============================================================ Health Options Digest April 27, 2002 Coalition for Health Options In Central Eugene-Springfield ============================================================ * EDITOR'S LETTER * CALENDAR 1.sn - Mon 4/29 - Springfield City Council * LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 2.rg - Kelly serves his ward 3.rg - Kelly has integrity 4.rg - Dwyer slows steamroller 5.rg - Dwyer helped save mobile home park * COMMENTARY 6.cn - Deep Dish with Dinah: The Undevelopers (#384) 7.cn - Deep Dish with Dinah: Lucky is as Lucky Does (#386) 8.ode - Oregon's Top Ten Stupid White Men (in no particular order) * MAJOR NEWS 9.rg - Flood issue complicates annexation 10.sn - PeaceHealth wants to add more land to hospital site deal 11.sn - PeaceHealth wants part of lawsuit thrown out 12.rg - Candidate chides PeaceHealth for bullying McKenzie-Willamette * OTHER NEWS 13.sn - Business Beat: People 14.sn - City faces budget crunch 15.rg - Cottage Grove hospital wins 3 donations * CONTACTS, OTHER LINKS, KEY, CREDITS ===================== EDITOR'S LETTER ==================== This Monday, the Springfield City Council will hold a public hearing on proposals to annex into the Springfield city limits land owned by PeaceHealth and Arlie & Co. in the Gateway area. The council will also discuss flood plain policy (#1, #9, #10). Citizens support Eugene City Councilor David Kelly, despite recent criticism by The Register-Guard over his handling of PeaceHealth (#2, #3). Citizens also support Lane County Commissioner Bill Dwyer for his work on transportation issues in the Gateway area, also despite recent criticism by The Register-Guard (#4, #5). Dinah dishes up some dirt on John Musumeci of Arlie & Co. (#6, #7). Note that gossip columnist Dinah is the subject of a feature in The Register-Guard on Sunday. Speaking of dirt, Michael Moore's recent speaking engagement in Eugene prompted the UO Cultural Forum to include John Musumeci and PeaceHealth CEO Alan Yordy in their "Oregon Top Ten Stupid White Men" list (#8). In a follow up to a recent story, Tim Shinabarger reports on PeaceHealth's efforts to get McKenzie-Willamette's antitrust lawsuit thrown out of court (#11). Matt Cooper follows up with Springfield City Council candidate Stu Burge about his recent letter to The Springfield News chiding PeaceHealth for bullying McKenzie-Willamette (#12). Arlie is hiring staff away from the City of Eugene and Springfield Mayor Sid has joined the board of trustees of Northwest Christian College (#13). The City of Springfield faces a budget crunch, even while accommodating business who don't pay property taxes (#14). PeaceHealth is receiving donations for a new hospital in Cottage Grove (#15). If you have some news related to health options for our community, please let me know. If all you have is gossip, better head for Dinah. Rob Zako, Editor 343-5201 rzako@efn.org ======================== CALENDAR ======================== ------------------------------------------------------------ 1.sn - MON 4/29 - SPRINGFIELD CITY COUNCIL ------------------------------------------------------------ From The Springfield News, 4/27/02 Monday, April 22 6 p.m. - Springfield City Council work session. Flood plain policy, staff work program; Sanipac franchise amendment. Jesse Maine Room, City Hall, 225 Fifth St., 726-3700. 7 p.m. - Springfield City Council regular meeting. Public hearings on annexation requests for 12 acres owned by Arlie & Co. at Corporate Way and International Way, 60 acres owned by PeaceHealth along Baldy View Lane and 12 acres owned by Arlie & Co. along Baldy View Lane. Council Meeting Room, City Hall, 225 Fifth St., 726-3700. http://www.springfieldnews.com/sn_online/com_index.html Agenda: http://www.ci.springfield.or.us/CMO/2002Council/042902%20Agenda.pdf More info: http://www.efn.org/~choices/notices.shtml See also below: #9 - Flood issue complicates annexation #10 - PeaceHealth wants to add more land to hospital site deal ================== LETTERS TO THE EDITOR ================= ------------------------------------------------------------ 2.rg - KELLY SERVES HIS WARD ------------------------------------------------------------ Jan Wostmann, Eugene In The Register-Guard, 4/25/02 While it comes as no surprise that The Register-Guard disagrees with Eugene City Councilor David Kelly's positions on some major issues (editorial, April 21), it was petty of the editors not to recognize that in taking those positions he serves his constituents extremely well. Eugene is a community almost equally divided between advocates of smart growth and advocates of unlimited urban sprawl. Kelly's views, particularly on land use issues, are those of the majority in the part of town he represents. I can't remember a topic that The Register-Guard has editorialized about more forcefully or more often than the West Eugene Parkway. Thankfully, Eugene still has a few city councilors and planning commissioners who read land use planning documents. They understand the planning process well enough to reach rational rather than political conclusions. Kelly is one of those, and in Ward 3 we happen to like and support leaders who are intelligent and diligent. Similarly, insinuating that Kelly caused PeaceHealth to move to Springfield simply ignores the facts. Kelly, along with other councilors and city staff, worked tirelessly to find a solution that was both acceptable to PeaceHealth and within Eugene's adopted land use plans. We expect our elected representatives to watch out for the long-term well being of our neighborhoods and our community rather than the narrow interests of the few. Kelly has done that ably and with integrity for the past three and a half years. He deserves another term. And Eugene deserves a more perceptive daily newspaper. (end) http://www.registerguard.com/news/20020425/ed.letters.0425.html ------------------------------------------------------------ 3.rg - KELLY HAS INTEGRITY ------------------------------------------------------------ Jennifer Pratt, Eugene In The Register-Guard, 4/27/02, Page 16A I was disturbed to read The Register-Guard's opposition to David Kelly (editorial, April 21) in spite of the editors' recognition that "no one on the council is smarter or harder-working." It is precisely Kelly's hard work and intellect -- as well as his integrity, his willingness to dialogue with anyone and his responsiveness -- that lead me to support him. We live in extremely complex times. Life is not black and white, and easy answers are impossible to find. We need people who will research the issues, seek all perspectives, apply intellectual rigor to finding solutions, and, in the end, stand up for the best decision they can make. In a community as diverse as Eugene, it is even more critical that our representatives be able to listen and reflect. I want representatives I can respect, even when I disagree with them. I want to be able to say, "That was a terrible decision!" and still be willing to work them tomorrow because I trust that they cast their vote from a place of integrity. I want more David Kellys -- whatever their political leanings! (end) http://www.registerguard.com/news/20020427/16a.ed.lettersmain.0427.html ------------------------------------------------------------ 4.rg - DWYER SLOWS STEAMROLLER ------------------------------------------------------------ Richard Boyles, Springfield In The Springfield News, 4/24/02 In The Register-Guard, 4/26/02 The Oregon Department of Transportation's solution to future traffic congestion in the Gateway area is to replace businesses with streets. That way, people will be able to conveniently drive somewhere else for fuel, lodging and restaurants. The businesses that are not replaced by roads will have fewer customers, and the area's residents will have fewer consumer resources. Springfield's largest commerce hub will be significantly damaged -- but, by golly, we'll have smooth-flowing traffic. Throughout the odyssey of ODOT's permutations of "solutions," Lane County Commissioner Bill Dwyer has maintained an open door and an open mind to the concerns of Gateway area residents, business owners and workers. Dwyer understands that the city of Springfield's schools, police and fire departments, and other public services would suffer greatly from losing hundreds of thousands of dollars in tax revenues that would result from demolishing businesses and homes for the sake of ideal traffic flow. Dwyer is to be commended. He has been instrumental in slowing the ODOT steamroller. (end) http://www.springfieldnews.com/2002/news0424/opinion/sn_opinion-01.html#TopOfPage http://www.registerguard.com/news/20020426/ed.letters.0426.html ------------------------------------------------------------ 5.rg - DWYER HELPED SAVE MOBILE HOME PARK ------------------------------------------------------------ Sue Kline, Springfield In The Springfield News, 4/24/02 Isn't it sad that an election cannot seem to be conducted without character assassinations and mud slinging? I have heard people criticize Bill Dwyer for using his expense money to buy food for the hungry. If he doesn't choose to use the money to travel to Disney World, why shouldn't he be able to use it to do something good? My husband and I are the managers of Patrician Senior Mobile Home Park, here in the Gateway area of Springfield. When the Oregon Department of Transportation first came to us a few years ago with their plans to revamp the I-5 Beltline interchange, they showed us three different maps that all had roads going right through our park. If it had not been for Commissioner Bill Dwyer, Patrician Park would have been destroyed, causing more than 130 senior citizens to lose their homes. I know Bill to be a man of integrity and honor, and he is a champion of the underdog. I would like to encourage everyone to ignore all of the mudslinging tactics and vote to keep Bill Dwyer for county commissioner. We need an honest man for the job. (end) http://www.springfieldnews.com/2002/news0424/opinion/sn_opinion-04.html#TopOfPage ======================= COMMENTARY ======================= ------------------------------------------------------------ 6.cn - DEEP DISH WITH DINAH: THE UNDEVELOPERS (#384) ------------------------------------------------------------ By Dinah The Comic News, #384 Wasn't it cute how The Register-Guard published a retraction after some letter to the editor suggested that John Musumeci might be a scoundrel? The letters page is filled with invective all the time, but one call from John-boy's attorney must have prompted instant contrition on the part of the editors. This after the man bankrolled a steady supply of cartoons that attacked local leaders through the Gang of 9 campaign. Is this man a combination of Metamucil and Mussolini? The editors at the Comic News sincerely regret any suggestion of such and convey here apologies to any party who may have felt disparaged, demeaned, defamed, denigrated, or delineated, including but not limited to the entire laxative industry. Has anyone ever seen Musumeci and downtown undeveloper Ed Aster together? Do we know for sure they are two separate people? Aster unloaded the Woolworth's basement to Jenova a few months ago. Now his residence is up for sale. From what I've been able to learn, Aster has more cows than Musumeci's Arlie Land & Cattle Co. Or maybe the same number. http://www.something2eat.com/features.cfm?columnist=1&RequestedArticleID=176 ------------------------------------------------------------ 7.cn - DEEP DISH WITH DINAH: LUCKY IS AS LUCKY DOES (#386) ------------------------------------------------------------ By Dinah The Comic News, #386 Nobody noticed, but a team of business reporters at The Register-Guard won a national award for their profile of and investigation into the life and times of one John Musumeci. Too bad for them (and for the public) that the in-depth piece was published on September 11, a day that brought plenty of news of its own. http://www.something2eat.com/features.cfm?columnist=1&RequestedArticleID=177 ------------------------------------------------------------ 8.ode - OREGON'S TOP TEN STUPID WHITE MEN (IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER) ------------------------------------------------------------ Oregon Daily Emerald, 4/2202 [Ed. note: Author and filmmaker Michael Moore recently spoke in Eugene. Inspired by a recent book by Moore, the UO Cultural Forum prepared the following list.] Alton Baker, III -- Owner/publisher of The Register-Guard, one of the last family-owned newspapers in the nation whose employees do not have a union contract and whose editors do not allow space on their editorial page for opinions on the issue. Jim Torrey -- Mayor of Eugene and largely influenced by the Chamber of Commerce. Joe Cox -- Chancellor of Oregon Higher Education who has overseen reductions in the number of classified employees at all the state's universities and encouraged an increase in managers. Phil Knight -- University alumnus whose multimillion dollar donations influenced University administration to withdraw from the student-approved Worker Rights Consortium. Stub Stewart -- Leader of the fight to keep intact a concrete cross set on Skinner's Butte as a "war memorial" until the Supreme Court enforced the First Amendment. John Musemeci -- California developer who was part of a local consortium of businessmen and women who ran anonymous cartoon satires in The Register-Guard that attacked Lane County officials. Alan Yordy -- CEO of Sacred Heart Medical Center whose move to Springfield endangers community-owned McKenzie-Willamette Hospital, the only medical institution that still handles workers' compensation and reproductive rights issues. John Lively -- Former mayor of Springfield who was largely responsible for Hyundai's move to Eugene. Hyundai then gained a huge tax-incentive from the Eugene City Council, reneged on its offers to employ a high percentage of locals, destroyed wetlands, produced unabated construction run-off, and after severe lay-offs and a six-month plant closure, promises to hire back two-thirds of its former work force if they receive more tax breaks. Bill Sizemore -- Owner of a company that makes money by hiring out paid signature gatherers for ballot initiatives. Any of the Altuckers -- Owners of Eugene Sand and Gravel who tried to develop a new site in an area that was home to several long-standing family agricultural outfits. The Board of Commissioners first refused to allow them to develop the site, but a private meeting changed the mind of one of the swing-vote commissioners. One of the elder Altuckers also helped build the cross on Skinner's Butte. In a category of his own: Lon Mabon -- Head of the Oregon Citizens Alliance who helped place three anti-gay initiatives and one anti-abortion initiative on the ballot. Disclaimer: This list does not necessarily represent the views of the UO Cultural Forum or any entity of the University of Oregon. SOURCE: UO Cultural Forum (end) http://www.dailyemerald.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2002/04/22/3cc42f250f114 ======================= MAJOR NEWS ======================= ------------------------------------------------------------ 9.rg - FLOOD ISSUE COMPLICATES ANNEXATION ------------------------------------------------------------ By Matt Cooper The Register-Guard, 4/27/02, Page 1A Springfield -- The City Council on Monday night will decide whether to support annexing 59 acres of PeaceHealth property next to the health care organization's planned $350 million hospital site. Implicit in the decision are two questions: Should the city's development policies be changed in light of concerns that maps designating the location of the area's flood plain could be wrong? What does the answer to the first question mean for PeaceHealth's plans to build the hospital complex and an adjacent residential development near the McKenzie River -- and for neighbors who are worried about flooding in the area? City officials are satisfied that no development policy changes are needed, and PeaceHealth officials say they are well aware of the flood plain issues and will build their complex accordingly. But local residents such as 67-year-old Anne Heinsoo still fear that the hospital will eat up land that has historically absorbed and diverted floodwater -- and send it licking at their doorsteps. "Where does the water go?" asked Heinsoo, a member of the Game Farm Neighbors Association Board. "That is our big question." After it conducts a public hearing on the matter, the council will decide whether to support annexation of a 59-acre PeaceHealth-owned parcel in preparation for a June 6 annexation decision by the Lane County Boundary Com- mission. The parcel is contiguous to a 102.5-acre PeaceHealth property annexed last year on which the health care organization hopes to build its new medical campus sometime in 2006. The annexation is the final step before PeaceHealth submits a proposal for develop the two parcels. After Thurston-area residents earlier this year challenged the validity of Springfield flood-plain maps drawn by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, an analysis was initiated. FEMA spokesman Mike Howard allowed that there may be a need to improve the accuracy of the maps and said FEMA will report back in May so the city can decide whether to have the maps redrawn. Some residents living near the PeaceHealth properties would rather the city resolved the flood-plain questions before moving ahead with a project that could diminish the area's ability to absorb a flood, said Bonnie Ullmann, treasurer for the neighborhood association. "What's the hurry?" she asked. "We're worried that our land, our property, will be flooded. I'm not confident that FEMA has the correct information." Ullmann is also frustrated by the lack of development details available on the annexation proposal and on the planned hospital site. She recently bought flood insurance -- which costs $221 per year -- and is encouraging her neighbors to do so. But Philip Farrington, PeaceHealth director of land use planning and development, said his organization will address flooding concerns and respect the city's flood-plain development requirements on both parcels. On the 102.5-acre parcel between Game Farm Road and the McKenzie River, where the hospital would be built, less than 10 percent of the land is in the flood plain, PeaceHealth spokesman Brian Terrett said. FEMA provides flood insurance for developments built above the elevation of a 100-year flood -- that is, a flood with a 1 percent chance of occurring in any given year. Farrington said the new hospital will be built above the 500-year elevation. He acknowledged that some parts of the hospital property, such as subsurface parking, could flood, "but the essential services and approaches to the hospital would still remain intact." He also said that it's inaccurate to assume that building the hospital necessarily shifts all floodwater elsewhere. The development will include other medical services, storm water management facilities and housing that adheres to the guidelines for medium-density residential development, Farrington said. "There would be a substantial amount of area reserved for open space either integral to the medical services campus or otherwise located along the river, as a part of a riparian buffer enhancement area," he said. Not everyone near the hospital site is concerned about flooding there. Jane Thomas, 82, who lives just south of the hospital site, has seen the McKenzie split around an island in that area, leaving a smaller channel closest to the PeaceHealth property. "I just don't think it will flood there," she said. "The river is on the other side." The 59-acre parcel to the northeast is planned for a large residential development consistent with current zoning and land designations, Farrington said. While 85 to 90 percent of it is within the 100-year flood plain, Terrett said, "There are existing codes on the books that are designed to (address flooding), and we will do whatever is required of us to protect people." That's a reference to Article 27 in the city development code, which covers flood-plain development. No matter what is built, planner Colin Stephens said, the housing must be one foot above the 100-year flood elevation; the construction must be flood-proof; and the developer must address impacts on the existing neighborhood. PeaceHealth will deal with such concerns on both sites when it submits its master plan, City Manager Mike Kelly said. The health organization will be required to present an analysis of the flood plain for the three miles of McKenzie River bordering its property, and address impacts to the surrounding area and how they will be resolved. The City Council, meanwhile, concluded recently that no changes are necessary to flood-plain development policy -- just, perhaps, the maps that guide them. "Of all the testimony we've received," Council President Lyle Hatfield said Friday, "no one has said there is an inadequacy in the (flood-plain) development code. The question is, where do you apply it?" That means the main question before the council Monday night -- whether to annex the 59-acre parcel -- turns on whether urban services can be provided there, Stephens said. PeaceHealth will still face many hurdles -- and public meetings -- before the master plan is approved and the dirt flies, he said. "That's when a lot of these concerns are going to be addressed," Stephens said. "We've made it clear there are going to be very rigorous standards for what they're going to submit." PUBLIC COMMENT SOUGHT WHAT: Public hearing on PeaceHealth's annexation request, followed by City Council vote on whether to forward request to Lane County Boundary Commission for approval June 6. WHAT IT MEANS: PeaceHealth wants the Gateway land annexed so it can propose a master plan for the new $350 million hospital complex and surrounding development. WHEN/WHERE: 7 p.m. Monday, Council Meeting Room, City Hall, 225 Fifth St. FOR MORE INFORMATION: Call 726-3700. (end) http://www.registerguard.com/news/20020427/1a.floodplain.0427.html ------------------------------------------------------------ 10.sn - PEACEHEALTH WANTS TO ADD MORE LAND TO HOSPITAL SITE DEAL ------------------------------------------------------------ By Tim Shinabarger The Springfield News, 4/27/02 PeaceHealth intends to add 12.4 acres, of which at least 11.5 acres is owned by Arlie & Co., to the 160-acre proposed hospital campus in the Gateway area, city documents show. Springfield city councilors and city staff will decide Monday whether to recommend annexing that property and PeaceHealth's 60 acres east of Baldy View Lane into the city. The 60 acres is the eastern portion of the rural Gateway land the Bellevue, Wash.-based hospital organization proposes for its new regional hospital campus. The 12.4 acres PeaceHealth intends to acquire from Arlie & Co. consists of two properties west of Baldy View Lane. The properties are 11.5 acres and nearly one acre in size. The 11.5 acres fits like a puzzle piece into the north side of the PeaceHealth property that spreads from Game Farm Road to the McKenzie River. The one-acre piece connects it to Deadmond Ferry Road. The Lane County Boundary Commission, which makes final decisions on annexation requests, meets June 6. According to county records, Arlie & Co. bought the 11.5-acre parcel at 3492 Baldy View Lane on Jan. 24. No sales price is listed, but the real market value listed for the year 2001 is $474,659. County records indicate the one-acre parcel is privately owned. In an April 23 letter to city staff, PeaceHealth Oregon Region Chief Executive Officer Alan Yordy says the hospital group anticipates owning the 12.42 acres in time for the boundary commission hearing. When they meet Monday, city councilors will also consider an annexation request for 12.6 acres Arlie & Co. owns at the corner of International Way and Corporate Way. The property is north of the Sony Disc Manufacturing facility. Portions of all three properties scheduled for discussion lie within the 100-year flood plain as defined by Federal Emergency Management Agency maps, city staff say. City councilors will convene in a work session at 6 p.m. to review city policy regarding development in the flood plain. The work session is in the Jesse Maine Room of City Hall, 225 Fifth St. The council will discuss the annexation requests during its regular meeting at 7 p.m. in the Council Meeting Room. For information, call the city at 726-3700. (end) http://www.springfieldnews.com/news/frontpage/sn_frontpage-03.htm#TopOfPage http://www.springfieldnews.com/2002/news0427/frontpage/sn_frontpage-03.htm#TopOfPage ------------------------------------------------------------ 11.sn - PEACEHEALTH WANTS PART OF LAWSUIT THROWN OUT ------------------------------------------------------------ By Tim Shinabarger The Springfield News, 4/24/02 A U.S. District Court judge has scheduled oral arguments for May 10 on a motion by PeaceHealth to dismiss one of seven claims McKenzie-Willamette Hospital filed against it in a Jan. 28 lawsuit. PeaceHealth asked U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas M. Coffin on April 3 to dismiss one claim in the multimillion dollar civil action McKenzie filed against it. In a response filed with the court last week, attorneys for McKenzie said PeaceHealth's motion to dismiss doesn't provide any basis on which to dismiss the claim. McKenzie filed an antitrust lawsuit Jan. 28 alleging that PeaceHealth unlawfully coerced insurance provider Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield to make PeaceHealth the only hospital on its preferred provider plan in Lane County. McKenzie's lawsuit alleges the Bellevue, Wash.-based PeaceHealth used its monopoly power as the only local provider of cardiovascular and neo-natal acute care services to force Regence to accept the arrangement. As a preferred provider, PeaceHealth is the only hospital someone on a Regence plan can go to without paying substantial out-of-pocket costs, McKenzie alleges. McKenzie contends it is losing so much money under the arrangement that it will be forced to close if something doesn't change. PeaceHealth responded April 3 with a motion to dismiss part of the lawsuit. PeaceHealth legal counsel contends McKenzie's claim that PeaceHealth "tied" status as Regence's only preferred provider to price discounts for exclusive services should be dismissed. The attorneys say PeaceHealth never required Regence to purchase its services on an exclusive preferred provider basis and there was no tie-in to a discount on its specialized acute-care services. In McKenzie's response filed Wednesday, attorney Michael A. Cohen said PeaceHealth "tied the threat of supracompetitive prices for services in which it exercises monopoly power to the terms of sale of services in which it faced competition from (McKenzie)." In its Jan. 28 lawsuit, McKenzie alleged that PeaceHealth prices its primary and secondary care services -- in which it competes with McKenzie -- below cost but prices its specialized tertiary or acute-care services substantially in excess of cost at what McKenzie's attorneys call supracompetitive rates. In Wednesday's submittal for McKenzie, Cohen alleges that PeaceHealth "presented Regence with the choice of either paying supracompetitive prices for its tertiary services in a non-exclusive arrangement or granting (PeaceHealth) exclusive preferred provider status with respect to its entire range of hospital services." He states he believes Regence wanted to offer the same insurance coverage at both hospitals but excluded McKenzie from its preferred provider plan because of the "financial penalty" PeaceHealth threatened it with. He writes, "This leveraging of monopoly power in one product to affect competition in another is precisely the evil condemned by the antitrust laws." Judge Coffin scheduled a settlement conference for May 30-31 on the motion to dismiss. As for the entire lawsuit, Coffin has scheduled pre-trial proceedings through May 13, 2003. On April 8, he ordered a four-week jury trial before Judge Michael R. Hogan but didn't schedule a date. He has not yet scheduled the trial date, the court clerk's office said Monday. McKenzie-Willamette's legal counsel is calling for a "prompt" trial. In its Jan. 28 complaint, McKenzie-Willamette contended it will be forced to close if its exclusion from Regence's panel of preferred provider hospitals remains in place. In an April 3 memorandum to the court, Cohen, writing for McKenzie, said, "In light of the very conduct by defendant that forms the basis for plaintiff's complaint, a prompt trial of this action is absolutely essential to plaintiff's continued viability. Defendant's suggestion of a trial date in late 2003 or 2004 is both unworkable and simply furthers defendant's monopolistic designs." PeaceHealth legal counsel Stu Hennessey was not available to respond to a reporter's request for comment by press time Tuesday. (end) http://springfieldnews.com/2002/news0424/frontpage/sn_frontpage-02.htm#TopOfPage ------------------------------------------------------------ 12.rg - CANDIDATE CHIDES PEACEHEALTH FOR BULLYING MCKENZIE-WILLAMETTE (SPRINGFIELD CITY BEAT) ------------------------------------------------------------ By Matt Cooper The Register-Guard, 4/27/02, Page 1B Not even on the council yet, and he's already stirring the pot. Stu Burge, a former city councilor running unopposed for the Ward 1 seat in the May election, entered the hospital fracas last week. Burge fired off a letter to The Springfield News urging support for McKenzie-Willamette Hospital, the longtime Springfield community hospital locked in a turf war with PeaceHealth over antitrust allegations and the planned location of PeaceHealth's new hospital in Gateway. Burge praised PeaceHealth's extensive services -- but he also characterized the Washington state-based organization as an out-of-state giant that should help McKenzie-Willamette, not squash it. "Being bigger doesn't give you a right to be a big bully," Burge said Friday. "If you had real class, you would go a little out of your way to make sure the smaller opponent is still OK." This from the man likely to take over the ward where PeaceHealth wants to build its new $350 million hospital. But Burge said that, once he's elected, he'll still consider the development proposal with an impartial eye. "As a councilor, we'll be dealing with land use issues and I'll do my very best to have that not interfere with my own personal views about the continuation of McKenzie-Willamette," Burge said. PeaceHealth spokesman Brian Terrett said he isn't worried about Burge's personal allegiances or potential public obligations. "It's the way he feels, and we understand that," Terrett said. "I don't think it means we can't work together in the future." (end) http://www.registerguard.com/news/20020427/1b.cr.spcitybeat.0427.html ======================= OTHER NEWS ======================= ------------------------------------------------------------ 13.sn - BUSINESS BEAT: PEOPLE ------------------------------------------------------------ Compiled by Mauria Banducci The Register-Guard, 4/25/02, Page 2E Robert Bolanos has joined Arlie & Co. in Eugene as sales and marketing manager. He is responsible for marketing, promotion and sales, and will review potential property purchases. Bolanos was previously business sales manager for Gateway Computer. Also, Justin Wright joins Arlie as associate planner responsible for directing development projects through land-use processes. Wright previously worked at the City of Eugene permit and information center. Sidney Leiken, Springfield mayor and Wells Fargo bank officer, has been elected to the board of trustees of Northwest Christian College. (end) http://www.registerguard.com/news/20020425/2e.bz.bizbeat.0425.html ------------------------------------------------------------ 14.sn - CITY FACES BUDGET CRUNCH ------------------------------------------------------------ By Tim Shinabarger The Springfield News, 4/24/02 Springfield city government must cut $870,000 in expenses and cut six full-time-equivalent positions from its workforce to balance its budget in fiscal year 2003, City Manager Mike Kelly says. The following year, the city will need to make further financial cuts and eliminate another nine positions, city budget director Bob Duey said Tuesday. In his budget message to the city budget committee Tuesday, Kelly said the city is facing a $2.3-million shortfall in its general fund over the next two years. To deal with that shortfall, the city is making "modest reductions" in its budget, he said in a Tuesday interview. Fiscal year 2003 starts July 1. The cost to simply maintain the status quo in city services is increasing by 5 percent to 7 percent per year, "and our resources are not growing at that rate," Kelly said. "What we're having to do, of course, is make reductions in order to live within our revenue." The reductions are things the average citizen won't notice the first year, he said. The proposed budget calls for the city to reduce its workforce from 380 to 375 positions. If approved, it will eliminate one position in the finance department, one in Fire and Life Safety, one in human resources and one in information technology. It will also cut 1.5 full-time-equivalent positions in the police department, 0.4 FTE in development services and 0.25 in public works. The city left four positions vacant this year. It must cut nine more positions in fiscal year 2004, unless it can reduce expenses by an equivalent amount to what it would save by cutting positions, Duey said. Much of the budget crunch is caused by the skyrocketing cost of health insurance, Duey said. Costs rose 20 percent two years ago and 45 percent last year. The city is forecasting a 20-percent increase next year, he said. That's driving budget decisions, he said. The budget Kelly proposes also spends $840,000 of the city's cash reserves. The city has been "borrowing from its savings account" by using one-time resources ever since the state implemented property tax limitations in the late 1990s, he said. "We can probably do it one more year, this year and next year, and then we don't have any savings," Kelly said. Measures 47 and 50 took $1.8 million out of the city budget and the city has never quite recovered, he said. Since Measure 47 passed, the city has reduced its workforce and expenditures, but expenses have still exceeded revenues, he said. In November 2000, voters rejected a measure to generate taxes to provide about $2.3 million per year for police, fire and library services and the city's general fund. City councilors are conducting a long-range assessment of what level of service will be acceptable to citizens 10 years from now, Kelly said, and that study might lead them to make some financial adjustments -- to cut expenditures further, to put another money measure on the ballot or to increase fees or charges. Until then, he said, "my instructions from the council are to balance the budget." The city already eliminated its animal control services, transferring that function to the county, eliminating 1.5 full-time-equivalent employee positions and saving $77,000. It eliminated grass and weeds enforcement by the Springfield Fire and Life Safety Department, saving $6,000. Those cuts will be "very apparent to our citizens," Kelly said. "If (budget committee members) want to add them (back) into the base budget they can, but they should take something else out," Kelly said. It's hard to get citizens involved in budget issues, even though they translate into increases or reductions in city service or staff, he said, but the city is at a point where it needs to hear from its citizens. "We're here to serve," Kelly said. "If we better know what they want, it makes it easier for us to balance the services so they get what they want." The total city budget for fiscal year 2003 is $143.4 million. Because of a new accounting procedure required by the National Accounting Board, that includes a one-time adjustment of $13.4 million, Duey said. That sum won't be reflected in future budgets, he said. Without that adjustment, the total budget for fiscal year 2003 is $129.9 million, compared with a budget for fiscal year 2002 of $126.4 million, he said. (end) http://springfieldnews.com/2002/news0424/frontpage/sn_frontpage-01.htm#TopOfPage ------------------------------------------------------------ 15.rg - COTTAGE GROVE HOSPITAL WINS 3 DONATIONS ------------------------------------------------------------ By Tim Christie The Register-Guard, 4/23/02, Page 1C Cottage Grove -- The estate of a Cottage Grove lumberman has pledged $300,000 to help PeaceHealth build a new community hospital. The matching gift from the Leo and Betty Rickard trust was one of three large donations announced Monday by the Lane-Douglas Healthcare Foundation. Spirit Mountain Community Fund, the charitable arm of the Spirit Mountain Casino in Grand Ronde, has provided a $50,000 challenge grant and Siuslaw Valley Bank has made a $30,000 gift. Those three contributions are in addition to 309 previous commitments totaling $1.2 million to the project. PeaceHealth, a health care group based in Bellevue, Wash., has asked the Cottage Grove community to contribute $2.1 million toward the $12.4 million hospital. Construction is due to start this spring, and the new hospital should open in 2003. (more...) http://www.registerguard.com/news/20020423/1c.cr.cghospital.0423.html ======================== CONTACTS ======================== ------------------------------------------------------------ CHOICES ------------------------------------------------------------ P.O. Box 70753, Eugene 97401 choices@efn.org Jan Wilson, Coordinator 341-1380 jswilson@efn.org Rob Zako, Editor, Email List Manager 343-5201 rzako@efn.org Steering Committee choices_steering@efn.org Announcements and Discussion Email List choices-l@efn.org ------------------------------------------------------------ SPRINGFIELD NEWS ------------------------------------------------------------ 746-1671, 746-0633 (fax) 1887 Laurel St., Springfield 97477 news@springfieldnews.com http://www.springfieldnews.com Shinabarger, Tim 746-1671 x316 ------------------------------------------------------------ REGISTER-GUARD ------------------------------------------------------------ 485-1234, 683-7631 (newsroom fax) http://www.registerguard.com Register-Guard Mailbag (Letters to the Editor) 485-1234 x2351, 338-2828 (fax) P.O. Box 10188, Eugene 97440-2188 RGLetters@guardnet.com McCowan, Karen (Columnist) kmccowan@guardnet.com Christie, Tim (Health & Medicine) tchristie@guardnet.com Cooper, Matt (Springfield and East Region) 338-2317 mcooper@guardnet.com eastnews@guardnet.com Dietz, Diane (Eugene City Government) ddietz@guardnet.com Haberman, Margaret (City Editor) rgnews@guardnet.com Wihtol, Christian (Business Editor) cwihtol@guardnet.com ------------------------------------------------------------ EUGENE WEEKLY ------------------------------------------------------------ 484-0519, 484-4044 (fax) 1251 Lincoln St., Eugene 97401-3418 http://www.eugeneweekly.com Ted Taylor (Editor, Letters to the Editor) editor@eugeneweekly.com ------------------------------------------------------------ SPRINGFIELD CITY COUNCIL ------------------------------------------------------------ 726-3700, 726-2363 225 Fifth St., Springfield, OR 97477 http://www.ci.springfield.or.us/ http://www.ci.springfield.or.us/calendar.htm http://www.ci.springfield.or.us/dsd/dept_dsd.htm http://www.ci.springfield.or.us/dsd/Planning/index.htm http://www.ci.springfield.or.us/dsd/Planning/Planning_Commission.htm Ballew, Anne (Ward 3) 744-9324 953 C St., Springfield, OR 97477 aballew@clippernet.com Fitch, Tammy (Ward 2) 747-6287 1102 West D St., Springfield, OR 97477 tfitch@ci.springfield.or.us, Fhins@fitch-huggins.com Hatfield, Lyle (Ward 6) 746-6684 518 North 68th Pl., Springfield, OR 97478 lylehatfield@attbi.com Leiken, Sid (Mayor) 726-9848 196 38th Pl., Springfield, OR 97478 mayor@ci.springfield.or.us, sid@maoregon.com Lundberg, Christine (Ward 1) 747-0571 127 Woodlane Dr., Springfield, OR 97477 CKLundberg@Prodigy.net Ralston, Dave (Ward 4) 746-7081 2114 L St., Springfield, OR 97477 chess714@msn.com, Simmons, Fred (Ward 5) 747-4283 312 South 52nd Pl., Springfield, OR 97478 fsimmons@ci.springfield.or.us ------------------------------------------------------------ EUGENE CITY COUNCIL ------------------------------------------------------------ 682-5010 777 Pearl St., Room 105, Eugene 97401 mayorandcc@ci.eugene.or.us http://www.ci.eugene.or.us/ http://www.ci.eugene.or.us/Council/Agenda/AGENDA.htm http://www.ci.eugene.or.us/council/agenda/CCAGENDA.pdf Bettman, Bonny (Ward 1) 344-3150 2191 Friendly, Eugene 97405 Bonny.S.Bettman@ci.eugene.or.us Farr, Pat (Ward 6) 689-0542 1929 Praslin St., Eugene 97402 Pat.M.Farr@ci.eugene.or.us Kelly, David (Ward 3) 686-3343 2988 Chandler St., Eugene 97403 David.S.Kelly@ci.eugene.or.us Meisner, Scott (Ward 7) 338-9946 66 North Adams St., Eugene 97402 Scott.Meisner@ci.eugene.or.us Nathanson, Nancy (Ward 8) 686-3446 2516 Hawkins Lane, Eugene 97405 Nancy.L.Nathanson@ci.eugene.or.us Pape, Gary, (Ward 5) 349-9939 355 Goodpasture Island Rd., Suite 400, Eugene 97401 Gary.D.Pape@ci.eugene.or.us Rayor, Gary (Ward 4) 343-5070 2373 Washington St., Eugene 97405 Gary.E.Rayor@ci.eugene.or.us Taylor, Betty (Ward 2) 338-9947 1051 East 36th Ave., Eugene 97405 Betty.L.Taylor@ci.eugene.or.us Torrey, Jim (Mayor) 682-5882 Jim.D.Torrey@ci.eugene.or.us ======================= OTHER LINKS ====================== PEACEHEALTH - WILLAMETTE VALLEY http://www.peacehealth.org/Community/owv/ MCKENZIE-WILLAMETTE HOSPITAL http://www.mckweb.com/ OREGON DEPARTMENT OF LAND CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT http://www.lcd.state.or.us/ ARLIE & COMPANY http://www.arlie.com/ =========================== KEY ========================== "Health Options Digest" is best read with an email program that recognizes links to web pages. 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