Health Options Digest
March 7, 2004
Coalition for Health Options In Central Eugene-Springfield (CHOICES)
In This Issue
From the Editor
Week in Review
As reported here, the biggest news in the past couple weeks is that the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA) struck down Springfield's decisions last fall to issue excavation and fill permits to PeaceHealth ahead of approving the master plan. Of course, PeaceHealth went ahead and moved dirt. But that doesn't make it legal.
The possibility that McKenzie-Willamette could relocate to the EWEB site is generating interest.
The Mathews house was demolished before it fell into the McKenzie River. The event is a tragedy, as insurance won't cover the loss of their house. It is also a testament to the power of the river and a reminder to not underestimate that power.
The election season is heating up as the deadline to file passes.
Lastly, Governor Kulongoski just appointed former State Representative Lane Shetterly (R-Dallas) to head up the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD). DLCD is the agency responsible for administering the State's land use laws -- the same laws Springfield and PeaceHealth seem to keep skirting. Kulongoski has told DLCD and its oversight commission, the Oregon Land Conservation and Development Commission (LCDC), to put the "D" back in Land Conservation and Development -- meaning renewed emphasis on development. But read Roger Kaye's response detailing how the land use planning program has evolved over the past thirty years in response to experience and changing demands.
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Looking Ahead
On Monday, the Springfield City Council will probably approve PeaceHealth's master plan for a new hospital. In theory, this approval is the last major hurdle for PeaceHealth before they can begin construction. Indeed, years ago, Springfield explained that they had to grant approvals in a certain order: annexation, plan amendments, master plan approval, and then building permits. Except that Springfield isn't waiting for the completion of one step to move on to the next. They granted excavation and fill permits last fall. The plan amendments have been partially struck down by LUBA and now are before the Court of Appeals. No matter, Springfield and PeaceHealth just push forwarding, laws to the contrary notwithstanding.
But as we keep stressing, it will be the attorneys and the judges who will have the final word. Pay no attention to that city council approving that master plan. The really decisions will be made in Salem.
In the meantime, what do you think of all of this? Write a letter to the editor and share your thoughts:
Springfield News: news@springfieldnews.com
The Register-Guard: RGLetters@guardnet.com
Eugene Weekly: editor@eugeneweekly.com
Daily Emerald: letters@dailyemerald.com
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Rob Zako, Editor
343-5201
rzako@efn.org
Calendar
Monday, March 8 -- Eugene Planning Commission
Atrium Building, 99 West 10th Ave., Eugene
11:30 a.m., Work Session, Sloat Room
1. Public Comment on Non-Agenda Items
2. Work Session: Citizen Involvement Role for Planning Commission
Contact: Susan Muir, 682-5208, susan.l.muir@ci.eugene.or.us; Beth Bridges, 682-5272, beth.b.bridges@ci.eugene.or.us
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Monday, March 8 -- Mayor's Blue Ribbon Economic Development Committee
Noon, Bascom Room, 1st Floor, Eugene Public Library, 100 West 10th Ave., Eugene
1. Purpose of the Committee/Desired Outcomes
2. Overview of the Project
3. Economic Development Primer
4. Existing Goals, Policies, and Issues
5. Committee Discussion
Contact: Tom Coyle, 682-6077, tom.g.coyle@ci.eugene.or.us
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Monday, March 8 -- Springfield City Council
Springfield City Hall, 225 Fifth Street, Springfield
5:30 p.m., Work Session, Library Meeting Room
1. Joint Meeting with Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce.
2. Museum Committee Application Review.
3. 2003 Annual Financial Report.
7:00 p.m. Special Regular Meeting, Council Meeting Room
1. Request for Master Plan and Zone Change Approval (PeaceHealth).
Contact: Amy Sowa, 726-3700
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Monday, March 8 -- Eugene City Council
Eugene City Hall, 777 Pearl St., Eugene
5:30 p.m., Work Session, McNutt Room
1. Items from Mayor, City Council, and City Manager
2. Action: Approval of a Motion to Change the Date to Consider Adopting an Ordinance that Amends the Riverfront Research Park Urban Renewal District Plan
3. Work Session: Amendments to the Eugene Code Pertaining to the Procedures and Assessments of Public Improvements
4. Work Session: Central Area Transportation Study
7:30 p.m., Regular Meeting and Meeting of the Eugene Urban Renewal Agency, Council Chamber
1. Public Forum
2. Consent Calendar
A. Approval of City Council Minutes
B. Approval of Tentative Working Agenda
C. Approval of Resolution 4787 of the City of Eugene, Oregon Authorizing the Issuance and Sale of the City's General Obligation Parks and Open Spaces Bonds in a Principal Amount of Not More Than $6,305,000
D. Approval of Additional Community Development Block Grant Funds for Site Acquisition and Business Development Fund
3. Public Hearing and Action: Resolution 4788 Adopting a Supplemental Budget; Making Appropriations for the City of Eugene for the Fiscal Year Beginning July 1, 2003, and Ending June 30, 2004
4. Public Hearing and Action: Resolution 1029 Adopting a Supplemental Budget; Making Appropriations for the Urban Renewal Agency of Eugene for the Fiscal Year Beginning July 1, 2003, and Ending June 30, 2004
5. Action: Approval, Of Findings, And Recommendation From The Hearings Official and Adoption of an Ordinance Levying Assessments for Paving, Curbs, Gutters, Sidewalk, Median, Parking Bays, Street Lights, Street Trees, and Storm Water Drainage System on Lone Oak Drive From Division Avenue to 250 Feet East of Lone Oak Way (Contract #2004-08) (Job #4058)
6. Action: East Campus Plan Amendments
Contact: Lynda Rose, 682-5017, lynda.l.rose@ci.eugene.or.us
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Wednesday, March 10 -- Eugene
Eugene City Hall, 777 Pearl St., Eugene
Noon, Work Session, McNutt Room
1. Action: An Ordinance Adopting Amended Riverfront Urban Renewal District Plan
2. Work Session and Possible Action: 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
3. Action: Ordinance Adopting Hazardous Substance User Fees for the Fiscal Year Starting July 1, 2004
Contact: Lynda Rose, 682-5017, lynda.l.rose@ci.eugene.or.us
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Wednesday, March 10 -- Lane County Board of Commissioners
Public Service Bldg., 125 East 8th Ave., Eugene
1:30 p.m., Regular Meeting (cont.), Harris Hall Main Floor
17(c). Discussion: Countywide Priority Setting for the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) 2006-2009 State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP).
(agenda item material...)
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Contact: 682-4203
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Opportunities
Springfield City Beat: Cha-ching!
By Matt Cooper
The Register-Guard | March 6, 2004 |
Are you a penny pincher?
Then the city wants you for the Springfield Budget Committee.
Applications are being accepted for the committee, which reviews the city's financial plans and policies, including the annual budget. The position is open to residents in Ward 1, which is in the city's northwest corner.
The person appointed will serve until Dec. 31, when he or she would be eligible to reapply for a full three-year term. Applications are available in the City Manager's Office in City Hall, 225 Fifth St.; the deadline is March 26.
For more information, call 726-3698.
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PeaceHealth
Slant: Glenn Klein
| Eugene Weekly | February 26, 2004 |
We hear Glenn Klein of Harrang Long Gary Rudnick P.C., Eugene's city attorney, is being offered payment by PeaceHealth to write an amicus brief for the Oregon League of Cities in favor of PeaceHealth and Springfield's development and land use plans. We haven't heard back from Klein in response to our questions, but we expect to hear that there is no illegal conflict; and that his work will be reviewed by the League's Legal Advocacy Committee. Oregon's weak laws on conflict of interest allow such arrangements, but this one appears to be impossible to justify. Klein and his law firm are paid by Eugene taxpayers to represent the best interests of Eugene. We suggest our city attorney should be scrambling to block PeaceHealth from leaving Eugene and burdening taxpayers with millions in transportation and infrastructure costs that will result from their move to the banks of the McKenzie. Instead, Klein appears to be working to support the move. Eugene's city manager has the power to stop this kind of conflict. Will he?
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Slant: PeaceHealth Lawsuit
| Eugene Weekly | March 4, 2004 |
Written documents in the lawsuit against Springfield by the Jaqua family go to the Oregon Court of Appeals this week and the emerging lineup is worth noting. Siding with the Jaquas against Springfield's and PeaceHealth's hospital plans are CHOICES, 1000 Friends of Oregon and Lane County Commissioners. Siding with Springfield is PeaceHealth, of course, and a surprise appearance by the League of Oregon Cities (see Slant last week). LOC is submitting a friend-of-the-court brief written oddly enough by Glenn Klein, Eugene's city attorney -- with permission granted by Jim Carlson, assistant city manager. Also on Springfield's team is Steve Pfeiffer, former chair of LCDC and a longtime paid advocate for the gravel industry. Some heavy-duty power plays are going on behind the scenes and it's still not clear why LCDC and ODOT have stepped back from this case when they have so much at stake, such as the $100 million I-5/Beltline interchange project. Oral arguments will follow later in March. Stay tuned.
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Springfield City Beat: Hospital vote
By Matt Cooper
The Register-Guard | March 6, 2004 |
The City Council will vote at 7 p.m. Monday on PeaceHealth's master plan for a 160-acre hospital project in the Gateway area.
This represents the last vote in the city approval process, but not necessarily the end of the legal challenges to the project. Mayor Sid Leiken said it's possible that, whatever the decision, it could be appealed to the state.
The vote will take place in the Council Chambers, 225 Fifth St. For more information, call 726-3700.
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McKenzie-Willamette/Triad
Letter: Pursue high-quality care
| By Allen D. Harlor Jr., M.D., Eugene | February 25, 2004 |
I am responding to the announcement that McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center plans to open a cardiac catheterization laboratory sometime this year. I have practiced in the Eugene-Springfield area since 1966 and am president of the Lane County Medical Society. I am also on the hospital staff of both McKenzie-Willamette and Sacred Heart Medical Center and have enjoyed the association with those entire hospital staffs.
In reviewing the medical literature, I have noted that a number of complicated procedures are better accomplished at hospitals that do large volumes of those procedures. Examples are complicated surgeries such as coronary artery bypass and various open heart surgeries.
If we fractionate the care of these services in this community, there is a good possibility of decreased quality of care. Although the same cardiologists and cardiac surgeons may work at both hospitals, the support staff of anesthesiologists, nurses, respiratory therapists, etc., will not be the same. It takes a long time to develop experience to provide high quality care in these ancillary areas.
I want us to continue to be mindful that one of our biggest goals for our patients should be high-quality care, and the services should be rendered in the facility where that can be best provided. I am really concerned about the trend in this community relative to politics and financial pressures. There are factors which may be more important than the bottom line, and that includes good patient care.
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Hospital lays off several workers
By Tim Christie
The Register-Guard | February 26, 2004 |
McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center has laid off some employees and reduced hours for others in response to lower-than-expected patient volumes, hospital and union officials said.
McKenzie-Willamette spokeswoman Rosie Pryor wouldn't disclose the number of employees affected by the cutbacks, but she confirmed the hospital is cutting hours of some employees. (more...)
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Council adds EWEB land to urban renewal district
By Edward Russo
The Register-Guard | February 26, 2004 |
Hoping that it may help lure McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center downtown, the Eugene City Council on Wednesday agreed to add three acres of mostly Eugene Water & Electric Board property to a proposed urban renewal district.
Councilors voted 7-1 in a work session to include EWEB's property west of the Ferry Street Bridge approach to the proposed expansion of the Riverfront Urban Renewal District.
Councilors agreed to the small addition, mainly because they want as many incentives as possible to help attract a hospital south of the Willamette River, near the city center. (more...)
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Slant: EWEB site for hospital?
| Eugene Weekly | February 26, 2004 |
McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center's interest in the EWEB site along the Willamette River is exciting to think about, and what a boost it would be to downtown, though it's hard to imagine that all the pieces of the puzzle could be put together in the quick time-frame required. Meanwhile, it's worth noting that the City Council has made establishing a new Eugene hospital in the center of the city its highest priority this year, but they didn't indicate which hospital. It's not inconceivable that PeaceHealth might abandon its plans for a sprawling Springfield medical center and build in Eugene, maybe at the EWEB site.
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Councilors agree to focus on downtown hospital site
By Edward Russo
The Register-Guard | February 29, 2004 |
Eugene city councilors recently gave city government this top priority for the rest of the year: Find a hospital site in or near downtown.
What's new about that, you might ask?
City councilors and bureaucrats have been trying to find a suitable place for a hospital for going on two years.
But the nine-member council often is divided on important issues, so the unanimous selection of the hospital priority is significant, council observers said. It also clearly shows where city officials, who work at the direction of the council, will put their energy. (more...)
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Downtown hospital tops City Council's 2004 goals
Councilor Bonny Bettman says individual priorities were waived for unanimity in goal selection this year
By Nika Carlson
Emerald Daily News | March 2, 2004 |
With Peace Health Medical Group on the verge of moving to Springfield, Eugene city councilors agreed that persuading a hospital to locate in the city center is their top priority for the coming year.
That goal was one of eight that the Council made for the year 2004 in Feb. 20 and 21 priority-setting sessions.
By making a hospital site a priority, councilors will dedicate staff efforts to the project above all others. (more...)
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EWEB mulling price for sale of complex
By Edward Russo
The Register-Guard | March 3, 2004 |
If the Eugene Water & Electric Board agrees to sell its riverfront property for a hospital, EWEB's ratepayers shouldn't have to foot the bill to help the utility move, General Manager Randy Berggren said Tuesday.
McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center, after considering a variety of potential hospital sites in Eugene, has expressed interest in EWEB's property near downtown as a potential spot to replace its Springfield hospital. (more...)
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Letter: Here's a hospital siting solution
| By Jim Estes, Deadwood | March 3, 2004 |
The solution to the hospital siting problem is simple:
The state of Oregon, Lane County, the city of Eugene or a newly formed hospital district buys or condemns the downtown Eugene properties of Sacred Heart and sells or leases them to Triad. (more...)
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EWEB eyes cost to leave riverfront
By Edward Russo
The Register-Guard | March 4, 2004 |
The magic number for the Eugene Water & Electric Board appears to be $38.4 million.
That's the amount EWEB needs to get from selling its riverfront headquarters and maintenance facility if the utility is to build a new central complex elsewhere without burdening ratepayers, according to EWEB's initial tentative analysis.
That dollar figure could become key if early talks between the utility and McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center blossom into full-blown purchase negotiations.
McKenzie-Willamette would need to pay $38.4 million for the property, and if it isn't willing to pay that much, EWEB officials might ask the city to make up the difference, according to the EWEB analysis. (more...)
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A New Hospital At EWEB?
| KEZI | March 4, 2004, 4:55 p.m. |
McKenzie-Willamette Hospital has been looking at places in Eugene to build its new hospital. But one site "looks like" it would be a tough place to build.
There are 27 acres that are kind of hard to get to right now, and that's without the traffic of a major hospital.
"Well, it's a very interesting idea," Rosie Pryor, of McKenzie-Willamette Hospital said, about her hospital looking at buying the EWEB site to build its new hospital.
"It's very beautiful. It's very centrally located. It's easy to get to from all parts of the Lane County area," Pryor said.
But, this piece of property is also alongside one of the most congested roadways in Eugene (Coburg Road). Can you imagine any of these cars being your ambulance?
"Right now access to the site wouldn't be adequate," Pryor said. (more...)
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Cost of Health Care
Rural fire districts brace for budget blaze
By Jaime Sherman
The Springfield News | February 25, 2004 |
The Lane County Boundary Commission's rejection of a plan to merge Springfield Fire and Life Safety with a fire district is impacting the way rural fire chiefs prepare for tough economic times ahead.
Chiefs serving in east Lane County fire houses eagerly anticipated the commission's approval of the merger that would have been the first step in creating a regional fire district, but commissioners said consolidation violates the area's main land use plan.
As a result, some fire officials who don't have enough revenue to keep up with expenses are trying to determine if rural districts should join forces to save overhead. (more...)
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PacificSource completes purchase of Select Benefit
SPRINGFIELD -- PacificSource Health Plans, a Springfield-based health insurer, has completed its purchase of Select Benefit Administrators Inc. of Portland -- PacificSource's second acquisition in a year. (more...)
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New clinics to expand health options
By Tim Christie
The Register-Guard | March 2, 2004 |
WEB EDITOR'S NOTE: The posted version of this story was edited March 2, 2004, to include a correction.
SPRINGFIELD -- About 5,000 men, women and children who otherwise might go without seeing a doctor or nurse will now have access to health care at a new network of community health clinics.
A new family practice clinic in Springfield will join expanded services at Springfield High School's health clinic and the Safe and Sound Homeless Youth Clinic at New Roads Center, an alternative school in Eugene, to form the Community Health Centers of Lane County.
Combined, the three sites are expected to provide about 17,000 clinic visits a year. (more...)
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Nearby Developments
Shetterly to lead review of land-use program
The governor has directed the panel to address development.
By Brad Cain
The Associated Press | February 23, 2004 |
After bucking House Republican leaders and pushing an $800 million tax increase through the House last year, any other task taken on by Lane Shetterly might seem easy.
Today, Shetterly will have his hands full again when he begins a new job running the land-use program that is credited with protecting Oregon's livability but criticized by some for hindering economic growth.
The former GOP lawmaker from Dallas was appointed by Democratic Gov. Ted Kulongoski to lead the Department of Land Conservation and Development with a renewed emphasis on providing land for economic development.
It is a role that places Shetterly squarely in the middle of a growing and heated debate about land protection versus development. (more...)
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Commentary: Land use changes with times
| By Roger Kaye | March 2, 2004 |
The Associated Press story "Shetterly eager to begin review of land-use rules" (Feb. 23) ignores the history of changes that have given Oregon's system its unique design.
Oregon has one of the most flexible land-use systems in the country. In 1973, Gov. Tom McCall led the charge to protect our lands from uncontrolled development. By statute, Senate Bill 100 established a system of statewide protections that has been the envy of every sprawl-infected community from coast to coast.
For more than 30 years, other states have tried to adopt our system -- some with more success than others. In most cases, they started too late. Oregon was fortunate to have Gov. McCall lead the charge before we were overcome by uncontrolled sprawl. (more...)
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People Oppose Sprawl
Survey shows only one in 10 want more industrial land.
By Alan Pittman
Eugene Weekly | February 26, 2004 |
Opponents of adding industrial land to Eugene outnumber supporters by a ratio of almost eight to one, according to a recent city of Eugene scientific survey.
Asked if there is enough industrial land available for development in Eugene, 68 percent responded "yes" versus only 9 percent who answered "no." The remainder said they didn't know.
The survey comes amid a push by the Lane Metropolitan Partnership, a tax-funded business group that lobbies for corporate welfare and urban sprawl, to expand the urban growth boundary to add industrial land. The push is backed by land speculators who could sell farmland for industrial development at enormous profits. (more...)
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Springfield to begin work on millrace
By Bob Keefer
The Register-Guard | February 23, 2004 |
SPRINGFIELD -- The city is ready to break ground this spring on a $6.4 million project that will reroute part of its historic millrace and create a series of ponds, wetlands and trails just south of downtown. (more...)
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County Beat: Funding troubles threaten fairgrounds
By Randi Bjornstad
The Register-Guard | February 27, 2004 |
Lane County Fair Manager Warren Wong delivered a blunt message to members of the fair board -- and, by extension, the county commissioners -- earlier this week: Either make some changes to improve the financial picture at the fairgrounds and its convention center, or face the necessity to "privatize" the whole operation. (more...)
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Concepts for new city hall praised
By Edward Russo
The Register-Guard | February 26, 2004 |
Eugene Mayor Jim Torrey on Wednesday urged the City Council to move ahead with planning for a new city hall and police station.
Torrey and councilors discussed replacing Eugene's aging City Hall after receiving a report by 75 community volunteers, including architects, city officials and residents, who analyzed a variety of downtown sites for a new city hall and police headquarters.
The group's consensus: build a new city hall on its present Eighth Avenue block. A police station could either be built across the street from the City Hall on what is now a city-owned parking lot, or east of High Street, between Sixth and Seventh avenues, now the location of The Good Times bar and restaurant.
Councilors during a work session said they liked the report, especially a conceptual design that showed a public plaza facing Eighth Avenue. (more...)
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Damaged river home slated for demolition
By Randi Bjornstad
The Register-Guard | March 2, 2004 |
CEDAR FLAT -- After months of frustrating and futile work to save their house from falling into the McKenzie River, Randy and Cindy Mathews will watch their 3,000-square-foot dream literally being wrecked on Saturday.
It won't be the river currents that take down the white house, but a big track hoe belonging to Calvin Shafer of XL Excavation.
However, the question will still linger of just who's to blame for the home becoming a hazard that needs to be torn down, leaving the Mathews' emotional and financial future up in the air. (more...)
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House demolished along McKenzie River
By Edward Russo
The Register-Guard | March 7, 2004 |
CEDAR FLAT -- A 6-year-old house that was teetering on the banks of the McKenzie was demolished Saturday to prevent it from crashing into the river below.
The 3,000-square-foot home, owned by Randy and Cindy Mathews, was in danger of being washed away after the McKenzie River eroded the riverbank up to and partway underneath the home's foundation.
The house, uninhabitable since December, could not be moved to higher ground.
The house will probably be a total loss for the Mathewses because their insurance policy disallows claims if the soil beneath the house has been moved by man or nature. (more...)
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Creswell commerce: Developers discover the fast-growing community
By Joe Mosley
The Register-Guard | March 1, 2004 |
CRESWELL -- Local commerce has taken a second home, just across the Interstate 5 overpass.
It started a little more than three years ago, when Ray's Food Place pulled out of its squat, stoop-shouldered building near Creswell's traditional downtown and moved into a full-service, 42,000-square-foot megastore east of I-5.
The Creswell Marketplace has leased most of its 10 retail spaces. Another 35 acres of adjacent land is available for lease or development.
Photos: Kevin Clark / The Register-Guard
Then came the residential subdivisions, the homes ranging from modest to majestic and sprouting like ryegrass from former farmland stretching east from the freeway to a reinvigorated Emerald Valley Resort.
Now come ancillary businesses to the 60-acre Creswell Marketplace shopping center, anchored by Ray's. A veterinary clinic and a credit union will be built this summer, a couple of gas station/convenience store combinations are in the works, discussions are being had with fast-food companies, and other retailers are showing interest in leasable storefronts now being built in the shopping center. (more...)
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Transportation
Letter: I-105 soundwall isn't effective
| By Jack Radabaugh, Eugene | March 6, 2004 |
The Interstate 105 soundwall still does not work very well. It was interesting to see this issue resurrected in the Feb. 22 Register-Guard.
After the wall had been built, the Harlow Neighbors executive committee chipped in to purchase a cheap digital decibel meter to check out the effectiveness of the soundwall. The Oregon Department of Transportation standard for noise is 65 decibels. The lowest readings with the neighborhood meter close to the soundwall were 70 decibels and 69 decibels.
ODOT has never seemed interested in doing another survey for noise. With increased traffic, the results would probably be worse than ever.
So what is wrong with the wall?
Its foundations, in part, are well below the freeway road bed. A walk down the access road will clearly establish this. The top of the 19-foot walls are very often only seven or eight feet above the freeway road bed. The magnitude of the fixed walls makes them difficult to change.
So what can be done? It would help a lot if ODOT introduced quieter surfacing material when Interstate 105 lanes are repaved.
All of the above is important to keep in mind as ODOT proceeds with planning the upgrade for the Belt Line/Interstate 5 interchange. The project contains perhaps $3 million in soundwalls around the southwest quadrant, as well as a pedestrian-bike bridge over I-5.
Don't build the foundations of the soundwall below the road beds. Build the walls next to the road bed or on the highest ground available in the right-of-way.
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Roundabouts are good for you
By Bob Keefer
The Register-Guard | February 28, 2004 |
After Springfield city councilors expressed, let's say, limited support for the idea of more roundabouts in town, city Public Works Director Dan Brown and Transportation Division Manager Nick Arnis came up with a report spelling out what's good about roundabouts.
A roundabout at Harlow Road and Hayden Bridge Parkway would be cheaper than a regular intersection -- $900,000 to construct, compared with $1 million for a conventional intersection. The conventional plan takes up more space. The roundabout, for its part, saves $5,000 a year in maintenance costs.
Perhaps best of all: When pedestrians get hit, they have a better chance of survival in a roundabout, which slows traffic to a stately 20 mph. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety studied 24 intersections before and after they became roundabouts and found a 90 percent decrease in fatal and incapacitating injuries.
The downside? "Extensive driver education needed," the report said.
The only councilor who has expressed much enthusiasm for roundabouts is Tim Malloy, who resigned this month to take a job in Bellevue, Wash.
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Bridge Repairs Create Thousands of Jobs
The Oregon Department of Transportation's plan to repair state highways and bridges is gaining momentum. ODOT has selected an engineering firm to oversee the state's bridge project. That's a huge step toward getting this project off the ground. Once managing firms are in place, the bulk of the construction work can get underway, and along with it, thousands of jobs will be created. (more...)
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Bridge repair updates
| The Register-Guard | February 29, 2004 |
Crews working on the repair and detour bridges on Interstate 5 over the Willamette and McKenzie rivers, as well as Patterson Slough, have made significant progress on the spans in the past month. And the public will have a chance to check out the sites during the monthly tours to be held this week.
The contractor has finished the footings in the river for the detour bridge over the Willamette. Workers also are working on the columns and crossbeams that will support the bridge spans.
Work also continues on footings and columns for the detour bridge from Franklin Boulevard to I-5, which could cause lane closures on Franklin as work progresses.
Cyclists and pedestrians using trails in Alton Baker Park should watch for trucks and other construction equipment. Also, motorists and others that use North Walnut Road, in Alton Baker Park near Autzen Stadium, should exercise extra caution as numerous dump trucks hauling fill material for the project travel that road.
The Canoe Canal Trail is open to traffic. The Riverfront Bike Trail, on the north bank of the Willamette River under the I-5 Bridge, is closed. Signs direct folks to the open paths.
At the McKenzie River bridge, the footings on the north bank of the river are complete and work has begun on the columns. Work continues on the footings on the south bank, in Armitage Park. Construction vehicles will be using McKenzie View Drive and Armitage Road.
Tours of both sites, held on the first Thursday of each month, are this week. To tour the Willamette River bridge site, meet at East Alton Baker Park/Eastgate Woodlands at the corner of Poltava and Walnut streets, at the west end of D Street in Springfield, at 9 a.m.
For the McKenzie River Bridge tour, meet at Armitage Park at 11 a.m.
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State News
Reform report released with little fanfare
By David Steves
The Register-Guard | February 28, 2004 |
SALEM -- In January, the governor's much-discussed, highly anticipated "Making Government Work" report was a favorite topic for talk radio.
But a month later, it's being quietly passed out without any of the fanfare that Gov. Kulongoski normally uses to trumpet his efforts to streamline and reform the state bu- reaucracy. (more...)
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Revenue gains eliminate plans for further cuts
SALEM -- The state will not have to make additional cuts to education, health care and other programs beyond those already in the offing if Friday's new revenue numbers hold true. (more...)
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Kulongoski's State Of The State
| The Associated Press | March 5, 2004,, 2:20 p.m. |
PORTLAND -- Declaring that the "worst is behind us," an optimistic Gov. Ted Kulongoski said Friday he would spend the next three years working to boost Oregon's economy and make government more efficient.
In his "state-of-the-state" address, made available to The Associated Press in advance, Kulongoski issued no major new proposals for dealing with the state's budget problems.
The Democratic governor said Oregon voters sent an "unmistakeable" message when they soundly defeated the Measure 30 tax hike on the Feb. 3 ballot, a year after an earlier tax hike was rejected. (more...)
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Elections
Incumbent in race for East Lane seat
By Randi Bjornstad
The Register-Guard | February 24, 2004 |
The number of candidates now pursuing the East Lane County seat on the Lane County Board of Commissioners swelled to five Monday, as the incumbent, Don Hampton, turned in signature petitions. (more...)
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Five hats tossed into the ring for county commish
By Jaime Sherman
The Springfield News | February 25, 2004 |
The campaign for east Lane County commissioner is heating up.
Five people have announced they will run for the Position 5 seat this May in the Primary Election. The political hopefuls vying for the two-year term are Cedric Hayden of Fall Creek, Mark Herbert of Mohawk Valley, Martha Roberts of Creswell, Faye Smith II of Cottage Grove and incumbent Don Hampton. The filing deadline is March 9. (more...)
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Slant: Don Hampton
| Eugene Weekly | March 4, 2004 |
In other election news, Don Hampton has filed for the County Commission post he was appointed to when Tom Lininger resigned. And Rich Cunningham has decided after all to declare his candidacy for the District 14 House seat being vacated by Pat Farr. Earlier, Cunningham said he was going to delay his political ambitions due to a heart ailment. He's now back on his feet following angioplasty and a stent job.
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Commentary: Look for solutions across the county
| By Mark Herbert, Mohawk Valley (candidate for East Lane County Commissioner) | March 5, 2004 |
I have seen a lot of communications of late talking about rural perspectives and maintaining a rural lifestyle and it makes me want to get some clarification. Are we talking about maintaining the status quo?
Issues like public safety, economic development, land use planning, and funding for education are significant issues for Lane County, and these issues impact the rural parts of the county even more significantly than the urban areas. Unfortunately unemployment, access to human services, school funding, and lack of family wage jobs are even bigger issues in our district than anywhere else. Making it an urban versus rural debate won't improve that.
We need an economic development strategy for the county that is comprehensive, takes into consideration the unique needs and issues of each of our communities, and is appropriately integrated with efforts on both the state level and the efforts of local municipalities. The same is true for land use planning, public safety and education. Efforts that do not take into consideration the needs of all of Lane County mean that we will be pitting rural against urban, and city against city for funding resources, competition for employment base, and some of the other issues that have characterized relationships over the past several years. We have seen cities fight over health care providers, local and new employers, and a federal courthouse. When we do this in many cases we see a zero net gain. That doesn't benefit anyone in the long term. (more...)
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County Beat: Tuesday is deadline to file as candidates for office
By Randi Bjornstad
The Register-Guard | March 5, 2004 |
Anyone out there still thinking about running for county office in the primary election on May 18 had better get a move on -- the deadline comes up Tuesday at 5 p.m.
So far, no one has filed to challenge Commissioner Peter Sorenson in the South Eugene district, and Commissioner Bobby Green hasn't filed for re-election yet in the North Eugene district.
But the East Lane race has attracted a crowd, starting with sitting Commissioner Don Hampton, who took office in October after being appointed by the rest of the commissioners to replace Tom Lininger, who resigned in August.
Hampton will be joined on the ballot -- so far -- by Mark Herbert, a human resource and business consultant from the Mohawk Valley area; retired dentist Cedric Hayden of Fall Creek; and Faye Stewart, a businessman from Cottage Grove.
A fifth candidate, Martha Roberts of Creswell, withdrew her candidacy Thursday, saying she will devote her attention instead to working for passage of a library district to serve the Creswell area. Roberts serves on the Lane Library League's board of directors and formerly worked as a Lane County public defender.
Members of the five-person board of county commissioners must be registered Oregon voters and must have lived in the district they wish to represent for at least two months before the election.
The financial prize for winning is substantial. County commissioners receive an annual salary of $71,000.
In other races, the county sheriff's position has just one candidate, Russel Burger, the county's chief deputy sheriff. Sheriff Jan Clements recently said he will not seek a third term.
For more information about the requirements for election, call 682-4234.
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2 women top field of Eugene hopefuls
By Edward Russo
The Register-Guard | March 5, 2004 |
The field won't be as dense as on the Butte to Butte, but this year's contest for Eugene's non-partisan elected offices will still be crowded.
The races have the potential to reshape the political landscape at City Hall. The most-watched contest will likely be between veteran politicians Nancy Nathanson and Kitty Piercy, both aiming for the mayor's post.
As of the 5 p.m. Thursday filing deadline, Piercy, Nathanson and four lesser-known residents had qualified for the May 18 primary election as mayoral hopefuls. (more...)
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Slant: Eugene Ward 7
| Eugene Weekly | March 4, 2004 |
The Ward 7 City Council race is narrowing as we hit the filing deadline of March 4. Majeska Seese-Green has dropped out and is actively supporting Michael Carrigan in his campaign. That leaves Carrigan, Andrea Ortiz and incumbent Scott Meisner bidding for the hot seat. Carrigan is seen as strong on the environment, Ortiz remains an enigma on land use issues, and Meisner recently earned a pitiful 10 percent rating from the local chapter of the Oregon League of Conservation Voters. Chris Pryor is still unopposed in Ward 8 (come on people), Maurie Denner has filed against Betty Taylor in Ward 2, and Tom Slocum has taken out paperwork for Bonny Bettman's Ward 1 seat. Mekyadath Lazar has withdrawn from the crowded field of nine for mayor.
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Eugene City Beat: Council incumbents hard to beat
By Edward Russo
The Register-Guard | March 7, 2004 |
It's tough to unseat an incumbent Eugene City Council member.
Since 1978, only two city councilors have lost bids for re-election. The power of incumbency, name recognition and voter familiarity is hard to beat.
In this year's races for city offices, one nonincumbent has what appears to be a clear shot at a council seat that's being vacated, with five other non-incumbents choosing to take on those long odds against existing councilors.
Typically, the eight-member City Council gets new faces through vacancies, after councilors choose to leave their seats, sometimes to seek other elected office, or to step away from the spotlight.
Yet, in spite of the formidable task of running against incumbents, challengers do step forward to give voters a choice. (more...)
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Lawmakers moving on for many reasons
By David Steves
The Register-Guard | March 7, 2004 |
SALEM -- When Tuesday's filing deadline for candidates passes, Oregonians will be guaranteed a bumper crop of new faces in the next Legislature -- and that's without having to throw anyone out of office or limit their terms.
Already, more than one-quarter of the lawmakers from the Legislature that assembled last year have decided not to return for the 2005 go-round. The number of lawmakers who aren't seeking re-election or already have resigned totals 24 -- not a large number compared with the typical turnover rate of 30 incumbents over the past decade.
But what makes this year's turnover rate so unusual is that none of them have been voted out of office or barred by term limits from seeking re-election. (more...)
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Slant: Secretary of State
| Eugene Weekly | March 4, 2004 |
Secretary of State Bill Bradbury opened his campaign with Democrats in Eugene last week, and the little question still drifting around the big candidate was whether Mayor Torrey would run against him on the Republican side. Seems unlikely, because as Bill puts it, "I would love to have more to do with education ... but that's not what the secretary of state does." Mayor Jim's statewide claim to fame is his education advocacy. Fred Granum, Portland R, already has filed for secretary of state and some say Rep. Betsy Close, Albany conservative, will do the same. The dance ticket's filling up!
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Torrey says he won't seek secretary of state post
By Ben Fuchs
The Register-Guard | March 7, 2004 |
Eugene Mayor Jim Torrey announced Saturday that he will not run for secretary of state, as had been speculated within the political arena since he abruptly canceled a news conference last month at which he was expected to unveil plans to seek a statewide office. (more...)
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Other News
Springfield City Beat: Mayor gets some face time with governor
By Matt Cooper
The Register-Guard | March 6, 2004 |
You never know whom you'll meet when you show up early for an awards event.
When Mayor Sid Leiken attended Gov. Ted Kulongoski's first annual "Teddy Awards" last weekend in Portland, he arrived 45 minutes early.
Sure enough, Kulongoski was right there to greet Leiken, who, as it turned out, was the sole elected official from Lane County to attend this night dedicated to statewide success stories. (more...)
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Changes afoot inside
| The Register-Guard | March 7, 2004 |
Effective today, The Register-Guard's technology page has moved to a new home: the Sunday Business section. It appears on Page F3. The technology page previously appeared in the Tuesday Business section.
Also, as part of a reorganization of how stocks and mutual fund data are listed in the paper, the Sunday Business section now contains only the expanded listings of mutual funds. The expanded listings include the weekly change in the fund price, plus the annual and three-year price changes. The listings appear on Pages F5 and F6.WEB EDITOR'S NOTE: The published versions of the stock and mutual funds are available only in the print edition of The Register-Guard.
The newspaper has moved the expanded weekly presentation of New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq stocks from Sunday to the Saturday Business section.
Questions? Contact business editor Christian Wihtol at 338-2381 or cwihtol@guardnet.com.
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