HomeMy WebLinkAbout09/05/13 - City Council Newsletter
City of Eugene
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thnd
Eugene, Oregon 97401
(541) 682-5010
(541) 682-5414 (FAX)
www.eugene-or.gov
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER
September 5, 2013
IN THIS EDITION
EUGENE SUNDAY STREETS ROLLS INTO BETHEL NEIGHBORHOOD ON SEPTEMBER 8
NEW CLASSES USE IMAGINATION AND CREATIVITY
TEEN TEAM VOLUNTEERING AT EUGENE PUBLIC LIBRARY
WASTEWATER MIXING ZONE STUDY INCLUDES USE OF ECOLOGICALLY SAFE TRACER DYE
CONTROLLED ECOLOGICAL BURNS HELP NATIVE FIRE-DEPENDENT SPECIES THRIVE
AROUND THE CITY
Eugene Sunday Streets Rolls into Bethel Neighborhood on September 8
More than 2,000 people are expected to attend Sunday’s free, open-streets event in the Bethel neighborhood to celebrate
healthy lifestyles and active transportation. The 1.5-mile, car-free route will feature activity centers at Petersen Barn Park
and Fairfield Elementary School.
The City of Eugene’s Sunday Streets program continues to be a huge
success in its third year, bringing exciting activities to the streets
each summer in different city neighborhoods. Sunday Streets Bethel
will feature tricycle drag races, a pedal-powered music stage, helmet
decorating, Burley children’s MyKick push-bike races, free yoga
classes, and more. Performers include the City’s own Neil Björklund
and His Bodacious Band, Steel Wool, Won Tan Nara Drumming and
Dance Ensemble, the North Eugene Ukulele Orchestra, and
GreyMatter Jugglers.
For detailed information about the event schedule and
transportation to and from Bethel, visit the event web page at
Family cycling at Sunday Streets event in 2012
www.eugene-or.gov/index.aspx?NID=2451, or contact Sunday
Streets Coordinator Emma Newman at 541-501-0356 or SundayStreets@ci.eugene.or.us.
New Classes Use Imagination and Creativity
Youth and Family Services will offer several new classes this fall that unleash the imagination. Fashion Design encourages
youth ages 10 - 14 to create their vision of fashionable new clothing. In Radio Dance Jam, six- to 11-year-olds will step it up
with their favorite dance shows such as High School Musical, Wizards of Waverly Place,
and more.
Robotics teaches youth ages nine to 14 to use Lego Mindstorms NXT 2.0 to design,
construct, and operate robots, and to learn how to operate software for robotic control.
Participants in Young Flyers Club, also for nine- to 14-year-olds, will design and build
rockets as they learn about aerodynamics, velocity and the fundamentals of flight.
Pipe Dream Productions invites all ages to come together to tell stories using their
voices, bodies, words, pictures, songs, and more in community theater. Participants will
brainstorm and collectively decide what to perform and then rehearse and set a
performance date. For more information about any of these classes, contact Sandy
Shaffer at 541-682-5373.
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 1
September 5, 2013
Teen Team Volunteering at Eugene Public Library
Those in middle and high school: apply now for the fall session of Teen Team at the
Eugene Public Library. The group will volunteer at the Downtown Eugene Public Library
on Tuesdays, 4 - 5 p.m., from Sept. 24 through Nov. 12.
Teen Team participants help staff prepare items for check out, set up crafts projects for
kids, create displays, clean and organize books, and more. It’s a great way for youth to
support the Library, gain skills, meet new friends, and contribute ideas.
For more information or an application, visit the Downtown Eugene Public Library Teen
Desk or call 541-682-8316.
Wastewater Mixing Zone Study Includes Use of Ecologically Safe Tracer Dye
The Metropolitan Wastewater Management Commission (MWMC) has hired CH2M-Hill to conduct an outfall mixing zone
study at the regional wastewater treatment plant on River Avenue in Eugene. The results of this work will update the
mixing zone study last done in 1993 and ensure the treatment plant continues its excellent record of environmental
compliance.
As part of this study, field work is scheduled for Sept. 10 - 12. The field work includes a short-duration injection of an
ecologically safe tracer dye, Rhodamine WT, into the effluent discharged from the treatment plant into the Willamette
River. The tracer dye will produce a visible red plume. A 20-foot jet sled will be used to deploy sampling equipment and to
perform a bathymetric (underwater river bed) survey.
Regional Wastewater program staff will be doing outreach to increase the public’s understanding of the work in the river.
For additional information, please contact Public Works Wastewater Division Director Michelle Cahill at 541-682-8606.
Controlled Ecological Burns Help Native Fire-Dependent Species Thrive
During the month of September, the Rivers to Ridges partners will be undertaking controlled ecological burns at several
West Eugene Wetlands sites. The City of Eugene’s Natural Resources team, with the assistance of the Eugene Fire and EMS
Department (EFD), has planned controlled ecological burns at several City
sites including Coyote Prairie, Dragonfly Bend, and two sites at Meadowlark
Prairie. The burns planned at these sites are part of a much larger controlled
ecological burn effort planned for prairies throughout the Willamette Valley
in collaboration with partner organizations.
The Rivers to Ridges Partnership relies on controlled ecological burning as a
restoration tool to protect valuable biological diversity in prairie and savanna
ecosystems. Removal of standing dead vegetation also benefits the
community by decreasing the chances of uncontrolled wildfire at the
wildland-urban interface. City staff works hard to make sure the community
is protected from potential negative impacts of fire. EFD and the City’s
Natural Resources staff carefully assess weather conditions and burn only on
days when the wind will blow smoke away from residential areas. The Lane Regional Air Protection Agency reviews the
controlled burn plans each year, issuing a permit and conditions under which burns may proceed. City crews mow fuel
breaks around the perimeter of each burn unit to prevent fire from traveling outside the planned burn area. Finally,
controlled ecological burns are managed by experienced and highly trained fire crews, including the Eugene Fire
Department, who are working from detailed burn plans. These plans provide extensive prescriptions describing how to
conduct the burn to provide the maximum protection for the community.
Additional controlled ecological burns may be performed by Rivers to Ridges partner agencies on lands elsewhere in the
wetlands, including on lands owned by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, The Nature Conservancy, U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Friends of Buford Park and Mt. Pisgah. Together these efforts will result in the
enhancement and protection of many of the important natural areas enjoyed by the community. See the "Willamette Valley
Prescribed Fire" Facebook page for short-notice burn information or contact Trevor Taylor, Natural Area Restoration
supervisor at trevor.h.taylor@ci.eugene.or.us or 541-682-4888.
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2
September 5, 2013