Dear CHOICES Subscribers, If we had a magic wand, we would have two financially-sound hospitals located on opposite sides of the Willamette River in the cores of the Springfield and Eugene communities. The two hospitals would offer different types of services, thus providing people a choice in health care. The two hospitals would cooperate with each other for the benefit of the health of the community and its citizens. The two hospitals would both be well-served by transportation options, affording ambulances, doctors, nurses, patients and their families maximum convenience in getting to and from the hospitals. Lastly, the two hospitals would enhance the vitality of their surrounding neighborhoods, with nearby shops and businesses supporting and being supported by hospital staff and visitors as well as the surrounding neighborhoods. As it is, this last week found the two hospitals fighting at each other in various courts. U.S. District Judge Ancer Haggerty will allow a jury to hear most of McKenzie-Willamette Hospital's antitrust lawsuit against PeaceHealth this fall. Meanwhile, last Wednesday evening, PeaceHealth waged an 11th-hour battle in Salem against McKenzie-Willamette Hospital, attempting to make it more difficult for the smaller hospital to move to Eugene. But PeaceHealth failed in its pitch as the Oregon House Rules Committee declined to involve itself in a local issue. PeaceHealth lobbyist Doug Barber said, "There are numerous locations that [McKenzie-Willamette] could build in that would still be in their service area ... but Eugene is not one of them." In addition, Barber said, "Sacred Heart has gone through an excruciating public debate and process in trying to site a hospital in north Springfield." PeaceHealth has expressed concern that McKenzie-Willamette could move to Glenwood and threaten its Cottage Grove Community Hospital, which will open 20 miles away this October. If PeaceHealth is saying there should be a public process about where to site a new hospital, we agree wholeheartedly. We are just wondering when PeaceHealth will begin that process. It wasn't when Arlie and company covertly made a deal with the City of Springfield to annex half the RiverBend land. It wasn't when PeaceHealth annexed the other half of the RiverBend property and citizens were told the use of that property was irrelevant. It wasn't when the City of Springfield held public hearings on amendments to the Metro Plan and the Gamefarm Refinement Plan and the city attorney adfvised the planning commission and city council to ignore public testimony that wasn't directed at a narrow interpretation of the legality of the amendments. It could be when PeaceHealth seeks approval for its master plan, but by then PeaceHealth might have broken ground already. So we would sure love to have a real public process on where it makes sense for PeaceHealth to site their hospital. Perhaps there is still time for the Oregon legislature to rewrite the laws to require that kind of process. Oh, that wouldn't make sense! The land use planning laws calling for public involvement, comprehensive planning, and an analysis of impacts of land use decisions are already key parts of Oregon's land use planning system. There is no need to change the law. There is just a need for the City of Springfield to follow the law. Of course, that is what the appeals to LUBA will determine. Finally, after Eugene City Councilor Gary Papˇ tried to see if there was a way for McKenzie-Willamette Hospital to share space with the Lane County Fairgrounds, one county commissioner said he was "nauseated" by the idea. In other news, the Register-Guard reported on the Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce's growing influence over Eugene's public policy decisions. Chamber members say the chamber's increasingly aggressive stance seeks to counter the heft of some well-organized community groups with "no-growth" and "slow-growth" positions, including those that have fought the plan to move Sacred Heart Medical Center from city-center Eugene to the outskirts of Springfield. The Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce is spearheading study of whether a conference center might work on the Island Park medical-office property downtown, along the Glenwood riverfront or somewhere in the Gateway area. Weyerhaeuser is laying off workers, but Monaco Coach is rehiring. With the so-called Transportation System Maintenance Fee now dead in both Springfield and Eugene and after much bad-mouthing, Lane County and the two cities are beginning to discuss how to pay for patching potholes and other maintenance for the transportation system. Lane Transit District filed a second lawsuit in Lane County Circuit Court to acquire land for its new Springfield transit station along South A Street. Recuperating at home after suffering a sudden bout with migrating blood clots, West Lane County Commissioner Anna Morrison "attended" last Wednesday's commissioners' meeting via telephone. Eugene Planning and Development Department Director Tom Coyle named Susan Muir to succeed Jan Childs as Eugene's Planning Division Manager. Susan Muir -- currently principal planner and manager of Multnomah County's land use planning division -- will begin work in Eugene Oct. 1. If you come across a magic wand, please let us know. Meanwhile, perhaps if people of good faith were to talk to each other more and try to work together, more good would come to our community. Rob Zako, Editor 343-5201 rzako@efn.org ================================================================================ Health Options Digest August 24, 2003 Coalition for Health Options In Central Eugene-Springfield (CHOICES) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CALENDAR Wednesday, 8/27 -- Lane County Roads Advisory Committee 5:45 p.m., Administration Bldg. Conference Room, Lane County Public Works, 3040 N. Delta Hwy., Eugene. Work session on Transportation System Plan elements. For more information contact Celia Barry, 682-6935 or Jason Lien, 682-6975 (1-800-826-8978 County residents only), Jason.Lien@co.lane.or.us -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 Historic Commission accepting applications SPRINGFIELD -- The city is accepting applications to fill two positions on the seven-member Historic Commission. Preference will be given to applicants with technical expertise or background in historic preservation, local history, architecture, construction, archaeology or preservation-related disciplines. Applicants do not need to be residents or property owners in Springfield but their background must meet State Historic Preservation Office standards. The mission of the commission is to promote stewardship for historic preservation through education and participation. The next meeting will be at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 1 in the library meeting room at City Hall, 225 Fifth St. Candidates are requested to attend this meeting and stay for introduction interviews. Applications are available at the city manager's office. The deadline to apply is Aug. 29. For more information, call Kitti Gale at 726-3632. (end) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2003/08/10/c4.cr.briefs.0810.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. (end) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2003/08/03/c1.cr.citybeat.0803.html -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MCKENZIE-WILLAMETTE/TRIAD Hunt for hospital site keeps coming back to Lane County Fairgrounds By Tim Christie The Register-Guard, 8/21/03, Page D1 Lane County commissioners have rejected earlier overtures to sell the Lane County Fairgrounds to would-be hospital developers, but all that property in the heart of the city is apparently irresistible. A Eugene city leader has floated an idea that would use part of the 56-acre fairgrounds and the adjoining neighborhood for a hospital, and move some fair facilities to the other side of Amazon Creek. But county leaders are cool to the idea, and hospital officials say they're months away from making any siting decisions. McKenzie-Willamette Hospital in Springfield and its new partner, Texas-based Triad Hospitals, are planning to build a new hospital somewhere in the metro area, and Eugene officials would like to see it built close to their city center. City planners identified the fairgrounds last year as one of 10 potential sites. In February, the commissioners rejected a proposal from land speculator John Musumeci that involved swapping the fairgrounds for 100 acres of forest land Musumeci owns west of Goshen. But Eugene City Council President Gary Pape offered a different twist on the fairgrounds idea in a recent conversation with Fair Board Chairman Charles Warren and Vice Chairman Tom Hunton, according to a letter Warren sent to county commissioners dated Aug. 8. To give the hospital the land it needs, the deal would require the city to condemn homes that border the west end of the fairgrounds, and the county would need to sell outright or lease all of its land west of the ice rink, including the horse barn and livestock building, Warren said. Hospital officials have said they're looking for a site with at least 35 acres for the new hospital and an adjacent medical office building. With proceeds from the sale or long-term lease, the county would develop vacant land it owns south of Amazon Creek to include a small neighborhood park, livestock facility and horse barn, Warren said. Warren said neither he nor Hunton were advocating the idea nor speaking for the Fair Board. But, he said in his letter, "This very sketchy idea would seem to work for everybody." In an interview, Warren said he was merely sharing his thoughts and trying to keep the commissioners informed, "nothing more, nothing less." "It's not my job to decide where the hospital goes," he said. "It's my job, when I hear things or have thoughts, to pass them on to the commissioners." Peter Sorenson, who chairs the county Board of Commissioners, said he was glad Warren was keeping the commissioners informed, but he said the county was not interested in entertaining offers for the fairgrounds. "As we said earlier when we rejected the offer of John Musumeci, the fairgrounds are not for sale and maybe we should add they're not for lease either," he said. Commissioner Bill Dwyer said he was "nauseated" by the idea. "It seems as though people have their eye on our fairgrounds and they don't want to let go of it," he said. "All the back channeling and everything that's going on in the background makes me want to puke." City officials, he said, "need to go find a piece of property that's for sale." For his part, Pape said Warren is an old friend, so he decided to float his fairgrounds idea as one possible way to get a general service hospital built in the city, south of the Willamette River and close to the city core. "We ought to be proactive to get some sites ready for McKenzie-Willamette-Triad and not wait to be reactive," he said. Pape said he was acting on his own accord and that the fairgrounds are not necessarily the city's preferred site. The city is still looking at all of the original sites identified by city planners. McKenzie-Willamette officials, meanwhile, say they're not yet ready to delve deeply into siting issues, and they won't until their partnership with Triad Hospitals closes, which is expected to occur Oct. 1. Still, hospital spokeswoman Rosie Pryor said, "It's interesting to me that people are looking at what makes sense for an alternate location for our hospital." (end) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2003/08/21/d1.cr.hospital.0821.html -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ANTITRUST LAWSUIT Judge green-lights hospital lawsuit By Tim Christie The Register-Guard, 8/19/03, Page D1 U.S. District Judge Ancer Haggerty will allow a jury to hear most of McKenzie-Willamette Hospital's antitrust lawsuit against PeaceHealth this fall. Haggerty, ruling on a motion for summary judgment brought by PeaceHealth, did throw out one key piece of McKenzie-Willamette's suit but decided the six remaining claims will be heard when the case goes to trial in October. Haggerty, in a decision released late Friday, threw out McKenzie-Willamette's allegation that PeaceHealth, parent of Sacred Heart Medical Center in Eugene, engaged in an illegal "tying" scheme in how it marketed its hospital services to Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon. Under antitrust law, it's illegal for a dominant competitor to tie together two products, for instance by telling a customer that if he wants to buy one product, he must buy a second product, like it or not. In this case, McKenzie-Willamette alleged that PeaceHealth coerced Regence into excluding McKenzie-Willamette from a popular "preferred provider" insurance plan. It did so by offering Regence deep discounts on two services only Sacred Heart offers in this market, cardiovascular and neonatal care, in exchange for being the exclusive provider, and threatening to charge inflated prices for those services if McKenzie-Willamette was included in the preferred provider plan, the suit alleged. In order to prove PeaceHealth illegally tied together its hospital services, McKenzie-Willamette would have to show PeaceHealth coerced Regence into accepting the arrangement, Haggerty said. But the judge cited testimony given in a deposition by a Regence contract negotiator who explicitly denied that Regence was coerced and said the insurance company willingly entered into the arrangement. Haggerty's ruling clears the way for a trial, scheduled to start Oct. 7 in federal court in Portland and last three weeks, though it's possible the two sides could settle out of court before or after the trial begins. McKenzie-Willamette spokeswoman Rosie Pryor said hospital leaders are pleased that "we'll have our day our in court." "Our legal counsel told us all along that it was not likely that all of our claims would go forward," she said. "It feels good to us that six of the seven claims will go forward, and we're looking forward to trial." Marilyn Klug, a PeaceHealth vice president, said she was pleased the judge threw out the tying claim. "It's one less thing to focus on," she said. "Now we can focus on the others." McKenzie-Willamette is seeking $22 million in economic damages, a sum that would be tripled under federal antitrust law, plus $20 million in punitive damages. The suit pits the area's two largest health care providers in a battle for patients and survival. McKenzie-Willamette has been Springfield's independent, nonprofit community hospital since 1955 but is about to become a part of Texas-based Triad Hospitals, the nation's third-largest, for-profit hospital chain. PeaceHealth, based in Bellevue, Wash., is a Catholic-sponsored health system that operates six hospitals in three Northwest states, including its flagship, Sacred Heart. (end) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2003/08/19/d1.cr.hospitalsuit.0819.html Hospital antitrust suit headed to court By Jaime Sherman Springfield News, 8/20/03 Attorneys for McKenzie-Willamette Hospital and PeaceHealth will tackle six legal claims -- not seven -- when they meet in federal court this October. U.S. District Judge Ancer Haggerty ruled Friday that a jury should only hear six of McKenzie-Willamette's seven antitrust claims against PeaceHealth when court convenes in Portland on Oct. 7. McKenzie-Willamette filed the antitrust suit against its Bellevue, Wash.-based competitor in January 2002, stating PeaceHealth was restraining trade, monopolizing business and engaging in discriminatory pricing by entering into an exclusive contract with Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield of Oregon. The suit seeks $22 million in economic damages, which could be tripled under federal antitrust law, and more than $20 million in punitive damages. In his pre-trial order, Haggerty threw out McKenzie-Willamette's claim that PeaceHealth unfairly tied hospital services to pricing in order to become a preferred provider with Regence, ultimately forcing the insurer to buy what it didn't want to acquire. Haggerty said no evidence exists to suggest that Regence was coerced into "buying something it did not want." "Plaintiff ( McKenzie-Willamette ) fails to sufficiently establish the existence of the requisite coercive element ... Testimony establishes beyond serious dispute that Regence freely purchased services it wanted from defendant (PeaceHealth)," Haggerty writes in his order. Although disappointed that one of their claims was thrown out, McKenzie-Willamette officials said they are eager to get to the courtroom. "We're pleased to know we're going to have our day in court," said Rosie Pryor, McKenzie-Willamette's spokeswoman. "The judge feels we have sufficient information to present and should have the opportunity to bring this before a jury -- a jury of PeaceHealth's peers. That's all we've every been after." A jury will hear McKenzie-Willamette's remaining six claims, which relate to alleged exclusive dealings between PeaceHealth and Regence, monopolization and predatory pricing. The jury trial is expected to last three to four weeks. Marilyn Klug, PeaceHealth's vice president for business development, said the hospital is ready to proceed with the lawsuit now that Haggerty has granted summary judgment on one claim. "We were happy with the judge's ruling," Klug said. "As always we're preparing to move forward." PeaceHealth owns and operates Sacred Heart Medical Center in Eugene and the Cottage Grove and Peace Harbor hospitals. The health care organization plans to build a new hospital complex in the Gateway area of north Springfield in the coming years. After filing the lawsuit against PeaceHealth, McKenzie-Willamette Hospital started looking for a financial partner to rescue its hospital, which has been failing financially. In October 2002, hospital officials signed a tentative partnership agreement with for-profit Triad Hospitals Inc. The final agreement will be signed in mid-September, Pryor said. (end) http://www.springfieldnews.com/articles/2003/08/20/local/news02.txt -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- LEGISLATION Hospital pulls legislators into fray By David Steves The Register-Guard, 8/21/03, Page D1 SALEM -- The Eugene-Springfield hospital war opened a new battle front Wednesday night at the Capitol, when lobbyists for PeaceHealth's Sacred Heart Medical Center launched a surprise bid to make it harder for McKenzie-Willamette Hospital to relocate. The effort fell short when a majority of members on the House Rules Committee said they were uncomfortable taking on what had been a strictly local fight between the two Lane County hospitals -- particularly under the circumstances: an amendment that was proposed without any advance notice during an evening meeting. "I cannot vote yes for something that I feel was hurried through the process without adequate public hearing," said Rep. Laurie Monnes-Anderson, D-Gresham. At the request of PeaceHealth lobbyists, the committee's chairman, Rep. Dan Doyle, R-Salem, agreed to consider a "gut-and-stuff" -- legislative parlance for the stripping of language from a bill, which is then replaced with a new set of proposals. In this case, Senate Bill 145 would have been revamped to block state health care regulators from considering changing the rules for the relocation or construction of hospitals. PeaceHealth lobbyist Doug Barber said state health officials were considering changing the rules in a way that would have allowed McKenzie-Willamette to bypass a state-required public-hearing process before replacing its existing hospital in Springfield with a new complex in or south of Eugene. Current state rules require such a public process before state regulators can approve such a move by granting a "certificate of need" to a hospital. Barber said it was important to PeaceHealth that the Legislature stop regulators from changing those rules, in part because of concern that McKenzie-Willamette could build its new hospital within 20 miles of Cottage Grove, where it would compete with PeaceHealth's Cottage Grove Community Hospital. McKenzie-Willamette, a 100-bed community hospital, has been battling in recent years with Sacred Heart, a much larger regional medical center that is moving from its current complex near downtown Eugene to a new campus in northeast Springfield. McKenzie-Willamette currently is merging with Triad, a for-profit health care corporation headquartered near Dallas, Texas, a move that board members and hospital officials say is necessary for the smaller McKenzie-Willamette to survive what it considers the encroachment from Sacred Heart, which it is suing for violation of antitrust laws. McKenzie-Willamette's director of marketing and planning, Rosie Pryor, said her hospital had asked state health care regulators to change the hospital siting rules "to ensure continued successful operation" of McKenzie-Willamette. She called SB 145 "more interference by PeaceHealth." Under questioning from lawmakers, Barber acknowledged that his client's hospital wasn't required to undergo the "certificate of need" process to move from Springfield to Eugene. The state doesn't require it when a hospital moves to a new location within its "service area" -- which for Sacred Heart is considered the entire Eugene-Springfield and surrounding areas. In contrast, McKenzie-Willamette's service area is limited to Springfield. Rep. Phil Barnhart, a Eugene Democrat and House Rules Committee member, said it seemed unfair for the larger of the two hospitals to move into the service area of the smaller community hospital, and to call on the Legislature to ensure that McKenzie-Willamette is submitted to a regulatory process that Sacred Heart wasn't required to go through. "So if the big footprint moves closer and kind of stomps on the little footprint, the little footprint has got to move out of the way if it's going to survive," he said. "And it's got to go through this certificate of need process just to get out of your way. Is that right?" To that Barber responded, "No, they don't have to go through the certificate of need process to 'get out of our way.' There are numerous locations that they could build in that would still be in their service area ... but Eugene is not one of them." In addition, Barber said, "Sacred Heart has gone through an excruciating public debate and process in trying to site a hospital in north Springfield." Doyle, the legislative committee chairman, said that with a majority of his committee opposed to the PeaceHealth-requested legislation, he would not bring it up again unless enough committee members changed their minds. (end) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2003/08/21/d1.cr.bill.0821.html McKenzie-Willamette, PeaceHealth take off the hospital gloves By Jaime Sherman Springfield News, 8/23/03 The ongoing disagreement between McKenzie-Willamette Hospital and PeaceHealth Oregon Region has turned into a nasty brawl. The battle between the two hospitals has moved from the courthouse to the state Capitol. On Wednesday evening, PeaceHealth waged an 11th-hour battle against McKenzie-Willamette Hospital, attempting to make it more difficult for the smaller hospital to move to Eugene. But PeaceHealth failed in its pitch as the House Rules Committee declined to involve itself in a local issue. "The members were convinced that we should stay out of (the disagreement)," said Rep. Phil Barnhart, D-Central Lane and Linn counties. He sits on the rules committee and was present for the debate. A PeaceHealth lobbyist asked the committee to strip wording from Senate Bill 145 and insert new language, requiring McKenzie-Willamette to complete the state's certificate of need process before moving into a new service area as it partners this fall with Triad Hospitals Inc. McKenzie-Willamette Hospital has asked the state to review the certificate of need rule, saying the hospital should be exempt from the process, said Jana Fussell, the state's certificate of need coordinator. PeaceHealth has expressed concern that without the certificate McKenzie-Willamette could move to Glenwood and threaten its Cottage Grove Community Hospital, which will open 20 miles away this October. "We knew this was going to be controversial, but the stakes are pretty high for Cottage Grove," Jenny Ulum, PeaceHealth's government affairs spokeswoman, told The News Thursday. She didn't attend the hearing. "We believe the law is very clear that if hospitals move out of their traditional service area they need to get a certificate of need," she said. "If the state was to change the rules about the traditional service area, we would have a situation where hospitals could locate anywhere in Eugene without input." McKenzie-Willamette Hospital officials said they don't intend to move within 20 miles of the southern hospital and called PeaceHealth's legislative move "bullying." "They were sneaking around for two days, working the members (of the rules committee) to persuade them they wanted to support these proposed amendments," said Rosie Pryor, marketing director for the hospital. "This is one more example of how PeaceHealth systematically interferes with McKenzie-Willamette," she said. "At some point they need to stop obsessing with McKenzie-Willamette and get back to their mission of taking care of people." Barnhart said he respects McKenzie-Willamette's request. "Because its footprint is small and because of where it draws patients, (McKenzie-Willamette) doesn't have the flexibility under this rule that Sacred Heart (PeaceHealth) has," he said. Oregon law states a certificate of need isn't necessary in zip codes where 10 percent or more of a hospital's discharged patients live, or where it has a 20 percent market share. PeaceHealth's Sacred Heart Medical Center isn't required to follow the process as it moves to Springfield because its service area includes the 97477 zip code. McKenzie-Willamette has a 20 percent market share in Eugene, though it is spread out over five zip codes, Pryor said. Barnhart said the rules committee is unlikely to reconsider PeaceHealth's request, and the hospital said it will let the matter rest. "We took our shot, but we're not going to pursue it," Ulum said. "It's late in the game." (end) http://www.springfieldnews.com/articles/2003/08/22/local/news04.txt -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NEARBY DEVELOPMENTS Chamber seeks funding for project study Don't count out plans for a conference center just yet. The Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce is spearheading study of whether a conference center -- something under 100,000 square feet -- might work on the Island Park medical-office property downtown, along the Glenwood riverfront or somewhere in the Gateway area, Executive Director Dan Egan said. Despite a lukewarm reception earlier this year from the City Council and suggestions last month that the project is dead, Egan said he thinks the private sector will bankroll the work to determine what the project would look like at the areas in question. (more...) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2003/08/23/b1.cr.spcitybeat.0823.html More work to bring more jobs to Monaco COBURG -- Monaco Coach Corp., the world's largest maker of diesel-powered motor homes, said it will likely boost production at its factories in Oregon and Indiana by 8.1 percent beginning in September to meet rising demand. Monaco will increase production at its facilities in Oregon by six vehicles a week, to 60, and in Indiana by five vehicles a week, to 86, the company said Wednesday in a news release. The production boost, which require hiring about 30 people in each state, follows Monaco's layoff of 850 workers companywide in March when sales slowed and the firm cut production 20 percent. Those layoffs included about 450 Oregon workers. (more...) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2003/08/21/b1.bz.monaco.0821.html Weyerhaeuser closing two plants; layoffs in Junction City and North Bend Nearly 200 people will lose their jobs as the Weyerhaeuser Co. shutters its manufacturing plants in Junction City and North Bend. (more...) http://www.springfieldnews.com/articles/2003/08/20/business/news03.txt -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRANSPORTATION Agree to at least talk about street funds: County, city feud eases After a year of bad-mouthing each other and failing to patch up failing city street funds, the Lane County Board of Commissioners and its cities appear ready to pave a road back to the bargaining table. On Wednesday, the commissioners discussed calling an October meeting of its cities to discuss a money-sharing plan for the use of federal and state road funds. (more...) http://www.springfieldnews.com/articles/2003/08/22/local/news02.txt LTD heads back to court over land buy Construction is underway on the new LTD station between Pioneer Parkway East and Fourth Street, despite unresolved disputes with area landowners. SAM KARP/The Springfield News By Jaime Sherman Lane Transit District has filed a second lawsuit in Lane County Circuit Court to acquire land for its new Springfield transit station along South A Street. Claiming the right of eminent domain under Oregon law, the district has sued Mike Buckridge, the owner of the Springfield Service Center -- an auto repair shop -- for a corner piece of his property at 225 S. A St. Negotiations were moving along smoothly for a small piece of the mechanic's land until he asked for three times the fair market value, according to Andy Vobora, the district's public affairs manager. (more...) http://www.springfieldnews.com/articles/2003/08/22/local/news01.txt Link to bridges Looking for the latest on plans to rebuild the I-5 bridges over the Willamette and McKenzie rivers? It's at your fingertips. The Oregon Department of Transportation Web site for the two bridge replacement projects has updates and frequently asked questions. Go to http://www.odot.state.or.us/region2public/ and click on the I-5 Willamette River and McKenzie River bridges link. Engineers earlier this year found growing shear cracks in the reinforced concrete beams that support the bridge decks. Consequently, ODOT is limiting the weight of trucks crossing the bridges, and the detours cost the trucking industry as much as $38,000 daily in added shipping costs for heavy loads, according to ODOT. The Web site features a project update newsletter and other information. If you have questions about the project, call 744-8080. (end) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2003/08/23/b1.cr.spcitybeat.0823.html Trucks cause road damage By Orval Etter, Eugene Letter to the Register-Guard, 8/19/03 Forty years ago, the Oregon State Highway Commission wrote: "... over 99 percent of the wear and damage to highway surfaces is caused by vehicles with a gross weight in excess of 6,000 pounds." Its present-day counterpart to the south, CalTrans, has said that the damage to highways by cars, pickup trucks and minivans is "negligible." One highway engineering authority after another, including the Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Washington, has said that such damage is "negligible" and "insignificant." Has the highway commission's successor, the Oregon Department of Transportation, said so? Apparently not. The plan of highway finance recently approved by the Legislature and the governor visits on car owners a huge increase in their share of the financial burden for financing highway maintenance and repair. And it does so in the face of the 1999 state constitutional requirement that financial burdens on various classes of vehicles be proportional to the costs that arise from their use of highways. What gives? Have the laws of physics that figure in highway damage in Oregon changed during the past 40 years? Are those laws different in Oregon than in Washington and the rest of the country? Or are ODOT, the Legislature and the governor all in the pockets of operators of big trucks? (end) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2003/08/19/ed.letters.0819.html -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- OTHER NEWS Taking the wheel: Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce has growing influence over city's public policy decisions Flexing its fledgling political muscle, the Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce 10 days ago forced city councilors to repeal a controversial road maintenance fee that chamber members deemed short-sighted and unfair to business. Last fall, the business group hit a home run when the three City Council candidates it endorsed and bankrolled won their races. Several months before that, the chamber contested Eugene's new development code as too ambiguous and restrictive. A state land use appeals panel generally agreed, and the city later removed or rewrote the offending portions of the code. With roughly 1,200 members, the chamber has lately become a galvanizing force in local public policy. The advocacy group is increasingly willing take prominent stands on issues it believes are key to keeping the local economy chugging along. (more...) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2003/08/24/f1.bz.chamber.0824.html Results show people listen when chamber council talks The Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce and its Local Government Affairs Council are big players in policy issues. Topics they have tackled include: Transportation System Maintenance Fee: The chamber opposed the fee and earlier this month launched an initiative petition drive to refer it to voters. A day after the chamber started the petition, the Eugene City Council repealed the fee. Political action committee: The chamber created its first-ever PAC, which in 2002 endorsed and gave money to three City Council candidates -- Gary Pape, Jennifer Solomon and George Poling. All three won. Land Use Code Update: The chamber said the new Eugene development code would restrict growth, and won an appeal at the state Land Use Board of Appeals. The city later revised the code. Redistricting City Council ward boundaries: The chamber developed a redistricting map that won support from the League of Women Voters and the City Council. West Eugene Parkway: The chamber helped resurrect the highway by lobbying to put a measure before voters, who then approved the project. But critics are fighting it, and construction has yet to start. Living wage proposal: Chamber fought a plan for a "living wage" in Eugene that would require the city and its suppliers to pay a minimum wage of $11.42 to $14.28 an hour. The City Council killed the idea, which would have cost as much as $3.5 million a year to implement. Toxic Right-to-Know: A group of manufacturers organized by the chamber won an Oregon Court of Appeals ruling that stated the fee structure of the city's hazardous chemical reporting program violated state law. But the victory was hollow. The program remains in effect. (end) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2003/08/24/f1.bz.chamberside.0824.html Would-be commissioner tries another tack Cedric Hayden, a retired dentist and former state legislator who didn't make it into the finals to succeed East Lane County Commissioner Tom Lininger, hasn't given up yet. Three weeks ago, after he didn't make the short list of interviewees, Hayden wrote the commissioners a letter, telling them that if they appointed him to the job, he'd promise not to run when the seat comes up for election next year. They didn't take him up on that offer, so now Hayden's trying the opposite approach -- he's issued a news release saying he plans to visit the county's election office today at 9 a.m. to begin the process of putting his name on the ballot for the May 2004 election. The commissioners have narrowed the field of possible successors for Lininger to seven and will interview them sometime in next few weeks. Whoever wins appointment will serve through 2004 and may choose to run in the May election. The winner of that contest will fill the remainder of Lininger's term, which runs through 2006. Another person not chosen to replace Lininger also doesn't seem to be able to let go of county politics. His predecessor in the job, Cindy Weeldreyer, who chose not to run for a third term in last year's election and threw her support behind Lininger, has taken a temporary post as aide to Springfield Commissioner Bill Dwyer. (end) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2003/08/22/c1.cr.countybeat.0822.html Recuperating from clots, Morrision meets by phone It obviously takes more than hospitalization to keep Commissioner Anna Morrison down. Recuperating at home after suffering a sudden bout with migrating blood clots, Morrison "attended" Wednesday's commissioners' meeting via telephone. "I want to express how overwhelmed I have been with flowers, cards and expressions of support," Morrison said at the beginning of the session. "It's been two weeks, and things are getting a little better. It's my intent and goal to be back as soon as possible to keep you guys in line." That promise drew knowing looks from her colleagues on the board, Chairman Peter Sorenson, Bobby Green and Bill Dwyer. "Your influence on this board is felt whether you're here in the room or not, believe me," Sorenson responded. With a reputation for being both well-prepared and outspoken, Morrison represents West Lane County on the board of commissioners. First elected in 1998, she won a second term in 2002. (end) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2003/08/22/c1.cr.countybeat.0822.html City announces new planning division manager City officials have moved quickly to bring in a successor to Planning Division Manager Jan Childs, retiring this summer after several years in the position. Susan Muir -- currently principal planner and manager of Multnomah County's land use planning division -- will begin work in Eugene Oct. 1. "She has demonstrated the ability to move projects to completion in a manner which is respectful of public process," Executive Director Tom Coyle of the city's Planning and Development Department says in a written statement. "Her proven leadership capabilities make her an excellent match for this opportunity." Muir, who has worked for Lane County since 1995, was picked for the Eugene job following a nationwide recruitment process. Mayor Jim Torrey took a moment during a recent City Council meeting to acknowledge the retiring planning manager -- catching Childs by surprise -- and thanking her for her service. (end) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2003/08/24/c3.cr.citybeat.0824.html --------------------------------------------------------------------------------