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Home My WebLink About07/03/13 - 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 July 3, 2013 IN THIS EDITION SIX VOLUNTEER RECRUITS JOIN POLICE DEPARTMENT’S SENIORS ON PATROL TEAM FUN, ACTIVE PARTICIPATION AND SPECTACULAR SPECTATING ON SUNDAY, JULY 21 ANOTHER BENEFIT OF RECREATION: DELAYING ONSET OF DEMENTIA DIG INTO NATURE AT EUGENE PUBLIC LIBRARY AROUND THE CITY Six Volunteer Recruits Join Police Department’s Seniors on Patrol Team Six new volunteers have joined the Eugene Police Department’s (EPD) Seniors on Patrol (SOP), team bringing the total number of team members to 25. The new SOP volunteers will finish their field training and then join the team in addressing neighborhood crime and safety issues by observing and reporting suspicious activity, and providing a highly visible and mobile community policing function. They will also help maximize existing resources, such as helping the Crime Prevention Unit with focused property crime prevention operations in hot spot areas. The SOP team is a component of EPD’s Volunteers in Policing (VIP) program, which partners citizens and police in support of crime prevention and community policing efforts. The recruits completed a 40-hour academy the week of June 10, and are now participating in field training. Seasoned SOP volunteers serve as field trainers for the recruits. Because of the SOP team, EPD is able to provide additional services – services the public wants, but the department is unable to provide or unable to make a priority due to budget and staffing limitations. Examples include home vacation checks and enforcement of disabled parking violations. Above in the photo, from left to right, are:  Gloria Varner, retired bus driver/assistant dispatcher/timekeeper, Eugene School District 4J;  Sandi Viohl, retired specialty scheduler, Oregon Medical Group;  Rich Aufort, retired Industrial Arts/Health Education teacher, Eugene School District 4J;  Charlie Schneider, retired Special Education teacher, Eugene School District 4J;  Tim Dowell, retired output systems manager, The Register-Guard, and  Wayne Botta, retired labor representative, Teamsters, and retired Lieutenant, Corvallis Police Department. Opportunities for citizens to join the VIP program exist in a variety of areas of the department. VIP program information, including volunteer position descriptions can be found at www.eugene-or.gov/policevolunteers. For more information, contact Program Manager Carrie Chouinard at 541-682-5355 or carrie.f.chouinard@ci.eugene.or.us. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 1 July 3, 2013 Fun, Active Participation and Spectacular Spectating on Sunday, July 21 Walk, bike and roll on the car-free streets of downtown Eugene at the 3rd Annual Eugene Sunday Streets, organized by Public Works’ Transportation Options Program. This wonderful event promotes healthy, active living by opening the City's largest public space - its streets. Participants will have the opportunity to discover active transportation in a safe, traffic-free environment. Library, Recreation and Cultural Service’s Summer in the City downtown program is on board as well, with a fun activity center at Kesey Square. Live music will be performed by two local bands, the Texas Toasters and Late for Dinner, as well as live DJ food stamp, all power-pedaled. In addition, there will be an obstacle course provided in partnership with Trips for Kids , make-your-own-art station by MECCA for kids of all ages, unveiling of temporary art, food carts, a beer garden and much more! Visit eugenesundaystreets.org and www.eugene-or.gov/SummerintheCity for details. And that’s not all…. spectacular spectating starts at 7 a.m., on a closed race course in the center of downtown! Urban racing at its best, dark:30 sports, a local race organizer, is putting together the Rolf Prima Downtown Criterium and TrackTown City Center Mile. Check out a fun video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06HgWrsmF2M, and visit www.racedowntown.com, www.eugenesundaystreets.org and www.eugene- or.gov/SummerintheCity for details. Eugene Sunday Streets is still looking for volunteers! To volunteer, please visit www.eugenesundaystreets.org. For more information, contact Transportation Options Coordinator Lindsay Selser at 541-682-5094, or Community Events Manager Billie Moser at 541-682-6347. Another Benefit of Recreation: Delaying Onset of Dementia While there is no cure, research shows recreation can ward off many effects of aging – including Alzheimer’s disease, one of the most dreaded disease of aging. This month, Eugene Recreation is celebrating and sharing information about the many surprising benefits of recreation. Research confirms that regular exercise improves motor abilities, and that can help elderly persons remain independent longer. Just walking at a brisk pace for 30 minutes a day has been associated with a reduced risk for dementia; specifically, “persons who exercised three or more times a week had a 32 percent reduced risk for developing dementia.” Eugene Recreation has an activity for every goal, including walking groups, park walks, biking, yoga, Tai Chi, water fitness, and lap swimming – for those who want to be like “Vi,” the septuagenarian featured in a new recreation video, who calls her continuing good health “a miracle.” For more information, contact Kathy Madison at 541-682-6342. Dig Into Nature at Eugene Public Library This year’s Summer Reading theme is “Dig Into Reading,” with many of the free events at the Eugene Public Library focused on the natural world. Dr. James Brau, director of the University of Oregon’s (UO) Center for High Energy Physics, will talk about “The Higgs Boson: A Window on the Big Bang,” on Monday, July 8, at 6 p.m., at the Downtown Library. Brau heads a UO team of physicists collaborating on research at the Large Hadron. On Tuesday, July 9, at 6 p.m., Edward Davis of UO Museum of Natural and Cultural History will explain how climate change is affecting the evolution of new species. “Astronomy for Beginners” will be a fun, illustrated introduction to this popular hobby on Tuesday, July 16, at 5:30 p.m., at the Downtown Library, with Jerry Oltion of the Eugene Astronomical Society. An award-winning science fiction writer by day, Oltion is an amateur astronomer and inventor by night. On Saturday, July 20, at 3 p.m., join writer, photographer, and KLCC radio host Eric Alan for an uplifting multi-media EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2 July 3, 2013 presentation featuring photos in harmony with words, “Wild Grace: Nature as a Spiritual Path.” On Monday, July 22, at 5:30 p.m., at the Downtown Library, get an “Intro to Age-Defying Gardening” with Gail Karlsen of Lane Community College’s Successful Aging Institute. Kids and family are invited to create art from natural items with Nearby Nature’s Beth Stein at “Stones and Cones” on Tuesday, July 9, at 1 and 3 p.m., at the Downtown Library; Wednesday, July 10, at 3p.m., at the Bethel Branch; and Thursday, July 11, at 3 p.m., at the Sheldon Branch. Experiment with dirt and water at “Wonderful Wetlands” with Susanna Hamilton of WREN: Willamette Resources and Educational Network on Tuesday, July 23, at 1 and 3 p.m., at the Downtown Library; Wednesday, July 24, at 3 p.m., at the Bethel Branch; or Thursday, July 25, at 3 p.m., at the Sheldon Branch. For more information, visit www.eugene-or.gov/library or call the Eugene Public Library at 541-682-5450. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 3 July 3, 2013