Health Options Digest: February 8, 2004

Fonts, Links and All That
    Thank you to everyone who made suggestions about how to get the font size right in "Health Options Digest." Our teem of webmaster has been working on a better mousetrap... and we think we have found it. Starting this week as an experiment, we are publishing a web-based version of "Health Options Digest." If the fonts are too larger or too small, you can tell your web browser to change the sizes. Moreover, the web-based version includes a table of contents with hot links to all the stories. We hope you will find this useful.
    But we understand that some readers will want to continue receiving "Health Options Digest" in their email. Thus we are providing it in both forms. Of course, the email version will not have all the features of the web-based version.
    Please let us know what you think. (top...)

Week In Review
    Correction: I took my own medicine and checked my sources. As it turns out, I was mistaken. Because DLCD will not intervene in the appeal to the Court of Appeals of the PeaceHealth amendments, ODOT won't either. They could do so, but only in a limited way that didn't seem worth the effort. Matt Cooper (and others) had it right.
    Until the attorneys and judges sort out the PeaceHealth mess, the rest of us are left to wait and speculate.
    Meanwhile, McKenzie-Willamette/Triad is spinning off non-acute care, as required by the Attorney General when he approved the merger.
    As McKenzie-Willamette/Triad looks for a site for their new hospital, look for lots of specuation, second-guessing and hand wringing.
    CHOICES is appealing Eugene's recent change to allow a hospital in just about anywhere. While CHOICES supports a hospital in Eugene, we don't believe it is prudent (or legal) to eliminate the idea of zoning to do so.
    With the failure of Measure 30, more people will be dropped from the Oregon Health Plan.
    Springfield officials were stunned when the Lane County Boundary Commission voted 6-0 to deny a merger of fire districts. Apparently, doing so would violate the Eugene-Springfield Metro Plan.
    Eugene is planning changes for downtown and its Riverfront Research Park. Check the calendar below for details.
    The power of the McKenzie River has been on display at it slowly but surely undercuts the home of Randy and Cindy Mathews. If PeaceHealth succeeds in locating a hospital on the banks of the McKenzie River, let's hope it is more forgiving there.
    Finally, Governor Kulongoski appointed Lane Shetterly to head DLCD, the state's land use agency. (top...)

-- Rob Zako

Calendar

Monday, February 9 -- Eugene Planning Commission
    Sloat Room, Atrium Bldg., 99 West 10th Ave., Eugene

    11:30 a.m., Work Session
    1. Public Comment on Non-Agenda Items
    2. Citizen Involvement Plan for the Proposed Salmon Protection Regulations
    3. Nodal Program Discussion
    4. Presentation: Oregon Chapter of the American Planning Association -- "Telling the Oregon Story" (top...)

Monday, February 9 -- Springfield City Council
    City Hall, 225 Fifth St., Springfield, Amy Sowa, 726-3700

    5:30 p.m., Executive Session, Jesse Maine Room
    1. Grandview Estates Septic Tank Issue. (15 min.)

    5:50 p.m., Work Session, Jesse Maine Room
    1. 2004-2009 Capital Improvement Program. (30 min.)
    2. Discussion of Metro Plan Policies and Provisions Not Currently Subject to Periodic Review. (20 min.) (agenda...) (top...)

Monday, February 9 -- Eugene City Council
    City Hall, 777 Pearl Street, Eugene, Lynda Rose, 682-5017, lynda.l.rose@ci.eugene.or.us

    5:30 p.m., Work Session, McNutt Room
    1. Items from Mayor, City Council, and City Manager
    2. Work Session: Continued Discussion on Priorities for the Planning Division Work Program

    7:30 p.m., Regular Meeting, Council Chamber
    1. Ceremonial Matters
    2. Public Forum
    3. Consent Calendar
        A. Approval of City Council Minutes
        B. Approval of Tentative Working Agenda
    4. Public Hearing and Possible Action: An Ordinance Concerning Criminal Trespass and Interference With a Firefighter; Amending Sections 4.805, 4.808 and 4.990 of the Eugene Code, 1971; Renumbering Section 4.810 of that Code to Section 4.812; Adding Sections 4.810 and 4.941 to that Code; and Providing an Immediate Effective Date and An Ordinance Concerning State Traffic Laws; Amending Sections 5.005 and 5.990 of the Eugene Code, 1971; and Providing an Immediate Effective Date
    5. Public Hearing: An Ordinance Concerning Multiple-Unit Housing and Amending Section 2.945 of the Eugene Code, 1971
    6. Public Hearing: An Ordinance Adopting Amended Riverfront Urban Renewal District Plan Adopted by Ordinance No. 19352 on September 11, 1985
    7. Action: An Ordinance Concerning the Citizens Involvement Committee and Amending Sections 2.013 and 2.350 of the Eugene Code
    8. Action: Roosevelt Yard Property Acquisition
    9. Action: An Ordinance Amending the Eugene-Springfield Metropolitan Area General Plan Diagram to Add the ND Symbol to the Eugene Downtown Plan Area; Redesignating the Federal Courthouse Site From Heavy Industrial to Commercial; Adopting a Severability Clause; and Providing an Effective Date and An Ordinance Adopting a New Eugene Downtown Plan as a Refinement of the Eugene-Springfield Metropolitan Area General Plan; Repealing Resolution No. 3882 and the Eugene Downtown Plan Adopted Therein; Amending Section 9.9540 of the Eugene Code, 1971; Adopting a Severability Clause; and Providing an Effective Date (agenda...) (top...)

Monday, February 9 -- Power plant subject of community discussion

The Register-Guard

February 4, 2004

    Citizens concerned about a proposal to build a 900-megawatt gas-fired power plant near Coburg will sponsor two community meetings to encourage discussion of the issue.
    The first will be Friday [February 6] at 6 p.m. at the Eugene Water & Electric Board building at 500 E. Fourth Ave. in Eugene.
    The second meeting will be Monday [February 9] at 6 p.m. in the Springfield City Council Chamber, 225 Fifth St.
    Speakers will include land-use consultant Eben Fodor, former county commissioner Tom Lininger and David Monk of the Oregon Toxics Alliance. Coburg resident Carolyn Kinnan will moderate. (end) (top...)

Tuesday, February 10 -- Eugene City Council, Springfield City Council and Lane County Board of Commissioners
    Bascom/Tykeson Room, Eugene Public Library, 100 West 10th Ave.

    5:30 p.m., Joint Work Session

    6:30 p.m., Joint Public Hearing
    1. Public Hearing: An Ordinance Amending the Eugene-Springfield Metropolitan Area General Plan (Metro Plan) to Adopt as Part of Periodic Review Metro Plan Housekeeping Revisions; a New Metro Plan Chapter III-C: Environmental Resources Element; a New Metro Plan Diagram; Adopting Savings and Severability Clauses; and Providing an Effective Date (agenda...) (top...)

Wednesday, February 11 -- Eugene City Council
    City Hall, 777 Pearl Street, Eugene, Lynda Rose, 682-5017, lynda.l.rose@ci.eugene.or.us

    Noon, Work Session, McNutt Room
    1. Work Session: East Campus Plan Amendments
    2. Work Session: Central Area Transportation Study (agenda...) (top...)

Opportunities

Regional agency needs budget member

The Register-Guard

February 4, 2004

    The Lane Council of Governments seeks a volunteer to serve on the agency's budget committee. Members serve three-year terms and can expect one or two meetings each year.
    Applications are available at the LCOG offices on the fourth floor of the bank building at 99 E. Broadway in downtown Eugene. Completed applications must be received by 5 p.m. on March 5 in order to be considered.
    For information, call 682-4283. (end) (top...)

PeaceHealth

City, PeaceHealth leap land-use hurdle

By Jaime Sherman
Springfield News

February 4, 2004

    The city of Springfield and PeaceHealth scored a big victory when the Land Conservation and Development Commission declined to involve itself in a land use decision before the Oregon Court of Appeals.
    After listening to testimony from Mayor Sid Leiken and City Attorney Meg Kieran last Friday, the commission said it wouldn't joined the Oregon Department of Transportation in filing a brief before the court.
    If filed, the brief would have supported the Land Use Board of Appeals interpretation of the state's Transportation Planning Rule. LUBA ruled earlier this month that the city must show that growth on PeaceHealth's Gateway area property won't negatively impact transportation infrastructure. (more...) (top...)

Letter: Eugene, bring PeaceHealth back

By Jake McCullough, Springfield

February 2, 2004

    Seeing as how two more state agencies have jumped into the PeaceHealth hospital fiasco, and since the whole problem was created by the Eugene City Council and land use planning, perhaps the council could help resolve the problem by eating a little bit of crow and applying the Golden Rule.
    How about the council and planning board as a group going to PeaceHealth, admitting their foolish mistake and apologizing? Let PeaceHealth buy back the property it owned in North Eugene, and let it go ahead with plans for a new medical facility on that property. Thus, PeaceHealth should be happy, and our great little hospital could stay in Springfield and build on the property it now owns.
    After the Eugene City Council woos PeaceHealth back to Eugene, it can concentrate on the council's dance troupe. The dancers, with the rest of the council as a support group, could go on the road to further their careers. Perhaps then Eugene's best mayor in many years could be lucky enough to get a council to help him with his vision of a new Eugene. Mayor Jim, go for it! (end) (top...)

Slant: LUBA?

Eugene Weekly

February 5, 2004

What's really going on with PeaceHealth, Springfield, LUBA, ODOT and DLCD? State agencies are hesitant to get formally involved in the appeal at this point, but they are already on record and their statements are sure to be used in arguments for and against the development. What's not useful at this point is for our local mayors to get all excited and exaggerate implications. The LUBA ruling does not mean that all development must stop in Oregon -- only massive projects that create decades of traffic snarl. And the state agencies' pulling back does not mean a big whoop-de-do victory for PeaceHealth. Meanwhile, why isn't Torrey siding with LUBA to stop PeaceHealth from leaving Eugene? Does he want to be Springfield's next mayor? (end) (top...)

Letter: Hospital project will fuel sprawl

By Tom Bowerman, Eugene

February 7, 2004

    Hmm, what's wrong with this picture? Eugene-Springfield's traffic is getting congested faster than any comparable metro area in the country (Register-Guard, Oct. 1), while Springfield and PeaceHealth officials are fighting the laws to deal proactively with congestion (Register-Guard, Jan. 29).
    Having just returned from two weeks in Southern California, I can attest to the chaos and stress caused by poorly planned growth. They just can't build roads fast enough to keep up with the demands caused by poor planning. Ten lanes of traffic rapidly alternating between 70 m.p.h. and a dead stop are not uncommon. Rush hour lasts eight hours each day.
    People here agree that we don't want Los Angeles, yet that's exactly the path our leaders have us on. The latest example, putting a traffic-generating hospital surrounded by massive amounts of commercial development on the urban fringe next to the river, should be the wake-up call.
    In a general sense, there are two basic concepts to accommodate inevitable growth -- the compact model and the sprawl model.
    The few cities that have adopted the compact model have vibrant downtowns, high property values, healthy infrastructure and human-friendly environments.
    The many cities that have gone the sprawl route have urban blight, congested traffic and struggles with services. They are depressing places to be.
    The choice is ours to make through whom we elect. Get involved or suffer the consequences. (end) (top...)

Business Beat Kudos: Brian Terrett

The Register-Guard

February 5, 2004

Brian Terrett, director of public affairs for the Oregon region of PeaceHealth, has been named president of the Healthcare Communicators of Oregon. (end) (top...)

McKenzie-Willamette/Triad

Nonprofit assumes health services

By Tim Christie
The Register-Guard

February 2, 2004

    SPRINGFIELD -- McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center has gotten out of the business of caring for patients who aren't acutely ill, and a new organization has been formed to fill the void.
    Willamette Community Health Solutions, a nonprofit corporation, will take over services no longer provided by McKenzie-Willamette, said Margie Brooks, executive director for the McKenzie-Willamette Community Health Foundation. The foundation also is part of the new organization, which employs about 130 people.
    The services provided by Willamette Community Health Solutions include home health, hospice care, adult day care, patient education and occupational medicine. (more...) (top...)

Health care services shifting to WCHS

By Amber Fossen
Springfield News

February 4, 2004

    Non-acute health care will now be handled by the nonprofit Willamette Community Health Solutions, providing services no longer being offered by McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center.
    Margie Brooks, executive director for the McKenzie-Willamette Community Health Foundation, said the change is due to the hospital's partnership with Triad. The hospital merged with for-profit Triad in October and non-acute services remained with the part of the hospital that stayed nonprofit.
    However, state Attorney General Hardy Meyers directed the new for-profit hospital company and the nonprofit be separate when the merger was approved. (more...) (top...)

Proposal may speed hospital's relocation

By Tim Christie
The Register-Guard

February 7, 2004

State health officials on Friday unveiled a proposed change to state hospital-siting rules that would streamline the process for allowing McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center to move from Springfield to Eugene. (more...) (top...)

Letter: Hospital, city goals in conflict

By Jeremy Adolf, Springfield

February 5, 2004

    I read with interest that it was a mystery to some on the Eugene City Council that McKenzie-Willamette was not interested in some of the hospital sites the council preferred (Register-Guard, Jan. 27).
    The goal of a hospital is to provide health care. It is not an avenue to provide for urban renewal or to unload land that no one else has interest in. In order to be viable it must provide services to the entire region, not just Eugene. It needs to be situated near a major highway system. It must be convenient for patients and physicians. It is desirable to be near hotels and restaurants for families.
    PeaceHealth has secured such a site. So far, Eugene has offered McKenzie-Willamette an industrial site with a view of the railroad tracks. (end) (top...)

Letter: No need for hospital to move

By Jim Schmidt, Eugene

February 6, 2004

    I am having a hard time following the logic here.
    McKenzie-Willamette is moving because its current Springfield location is too close to Sacred Heart's RiverBend site. However, when choosing a location in Eugene, McKenzie-Willamette likes the Delta Highway/Valley River site because it is close to Sacred Heart in Spring- field.
    If the hospital wants to be close to Sacred Heart, why doesn't it just stay where it is? (end) (top...)

Editorial: The art of the deal: Send the right signals to land a new hospital

The Register-Guard

February 8, 2004

    Bruised by the loss of PeaceHealth's huge hospital project to Springfield, Eugene officials have tried hard to be more accommodating to McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center in its efforts to relocate to Eugene.
    The problem is that there are few Eugene sites that combine the city's desire for a centrally located new hospital south of the Willamette River with McKenzie-Willamette's need for a readily available, affordable parcel of at least 25 acres.
    As a result, city officials have disagreed publicly with how best to woo McKenzie-Willamette. The debate is a healthy part of developing good policy, but it also can send mixed signals to executives struggling with the question of where to build a new hospital. The city needs to make certain that its desire to help with the relocation is unambiguous -- at any suitable Eugene site. (more...) (top...)

Hospital Siting

CHOICES Files Another Appeal Aimed at Hospital Development

KEZI

February 5, 2004, 5:30 PM

A bump in the road for the City of Eugene in its quest to bring a new hospital to town. The land use group, CHOICES, has filed another appeal to the Land Use Board of Appeals. This appeal challenges a recent ordinance passed by the City of Eugene, which opens up the areas where a hospital, like McKenzie-Willamette can locate. CHOICES wants LUBA to reverse that decision, restricting where a hospital can go. CHOICES is the same group opposing PeaceHealth's Riverbend project in Springfield. (end) (top...)

Cost of Health Care

Oregon Governor: Expect Cuts in Service

By Charles E. Beggs
The Associated Press

February 4, 2004, 6:29 PM

    SALEM, Ore. -- Gov. Ted Kulongoski said Wednesday that 50,000 poor people will be dropped from the state's health plan and other "drastic consequences" lie ahead after the voters rejected a tax increase for the second time in just over a year.
    The proposed $800 million tax increase was voted down decisively Tuesday, 59 percent to 41 percent, automatically triggering $544 million in spending cuts on May 1.
    "There will be loss of essential programs," Kulongoski said. "There will be drastic consequences to some citizens." (more...) (top...)

TV ad blitz takes aim at criticism of Medicare

The Associated Press

February 4, 2004

WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration launched a $9.5 million television advertising campaign Tuesday to rebut criticism of the new Medicare law.
The ad is to run on network and cable television through March, clustered around soap operas, game shows and news programs. Its theme is "Same Medicare. More Benefits.'' (more...) (top...)

Fire District Merger

Fire District: On the Ballot?

KEZI

February 2, 2004, 11:55 PM

    Springfield residents, get ready to vote on a possible fire annexation. Springfield City Councilors decided that if the Boundary Commission gives the okay to Springfield to merge with the Willakenzie Fire District, the city will help get the issue to a ballot.
    "We can't put it before the vote because we don't have the authority, but we can encourage and help the collection of signatures so that can occur," said Springfield City Councilor Tammy Fitch.
    The Boundary Commission is expected to make a decision on the fire merger later this month. If its approved, expect to see the issue on a may ballot. (end) (top...)

Fire merger proposal allowed to move ahead

The Register-Guard

February 3, 2004

    SPRINGFIELD -- The city moved closer on Monday to turning its fire department over to a rural fire district in an effort to balance its municipal checkbook.
    On a 4-2 vote, the City Council approved a 17-page agreement to allow the Willakenzie Rural Fire Protection District to take over the city's fire department and provide fire services to Springfield beginning July 1. City residents would see no difference in their tax bills in the first year under the plan but could face increases after that.
    Councilors Christine Lundberg and Dave Ralston opposed the move. "In my heart of hearts, I don't think this is a good way to go for Springfield," Lundberg said.
    But Council President Tammy Fitch said the city's $1.4 million deficit had to be made up somehow. "We have cut to the bone -- and now we're about to take out bones," she said.
    The annexation must next be approved by the Lane County Local Government Boundary Commission, which will hold a public hearing on the matter at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Eugene Council Chamber at City Hall, 777 Pearl St. (end) (top...)

Editorial: City must step lightly in district merger brushfire

Springfield News

February 4, 2004

    Budget shortfalls abound -- from the federal government, through the state coffers, right down to city hall. What gets lost in all the news coverage, is that these monetary crises don't stop there. They extend into virtually every neighborhood, to the Jones' next door, and all of our household budgets as well.
    Clear thinking citizens -- often overwhelmed in trying to make ends meet in the present budgetary climate that sees taxes constantly on the rise and incomes resembling pork bellies in their constant state of droop -- are forced to weigh the cost of vital services against their ability to fund them. Further, the overarching skepticism that comes from government seemingly not doing its part only serves to perpetuate the attendant anxiety and confusion.
    Measure 30 is only the most recent example.
    But for Springfielders, there's another blast of revenue-seeking draft headed up the electorate's skirt. Thursday night, the Boundary Commission will take up the issue of the city's fire department merging with the Willakenzie Fire District. If it was as simple as that -- whether or not the city should get out of the firefighting biz -- we'd only have to worry about the cosmetics as to what name will be on the fire trucks. But it's much more complicated. (more...) (top...)

Letter: Springfield Status

By Daniel J. Moore, Former Asst. Fire Chief, Springfield

February 5, 2004

    The more things change, the more they stay the same. Take as an example the claim-jumping activities of the current Springfield City Council and a few high-placed fire badges. They are attempting to outright steal ownership of millions of dollars of fire truck rolling stock, equipment, buildings, levied tax dollars and paid-for hours of training with housing support supplies. There is also the possibility money will be diverted from running the city.
    But what is a "city"?
    This is an important definition because it sets standards that apply when any city entity submits for any federal grants, which in this case has been done for some of that very same expensive Fire Rescue gear and training.
    It is a unique condition that the local City Council has moved to steal not only from the citizens but also from the federal government, putting the complete status of the existence of the city of Springfield into question. The same people who would threaten that status also feel that if a vote takes place it would allow the surrounding people not of Springfield city to also vote if they want to take Springfield's property.
    This is a federal elections crime called "gerrymandering," which could just cause the FBI to be forced to investigate and prosecute in this election year.
    Hmm? Anyone listening yet? (end) (top...)

Boundary Commission Denies Springfield, Willakenzie Fire Merger

By Jennifer Winters
KVAL

February 5, 2004

    SPRINGFIELD -- The Springfield and Willakenzie Fire Districts hopes to merge may be up in smoke.
    They needed the approval from the Lane County Boundary Commission.
    Thursday night, the commission said "no." (more...) (top...)

Springfield Fire Merger Voted Down

KEZI

February 6, 2004, 12:25 AM

    I believe the City of Springfield should take more time to consider the effects of the boundary change, said Springfield resident Debbie Williams.
    Some of the concerns people shared Thursday night about a proposed merger between the Springfield and Willakenzie Fire Districts are shared by the county... as it denies the annexation.
    The Lane County Boundary Commission says the fire merger violates the Metro Plan. It was a decision the Boundary Commission didn't appear to take lightly. Discussion lasted past 10:00pm, and in the end the board made a unanimous decision to deny the fire annexation.
    At this point the board only cites non-compliance with the Metro Plan as the reason it was voted down. It came as a hard hit to the city of Springfield, which has studied and worked on the plan to merge with the Willakenzie Fire District for two years. (more...) (top...)

Fire District Rejected

By Craig Sklar
KVAL

February 6, 2004

    SPRINGFIELD -- Springfield city leaders are going back to the drawing board after a plan to consolidate its fire service with Willakenzie was shot down.
    City Manager Mike Kelly says Springfield might appeal the Lane County Boundary Commission's ruling to the state court of appeals. The city wants to transfer it's fire and emergency services to Willakenzie over the next two years, turning both entities into one district.
    The Commission ruled it violates the local Metro plan, something Kelly says misses the point. "The person down on the street will wait until Eugene responds not the nearest available unit."
    The Commission says the Metro plan requires cities to run their own departments. It also ruled the merger would violate property tax limits under measure five. Springfield is already facing a million and a half dollars budget deficit. Kelly says a combined district would better service the area with fire and emergency services. (more...) (top...)

City's plan to merge fire service rejected

By Bob Keefer
The Register-Guard

February 6, 2004

The Lane County Local Government Boundary Commission on Thursday night stunned Springfield officials by flatly rejecting their plan to eliminate the city's fire department and join a rural fire district in order to keep the city financially solvent.
Citing a conflict with the Eugene-Springfield Metro Plan, which says that cities should be the main providers of essential services, commissioners voted 6-0 to deny the annexation of the fire department into the tiny Willakenzie Rural Fire Protection District after a two-hour public hearing at Eugene City Hall. (more...) (top...)

Nearby Developments

SONY site makes governor's 'shovel ready' list

By Jaime Sherman
Springfield News

February 4, 2004

    The state of Oregon is giving Springfield a hand in marketing the vacant Sony Disc Manufacturing plant.
    The governor's Economic Revitalization Team is creating an online database of "certified" industrial sites that are shovel ready in hopes of attracting new business to the state, and the Sony site is at the top of the list.
    Robin Roberts, a regional coordinator for the team, met with city councilors Monday night to explain the new marketing program, which is the third such program in the nation designed to get the attention of companies looking to locate with little if any hassle. (more...) (top...)

Monaco to keep boosting output

By Joe Harwood
The Register-Guard

February 4, 2004

COBURG -- Buoyed by record fourth-quarter sales and high hopes for 2004, Monaco Coach Corp. officials said Tuesday that the company will continue increasing production to meet heavy demand for its motor homes and trailers.
Sales for 2004 could reach $1.4 billion, up from $1.16 billion in 2003, the company said. (more...) (top...)

Eugene City Beat: Tax revenue riding on size of urban renewal district

By Edward Russo
The Register-Guard

February 8, 2004

    Public notices from City Hall may be accurate, but sometimes they aren't very enlightening.
    Take the postcard that all Eugene property owners got last week, informing them about "A Proposal to Amend the Riverfront Research Park Urban Renewal Plan."
    There wasn't much detail explaining why someone might want to hoof it down to City Hall Monday night to attend a public hearing on the subject.
    What's the postcard all about? (more...) (top...)

An arena for the ages: The University of Oregon's replacement for McArthur Court may be the most costly college basketball facility in history

By Greg Bolt
The Register-Guard

February 8, 2004

    Inspired by donors who want the best, the University of Oregon is on track to build the most expensive college basketball complex ever.
    But the UO isn't just inching ahead in the competition for ever-better collegiate sports buildings. The $180 million estimated price tag for the 14,000 seat arena and training center is $50 million more than its nearest competitor, a stunning 38 percent leap in arena spending.
    That would be a record price for a collegiate arena and is sure to again turn a national spotlight on the UO and its effort to place its athletics program among the country's elite. (more...) (top...)

Development Report: Major home builder moves in on subdivision

By Joe Harwood
The Register-Guard

February 3, 2004

    After launching almost two dozen housing developments in the Portland area, the Bend-Redmond area and in southwest Washington, Texas-based home builder D.R. Horton Inc. is moving into Eugene.
    The third-largest U.S. home builder, D.R. Horton, has bought the unfinished Royal Creek subdivision in west Eugene from a development group headed by local businessman Ross Murry for about $12 million, Murry said.
    Murry last year secured subdivision plan approval for the 45-acre parcel, located north of Royal Avenue and west of Candlelight Drive. Murry said he already has installed streets, water lines, sewers and other infrastructure for about half of the 219 lots. (more...) (top...)

Flooding and Rivers

River eroding family's dream home

By Randi Bjornstad
The Register-Guard

February 3, 2004

    CEDAR FLAT -- It started out as Randy and Cindy Mathews' dream home, a big, white, two-story house overlooking a scenic, tree-lined stretch of the McKenzie River east of Springfield.
    But during the past several years, their lives -- corresponding with the river's changing course -- have taken a nightmarish turn. The Mathews' 3,000-square-foot house now stands vacant, most of its doors, windows and fixtures removed, water rapidly eroding the soil beneath and threatening to topple it into the rushing current.
    Why this has happened depends on who's talking. (more...) (top...)

Homeowner Makes Plea

By Craig Sklar
KVAL

February 4, 2004

    EUGENE -- The owner of that house falling into the McKenzie River made one last plea to the County Commissioners, but not to save his home.
    Randy Mathews told the Lane County Commissioners Wednesday that his house is just the beginning. He says that the diversions put in by the U.S Army Corps of Engineers seven years ago have now changed the course of the McKenzie.
    He says while while it's too late for his house near Cedar Flats just east of Springfield, others down river are now in danger. Those homes are on Thurston road and are now much closer to the river after it changed course.
    The Commissioners didn't challenge Mathews on whether the diversions installed after the 1996 floods are to blame. they did admit it's too late to help him save his home. They shared his concern about other homes down river being at risk in the next flood.
    Mathews' home is still standing but the river bank underneath the structure continues to erode away. (more...) (top...)

Home hangs on at river's edge

By Christopher Stollar
Springfield News

February 4, 2004

    The house may soon fall into the McKenzie River, and fingers of blame are pointing up and down the river.
    The waters of the McKenzie River at Cedar Flat are rapidly eroding the soil under the 3,000-square-foot home of Randy and Cindy Mathews, threatening to plunge the home into the river.
    The long-time Springfield residents obtained needed county permits and started building their dream home after the flood of 1996. Now, nearly eight years later, the house is hanging precariously above the water.
    The search for who's to blame continued this week as Cindy Mathews implored City Council to "step up to the plate and save this from becoming a disaster." The city doesn't have jurisdiction over the Mathews property, the county is responsible for the area outside the city's urban growth boundary, but Cindy Mathews' testimony didn't fall on deaf ears. (more...) (top...)

Down River Fears

By Craig Sklar
KVAL

February 5, 2004

    CEDAR FLAT -- As the Mathew's house teeter on the brink of the McKenzie River, who might be next?
    That's a question being asked even as blame is being assessed over the pending destruction of Randy' Mathew's house at the hands of the McKenzie. the bank continues to under cut the home as Mathews prepares to see it fall into the river.
    But the fact remains... the river has changed course, and now the fate of homes down river is uncertain. Such is life in a river flood plain.
    "Even a river we would describe as stable can erode it's banks and erode its beds," says U.S. Forest Service Hydrologist Deigh Bates. "It's a tricky place to build because flood plains are very dynamic and very active and so you have to have done your homework before you build on those areas."
    So watching the river eat away at this bank is one thing, knowing what it does in the coming years means expert guesswork, and a lot of luck. (end) (top...)

Mathews' Home Onslaught Slowed

By Craig Sklar
KVAL

February 6, 2004

CEDAR FLAT -- The Mathews house has a little more time before the McKenzie river topples it off its foundation. River levels are low for the time being, practically halting its attack on the south bank under Randy Mathews' now abandoned home.
That's due to work on a canal upriver that is reducing the level. The river changed course, eating away at the bank and leading mathews to blame the county and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which installed a diversion system up river seven years ago. The County says there's nothing it can do to save the home. (more...) (top...)

Residents fear raging river

By Amber Fossen and Jaime Sherman
Springfield News

February 6, 2004

Like a child's sand castle, the home of Randy and Cindy Mathews will soon be washed into the McKenzie River, and neighbors downstream are worrying that the force of the river will soon erode more than the house.
The raging river has changed course in the last decade around Cedar Flat, and the riverbank is creeping onto farmland and nearing homes. As the riverbank erodes, residents fear their east Springfield neighbors will soon be impacted. (more...) (top...)

Transportation

Parkway may drive motorists around the bend

By Jaime Sherman
Springfield News

February 4, 2004

    The largest road project the city of Springfield has undertaken in the last decade is going to have drivers going around and around.
    A two-lane roundabout is proposed for the intersection of Hayden Bridge Road, Pioneer Parkway and yet-to-be built Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway to accommodate future development in north Springfield, including the PeaceHealth medical complex.
    Construction of the roundabout and parkway, to run north down an old railroad line to the PeaceHealth site and then to Belt Line, will begin in the summer of 2005.
    On Monday, city councilors gave city transportation staff the nod on the conceptual road design and roundabout, though several councilors expressed luck-warm support for the circular intersection design. (more...) (top...)

Springfield City Beat: Councilors put down roundabouts

By Bob Keefer
The Register-Guard

February 7, 2004

Despite the many espresso stands in town, continental ways haven't quite reached Springfield yet. At this week's City Council meeting, several councilors took a dim view of the idea of putting European-style roundabouts on Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway, scheduled for construction in 2005 to link Belt Line Road with Pioneer Parkway. (more...) (top...)

County Beat: It takes more than asphalt to build road

By Randi Bjornstad
The Register-Guard

February 6, 2004

Ever wonder what goes into a bid to construct a new section of highway?
The Lane County Commissioners got a glimpse this week, as they awarded a bid of nearly $2.4 million to Eugene Sand & Gravel to grade, drain, pave, light and install traffic signals on a half-mile stretch of new road known as the Jasper Road Extension, which will run south of Highway 126 at its intersection with 58th Street in Springfield. (more...) (top...)

LTD Cutbacks

By Cathryn Stephens
KVAL

February 5, 2004

    EUGENE -- If you take the bus around town, your routes could be changing. Lane Transit District is holding a series of open houses, to show riders the proposed cuts. LTD officials anticipate a shortfall in operating revenues and expect to have to cut service this fall to save about 3%.
    "The biggest reduction that we're looking at is eliminating early morning service, starting the busses later in the morning and then stopping the busses earlier in the evening. That's a big chunk of the service that we're looking at cutting," said Angie Sifuentez, with LTD.
    Some routes are also proposed to be cut completely including Crest Drive, Cal Young, VRC/Green Acres and UO/Eugene Station routes.
    Another open house is set for this Saturday at the Gateway Mall. A public hearing is set for February 18th. (end) (top...)

Commentary: Bush plan reverses transportation progress

By Christian Watchie and Christine Hagerbaumer

February 3, 2004

Congress begins floor debate this week on reauthorization of the nation's overarching transportation law. Currently titled TEA-21, the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century, the Bush administration's successor bill is christened SAFETEA, the Safe, Accountable, Flexible and Efficient Transportation Equity Act of 2003.
Thankfully, the successor preserves most of the good characteristics of the law it will replace. But Eugene area residents who care about transportation choices, air quality and citizen involvement should take note: The proposal inadequately invests in public transit options, relaxes air quality protections and limits public participation. (more...) (top...)

Road spending hits speed bump

By Jim Abrams
The Associated Press

February 4, 2004

    WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration, trying to restrain spending, threatened Tuesday to veto a huge highway spending bill that would ensure building projects for almost every member of Congress and provide a jolt of new jobs to the economy.
    Lawmakers from both parties said the six-year, $318 billion highway bill now before the Senate was must-pass legislation in an election year when few major bills are expected to pass.
    Included in the reauthorization bill is funding for $7.6 million worth of new streets to serve a $70 million federal courthouse proposed for Eugene. City officials have lobbied long and hard for the money and remain confident the project will survive the political process. (more...) (top...)

Elections

Beyer seeks re-election to House

The Register-Guard

February 4, 2004

Springfield lawmaker Elizabeth Terry Beyer is seeking a second full term as state representative.
Beyer, who was appointed to complete an unfinished term in 2001, was elected to her first full term in 2002. After spending one year in a record-number five special sessions, followed by the longest session in history in 2003, Beyer said she is eager to work on improving the quality of education and expanding the state's ability to help those in need. (more...) (top...)

2 Eugene council races have just one candidate -- so far

By Edward Russo
The Register-Guard

February 5, 2004

    Is the race half full, or half empty?
    With just a month to go before the candidate filing deadline for the May 18 Eugene City Council primary election, two of the four seats up for election this year have just a single declared candidate.
    Observers, however, expect more competitors to jump into the ring.
    So far, councilors Bonny Bettman and Scott Meisner have drawn challengers, but fellow incumbent Betty Taylor has not. In the election for the council seat being vacated by Nancy Nathanson, one candidate has stepped forward. (more...) (top...)

Rep. Farr won't run, but his wife, Debi, will

By Scott Maben
The Register-Guard

February 7, 2004

    State Rep. Pat Farr said Friday that he won't run for a second term this year. Seconds later, his wife, Debi, announced her intent to succeed him in House District 14.
    The freshman legislator and moderate Republican will complete his legislative term, including interim committee work, through the end of the year.
    "With a choke in my voice, I'm here to say that I will not be seeking re-election," Farr, 49, told supporters at a news conference.
    On March 9, he will become executive director of FOOD for Lane County, the state's second largest food bank. (more...) (top...)

Slant: Eugene Ward 7

Eugene Weekly

February 5, 2004

Some new scuttlebutt in Ward 7 this week. Majeska Seese-Green and Michael Carrigan have taken out preliminary filing papers for the race, but we hear they are collaborating and one will drop out by the filing deadline March 4 or the withdrawal deadline March 12. Seese-Green is co-chair of the Neighborhood Leaders Council and Carrigan is former director of Oregon PeaceWorks. The newcomers join incumbent Scott Meisner and Andrea Ortiz in the growing field of candidates. Track candidate filings at http://www.ci.eugene.or.us. (end) (top...)

Slant: OLCV Scorecard

Eugene Weekly

February 5, 2004

How do we evaluate local candidates and elected officials on land use and other key environmental issues? It's getting easier thanks to the Oregon League of Conservation Voters. The OLCV is coming out next week (Feb. 9) with its scorecard on the Lane County commissioners and Eugene councilors. Back in 2002, Sorenson and Dwyer got top county ratings, followed by Weeldreyer, Green and Morrison (0 percent). Top city ratings went to Bettman, Kelly and Taylor, followed by Meisner, Nathanson, Rayor, Pap� and Farr (0 percent). Something new this year will be OLCV interviews with council and commission candidates, followed by endorsements. Let's hope all the candidates participate. (more...) (top...)

Other News

Commentary: The State of East Lane County raises concern

By Don Hampton, East Lane County Commissioner

February 6, 2004

January is a month when you hear many speeches about the "state of the union," "state of the county," "state of the city," etc. I've often wondered why there isn't a speech focusing solely on the state of Lane County's rural areas. Our rural communities face some unique challenges, and this is a good time to reflect on these challenges while we plan for the coming year. As county commissioner for the East Lane district, I've become aware of some pressing concerns that confront the communities in my district. (more...) (top...)

Governor picks Shetterly to run land use agency

The Associated Press

February 4, 2004

    SALEM -- Gov. Ted Kulongoski has tapped state Rep. Lane Shetterly, R-Dallas, to run the state Department of Land Conservation and Development, bringing to four the number of Republican lawmakers recently given jobs by the Democratic governor.
    The four-term lawmaker must be formally hired by the volunteer state Land Conservation and Development Com- mission.
    The governor, who wants a top-to-bottom review of the land use agency, recently selected four new people to serve on the seven-member panel. (more...) (top...)

Members back Kulongoski's choice to lead land-use panel
Lane Shetterly, who'll resign his state House seat, hopes the interim director, Nan Evans, will be his deputy

By Dan Hortsch
The Oregonian

February 6, 2004

SALEM -- Against a backdrop of debate on farmland protection versus development, Oregon's land-use commission unanimously chose state Rep. Lane Shetterly Thursday to lead the Department of Land Conservation and Development as it forges a fresh direction for the next 30 years. (more...) (top...)

Good choice for DLCD: Kulongoski picks Shetterly to direct land use

A Register-Guard Editorial

February 6, 2004

No one can accuse Gov. Ted Kulongoski of doling out all the plum appointments to members of his own political party.
The governor has named four Republican lawmakers to high-level jobs in recent months -- a surprising number for any Democratic governor, even a centrist such as Kulongoski. The latest is state Rep. Lane Shetterly, a four-term lawmaker and attorney from Dallas, who will serve as director of the Department of Land Conservation and Development. (more...) (top...)

Business Beat People: Emily Jerome

The Register-Guard

February 3, 2004

Emily Jerome has become a shareholder in the law firm of Harrang Long Gary Rudnick in Eugene. Jerome, who began working at the firm in 1994, is an expert in land use and local government law. (end) (top...)