Dear CHOICES Subscribers, With "Deep Dish with Dinah" on vacation, it falls to us to try to make sense of all the threads in our community tied to health options. On Monday, the Eugene Planning Commission will begin deliberating on hospital code amendments after their public hearing last week. The Eugene City Council wants to open up pretty much all land in Eugene -- even your backyard! -- for a potential hospital. Look for the Eugene Planning Commission to question this approach. Last Monday, the Springfield City Council approved (or revised?) a provision that allows developers to begin doing prep work even before receiving approval for their project. Both the Register-Guard and the Eugene Weekly reported that this provision may allow PeaceHealth to break ground long before receiving approval of their master plan or before appeals to LUBA are resolved. But our sources tell us that the PeaceHealth annexation agreement prohibits any such advanced ground breaking on much of their land -- including the land planned for a hospital. However you look at it, health care is expensive, and actions at the state and federal level appear unlikely to help much. Springfield city councilor Stu Burge, who is also president of METCO investment and real estate company in downtown, has formed a partnership with city Planning Commissioner Steve Moe, property owner Blake Hastings, U.S. Bank manager Debbie Davis, retired architect Don Lutes and city planner Mark Metzger to try to revitalize downtown Springfield. We wish them luck! Rep. Peter DeFazio broke ground at a ceremony for the new Springfield LTD station. The station should be completed by late summer 2004 and will be the eastern end of the first segment of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) connected downtown Eugene and downtown Springfield. But various prominent citizens are raising concerns over LTD's plans for BRT. A local 3-cent/gallon gas tax targeted for repairing deteriorating streets just went into effect. But a companion "Transportation System Maintenance Fee" was recently killed in Springfield and appears to be on the chopping block in Eugene. Meanwhile, during a legislative session in which agreement is hard to come by, the Oregon House and Senate passed and the Governor signed a $2.5 billion package aimed at repairing the state's crumbling bridges and providing other funding for transportation. The package is also intended to create jobs and help the state's weak economy. The Lane Board of County Commissioners have whittled down to seven the number of candidates being considered to replace East Lane County Commissioner Tom Lininger, who will leave office on August 15 to teach law at the UO. The commissioners will interview these seven candidates on Monday, August 11. So what do all these threads mean? Perhaps a brief item not featured below is suggestive. The Oregon Court of Appeals recently ruled against Eugene Sand and Gravel, saying that the Lane County Board of Commissioners were justified in considering the impacts of mining of farms stands along River Road. While the ruling could be appealed to the Oregon Supreme Court, this is probably the last word on this case. In their ruling, the Court of Appeals held up the principle that underlies our state's land use planning system: Land use decision should be made in a way that balances different public and private interests. In that case, the challenge was to balance the interests of Eugene Sand and Gravel and the need for gravel for road construction with the interests of local farmers and their customers. The appeals over Springfield's approval of PeaceHealth's plans are different in detail but rest on the same principle. The challenge is to balance PeaceHealth's interest in expanding is facilities and the needs of the community for quality health services with protecting the McKenzie River and the surrounding view shed, protecting property owners from potential flooding, maintaining an adequate supply of land for residences, and keeping developing in line with the transportation system we can afford to build. If I had to guess, I'd say that the courts ultimately will uphold the principle of balance -- that a big developer like PeaceHealth shouldn't be able to do whatever it wants without regard to its impacts on the community. If so, we hope that won't be the end of the story. We do need a new hospital. Perhaps PeaceHealth will be able to find a more appropriate site just as the Oregon National Guard was. If it gets hot again, consider a cooling dip in the McKenzie River! Rob Zako, Editor 343-5201 rzako@efn.org ================================================================================ Health Options Digest August 3, 2003 Coalition for Health Options In Central Eugene-Springfield (CHOICES) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- OPPORTUNITIES Applications sought for Springfield Historic Commission SPRINGFIELD - The city is accepting applications to fill two positions on the seven-member Historic Commission. The commission promotes stewardship for historic preservation through education and participation. Applicants do not need to be Springfield residents or property owners, but their backgrounds must meet state Historic Preservation Office guideline standards. Applications are available in the City Manager's Office, City Hall, 225 Fifth St. The deadline to apply is Aug. 29. For more information, call 726-3632. (end) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2003/08/03/c2.cr.rg.briefs.0803.html Eugene seeks volunteers for lots of vacancies This is not a typing exercise: Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their party. Well, not their party, actually, but their city. And let's not exclude women, either. The folks down at City Hall are looking for volunteers, and not just a couple. Needed are two new members of Eugene's budget committee, one planning commissioner, five members each for the city's police and human rights commissions, two members of the toxics board and one new Metropolitan Wastewater Management commissioner. If you're interested in any of the vacancies, you'll need to complete an application and supplemental questionnaire. Both are available at the city manager's office, at Room 105 in City Hall, or on the Internet at http://www.ci.eugene.or.us. The application deadline for positions on each of the committees, boards and commissions is 5 p.m., Sept. 26. For more information, contact Sarah Bleeden in the city manager's office, at 682-5823. http://www.registerguard.com/news/2003/08/03/c1.cr.citybeat.0803.html -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CALENDAR Monday, August 4 -- Eugene Planning Commission 11:30 a.m., Sloat Room, Atrium Building., 99 W. 10th Ave., Eugene 1. Public Comment 2. Election of Fiscal Year 2004 Officers, Kurt Yeiter, 682-8379, kurt.m.yeiter@ci.eugene.or.us 3. Debrief Joint Meeting with City Council, Tom Coyle, 682-6077, tom.g.coyle@ci.eugene.or.us 4. Work Session: Hospital Code Amendments (CA 03-1), Kurt Yeiter, 682-8379, kurt.m.yeiter@ci.eugene.or.us Wednesday, August 6 -- Rep. Peter DeFazio to hold town hall meetings Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Springfield, will hold a series of town hall meetings throughout the district next week and in early August. The meeting times, dates and locations are as follows: Reedsport - July 29, 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., Discovery Center meeting room, 409 Front Way. Coos Bay - July 29, noon to 1 p.m., City Council Chambers, 500 Central Ave. Cottage Grove - Aug. 5, 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., Cottage Grove Community Center, 700 Gibbs St. Eugene - Aug. 6, 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., Campbell Senior Center, 152 High St.; 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., Harris Hall, Lane County Courthouse, 125 E. Eighth Ave. Springfield - Aug. 6, 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., McKenzie Room, Willamalane Senior Center, 215 West C St.; 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., City Council Chambers, 225 Fifth Ave. http://www.registerguard.com/news/2003/07/23/d2.cr.rg.briefs.0723.html -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PEACEHEALTH Council OKs hospital site 'prep work' By Matt Cooper The Register-Guard, 7/29/03, Page D1 SPRINGFIELD - Would it seem surprising to see PeaceHealth excavating land on the Gateway-area hospital site prior to winning final approval to build the controversial project? That scenario emerged Monday when, at PeaceHealth's request, the City Council unanimously approved the means by which developers can begin grading and other excavation prior to final approval of their projects. "It allows developers of land to not lose a construction season," Councilor Stu Burge said. "It seems to be probably driven by the PeaceHealth application, and that's OK." PeaceHealth, which hopes to open a $350 million regional medical center near the McKenzie River in 2007, said it needs to do "prep work" this fall to stay on schedule, city planner Colin Stephens said. But the hospital has yet to receive a green light to build anything. Opponents have appealed the city's approval of the planned project - Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend - with a decision by the state Land Use Board of Appeals expected later this year. Moreover, the city won't formally review the RiverBend development plan until this fall, with a final vote by the City Council expected early next year. In the meantime, the new rules would allow PeaceHealth to seek approval for excavation and begin digging - with the condition that, should the project eventually fall through, the organization would need to restore the earth, Kelly said. Likewise, if the project is ultimately approved, but with a different layout than PeaceHealth had envisioned during excavation, the hospital would be bound to follow the new layout, Kelly said. A hospital spokesman could not be reached Monday night. City officials stress that the grading changes apply not just to PeaceHealth, but to developers of projects big and small, throughout the city. Stephens noted that the changes are meant to address historic "gaps" in the grading-approval process, and Kelly said the new approach would help the city speed up a review process that has been slowed by increasing federal, state and local requirements. Nevertheless, Kelly said he was aware that the prospect of construction work on the PeaceHealth site would confuse some people, leading them to believe that PeaceHealth has already won final approval. "The perception will be that they've been given unofficial approval," Kelly said. At least two groups watching the hospital project closely were caught off guard by Monday's action. Jan Wilson, coordinator of the Coalition for Health Options in Central Eugene-Springfield, a group opposed to the Gateway location, declined comment until she knew all the details. Bonnie Ullmann, president of the Game Farm Neighbors, said council's consideration of the issue had "slipped underneath my radar" but she was concerned about granting approvals to the hospital without public input. "The statewide planning goals say there should be citizen involvement," Ullmann said. "If a project would go ahead before there's any citizen involvement, that seems contrary to our statewide planning goals." (end) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2003/07/29/d1.cr.digging.0729.html Slant PeaceHealth is wanting to break ground on its $350 million medical center in north Springfield while waiting for "final" approvals that are still at least six months away. Allowing bulldozers to start ripping up such a sensitive environment near the McKenzie River is an absurd idea, particularly in light of PeaceHealth's pending legal challenges. (end) http://www.eugeneweekly.com/archive/07_31_03/news.html#shorts6 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MCKENZIE-WILLAMETTE/TRIAD Slant Where will the McKenzie-Willamette/Triad medical center land in the Eugene area? Too early to tell, but one rumor has the hospital eyeballing the old armory site on 13th Avenue west of the Fairgrounds. Nice spot, but likely too small. Meanwhile the Eugene Planning Commission is quietly wrestling with whether to create a hospital zone overlay map, or simply open the entire town, including residential areas, to hospital sites. We hear a surgical center is also looking to build in Eugene. Complicating the zoning rules process is the disclosure that several members of the Planning Commission have business interests associated with hospital construction. City attorney Glenn Klein has been asked to give his opinion on whether they should recuse themselves from voting on the zoning. Klein will probably say "No problem," since Oregon's conflict of interest rules are notoriously weak. But we say full disclosure is in order, and those with conflicts should abstain from voting. Such precautionary actions build credibility for local government. (end) http://www.eugeneweekly.com/archive/07_24_03/news.html#shorts6 Triad reports hospital earnings Plano, Texas-based Triad Hospitals Inc., which is in the process of partnering with McKenzie-Willamette Hospital, has reported its consolidated financial results for the three and six months ending June 30. For the three months, Triad reported revenues of $953.8 million, earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization and other items of $145.1 million, net income of $38 million and diluted earnings per share of 51 cents. For the six months ending June 30, the company reported revenues of $1,908.3 million, earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization and other items of $302.5 million, net income of $85.3 million and diluted earnings per share of $1.14. Triad owns 49 hospitals and 14 ambulatory surgery centers in 17 states with about 8,800 licensed beds. The company plans to build a new hospital in the Springfield-Eugene area for McKenzie-Willamette Hospital. Oregon Attorney General Hardy Myers recently approved the partnership between the two health care organizations. (end) http://www.springfieldnews.com/articles/2003/07/30/business/news3.txt -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- COST OF HEALTH CARE Hospital lobby eases resistance to 'provider' tax SALEM -- The financially troubled Oregon Health Plan received a booster shot Wednesday when the hospital lobby consented to go along with a tax on its industry to raise more money for health care. The "provider tax," although agreed to only in concept by key House members and the health-care lobby, represents a big step in solving one of the many major budget puzzles of what promises to be the most protracted session in Oregon history. It probably would raise about $100 million, leveraging an additional $150 million in matching federal Medicaid dollars. At a news conference, the head of the hospital lobby, Ken Rutledge, acknowledged that after opposing such a tax all session, his association had finally accepted that it had little choice but to go along. The alternative was to stand by as the cash-strapped Legislature trimmed Oregon Health Plan costs by ending government reimbursements to partially cover hospitals costs for 66,000 or more enrollees. "It became increasingly clear that the budget constraints were such that we needed to look at this a little more creatively," said Rutledge, president of the Oregon Association of Hospital & Health Systems. (more...) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2003/07/31/d1.cr.legislature.0731.html Uninsured help pay for shortfalls CORVALLIS -- As a young couple expecting their first baby, Jacqueline and James Brown knew they could also expect plenty of hard work and expense. Adding to their worries, the couple had no health insurance. And then doctors said the baby girl they were waiting for would need to be delivered by Caesarean section, or Jacqueline would risk a breech birth. The delivery of tiny Kaitlyn on Feb. 8 cost more than $5,000, which Jacqueline and James are paying in monthly installments they expect to stretch for years. (more...) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2003/07/27/c4.cr.hospital2.0727.html Mental health costs mount after cuts PORTLAND -- Cash-strapped Oregon has reduced its spending on mental health over the past five months, saving $21 million. But state officials say those savings are evaporating as patients denied outpatient care end up requiring much more expensive treatment. Many have landed in hospital psychiatric units and emergency rooms, where a few hours of care can sometimes cost as much as six months of outpatient treatment. Officials at the Department of Human Services say the mounting costs could outstrip even the short-term benefits of the cuts. (more...) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2003/07/28/b2.cr.mental.0728.html Human services budget in limbo SALEM -- With a trail of transplant patients who've lost drug coverage, mentally ill people who have been denied treatment and poor families whose assistance checks have been reduced, Oregon lawmakers don't pretend to be able to restore all the human service cuts they've made. After more than six months in session, legislative Democrats and Republicans have narrowed their differences to about $40 million in how much to spend on human services programs. Along with the public schools budget, human services is shaping up as one of the last sticking points separating the two parties in determining how to divide Oregon's austere budget for 2003-05. (more...) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2003/07/28/a1.humanservices.0728.html Health care plan for state's youth may reach ballot SALEM -As lawmakers consider reducing the number of people covered by the Oregon Health Plan, an initiative campaign is being readied to ask voters to guarantee health care to every child in Oregon. The Oregon AFL-CIO has filed two versions of the proposed initiative with the state for the November 2004 ballot. The labor federation will make a final decision later this year whether to proceed with a campaign for the measure. AFL-CIO President Tim Nesbitt said he believes there would be broad public support for extending health care coverage to all Oregonians under the age of 19. The proposal would be financed by a new payroll tax of 2 percent on businesses. Offsetting tax credits would be available for those businesses that provide health insurance for their workers' children. (more...) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2003/07/28/b2.cr.healthcare.0728.html Panel approves human services package SALEM -- The state's medical insurance plan for the poor would have an enrollment cap and hundreds of seniors and disabled people would lose coverage under a human services budget passed Friday by a special House committee. Rep. Gary Hansen, D-Portland, was the four-person committee's lone dissenter. (more...) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2003/08/02/b3.cr.xgrbudget.0802.html An affordable drug plan at no cost By Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Springfield Commentary in the Springfield News, 7/26/03 At 2 a.m. on an uncomfortably warm Friday in June, it looked as though a contentious prescription drug plan for seniors (HR 1) would be defeated in the House of Representatives. But the House Republican Leadership was able to eke out a 216-215 victory by holding the vote open for 60 minutes and forcing two loyal Republicans to change their votes. What narrowly survived was a highly complex piece of legislation at a cost of about $400 billion that is supposed to help seniors with the outrageously high price of prescription drugs. But for most seniors it will offer meager benefits and fall far short of helping them purchase the prescriptions needed to stay healthy. (more...) http://www.springfieldnews.com/articles/2003/07/25/opinion/news03.txt -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NEARBY DEVELOPMENTS Restaurateur hopes to drive up profits before roadway project What's that brewing on Belt Line Road in the Gateway area? Sofia's is the latest restaurant to occupy a risky piece of real estate in a hot part of town. Described by co-owner Sam Skeens as a "steak and fish house with a German accent," Sofia's opened Tuesday and replaces Tuscany's, an Italian undertaking that lasted about a year before closing early in 2002. Tuscany's had replaced Spencer's Restaurant & Brewhouse, which spent seven years on the site. Sofia's touts snitzels, sauerbraten and beer brewed on site, but in a few years the question will be what goes well with asphalt: The state wants to run a road through the property to ease traffic in the Interstate 5/Belt Line area. City Transportation Manager Nick Arnis said that could happen as early as 2007 or as late as 2009, but, at some point, it's going to happen. (more...) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2003/07/26/b1.cr.spcitybeat.0726.html Sofia's Restaurant opens in Springfield Sofia's Restaurant & Bavarian Brewery opened last week in what had been Tuscany's Ristorante and Pizzeria and, before that, Spencer's Restaurant & Brewhouse. Sofia's, at 980 Kruse Way in Springfield's Gateway area, will be open from 11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. daily. It will serve an American-style lunch menu and dinners that include German entrees (goulash and several types of schnitzel), seafood, dinner salads, steaks and prime rib. The brew pub has a full bar. It will offer a variety of bottled beers and microbrews on tap until its own beer is ready, about Sept. 1. The new owners are Sam and Sofia Skeens, owners of The Troller restaurant in Garibaldi, and their sons, Karl and Alan Skeens. The Skeenses purchased the shuttered venue June 23 from Eugene businesswoman Carolyn Chambers, who acquired it last year after the death of restaurateur David Andrews. (more...) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2003/08/02/10.tk.foodside.0801.html Springfield 'profiled' in League of Oregon book series Sony Disc Manufacturing has abandoned Springfield, but its story lives on. The League of Oregon Cities has released an economic development tool for local communities that highlights the city of Springfield's eight-year relationship with Sony. "Profiles in Change: Economic Development in Oregon's Cities" features 16 communities that have completed successful projects or used creative strategies to attract development. (more...) http://www.springfieldnews.com/articles/2003/08/02/local/news6.txt Springfield Target undergoes $4 million renovation If you think the remodeled Target in Springfield's Gateway Mall seems bigger and brighter, you're right. (more...) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2003/07/31/b1.bz.retailnote.0731.html Target remodels, adds employees Target at the Gateway Mall is celebrating its grand re-opening after several months of remodeling. The store now features a full-service pharmacy with two pharmacists and two pharmacist technicians. The $4 million remodel and expansion added 10,000 square feet of space to the store. Every floor tile, carpet roll, light fixture and shelf was replaced during the work, according to Sue Ray, the store manager. The store has an expanded music, books and video section as well as a larger food section with 11 coolers of cold items. Conveyer belts now run merchandise through new check-out lanes. To accommodate the new store design, Target added 40 employees. (end) http://www.springfieldnews.com/articles/2003/07/30/business/news3.txt Group plans downtown turnaround This time, Councilor Stu Burge promises, it's going to be different for downtown. Burge embarked this week on the latest effort to pick downtown up by the bootstraps, dust it off and make it a more hospitable place to live, work and visit. Downtown "has tremendous upside potential," Burge said. "I think we've already kind of hit bottom on the downside." Burge, president of METCO investment and real estate company in downtown, has formed a partnership with city Planning Commissioner Steve Moe, property owner Blake Hastings, U.S. Bank manager Debbie Davis, retired architect Don Lutes and city planner Mark Metzger. Within a 10-block area bordered by the river, 10th Street and North and South A streets, the group's plans are broad: pedestrian-level lighting, facade enhancement, trash receptacles, off-street parking, better signs, demolition of some properties and landscaping, to name a few. "This has been tried several times," Burge said. "In the past, property owners sat back and expected City Hall to do all the work. That's not City Hall's job. They can assist in facilitating it, but the business and property owners have to do the lion's share of the work." Burge envisions working block by block, convincing two or three property owners to sink money into changes, perhaps with the help of low-interest loans or other financing mechanisms, he said. "Others will see what the opportunities are to enhance these properties, tenancy levels and occupancy levels," Burge said, "and I think it will be somewhat spontaneous." For more information, call Burge at 683-9001. (end) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2003/08/02/b1.cr.spcitybeat.0802.html Thurston property considered by Walgreen A site in Thurston may be the right prescription for Walgreen Co., which is looking to put stores in Lane County. A Seattle-based firm that is scouting sites for the nation's largest drugstore chain has submitted tentative plans for a 13,505-square-foot store at 58th and Main streets. Under the project, a developer would demolish a doughnut shop and an office building on the 1.5-acre parcel, and move another office building to the south end of the parcel, to make way for the Walgreen. Also, a 6,000-square-foot office building would be constructed at the site, according to the plans. The Walgreen could open late this year, the Seattle firm, Powell Development, said in its application. An Oregon Department of Transportation official, however, said approval of the request by his agency could take about six months. (more...) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2003/07/29/b1.bz.develop.0729.html City to charge builders more for wastewater SPRINGFIELD -- The City Council on Monday voted to increase fees for regional wastewater treatment, but the new charges won't go into effect until Sept. 16 to allow time to try to resolve a legal threat by the Lane County Home Builders. The one-time fee is charged to builders for connecting to the regional wastewater treatment system, City Manager Mike Kelly said. The fee could rise to about $700 per dwelling unit, up from $300, because of capital improvements to the system, he said. The Home Builders object to the fee and to how the improvement plan has been adopted, said Roxie Cuellar, director of government affairs. Cuellar said that should the council approve the fees, her organization would seek a ruling on their legality from Lane County Circuit Court. Mayor Sid Leiken broke a 3-3 tie to vote in favor of the fees, saying that he's hoping to find a compromise with the home builders and avoid litigation. (end) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2003/07/29/d3.cr.digest.0729.html Leiken busts tie vote on SDCs For the fourth time in his three-year career as mayor, Sid Leiken broke a City Council tie. Leiken agreed Monday to wait until September to increase regional wastewater management fees in order to give the city time to meet with the Lane County Homebuilders Association. The builders group has threatened to sue the city if the fees and the methodology for calculating them change. (more...) http://www.springfieldnews.com/articles/2003/07/30/local/news5.txt Springfield considers annexation SPRINGFIELD -- The Springfield Fire Department will continue to study whether to become part of the Willakenzie Fire District, despite the objections of a city councilor who said the move is simply meant to give the city more power to raise taxes. A majority of the City Council wants Fire Chief Dennis Murphy to return in September with information on the possible annexation. The Willakenzie district provides fire service for residents outside Eugene and Springfield in the Gateway area and those in the Harbor Drive area south of Springfield. Under annexation, Springfield residents would be served by the Willakenzie Fire District. Annexation into Willakenzie would provide stable, long-term funding for the fire department because the district can tax above limits that cities face under Measures 47 and 50, City Manager Mike Kelly said. Oregon voters approved the measures in the mid-1990s to cap the rate of property tax increases. (more...) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2003/07/30/d1.cr.firedistrict.0730.html Land plan under way in county The time has come for Springfield, Eugene and Lane County to take inventory of its land. Shovel-ready land for industrial and commercial development is in short supply within Lane County's urban growth boundary, making it difficult for the area to attract new business and thrive economically, according to the Lane Metro Partnership. In response, the partnership board is recommending the three jurisdictions compile an inventory of land within their borders, so when a developer comes knocking, officials won't have to scramble for a parcel of land. (more...) http://www.springfieldnews.com/articles/2003/07/25/local/news05.txt UO will build new basketball arena The University of Oregon will put a new athletic landmark on the campus map following UO President Dave Frohnmayer's decision Thursday to go ahead with a basketball arena expected to cost upwards of $100 million. The green light means that selection of a site is the only step left before architects start designing the building, which will top the recent expansion of Autzen Stadium in cost. The donor-funded project, expected to provide a boost to the county's struggling economy, could break ground by next summer and be open by fall 2006. (more...) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2003/08/01/a1.uoarena.0801.html City Council slashes resources inventory The Eugene City Council turned its back July 28 on a 5-1 recommendation of the Planning Commission by adopting a dramatically reduced natural resources inventory. The inventory, required by state law (and delayed since 1992 by a series of political maneuvers), was adopted to include only 1,100 acres. The planning commission recommendation covered about 3,500 acres. The agreed-upon acreage includes about 440 acres of the Willamette River. The adoption of the inventory does actually protect the areas. City staff will now begin an economic and environmental analysis of each listed location, and return to council with an analysis and recommendations for what protection or regulation, if any, should be applied. "Eugene should be developing using a model of growing up, not out, while protecting our valuable natural areas," says Councilor David Kelly. "This decision was a sad day for Eugene that will lessen our quality of life and our distinctiveness as a community." The vote was 5-3, with Councilors Betty Taylor, Bonny Bettman and Kelly opposed. (end) http://www.eugeneweekly.com/archive/07_31_03/news.html#shorts5 Monaco Coach profits fall, reflecting sluggish sales COBURG -- Monaco Coach Corp. said second-quarter profits fell 95 percent as the company offered discounts to clear inventory that accumulated in the economic slowdown accompanying the Iraq war. (more...) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2003/07/25/c7.bz.digest.0725.html -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRANSPORTATION Construction set to begin on downtown bus station Lane Transit District calls it "the first new construction in downtown Springfield in almost 30 years." Congressman Peter DeFazio on Monday will kick off downtown's newest project, an LTD bus station to be built on South A Street between Pioneer Parkway East and Fourth Street. Thanks to the efforts of Springfield Congressman Peter DeFazio, Sens. Gordon Smith and Ron Wyden, the project will be 80 percent federally funded, with the remaining 20 percent funded by a local match through LTD's capital budget. The Springfield station, which should be up and running by late summer 2004, will be the east end of a high-speed bus route connecting Springfield to downtown Eugene. It will include 3,000 square feet of retail space, a covered waiting area and public restrooms. For more information, call LTD at 682-6100. (end) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2003/07/26/b1.cr.spcitybeat.0726.html Officials break ground for bus station SPRINGFIELD -- The first dirt was officially turned Monday on a new bus station in downtown Springfield, raising hopes that the project will spark redevelopment throughout the area. U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio of Springfield attended a ground-breaking for the new Lane Transit District station, planned to open in fall 2004 on the south side of South A Street between Fourth Street and Pioneer Parkway East. (more...) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2003/07/29/d2.cr.busstation.0729.html City bus now leaving for ... Eugene, Springfield, Gateway, Thurston Kicked-up dirt sent dust flying through the air, but the 60 people gathered along South A Street didn't mind. The airborne grime signaled one thing for Lane Transit District officials and supporters. After three years of planning and negotiating, the new Springfield Station is just months from reality. (more...) http://www.springfieldnews.com/articles/2003/07/30/local/news2.txt Collision course: Coburg Road property owners object to LTD rapid-transit idea The dense traffic of well-heeled shoppers in spendy cars along Eugene's Coburg Road is a retailer's dream. Stores and other businesses are so eager for space along the strip that developers are tearing down older buildings to make way for new shops. But a decision by public officials to put a new generation of sleek, fast-moving buses in bus-only lanes along Coburg has business owners there in a funk. (more...) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2003/07/27/f1.bz.brt.0727.html LTD running out of control By John Breeden, Eugene Letter to the Register-Guard, 7/27/03 Have we lost our good sense? Lane Transit District is out of control, and something must be done to rein it in. 1) LTD has these huge 40-foot-plus buses cruising the streets with five or fewer passengers most of the time. 2) LTD buses have difficulty negotiating street corners all around town, turning into oncoming lanes and running over curbs. 3) LTD has bought tandem buses that sit idle most of the time and continues to buy more unnecessary large buses. 4) LTD spent some $7.5 million on the downtown Eugene bus terminal several years ago. Now, it plans to spend $3.25 million on a Springfield downtown terminal. 6) LTD is currently planning to build a bus rapid transit system, linking downtown Eugene and downtown Springfield terminals, for another $16 million. 7) LTD is planning to equip the Eugene-Springfield run with five 60-foot-long articulated buses at a cost of $996,000 each, for a total of nearly $5 million. Have LTD officials gone mad? Is there no way to control LTD and its reckless spending? LTD is squandering our tax dollars. Something must be done to stop this gross spending spree. Let's have a factual accounting of ridership and operating costs. (end) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2003/07/27/ed.letters.0727.html Cities' new tax drives up the cost of filling up Gas prices in Eugene and Springfield are on the rise again today, and this time it's through no fault of oil companies or gasoline dealers. The two cities, along with Cottage Grove, are implementing 3-cent-per-gallon gasoline taxes -- the latest fees that several cities and counties in Oregon are adopting as a means of addressing backlogs of road repairs. Eugene alone faces a $93 million mountain of street maintenance, and will spend $3.2 million this fall -- $2 million of it financed by the new gas tax -- on seven repair projects around town. (more...) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2003/08/01/a1.gastax.0801.html City Council may delay street repair fee CORRECTION (ran 7/31/03): A Eugene City Council work session to consider delaying implementation of a transportation system maintenance fee is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Aug. 11. The date of the meeting was incorrect in a story Wednesday on page D1. All it took for Eugene city councilors to begin rethinking their controversial transportation system maintenance fee was a referral effort, two initiative drives and a decision by their counterparts in Springfield to dump a similar fee. The council has scheduled a special work session for next Monday night to decide whether implementation of the much-criticized fee should be postponed while work gets under way to find another means of paying for a $93 million citywide backlog of street repairs. (more...) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2003/07/30/d1.cr.roadtax.0730.html Now it's county's turn: Eugene's move opens door to road fund changes A Register-Guard Editorial, 8/1/03 Maybe it's the 100-degree temperatures or the sight of a major forest fire unnervingly close to the Eugene-Springfield area, but local officials have seemed unduly edgy and distrustful in recent days. Earlier this week, the Eugene City Council announced plans to put its controversial transportation system maintenance fee on hold pending negotiations with the Lane County Board of Commissioners on increased funding for city street repairs. Commissioner Bobby Green, a chief critic of the new city fee, reacted warily, saying that a repeal "would have been a greater leap of faith." Meanwhile, the Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce said a postponement wouldn't stop it from forging ahead with an initiative drive to repeal the fee in a citywide election next spring. Maybe it's time for everyone to take a couple of weeks off at the beach. The city's move offers an opportunity to reach agreement on a long-overdue plan to provide additional county funding for road maintenance in Eugene and other cities throughout Lane County. (more...) House passes plan to fix bridges, roads SALEM -- Lawmakers put aside their partisan differences over budget issues long enough Wednesday to give final approval to the top jobs creation bill of the 2003 legislative session. The multibillion-dollar plan to fix cracked bridges and crumbling roads across Oregon won swift approval from House members, the day after House Speaker Karen Minnis declared budget talks at an impasse. It's the largest public works project in Oregon since the construction of Interstate 5 in the 1960s and, sponsors say, will boost the state's ailing economy by creating nearly 5,000 construction-related jobs. (more...) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2003/07/24/a1.bridgerepairs.0724.html House passes transportation investment act SALEM -- The House of Representatives re-passed a landmark transportation package that will pump more than $2 billion into the economy and it is hoped will create thousands of jobs for Oregonians. House Bill 2041 represents the largest bridge and road financing plan the state has seen in the past 20 years. (more...) http://www.springfieldnews.com/articles/2003/07/25/local/news06.txt Kulongoski OKs funding for road, bridge repair SALEM -- Gov. Ted Kulongoski signed into law a major highway and bridge repair plan Monday, calling it the largest public works project in Oregon since Interstate 5 was built in the 1960s. The project will replace or repair about 500 cracked bridges and crumbling roads over the next 10 years. Supporters say the work will create 5,000 construction jobs each year. "This is a great day for this state,'' Kulongoski said, surrounded by two dozen legislators, lobbyists and transportation officials. "What will Oregon get for this investment? Jobs.'' House Bill 2041 will be paid for with a $2.5 billion package of bonds backed by revenue from higher auto registration and title fees and increased truck fees and weight mile taxes. Work will begin in early 2004. (end) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2003/07/29/d3.cr.digest.0729.html A fix for roads, bridges: Landmark bill also ends penalty on hybrid cars A Register-Guard Editorial, 7/25/03 The best news out of Salem this year came Wednesday, when a bill to pay for road and bridge repairs received final legislative approval. The tax-averse Legislature has increased vehicle fees and truck taxes to fund the biggest public-works program in recent Oregon history. Legislators of both parties understood that repairing the state's failing transportation system is a matter of economic necessity. House Bill 2041 will provide $2.5 billion over the next 10 years for bridge and highway projects -- creating, as a significant side benefit, close to 5,000 construction jobs. The money will come from increased vehicle registration fees, title transfer fees, testing fees and the weight-mile taxes paid by trucks. The legislation responds to the fact that 487 state bridges have been found to be in serious need of replacement or repair. The Interstate 5 bridges across the McKenzie and Willamette rivers in the Eugene-Springfield area, for instance, have already been closed to overweight loads. Trucks carrying heavy equipment or other cargo that can't be split into lighter loads are forced to make long detours, adding to shipping costs and increasing traffic on secondary routes. (more...) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2003/07/25/ed.edit.hybrid.0725.html Putting Oregonians back to work By Dan Gardner, Commissioner, Bureau of Labor and Industries Commentary in the Springfield News, 7/30/03 To put Oregonians back to work, lawmakers must invest in public services in ways that provide an immediate stimulant to our economy and allow for continued growth of our workforce. House Bill 2041B, an economic recovery and transportation package, will not only improve our roads but it will put thousands of Oregonians in the building and construction industry back to work and allow apprenticeship opportunities along the way. (more...) http://www.springfieldnews.com/articles/2003/07/30/opinion/news3.txt -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- OTHER NEWS Commissioner candidates winnowed to whopping 17 They whittled a little Wednesday, but at the end of the exercise, Lane County commissioners still had 17 people on their list of potential replacements for Tom Lininger, who leaves the board next month. (more...) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2003/07/24/d1.cr.commissioner.0724.html County race 'cut' to size And then there were 17. (more...) http://www.springfieldnews.com/articles/2003/07/25/local/news04.txt Candidates make case for commissioner seat Candidates vying for the East Lane Commissioner District 5 seat on the Lane County Board of Commissioners took center stage during an almost day-long presentation session. Board Chairman Peter Sorenson said the interview process was going well after more than half of the candidates had been interviewed Tuesday. (more...) http://www.springfieldnews.com/articles/2003/07/30/local/news11.txt Commissioners cut board candidates to seven Only seven people survived the latest cut to the pool of applicants vying to replace Tom Lininger on the Lane County Board of Commissioners. The commissioners have been winnowing down the field over the past three weeks in an attempt to fill Lininger's post before his departure next month. He will leave Aug. 15 to join the faculty at the University of Oregon Law School. The commissioners started out with an unprecedented 23 candidates, but one didn't live within the East Lane District that Lininger represents. They narrowed the list to 17 last week, before Kathy Keable of Blue River dropped out of the race. On Tuesday, each of the commissioners picked one of the remaining 16 to advance to the next round -- hourlong interviews before the entire board at 9 a.m. Aug. 11. Two more applicants were included in the cut in a second selection round. Whoever is chosen will serve through 2004. Voters will then get to choose who serves the remainder of Lininger's term, through 2006. Lininger selected Al King of Springfield and Michael Dean of Coburg for the next round. Chairman Peter Sorenson tapped Martha Roberts of Creswell and Donald Hampton of Oakridge. Commissioner Bobby Green chose Gordon Howard of Dexter, while Commissioner Bill Dwyer opted for Joachim Schulz of Cottage Grove, and Commissioner Anna Morrison picked Gary Williams of Creswell. During Monday's interviews, each candidate will make a five-minute opening statement and five-minute closing remark. In between, each commissioner will conduct 10-minute interviews with each applicant. (end) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2003/07/31/d2.cr.commissioner.0731.html County slots cut to seven hopefuls Seven East Lane County commissioner candidates made the cut this week and will receive an hour-long interview before the Lane County Board of Commissioners. (more...) http://www.springfieldnews.com/articles/2003/08/02/local/news2.txt If at first you don't succeed, write a letter In the "What part of 'no, thanks' don't you understand" category: After not making the short list this week as Lane County commissioners whittled down the list of candidates to replace outgoing Tom Lininger, former state legislator Cedric Hayden fired off a letter offering a deal. If the commissioners appoint him to the $71,000-a-year job, he'll promise not to run for the post when it comes up for election in 2004, Hayden proposed. In fact, if someone won the position outright during the May primary, he'd step down right then instead of staying in office through the end of the year. (more...) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2003/08/01/d1.cr.countybeat.0801.html