HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC Newsletter - 09/23/04EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER
September 23, 2004
City of Eugene
777 Pearl Street, Room 105
Eugene, Oregon 97401-2793
(541) 682-5010
(541) 682-5414 (FAX)
www.ci.eugene.or, us
WILLAMETTE STREET FROM '13TM TO 18TM CONVERTED TO TWO-WAY TRAFFIC ON FRIDAY
TWO COW-INCOME HOUSING PROJECTS UNDER CONSTRUCTION
SUMMER READING SUCCESS AT EUGENE PUBI-IC I-IBRARY
RECZONE - NEW THIS FAl-l-!
COUNCIl_ MEETINGS NOW AVAll-ABI-E ON DVD
DAVID COPPERFIEI-D RETURNS TO THE HUl-T
BETHEl- WEED & SEED INITIATIVE FUNDED FOR FIFTH AND FINAl- YEAR
EUGENE'S TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS PROGRAMS EARN NATIONAl- EXCEl-l-ENCE AWARDS
OAKMONT PARK WINS 2004 AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS PEOPI-E'S CHOICE AWARD
VOI-UNTEER ENERGIES UNl-EASHED AT Al-TON BAKER OFF-I-EASH DOG PARK
Willamette Street from ~3t~ to ~8~ Converted to Two-Way Traffic on Friday
A five-block section of Willamette Street in central Eugene will be converted to two-way operation on
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Friday, September 24. The conversion of Willamette Street to a two-way street between 13 and 18th
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avenues follows more than a month's work of paving repairs between 13 and 19 avenues. Earlier this
week, crews from Eugene Sand & Gravel completed the final paving and restriped the newly paved
street to include a traffic travel lane in each direction north of 18 Avenue, onstreet bicycle lanes
between 13th and 17th avenues, and parking spaces. The project also includes improvements in lighting,
traffic signals and pedestrian crossings. The majority of funding for the $600,000 pavement preservation
project came from Eugene's local fuel tax.
Converting this section of Willamette Street from one-way to two-way traffic follows a recommendation in
the City's Central Area Transportation Study approved by the City Council in May. A two-block section of
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Willamette Street between 18 and 20 avenues remains one-way southbound. The council directed City
staff to hold off on converting that section, so that more analysis on potential neighborhood impacts
could be done before returning to Council with a recommendation.
Although the paving and traffic conversion project on Willamette Street is substantially completed,
motorists may occasionally encounter lane detours and brief delays until all the work is finished.
Motorists should watch for new signs and signals directing traffic in the area of the newly converted
section of Willamette. Due to space constraints at the intersection of 18th and Willamette, left turns will
not be allowed from eastbound 18th Avenue onto northbound Willamette Street. For more information,
contact City Traffic Engineer Tom Larsen at 682-4959 or Willamette Street Project Manager Teri Higgins
at 682-8462.
Two Low-Income Housinq Projects Under Construction
A total of 100 new units of housing for Iow-income families are under construction in the Santa Clara
neighborhood with occupancy expected early next summer. St. Vincent dePaul's Santa Clara Village is
located behind the Peace Health clinic on Santa Clara Avenue. Site work is complete and framing and
roofing are now underway on a three-acre former landbank site that the City purchased in 1999. St.
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 1
October 1,2004
Vincent dePaul was selected through a request for proposals process. This development will have 60
units and will primarily serve families with children. Some units will be dedicated to people with
developmental disabilities. Other units will be rented to parenting teens who are assisted by the Looking
Glass New Roads program. Rents will be affordable to households between 28% and 50% of area's
median income. (Median income for this area is $54,300.)
This project is projected to cost $7.4 million. The City granted $890,000 ($450,000 land, $425,000
HOME, $15,000 SDCs) and other local subsidies include $25,000 toward EWEB SDCs and $150,000
from the Lane County Road Fund.
Metropolitan Affordable Housing Corporation's Apple Orchard is being constructed on a 2.5-acre
landbank site that was acquired in 2002. This 40-unit development on Lone Oak Drive will have rents
affordable to tenants who are between 30% and 50% of median income.
The project is expected to cost $4 million. The City granted $698,800 ($210,000 CDBG, $400,000
HOME, $88,800 SDCs) to subsidze the rents. Additionally, other local subsidies include $45,500 from
EWEB SDCs, a $25,000 CDBG grant and $50,000 in rehabilitation loans to NEDCO for renovation of
homes on the site that will be sold to a qualified buyer.
Both projects are receiving construction loans from the City's HOME grant and both are receiving a 20-
year property tax exemption. Since 1989, the City has been instrumental in the construction or
acquisition of 1,220 units of subsidized housing, often resulting in dramatic improvement in the lives of
the fortunate tenants. For more information, please contact Richie Weinman, Urban Services Manager,
Planning and Development Department at 682-5533 or Richie.d.weinman~.ci.eu.qene.or. us
Summer Readinq Success at Euqene Public Library
Nearly 2200 children and teens participated in Eugene Public Library (EPL) Summer Reading programs
this year, including an aimed-for 20% increase in elementary-age kids, the program's target audience.
The main purpose of Summer Reading is to keep reading skills up while school is out. This year, EPL
Summer Reading programs focused on talking together about books, recommending titles to others,
exploring creativity, and contributing to a community reading goal.
The children's program, Discover New Trails @ Your Library, led elementary-age kids on a reading trail
through nonfiction subjects with Dewey Dare? Discovery Days/. workshops at all EPL locations. Both kids
and parents were enthusiastic about the nonfiction focus, reporting that they explored new topics and
learned more about how the Dewey classification system works. Kids received a free paperback book at
sign-up, and celebrated the program's end with a family party at Amazon Pool. Avid readers met the
community goal of 1,000 written-up book recommendations at the Downtown Library, and 200 at each of
the branches, earning the adoption of "educator" birds at Cascade Raptor Center: a red-tailed hawk
(Downtown), a kestrel (Bethel), and an owl (Sheldon).
The teen program's theme was Get Lost @ Your Library: Find Yourself Between the Stacks and the
Stars. Activities emphasized ways for teens to discover new talents and ideas, particularly through self-
expression and the arts, ranging from cartooning to tango. Compared with past years, there were more
events for teens at the branch locations, and more book discussions. The teen readers adopted a red-
shouldered hawk, and closed the program with local Teen Choice Awards.
For younger kids, EPL staff continued its usual schedule of storytimes, and also took the fun outside in
collaboration with the City's Recreation Division. From special events like We Are Bethel, the Whiteaker
River Festival, and the Multicultural Festival, to weekly Razzle Dazzle Storytimes in a different City park
each week, kids and their families enjoyed stories, songs, and magic - with the promise of more when
they visit the Library.
Generous gifts from the Friends of Eugene Public Library and the Eugene Public Library Foundation
helped fund Summer Reading 2004. Library volunteers were a treasured support, too, contributing 200
hours of service over the course of the summer.
Learning and fun for kids of all ages at the Library continues with back-to-school programs starting in
September. For more information, call 682-5450.
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2
October 1,2004
RecZone - New This ~:all!
Eugene Recreation Services and School Districts 4J and 52 are teaming up to provide exciting,
affordable, after-school programs for teens at six middle school sites: Cascade, Spencer Butte,
Kennedy, Roosevelt, Monroe and Madison. Funding for three years of RecZone and four years of
Summer Fun forAfl comes from the 2002 local option levy 20-67. The levy also helps fund school
district services that were threatened by state budget cuts: physical education, after-school sports, library
services, counseling services, music education and school nurses.
RecZone activities began on Monday, September 20, and will
continue through the school year. A key element in program planning
and provision is the use of the Search Institute's 40 Developmental
Assets. This nationally recognized model has proven to be a
powerful factor in helping young people and their families make
positive choices in their lives.
RecZone services vary from site to site, but may include:
· Organized Games, Sports, and Fitness Programs
· Special Events: Dances, Field Trips, Guest Speakers, Talent Shows
· Enrichment Classes: Arts, Performing Arts, Tech Labs, and more
· Homework Assistance
· Outdoor Skills provided by"Team Adventure"
· Youth Leadership Training and Community Service Opportunities
· Assistance to School Activity Clubs
· 40 Developmental Assets
For a list of activities, registration information and more, call Sarah Rankin at 682-6379, or visit
www.ci.eugene.or, us/rec/reczone.
Council Meetinqs Now Available on DVD
Beginning with the September 22 council work session, Metro Television will
record City Council meetings on DVD instead of VHS. This transition is part
of an effort to better utilize technology to improve efficiency and reduce
costs. To that end, the DVD format will 1) make it easier for viewers to
navigate through a recorded meeting when looking for a specific agenda
item; 2) provide an enhanced video image; and 3) reduce tape storage
needs.
As with VHS tapes, the DVD recordings will be kept in the City Recorder's
Office and may be checked out for viewing. A DVD player is now available
in the City Manager's Office, so that recordings can be viewed at City Hall.
Metro Television will still be able to produce VHS copies if needed. For
more information, contact Council Coordinator Lynda Rose at 682-5017 or
City Recorder Mary Feldman at 682-8353.
David Copperfield Returns to the Hult
Returning to the Silva stage with his special brand of magic, David Copperfield will dazzle audiences
during his two performances on Sunday, October 3, at 5:30 and 8:00 p.m.
Called the foremost illusionist of our time and named a living legend by the US Library of Congress in
2000, Mr. Copperfield has been delighting audiences since his first magic show at the age of 12. After
having his own television show in the late 70s (The Magic of David Copperfield), he moved from
magician to master illusionist in the 80s by making the Statue of Liberty vanish, walking through the
Great Wall of China and escaping from Alcatraz. His most recent feat of illusion is to make 13 randomly
selected members of the audience disappear. For more information, contact the Hult Center Ticket
Office at 682-5000.
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 3
October 1,2004
Bethel Weed & Seed Initiative Funded for Fifth and Final Year
The Bethel Weed & Seed Initiative has received funding for the fifth and final year. In 2004-05, an
additional $225,000 will be directed to programs in the Trainsong Neighbors and Active Bethel Citizens
neighborhoods. The acquisition of this fifth year grant will
bring the Initiative's total contributions to the Bethel
community to well over $1,150,000.
The mission of Bethel Weed & Seed is to cultivate healthy,
safe, and vibrant neighborhoods by bringing people and
resources together to "weed" out illegal activity and harmful
conditions and to "seed" positive opportunities for
community members. During the fifth year, the primary
focus will be on sustaining the initiative's three priority
programs - the Bethel Public Safety Station, the Club Bethel
RecZone at Cascade Middle School, and the We Are Bethel
Celebration - so that they continue after the grant funds are
no longer available. This year, the grant will also support a
Crime Prevention Specialist in the Bethel schools, juvenile
and drug crime prevention/reduction police patrols, a Hwy
99 business outreach strategy, truancy prevention, youth
internships, and Trainsong neighborhood housing and livability improvement activities.
Bethel Weed & Seed Steering Committee meetings are held at the Petersen Barn Community Center
every first Monday of the month from 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. For more information, please contact Lorna
Flormoe, Bethel Weed & Seed coordinator, Planning and Development Department, at 682-5293 or
e-mail Iorna.flormoe@ci.eugene.or. us.
Eu.qene's Transportation Options Proqrams Earn IVational Excellence Awards
The Association for Commuter Transportation (ACT) has awarded top national honors
for creative excellence to People Powered Fridays, Eugene's summer promotion that
encourages non-motorized methods of transportation. The first-place award was
presented Tuesday at the association's international conference in New Orleans.
The Eugene Business Commute Challenge, a fall promotion that uses a light-hearted
competition between businesses to encourage employees to find alternatives to driving
alone, won third place in the judging for creative excellence.
People Powered Fridays was recognized for being inexpensive, innovative and original as well as
successful in reducing demand on the transportation system. The program was also cited as one that
can easily be adapted for use by other agencies and groups. The People Powered Fridays program and
artwork has been modified for use in Annapolis, Maryland, in its "Clean Commute Fridays Challenge."
As an indicator of its success here in Eugene, the alternative modes program was listed as one of the
contributing factors by SELF Magazine in November 2003, when Eugene topped the "Best Environment"
category in the magazine's "America's Healthiest Cities for Women" article.
This year's Business Commute Challenge is scheduled for October 11-15, with a celebration and awards
ceremony slated for Thursday, October 14, starting at 5:15 p.m. on the Park Blocks. Over the years, the
Business Commute Challenge has earned the support of the Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce.
"Commute Challenge 2004 offers businesses a fun and meaningful opportunity to explore voluntary
alternative transportation methods," said Terry Connolly, director of governmental affairs for the
Chamber. "The results will benefit everyone by relieving traffic congestion, parking shortages, and
reducing air pollution."
Cindy Clarke, Eugene's transportation options coordinator, accepted the ACT awards on behalf of the
City of Eugene. "I'm very proud that our community is so supportive of programs that reduce automobile
use," Clarke said. For more information about People Powered Fridays or the Business Commute
Challenge, contact Cindy Clarke at 682-5285 or Diane Bishop at 682-5471.
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 4
October 1,2004
Oakmont Park Wins 2004 American Institute of Architects People's Choice Award
Nearly 300 votes were cast last weekend at the Eugene Celebration's 2004 American Institute of
Architects (AIA) People's Choice
Awards, and Oakmont Park,
Eugene's newest neighborhood
park, emerged as the winner in
the "Commercial/Public
Landscape Architecture"
category. The 5.5-acre park,
which was constructed during
summer 2003, is located in an
established neighborhood adjacent to the recently renovated Oakway Center, one of Eugene's premier
commercial districts. Through a series of public workshops beginning in fall 2001, Oakmont Park was
designed to provide basic amenities including a children's play area, a play field, pathways, park
furnishings, trees, turf, a small basketball court, and more, but also unique features that set the park
apart, including water play features, public art, a restored native upland prairie, and more naturalized
play settings. Restoration of the upland prairie provided the key to addressing the desire for passive
recreation, buffering between the developed areas of the park and the surrounding neighborhood, habitat
improvement, and cost-effective alternatives to managed turf. Funded by the 1998 Parks and Open
Space bond measure, Oakmont Park is the eighth new neighborhood park to be constructed in Eugene
over the past five years, and its innovative design serves as a new benchmark for future park design in
Eugene.
The Southwestern Oregon chapter of the AIA has sponsored the architectural People's Choice Awards
for the past 15 years. The competition drew 21 entries this year and winners were recognized at an
awards ceremony. Other projects that received first place awards included the Aurora Building, a St.
Vincent de Paul Iow-income apartment building, and the advertising agency of Cappelli Miles Wiltz Kelly
for interior design. City staff involved in this project include Landscape Architect Robin Hostick, (project
manager, design); Landscape Architect Emily Proudfoot, (design development, construction); Landscape
Designer Adam Steffen, (construction inspection); Parks Maintenance Specialist Jeff Hanson; Irrigation
Specialist Tom Utt; Natural Resources Maintenance Supervisor John Clark; Natural Resources
Operations Coordinator, Trevor Taylor; and Natural Resources Maintenance Specialist, Jesse Cary
Hobbs. The project entry board was created by Kim Mast, Public Works graphic designer.
For more information about Oakmont Park, call Robin Hostick, designer and project manager, at
682-4915 or Emily Proudfoot, construction project manager, at 682-6019.
Volunteer Enerqies Unleashed at Alton Baker Off-Leash Doq Park
On Wednesday evening over 15 volunteers, ranging in
age from 3 to 62, turned out to help spruce up the off-
leash dog area at Alton Baker Park, located off Leo
Harris Parkway behind Autzen Stadium. While the dogs
freely socialized, volunteers resurfaced a third of the
park's trails, removed blackberries from the fence line
and pruned Iow-lying tree branches. Even the youngest
member of the group, a 3-year-old boy, pitched in and
gathered all the pruned tree limbs in a pile.
Volunteers In Parks Coordinator Matt McRae was
impressed with the industriousness of the volunteers.
"Nearly half of the volunteers were recruited on the spot
and just jumped in to help, and several worked for the
whole three hours non-stop," he said.
The work party was sponsored by the City's Volunteers In Parks program and a group of active park
users. For the last two years, this group of key volunteers, all patrons of the dog park, has worked with
City parks staff to design and maintain the dog park. The group raises funds and organizes work parties
such as this one. The group has been instrumental in making the dog park a reality, identifying
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 5
October 1,2004
maintenance needs in the park, and realizing many of the more innovative features in the park, such as
a dog washdown station, dog waste bag dispensers, and pedestrian nodes - gathering places where trails
or paths intersect and dogs and their owners can socialize. For more information about the off-leash dog
area improvement project, call Matt McRae in Parks and Open Space at 682-4845 or visit
www. ci . eugene, or. us/parks/ alton bak eddog_park, htm .
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 6
October 1,2004