June 11, from 4:00 to 5:45 p.m. and 7:00 to 8:45 p.m. at the South Eugene High School
cafeteria, 400 East 19th Avenue. Two meetings are being held to accommodate the high
interest in this project. Interested residents are urged to attend the earlier session if possible,
because staff anticipates that many people will choose the later session. Participants are
encouraged to RSVP with an indication of which time they prefer by calling 541-682-8472 or
e-mailing chris.c.henry@ci.eugene.or.us.
At the meetings, a project team of City of Eugene staff and consultants will present study
results for three street design alternatives including conceptual layouts, cost estimates,
projected travel times, and function for cars, pedestrians, bicyclists and buses.
For those unable to attend the meetings, an online survey will be available from June 12 - 18
on the project website at www.eugene-or.gov/SWillametteStreet. A council work session is
scheduled for June 19 to review the findings to date.
The public engagement phase of the South Willamette Street improvement plan began last
November with two well-attended community forums held to discuss project goals, share the
results of traffic studies and begin to explore alternatives for future improvements to the
Graphic of potential street
design and condition of Willamette Street between 24th and 32nd avenues. In February, a
design alternative
second community forum was held and feedback was given on a range of street design alternatives to help the project team
narrow the alternatives for more detailed analysis. The results of that analysis will be presented on June 11.
The goal of the study is to help South Willamette Street become a vibrant urban corridor accessible by bicycle, foot, car and
bus. Today, Willamette Street is heavily used to reach many popular destinations, yet it is uninviting to pedestrians,
bicyclists, transit riders and motorists alike. For years, many residents and business owners have shared complaints about
the poor conditions on Willamette Street for walking and biking and the need to do something about it.
The plan aims to support existing businesses and the commercial district’s vitality by creating a balanced multi-modal
transportation system. It also is intended to further City planning efforts to identify compact growth and redevelopment
opportunities and foster a well-informed and involved community supportive of the final outcomes.
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June 6, 2013
For more information, contact Transportation Planning Engineer Chris Henry at 541-682-8472 or
chris.c.henry@ci.eugene.or.us, or visit the project web site at www.eugene-or.gov/SWillametteStreet. The web site includes
links to summaries of public outreach, technical details, and more.
Summer Reading for All Ages at Eugene Public Library
Eugene Public Library’s Summer Reading program helps kids keep their reading skills up while school’s out. This year’s
theme is “Dig into Reading” – and all ages are welcome to join in the fun!
Children, teens, and adults can visit any Eugene Public Library location - Downtown,
Sheldon, or Bethel - to sign up and pick up a calendar of free events.
At sign up, kids and teens each get a free book to keep, courtesy of the Friends of the
Library. Each time they visit the Library, children can also enter a raffle for family passes
to City of Eugene pools or local museums.
Adults get a coupon for a free coffee from Novella Cafe or $1 off a purchase at Second Hand
Prose Book Store, both located at the Downtown Library, plus a tote bag, and themed
booklists. Adults and teens are invited to enter free raffles to win gift cards by writing
book reviews on the Library website.
A full summer of events for all ages will include hands-on arts and writing workshops, live
music, author talks, storytelling, the annual Teddy Bear Picnic, and lots more. For more information, visit www.eugene-
or.gov/library or call the Eugene Public Library at 541-682-5450.
Eugene Recreation’s 100 Summer Camps Offer Variety, Experience, Accessibility and Fun
Eugene Recreation camps get underway June 17 and continue weekly through August 23. There are camps for (most) every
age: 3 – 18; and camps for (nearly) every interest, including: art, outdoor adventure, wizardry, sports, science, magic,
swimming, canoeing , environmental education, photography, lifeguarding,
sailing, archery, biking, tree climbing, fashion design, surfing, mammoth
hunting, robotics, zoos, skating , cooking, tennis, and much, much more,
With a long, 50+ year history of providing summer camps, and a strong
dedication to connecting youth to nature, Eugene Recreation’s staff are highly
qualified and love having fun and creating an environment in which to
imagine, explore, learn, grow, and contribute.
Camp counselors and leaders are trained in group facilitation and asset
development, and all have First Aid/ CPR certifications, creating a safe
environment for campers. The City of Eugene is a national leader in Adaptive
Recreation Services, which provides assistance for those campers who need
some accommodations to fully enjoy summer camp.
Accessibility is a primary mission of Eugene Recreation. A scholarship program is available to help eliminate economic
barriers and camps are located in neighborhood community centers, local parks and pools, with transportation provided to
remote locations.
Best of all – Eugene Recreation Summer Camps are FUN! See the complete listing of all City of Eugene summer camps in the
Summer Recreation Guide, available online at www.eugene-or.gov/reccamps or pick up a paper copy at a local community
center, pool or library. For more information, call Craig Smith at 541-682-3334.
Police Commission to Host Key Lane County Leaders for State of Public Safety Forum
The Police Commission is hosting key Lane County leaders for a State of Public Safety Forum on Thursday, June 27, from
5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Eugene Public Library. Panelists will discuss the state of public safety, issues of importance, and
their thoughts about the future of public safety in the community. Panelists include:
Eugene Police Chief Pete Kerns
Lane County Sheriff Tom Turner
District Attorney Alex Gardner
Police Auditor Mark Gissiner
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June 6, 2013
Municipal Court Presiding Judge Wayne Allen
Director of St. Vincent de Paul, Terry McDonald
After the panelists provide their perspectives and thoughts on the state of public safety, they will answer questions posed
by members of the audience. Please plan to attend and learn more about public safety in the community.
For more information or questions, please contact Carter Hawley, Police Commission staff, at 541-682-5852 or
Carter.r.hawley@ci.eugene.or.us.
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 5
June 6, 2013