Health Options Digest
April 11, 2004
Coalition for Health Options In Central Eugene-Springfield (CHOICES)
In This Issue
From the Editor
Week in Review
There wasn't much in the news this past week directly related to hospital siting in the Eugene-Springfield area. But read "Hospital nabs new land" in the Springfield News. One can try to read between the lines to discern what has really happened between PeaceHealth, Arlie and Springfield.
In any case, it is ironic that a few years ago Arlie's John Musumecsi ran Gang of 9 ads criticizing the Eugene City Council for being unfriendly to business. Now Arlie's Larry Reed says: "We had similar kinds of problems in the city of Eugene three or four years ago, and the city of Eugene, in terms of being supportive, has made a 180-degree turn. We're very happy with the city of Eugene with their ability to make us feel welcome ... The two cities have flip flopped."
In other news, a legislative panel sees it likely that health coverage under the Oregon Health Plan will end for more than 40,000 poor people this summer.
Also, for a larger perspective on Oregon, read "Very slowly, the real story emerges" by John Baldwin and Alan Thein Durning.
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Looking Ahead
We know of no local events this week directly related to health care options in the Eugene-Springfield area.
But on Monday the Eugene City Council is scheduled to take various actions related to downtown.
On Tuesday, the Lane County Board of Commissioners will discuss the Martin Luther Jr. Parkway past the new PeaceHealth site.
And on Wednesday, the county commissioners are discussing so many significant issues, we can't track them all. We hope someone is.
In particular, note all the public hearings the county commissioners are holding Wednesday afternoon. The last hearing is about which state highway projects in Lane County's are the top priorities for state funding: the I-5/Beltline interchange, the West Eugene Parkway, or something else?
If you aren't interested in expressing your views at these public hearings, make a point to express your views somewhere on something. Write a letter to the editor about Eugene and Springfield supposedly flip-flopping, help a local candidate of your choice, or let us know what is on your mind.
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Rob Zako, Editor
343-5201
rzako@efn.org
Calendar
Monday, April 12 -- Springfield City Council
Springfield City Hall, 225 Fifth St., Springfield
Contact: Amy Sowa, City Manager's Office, 726-3700
5:30 p.m., Work Session, Jesse Maine Room
1. Joint Meeting with the Library Board.
2. Historic Commission Work Program Joint Meeting.
3. Historic Commission Application Interview.
4. Dispute with Comcast Concerning Franchise Fee Payments.
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Monday, April 12 -- Eugene City Council
Eugene City Hall, 777 Pearl St., Eugene
Contact: 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. Action: Downtown Plan Update and Related Metro Plan and Code Amendments
* 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.
3. Work Session: An Ordinance Concerning the Downtown Area; and Proposed Amendments to Sections 3.344, 4.871, and 4.872 of the Eugene Code, 1971.
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Tuesday, April 13 -- Lane County Board of Commissioners
Public Service Bldg., 125 East 8th Ave., Eugene, 682-4203
9:00 a.m., Work Session, Commissioners' Conference Room
5. Public Works
a. Work Session: Martin Luther King, Jr. Parkway Alignment and Other Design Elements.
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Wednesday, April 14 -- Lane County Board of Commissioners
Public Service Bldg., 125 East 8th Ave., Eugene, 682-4203
9:00 a.m. (following HACSA), Regular Meeting, Commissioners' Conference Room
9. Public Works
a. Amending the Parks and Recreation SDC Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), to Identify Long-Range Planning Activities Eligible to be Funded With SDC Revenues.
b. Amending the Rural Comprehensive Plan and the Coburg Comprehensive Plan to Enlarge the Coburg Urban Growth Boundary; Redesignate Affected Lands From a Rural Comprehensive Plan Designation of Commercial and Park and Recreation to a City Plan Designation of Highway Commercial; Rezone These Affected Lands From a Lane Code Chapter 16 District of CR Rural Commercial and PR Park & Recreation to a Lane Code Chapter 10 District of CT Tourist Commercial; and Adopting Savings and Severability Clauses.
c. In the Matter of Amending the Lane County Rural Comprehensive Plan to Adopt an Updated Lane County Transportation System Plan; to Amend the Lane County General Plan Policies (an Element of the Lane County Rural Comprehensive Plan) by Revising Goal 12 Transportation Policy 4 to Comply With Statewide Planning Goal 12; and Adopting Savings and Severability Clauses.
d. In the Matter of Amending Chapters 10, 13, 15 and 16 of Lane Code to Implement the Lane County Transportation System Plan by Adopting New and Revised Rules, Regulations and Standards Relating to Existing and Future Transportation and Access Needs in Lane County.
e. In the Matter of Acquiring Fee or Other Interests in Certain Real Properties or Portions Thereof for the Reconstruction and Improvement of Royal Avenue (County Road No. 28) at Fisher Road (County Road No. 668) Intersection.
f. In the Matter of Adopting Criteria for Determining Significant Goal 5 Riparian or Wildlife Habitat Sites Within the Eugene Urban Growth Area; Adopting an Updated Goal 5 Inventory for the Eugene Urban Growth Area; and Adopting a Severability Clause.
1:30 p.m., Regular Meeting (cont.), Commissioners' Conference Room
18. Public Hearings
a. In the Matter of Receiving Comments from the Public about Community Development Needs, Proposed Projects to Meet These Needs, and Lane County's Performance of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Projects and List Projects for Funding Development.
b. Amending the Rural Comprehensive Plan to Redesignate Land From "Agricultural Land" to "Nonresource", Rezone That Land From "E-30/Exclusive Farm Use" To "RR-5/ Rural Residential"; and Adopting Savings and Severability Clauses.
c. In the Matter of Vacating a Portion of Willow Street, in the Plat of Gallagher's Part of the City of Florence, as Platted and Recorded in Volume 30, Pages 12 and 13 of the Lane County, Oregon Deed Records.
d. In the Matter of Approving the Alignment, Right-Of-Way Widths and Other Design Features for the Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway, Previously Known as the Pioneer Parkway Extension, as Adopted and Recommended by the City of Springfield.
e. In the Matter of Recommending Countywide Modernization Project Priorities to the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) for the 2006-2009 State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP).
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PeaceHealth
Hospital nabs new land
By Jaime Sherman
The Springfield News | April 7, 2004 |
PeaceHealth has expanded its footprint in northwest Springfield by buying out one of its loudest opponents.
The hospital has purchased 12.45 acres between Game Farm Road and the McKenzie River from Eugene-based Arlie & Co. for $4.15 million, silencing its lone competitor for commercial zoning at the site dubbed RiverBend. (more...)
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McKenzie-Willamette/Triad
McKenzie-Willamette to cut workers
By Amber Fossen
The Springfield News | April 7, 2004 |
McKenzie-Willamette Hospital will downsize its work force as of May 1.
The hospital plans to layoff 39 nurses -- 27 certified nursing assistants, nine registered nurses and three licensed practical nurses -- due to economic downturns, a contract exclusion, and lower-than-projected patient volume.
Hospital spokeswoman Rosie Pryor said the health care industry is not immune to economic dips. (more...)
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Letter: EWEB land bad site for hospital
| By Ellen Spear, Eugene | April 7, 2004 |
A new McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center south of the Willamette River and near downtown seems a good idea to me, but not on the Eugene Water & Electric Board's narrow strip of alluvial soil between the railroad tracks and the river.
Day and night I hear the whistles of freight trains riding those rails. Their cargo includes some of the most noxious, explosive, flammable and caustic brews concocted by our civilization.
A train accident near the hospital and involving such chemicals could cut off hospital access and put its occupants, as well as downtown, in serious danger.
Flooding is a perennial possibility along riverbanks, and alluvial soil can liquefy during an earthquake. If the planned RiverBend hospital is built, we could end up with two hospitals at risk when a hundred-year flood or the great earthquake forecast for the Oregon Coast arrives.
The odds are against accident, flood or quake striking Eugene-Springfield in such a way, but why situate a hospital, desperately needed in emergencies, in a vulnerable spot when high, dry and solid ground is available? Let's make our thinking about a hospital downtown wise as well as wishful.
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Cost of Health Care
City to dump workers, cites budget constraints
By Jaime Springfield
The Springfield News | April 7, 2004 |
Four city employees will find pink slips on their desks today.
City department heads emerged from a private budget meeting Tuesday morning with a recommended budget for fiscal year 2004-05 that includes the names of four full-time employees who will lose their jobs by June 30.
The layoffs are necessary to balance the budget, said Assistant City Manager Cynthia Pappas, who wouldn't reveal the names of employees. (more...)
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Panel shifts funds to avert some health plan cuts
SALEM -- A legislative panel has endorsed some budget shifting to avoid cuts in prescription drug benefits and other services for the poor in Oregon.
But all health coverage will still likely end for more than 40,000 poor people this summer.
Those cuts are planned for August unless the state gets federal approval to raise Medicaid matching money with new taxes on some medical providers.
The Legislative emergency board met this week to discuss plans for cutting Oregon Health Plan.
The meeting is the board's first since voters on February third rejected an 800 million dollar tax increase passed by the 2003 Legislature.
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Nearby Developments
Retail Notebook: Developer proposes small retail complex for Gateway
By Joe Mosley
The Register-Guard | April 8, 2004 |
SPRINGFIELD -- A 2-acre parcel across the street from the main Springfield post office appears set to become the latest development site in the Gateway area.
Seven yet-to-be-built storefronts are being offered for lease in a small complex that would go up by next fall between an existing Dari-Mart store and the Far Man Restaurant on the east side of Gateway Street.
The project is being developed by Rob Bennett, who also owns the Downtown Athletic Club business in Eugene. (more...)
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Marketplace: Developer designs shopping strip
| The Springfield News | April 9, 2004 |
Developer Rob Bennett plans to expand a Gateway shopping strip.
Bennett, owner of the Downtown Athletic Club in Eugene, has proposed that the two-acre parcel across the street from the Gateway Post Office be developed as seven storefronts between Dari-Mart and the Far Man Restaurant on the east side of Gateway Street.
Plans show about 11,000 square feet of new retail space at a cost of $1.2 million. Springfield's planning department is reviewing the plan. Construction could begin this fall.
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Budget problems force Corps to halt work on local project
By Christopher Stollar
The Springfield News | April 7, 2004 |
Dough has stopped flowing to the Mill Race.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has halted work on the Springfield Mill Race project -- citing budget overruns -- and has ceased funding all aquatic ecosystem restoration projects that are not already under construction. (more...)
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Slant: Riverfront Urban Renewal District
| Eugene Weekly | April 8, 2004 |
The initiative campaign to refer the Riverfront Urban Renewal District to the voters was floundering last week and organizers had given up hope. But a last-minute blitz by several petition gatherers may have saved the day. The deadline for turning in signatures is 5 pm Thursday, April 8. Petition organizer Ruth Duemler says 70 people had originally taken out petitions but turned in nowhere near the targeted 4,500 signatures as of Friday, April 2. She figures people were spread too thinly working on key local election campaigns to get excited about a complex and wonkish government financial issue. But as of Tuesday this week, more than 3,000 signatures had been gathered. One person alone turned in 1,000 signatures, another person turned in 500. Who says one person can't make a difference? Here's a heads up: Councilors will soon be voting on renewing and expanding Eugene's other urban renewal district downtown.
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Urban Renewal
By Craig Sklar
KVAL | April 8, 2004 |
EUGENE -- Eugene plans to breath life into a blighted area and the key ingredient is the soon to be built Wayne Morse federal courthouse. It's a kind of urban renewal built around a showcase government building using millions in federal dollars to open a district long forgotten. (more...)
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Urban renewal district may go to voters
By Edward Russo
The Register-Guard | April 10, 2004 |
Opponents of Eugene's Riverfront Urban Renewal District on Friday turned in 4,235 signatures, hoping to trigger voter rejection of the city's plan to pay for public improvements in the area.
Petition organizers by 5 p.m. Friday needed to collect the signatures of 3,722 registered voters to put the referendum on the ballot. Officials have until April 26 to check the signatures to make sure they are valid.
If organizers meet the threshold, voters would decide to affirm or reject the City Council's March 8 approval of the 20-year urban renewal district, covering the area east of downtown along the Willamette River. The vote could take place in the Nov. 2 general election. (more...)
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Federal Courthouse Groundbreaking
By Yuno Kim
KVAL | April 7, 2004 |
EUGENE -- Construction on the new Federal Courthouse in Eugene officially starts today with a groundbreaking ceremony.
The 80-million dollar federal building has already received international attention for its design. But the project was delayed for a time over the lack of a handicapped access ramp, architects wanted a separate elevator next to the front steps. That's been changed and now work can begin at 8th and Mill.
Congressman Peter Defazio, Mayor Jim Torrey and federal judges will be among those at the groundbreaking. Construction of the federal building will take about two years.
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Federal Courthouse Groundbreaking
| KEZI | April 7, 2004, 6:05 p.m. |
A big day for everyone who worked on bringing a Federal Courthouse to Eugene. Officials broke ground on the project this afternoon. Over the past year, the project was at the center of debate, much of it over a wheelchair ramp, now included in the design. The $71 million dollar project includes six courtrooms and congressional offices. It should be open in the summer of 2006. The existing Federal Courthouse will continue to house federal agencies, like the Forest Service.
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Editorial: A courthouse rises: Today's groundbreaking is cause for celebration
| The Register-Guard | April 7, 2004 |
Groundbreakings tend to be predictable affairs devoid of lasting significance. But this afternoon's groundbreaking for the new federal courthouse in Eugene is a definite exception. (more...)
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'A great day' for Eugene at courthouse ceremony
By Scott Maben
The Register-Guard | April 8, 2004 |
Amid all the pomp and back-patting and salutes to the late, great Wayne Morse, a Union Pacific freight train barged past Wednesday's blustery groundbreaking for the new federal courthouse in downtown Eugene.
Between wails of the locomotive, the master of ceremonies joked about needing an ordinance to silence the whistles in town. (more...)
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Eugene Council Member Wants To Ban Big, Box Stores
| KEZI | April 8, 2004, 6:50 p.m. |
A Eugene City Councilor is trying to keep big box stores out of Eugene for good. Councilwoman Betty Taylor decided to spearhead a box store ban, after learning that Eugene's Wal-Mart wanted to expand into a Super Wal-Mart.
Councilwoman Taylor thinks it's too late to take action to keep Eugene's West 11th Wal-Mart from expanding, but she hopes to keep other stores out.
Taylor plans to introduce a motion to councilors on Monday, April 12th, that would put a moratorium on processing applications for retail stores over 50,000 square feet. That would buy the Council time to look into putting permanent zoning laws in-place. (more...)
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Committee drafting economic plan
By Edward Russo
The Register-Guard | April 6, 2004 |
Eugene businesswoman Gretchen Pierce knows the drill: Invest a bunch of time on a public advisory committee, then see your recommendations gather dust on a shelf.
Still, Pierce and 15 other Eugene residents recently accepted an invitation by Mayor Jim Torrey to be on the mayor's Committee on Economic Development. In August, members are supposed to produce a list of job-growth ideas that the mayor and City Council might ultimately adopt as part of a strategy.
But first committee members must agree what role, if any, city government should play in what are mainly private-sector decisions. (more...)
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Editorial: It's work worth doing: Torrey seeks citizen guidance on development
| The Register-Guard | April 8, 2004 |
Memo to the 16 Eugene residents who've agreed to serve on Eugene Mayor Jim Torrey's Committee on Economic Development:
Your fellow citizens appreciate every bit of the time and expertise you're contributing, even if the City Council should decide it can't implement a single one of your recommendations. (more...)
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Transportation
Poll: Forget about a roundabout
| The Springfield News | April 9, 2004 |
The latest Springfield News online poll reveals that a majority of respondents do not support the new roundabout proposal in Springfield.
In response to the question: "City Council approved the building of a roundabout at the MLK Parkway extension. Lane County will vote on it soon. How do you feel?" 55 percent said no to idea, citing it will snarl traffic and be an eyesore.
Thirty-seven percent liked the idea, saying it would act as a traffic-calming device and provide a nice touch. Eight percent of respondents thought it simply didn't matter.
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Road work begins on Jasper project
By Randi Bjornstad
The Register-Guard | April 5, 2004 |
SPRINGFIELD -- It's going to get easier to get to and from the Jasper-Natron area in southeast Springfield, but motorists will have to put up with a few months of road construction first.
Beginning today, construction crews will be working on the Main Street end of a project called the Jasper Road Extension, which by October will offer a new-and-improved connection southward, near 57th Street to Glacier Drive.
A second phase of the project, which hasn't been scheduled yet, will continue the new highway to Jasper Road through the 800-acre Natron development site southeast of Springfield within the city's urban growth boundary. Springfield is hoping developers will step forward to build housing, commercial and campus-industrial projects there. (more...)
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Letter: Where's the parkway money?
| By Rob Handy, Eugene | April 5, 2004 |
With the Florida debacle in the 2000 national elections fresh in memory, we are reminded of the disingenuousness of Mayor Jim Torrey and Commissioner Bobby Green during the 2001 West Eugene Parkway advisory vote. Eugene voters gave a narrow nod to the proposed parkway concept based on proponents' insistence that the money was there to build the project, a claim that has yet to be proven true (Register-Guard, March 12).
At a recent candidate forum, Eugene mayoral candidate Nancy Nathanson repeatedly touted her lobbying efforts in Washington, D.C., to procure funding for west Eugene wetlands purchases -- while Eugene City Councilor Nathanson has long been an ardent supporter of a highway that would destroy those same public wetlands.
As a nation looks ahead to the sober task of electing responsible leaders in November, voters should insist on accountability and transparency from their local elected officials as we approach the May elections.
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Letter: Parkway won't solve problems
| By Tiffany Mitchell and four co-signers, Springfield | April 6, 2004 |
At a transportation meeting held in Springfield, Judy Valpa, the mayor of Coburg, said that she knows the people of this community want the West Eugene Parkway to go through right when and where it is planned. She said she knows this not by public testimony, but by reading letters to the editor.
We disagree with building the West Eugene Parkway. A new multilane expressway in the area will not ease traffic problems. We can learn from the mistakes of others. Los Angeles to the south has built many multilane roadways. The city's traffic problems have not gone away. Now Los Angelenos' land is paved, and they still have traffic.
We can't afford this expenditure. Yes, there are matching funds of some kind. Let's not take something that's bad for us just because we can get it.
A great deal of time and money has gone into restoring and preserving the wetlands. Now, officials want to spend a great deal more to destroy, by paving, the very same wetlands. What a slap in the face to the people who foot the bill for both projects. We have more pressing work to do together than to build another multilane roadway.
The people who have signed this letter have not given public testimony or written to the editor about this subject before. We urge our representatives to not push the parkway through.
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Highway bill included tax breaks
By Dan Morgan
The Washington Post | April 7, 2004 |
WASHINGTON -- House Republicans, under fire from the White House for writing a multiyear transportation bill that exceeded President Bush's spending limits, quietly tucked billons of dollars worth of new tax breaks for business into the same bill shortly before the House passed it overwhelmingly last week.
The tax provisions, which were added just before the bill went to the floor on Friday, provide relief to big companies from the alternative minimum tax. They increase from $25,000 to $100,000 the amount of capital improvements -- including investments in computer software -- that businesses can write off as annual expenses. (more...)
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State News
Commentary: Very slowly, the real story emerges
| By John Baldwin and Alan Thein Durning | April 11, 2004 |
Most newspaper articles, this one included, live only for a day. Most real change in the world is imperceptible on a daily schedule. Instead the news mostly highlights what's fleeting: violence, scandal, weather and celebrity.
It's not the media's fault; it's human nature. Dramatic events, not gradual ones, capture our attention.
Fortunately, there's a partial remedy for this attention deficit: regular measurement. A daily weigh-in reminds us of our fitness goals. Charting babies' growth lets doctors identify deficits in development.
To help track this region's progress, Northwest Environment Watch has launched the Cascadia Scorecard (http://www.cascadiascorecard.org), an index of seven key, slow-changing trends that have dramatically shaped the Pacific Northwest's past and are critical to its future: health, the economy, population, energy, forests, sprawl and pollution. By comparing the region's states and British Columbia across time, with each other and with other parts of the world, the Cascadia Scorecard reveals where the region leads and where it lags. Highlights for Oregon include: (more...)
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Elections
County Beat: East county residents can meet candidates
By Randi Bjornstad
The Register-Guard | April 9, 2004 |
Residents of east Lane County, where six would-be commissioner candidates will appear on the ballot, have several chances in the next couple of weeks to hear what those candidates have to say.
The forums -- seven of the 13 already have taken place -- are happening at the invitation of one of the bunch, Marcola area resident Mark Herbert. He shares the crowded field with incumbent Don Hampton of Oakridge, appointed to the position in October; Cottage Grove resident Faye Stewart; Ross Johnson and Jim Gillette, both of Eugene; and retired dentist Cedric Hayden of Fall Creek.
Here's where to find them:
Saturday -- 1 p.m. at the Upper McKenzie Community Center.
April 14 -- 6 p.m. at the Cottage Grove Community Center.
April 17 -- 10 a.m. at the George Millican Community Hall in Walterville.
April 21 -- 6 p.m. at the Dexter Community Center next to the fire station.
May 1 -- 10 a.m. at the Jasper Grange.
May 5 -- 7:30 p.m. at Cottage Grove City Hall, billed as an all-candidate debate.
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Splitsville
Don't listen to what they say, look at how they vote.
By Alan Pittman
Eugene Weekly | April 8, 2004 |
The best way to judge a politician is not by what they say -- they'll often say anything to get elected -- but how they vote.
With that in mind, Eugene Weekly analyzed 47 key votes over the past five years. Voting records show Councilors Bonny Bettman, Betty Taylor and David Kelly on the progressive or liberal side and Councilors Scott Meisner, Nancy Nathanson, Gary Pape and Jennifer Solomon and Mayor Jim Torrey on the conservative side. (more...)
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Slant: City Council Voting Records
| Eugene Weekly | April 8, 2004 |
Our cover story this week is an admittedly subjective attempt to chart the voting records of city councilors on issues we believe are important to the health and livability of our community and valley. Not all the councilors are up for election this time around, but tracking votes is a way to make all our elected officials accountable. As we've learned in the past, candidates might say all the right things, and even be sincere in their words, but the pressures of public office can alter perspectives, for better or worse. Let's study these votes carefully, and let's use this information as a framework to question candidates in public forums. These contests might easily be decided in May, so don't even think about not voting in the primary.
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Other News
EFN Scrambling To Meet Challenges
| Eugene Weekly | April 8, 2004 |
Three weeks ago David Oaks, executive director of the international human rights support coalition MindFreedom (www.mindfreedom.org),found the electronic mailing lists the organization uses to communicate with members were not functioning. "We have a lot of lists," says Oaks, "including the Human Rights Alert, which connects more than 13,000 people around the world by e-mail."
The problem was with a hard drive crash at Eugene Free Network, MindFreedom's ISP. This crash affected not only MindFreedom, but other nonprofit organizations in Eugene. Oaks was concerned about the crash, but even more troubled that EFN had "no backup, no redundancy, whatsoever."
"Those lists," says Oaks, "represent hundreds of hours of work." Oaks was told by EFN Technical Manager Mike Jackson that nothing could be done to retrieve the information short of compiling what Oaks calls "Frankenstein-ed lists" from recent mailings. (more...)
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EFN computer service in financial trouble
By Joe Mosley
The Register-Guard | April 9, 2004 |
Eugene's feel-good Internet service provider is looking for a little help.
OK, a lot of help.
Eugene Free Community Network -- which for 11 years has provided reduced-rate services to low-income residents -- has been forced by failing equipment and a money crunch to seek a bailout. (more...)
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