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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08/01/13 - 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 August 1, 2013 IN THIS EDITION EUGENE ROAD WORK IN FULL SWING “REDWING” CONCERT AT EUGENE PUBLIC LIBRARY CELEBRATION MARKS DEDICATION OF CREEKSIDE PARK A SUCCESSFUL YEAR FOR SAFETY TOWN SURPRISING BENEFIT OF RECREATION: IT'S GOOD FOR YOUR BRAIN! BRILLIANT AND RESILIENT: CELEBRATING THE POWER OF DISABLED WOMEN ACTIVISTS HULT CENTER TROUPES TAKE SHOW ON THE ROAD CITY CELEBRATES OPENING OF INNOVATIVE AFFORDABLE HOUSING AROUND THE CITY Eugene Road Work in Full Swing The signs are everywhere: road work ahead. The Public Works Department and its contractors have hit full stride on this year’s extensive list of street repair projects, with some contractors even working on Saturdays to get the work done. The next phase of a project to repair 18 th Avenue from Chambers to Washington streets will close the intersection of 18 th Avenue and Jefferson Street for approximately 10 days starting Saturday. Knife River Corporation, working under contract to Eugene Public Works, is well along on its project to rebuild 18 Avenue th from the Westmoreland Bridge to Washington Street. Polk Street, which was closed as part of the first phase of the project, is scheduled to be reopened this week. A number of projects are in the downtown area. By the end of this week, Broadway will have curbs and base paving from Washington to Lincoln. That leaves two more blocks to go: Monroe to Madison and Madison to Jefferson. Also by the end of this week, 10 Avenue will have base paving on one block: Jefferson to Washington. That leaves four blocks to go from th Washington to Olive Street. These four blocks are completed two at a time, so fewer side streets are cut off at the same time. On Olive Street between 10 and 11 avenues, two out of three phases will be done by the end of the week. This one thth block takes longer because it is being constructed in concrete due to the bus loads there. The concrete work is scheduled for completion before the Eugene Celebration. On the project to fix 5 Avenue, Blair Boulevard and Van Buren Street, most of the work is done on the west end of 5, and thth on Wednesday, July 31, the focus of construction shifted to the block of 5 between Oak and Pearl streets. Two sections of th Blair, including the intersection of Blair and 2 Avenue, also remain to be done. Project staff continues to work closely with nd the many businesses in the project area, trying to accommodate their needs as much as possible. On the west end of town, a project to install a bypass sewer line in Barger Drive between Terry Street and West Irwin Way began this week. It’s likely that the project – which requires digging a 16-foot-deep trench down the street, will require EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 1 August 1, 2013 closing Barger for up to two weeks starting Monday, Aug. 5. Staff is working closely with a local business affected by the project to ensure access. Also the week of Aug. 5, nearly four dozen Eugene-area residential streets and paved park areas will receive a life- extending treatment called slurry sealing. Many of the streets scheduled to receive slurry seals this year are located in the Elmira Road area. Lane County, with funding from the City of Eugene, is slurry sealing a number of streets in the Santa Clara area. Roads and parking areas in Alton Baker Park, Hendricks Park, and Skinner Butte Park also are scheduled to receive slurry seals or fog seals Aug. 8 - 9. Also on the street repair list for 2013: Hilyard Street (East Broadway to 13 Avenue) and Alder Street (18 to 24 ththth avenues), are both underway; Coburg Road (Chad Drive to County Farm Road), watch for weekend closures of the Chad Drive intersection starting Aug. 9; 5 Avenue West (Highway 99 to Bailey Hill Road), construction is scheduled to begin th Aug. 12; and Willamette Street (19 to 23 avenues), work is slated to start Aug. 12. thrd Details about these and other City road repair projects can be found at www.eugene-or.gov/pwprojects. For more information, contact City Engineer Mark Schoening at 541-682-5243. “RedWing” Concert at Eugene Public Library The Downtown Eugene Public Library will host a free concert by RedWing on Friday, Aug. 2, at 6 p.m. The Downtown Library is open until 8 p.m. the first Friday of each month. RedWing performs lively Celtic and American fiddle tunes, including hoedowns, reels, jigs, hornpipes, and waltzes. The five-piece string band brings together the talents of George Anderson (mandolin), Margie Hanna (fiddle), Neil Isaacson (bass), Mark Ratzlaff (fiddle), and Scott Spearman (guitar). While visiting the Library, adults, teens, and children can sign up for Summer Reading 2013. At sign-up, each child and teen will receive a free book, and each adult will receive a coupon for a free coffee at Novella Cafe or $1 off books at the Friends of the Library book store. For more information, visit www.eugene-or.gov/library or call Eugene Public Library at 541- 682-5450. Celebration Marks Dedication of Creekside Park Eugene Park Stewards spearheaded a group effort along with Northeast Neighbors and Cascade Lions to celebrate Eugene’s newest neighborhood park on July 25. While several kids played in the sprinklers, Cascade Lions volunteers served nearly 200 hotdogs, Northeast Neighbor volunteers helped out with kids’ games, Corwin Bolt entertained with bluegrass music and Eugene Police Department Officer Branden Esch visited with children and parents about safety in the neighborhood. Mayor Kitty Piercy capped off the celebration with a dedication ceremony and lent a hand with the free giveaway drawing organized by the neighborhood. The fun summer event was supported by generous donations from the Cascade Lions, neighborhood families and local businesses. Creekside Park was constructed under budget in 2012. The playground area, designed for children five to 12 years old, has unique elements for children to engage their whole bodies and brains at the same time. The park design protects the adjacent Goal 5 riparian zone and drainage way/seasonal creek that traverses the site, and includes an enhanced natural area meadow. The separated sand and water play area includes Representatives from the Cascade Lions Club, Northeast Neighbors water play troughs and a pump to provide hours of fun for and Eugene Park Stewards joined Mayor Piercy and Councilor Clark mess-loving kids. The paved path from the northeast corner to for the ribbon-cutting ceremony. the southwest corner of the park provides an accessible bike and pedestrian connection between two neighborhoods. Overall, there is just one-third of an acre of concrete in the park, with 1.1 acres of lawn and irrigated turf for unprogrammed field activities. For more information, contact park planner Emily Proudfoot at 541-682-4915. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2 August 1, 2013 A Successful Year for Safety Town Safety Town had its closing ceremony Friday, July 26, and police organizers are already talking about what a huge success this year’s camp was. A total of 144 pre-kindergarten campers attended Safety Town this year, which is the highest attendance the camp has seen in a single year. The success of this year’s camp would not have been possible without donations that were received for new equipment, such as the enormous mat used to represent the Safety Town sidewalks and streets. In previous years, due to limited attendance, the camp operated only once a day, and in 2011, the camp had to be canceled due to limited resources. Police organizers received help from 24 local teens this year, who volunteered more than 80 hours of their time to participate as camp counselors. Over the course of the two-week camp, children learned more than 20 different safety topics ranging from pedestrian and traffic safety, to home and earthquake safety. Children met police officers, learned about the police uniform and the different vehicles police use while on patrol. For more information, please call Sgt. Lisa Barrong at 541-682-8248. Surprising Benefit of Recreation: It's Good for Your Brain! During Recreation Month In July, Recreation Services shared several surprising research-based benefits of recreation. It may surprise some to learn that the division’s motto: “building bodies and brains while having fun playing games,” is more than a cute slogan; it has science behind it. Studies show that when youth participate in recreation programs, they develop skills and have experiences that contribute to future decision-making. This process of ‘experiential learning’ helps adolescents learn to make good decisions and participate in activities that will help them transition more successfully to adulthood. Research also suggests that regular physical activity and vigorous play among youth can actually boost brain activity and contribute to academic achievement. In his book, “Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain,” John Rately (2008) suggests that exercise and physical activity helps brain cells grow, change, and work together, promoting memory retention and learning. Still more research suggests that exercise by adults increases the production of brain growth factors that stimulate the creation and survival of brain cells, and promote the development of connections among cells in response to new information. Both processes are linked to increases in gray matter volume, a measure of brain health. This study’s findings add to evidence that regular exercise increases adults’ ability to deal with stress and improves cognitive functioning. That’s why everyone loves recreation! For more information, contact Kathy Madison at 541-682- 6342. Brilliant and Resilient: Celebrating the Power of Disabled Women Activists On Aug. 5, Mayor Kitty Piercy will welcome the 7 Annual Women’s Institute on th Leadership and Disability (WILD) to Eugene. Mobility International USA, a local non-profit, conducts the annual leadership academy in which 22 women from around the world will participate. Delegations from the countries of Bangladesh, Barbados, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Colombia, Cote d’Ivoire, Ecuador, Ghana, India, Jordan, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Mexico, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, and Zambia will be represented. Former graduates of WILD will be honored in two subsequent events this month. The Brilliant & Resilient Photography Book will be launched Aug. 15, and features powerful portraits and personal stories of 50 disabled women activists from 41 countries. An exhibit featuring portraits and stories from the book will also be hosted at the Lane County Historical Society. The exhibit will run from Aug. 17-Sept. 17. These stories and photographs highlight the achievements of a remarkable group of women with disabilities who have used EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 3 August 1, 2013 determination, drive and resilience to confront discrimination and make unique contributions to their communities and the world. The exhibit also highlights the crucial role of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in advancing the status of women with disabilities. For more information, contact Equity and Human Rights staff at 541-682-5177 or visit http://www.miusa.org/booklaunch and www.lanecountyhistoricalsociety.org. Hult Center Troupes Take Show on the Road The community is lucky to have a wealth of creative, talented and passionate artists and arts managers living in, and contributing to, the community. Many of them hit the road to perform in communities around the state, region and beyond. A current journey will take local dance company Ballet Fantastique on the road to Italy, its first stop. The dancers are performing this weekend in Rome. During June and July, the Oregon Bach Festival presented over 50 events in Eugene and traveled to Portland, Bend, Corvallis, Florence and Ashland. Last spring, Soromundi: Lesbian Chorus of Eugene, toured the Pacific Northwest with stops in Seattle and Portland, and Eugene Concert Choir performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Eugene Ballet Company knows the road well with annual performances throughout the Western United States, and Eugene Symphony needs four buses to travel to Roseburg or Florence. The Shedd Institute/Oregon Festival of American Music is well established in Florence and Corvallis. Throughout the summer and fall, Eugene Opera puts on special mentor events in Central and Southern Oregon. Harmonic Laboratory presented a dazzling digital show via (sub) Urban Projections in November 2012, and at the Hult Center in the spring, and will perform at an international symposium in Brussels, Belgium in mid-September. Clearly, no dust gathers under the feet or instruments of local performing artists. They are Eugene’s ambassadors wherever they perform, and when they are not on the road, the community is lucky to have them at the Hult Center for the Performing Arts. For further information, contact Hult Center Marketing & Outreach Manager Libby Tower at 541-682-8380 or libby.j.tower@ci.eugene.or.us City Celebrates Opening of Innovative Affordable Housing On July, 30, 2013, Eugene Mayor Kitty Piercy, St. Vincent de Paul (SVDP) executives, and project partners celebrated the opening of an innovative affordable housing project. Stellar Apartments provides 54 units of affordable, new rental housing to families, individuals, seniors, and veterans earning at or below 50 percent of the Area Median Income based on family size. The site was part of the City’s Landbanking for Affordable Housing Program. The development includes four units specifically for VetLIFT (Veterans Living Independently Following Treatment) clients with families and 10 more units for National Guard families, either currently serving or those who have completed combat deployment. Stellar Apartments is the first affordable housing development in Oregon to include a building built to the Passive House design standard. The Passive House design employs innovative construction techniques to achieve “stellar” energy efficiency. The entire development has been designed to achieve Earth Advantage certification, which includes energy efficient design and equipment, nontoxic building materials and finishes, and sustainable landscape design. These features will lower residents’ utility costs and add to the affordability of the housing. As part of a pilot program, the Stellar Apartments will provide an opportunity to compare the performance and benefits of Earth Advantage to Passive House standards, and will further the goals of the City’s Community Climate and Energy Action Plan and the Eugene-Springfield 2010 Consolidated Plan. This effort is a partnership between the City of Eugene, SVDP, Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB), and Passive House consultants. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 4 August 1, 2013 In addition to being granted the land, the new development was made possible by $850,000 in federal HOME funds, $256,300 from the City of Eugene in system development charge exemptions and $54,000 in EWEB grant funds. Through the Landbanking for Affordable Housing Program (Landbank), the City of Eugene acquires land suitable for the future development of housing that is affordable to low-income persons. Using the Landbank, the City has created a steady stream of affordable housing sites throughout the community. The projects are indistinguishable from market rate developments and are often admired for their high-quality appearance, construction, and management. The Landbanking Program is a cornerstone of Eugene’s overall affordable housing program. For more information, contact Micahel Wisth at 541-682-5540. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 5 August 1, 2013