Health Options Digest
August 22, 2004
Coalition for Health Options In Central Eugene-Springfield (CHOICES)
In This Issue
From the Editor
Week In Review
Summer is supposed to be a slow time and we are publishing "Health Options Digest" only every two weeks. But events never seem to slow down.
A few weeks ago The Register-Guard floated an interesting "out-of-the-box" idea to, well, get the local hospitals out of the box they are in trying to site new facilities. One reader took exception to possible mediators for such an attempt.
There is much news -- local, state and national -- about the cost of health care. A local businessman described his high-tech company's struggles to provide health insurance for employees. Governor Kulongoski requested a federal waiver to allow Oregon to import federal Food and Drug Administration-approved medications under what he called the "Pioneer Prescription Drug Project."
Springfield is looking to build its own jail and to create an urban renewal district in Glenwood. But Springfield decided against handing over fire and emergency medical services to a special fire district.
Arlie & Co. says it will break ground on its 39-acre mixed-use development in northeast Eugene early next month. The site had been owned by PeaceHealth but was swapped for the current RiverBend site in the Gateway area of Springfield.
LTD plans to construct special lanes for Bus Rapid Transit at the same time as the rest of Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway but will need to forgo federal funds to do so.
After simmering for many months, issues with the West Eugene Parkway (WEP) may be heating up. The Bureau of Land Management recently sent a letter to the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) concerned over impacts on recreational uses and wetlands purchased with federal funds. Meanwhile, ODOT is asking Lane County to agree that the eastern half of the WEP will be constructed as a city street and then transferred to Lane County or Eugene to own and maintain. The Eugene City Council will take up the same matter in September.
The temporary Interstate 5 bridge over the Willamette River was completed ahead of schedule and is now open to traffic.
Write-ins happen -- or not.
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Looking Ahead
This Wednesday, the Lane County Board of Commissioners will be asked to approve a Memorandum of Understanding that the West Eugene Parkway east of Beltline will be built as a city street (rather than a state highway) and then transferred to Lane County or Eugene to own and maintain.
Not happening any time this week, or even any time soon, is consideration by Springfield of revised plan amendments to allow PeaceHealth to construct a new hospital. We hear that the Springfield Planning Commission won't take up this matter until late September, or even in October.
Also not happening is a request by Springfield's attorney's to the Oregon Land Conservation and Development Commission (LCDC) to adopt "temporary" or "emergency" rules that would make it easier for PeaceHealth to get around requirements that new developments not over burden the surrounding roads. Staff for LCDC concluded that there was no "emergency" that required such a fast change in rules.
If you care one way or another about the West Eugene Parkway, let the Lane Board of County Commissioners know: lcbcccom@co.lane.or.us Even those who support the WEP might be concerned that voters were told in November 2001 that ODOT would pay to construct -- and maintain -- the WEP and is now reversing course.
Otherwise, take the next two weeks before Labor Day off, as we are going to try to do.
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Rob Zako, Editor
343-5201
rzako@efn.org
Calendar
Wednesday, August 25 -- Lane County Board Of County Commissioners
Public Service Bldg., 125 East 8th Ave., Eugene, 682-4203
1:30 p.m., Regular Meeting (cont.), Commissioners' Conference Room
17. Public Works
a. Status Report: West Eugene Parkway.
b. Order 04-8-25-9: In the Matter of Authorizing The County Administrator to Sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Regarding the West Eugene Parkway.
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See Also: County, city to consider talks on owning piece of parkway
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Opportunities
City seeks citizens to serve on boards
By Edward Russo
The Register-Guard | August 22, 2004 |
Interested in urban development, public budgets, historic buildings, human rights, police work and other topics? The city may have a seat for you.
The annual recruitment drive to get citizens to serve on volunteer boards and commissions is off to a slow start. So far, only four people have applied for 18 vacancies on the following boards: Budget Committee, Planning Commission, Toxics Board, Historic Review Board, Police Commission and the Lane Regional Air Pollution Authority. The application deadline is Sept. 24.
Applications are available at the city manager's office in City Hall, 777 Pearl St., or through the city's Web site: http://www.ci.eugene.or.us
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PeaceHealth
Letter -- Answer opportunity's knock
By Lorraine Phillips, Eugene
The Register-Guard | August 14, 2004 |
The city of Eugene has lost PeaceHealth's new hospital due to the apparent lack of knowledge of what happens when a business is put on hold and kept in a "maybe we will, maybe we won't" mode.
Regarding the article "City deal for park slips away" (Register-Guard, Aug. 5), how anyone in the city government could even contemplate paying close to double for a piece of property in only a three- to four-month period after a sale -- with taxpayers' money -- completely boggles my mind. Especially when the city whines about not having money enough to maintain the existing parks.
It appears that the city needs someone like the Portland-area developer at its helm.
Any businessman will tell you that if he wasn't able to make snap decisions soundly based on knowledge, he would not stay in business very long, because he doesn't have a grant, or taxpayer's money, to bail him out for a wrong decision. He simply cannot afford a major wrong decision, and neither can the city government.
They simply can't get it through their heads that the tax money does not belong to them, it is in trust to them to use wisely. I am not sure they realize that grant money is money from taxation.
If the city wanted the land, why would it take "over the past few years," and "they thought they had a tentative deal to buy the parcel." You don't have a deal until the seller has the money in his hand. And if another deal comes along, if he is smart he will take it. That is the real world.
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Letter -- Idea needs neutral facilitators
By David Sonnichsen, Eugene
The Register-Guard | August 18, 2004 |
Register-Guard editors propose an excellent answer to our local hospital roulette: Insist that PeaceHealth and Triad jointly meet with the community and negotiate siting solutions that put the public interest first.
Unfortunately, both of the prominent individuals the newspaper promotes as neutral facilitators have conflicts of interest.
University of Oregon President Dave Frohnmayer's institution is involved in closed-door dealmaking between Triad and Eugene's city manager to pour millions of dollars into connecting Agate Street to the Eugene Water & Electric Board site Triad wants. This proposal ruins the south bank of the Willamette River. It also opens eight parcels of the UO's Riverfront Research Park for development.
As Oregon's governor, John Kitzhaber continued the process of personally appointing members of the Lane Transit District board rather than requiring them to stand for election and be accountable to the public. LTD seeks access to a Willamette River crossing which an Agate connector would provide. Four years ago LTD commissioned a study to retrofit the Autzen footbridge for buses.
I suggest St. Vincent de Paul's Terry McDonald and Lane County Public Health's Sarah Hendrickson to facilitate a meeting between hospitals and the public. They help people every day, and might be able to convince PeaceHealth and Triad that hospital siting is more than an egotistical game of leapfrog which must proceed at the expense of our personal and public environment.
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John Haughom -- In the medical world, computer technology is a lifesaver
By John Haughom
The Register-Guard | August 22, 2004 |
For The Register-Guard
There's a paradox in the delivery of health care in the United States: America is the go-to place for the most advanced medical procedures in the world -- proce- dures based on years of well-financed, sophisticated research and on access to seemingly unlimited capital for the most high-tech equipment. Yet, we are also a country where patients die because someone did not verify a blood type, or because 100 cc of a drug was given to a patient instead of a recommended dose of 10 cc.
On one hand, our medical industry is a technological marvel where computers rule in the operating rooms, virtually guiding a surgeon's hand in a delicate process where a fraction of an inch could make a difference. Yet, much of the industry is still operating in the relative dark ages, using handwritten information that is passed back and forth by hand and storing medical records in color-tabbed charts on walls of shelves.
Just over a decade ago, I realized that health care could benefit tremendously by using technology as a repository and conduit of medical information. More and more was written about the use of computer technology to, in a sense, make up for our human frailty and deficiencies in order to enhance patient safety. I learned that cumbersome processes, for both the patient and clinical staff, could be streamlined by computers, and most importantly, that patient care could be dramatically improved by speeding up response time, establishing common quality protocols, and reducing human errors.
I gave up my gastroenterology practice to take a senior administrative position with PeaceHealth to help its staff design and implement an information technology infrastructure. PeaceHealth has always been a forward-thinking health care system and its leadership has embraced new ways of thinking to improve patient care. It's also willing to devote the necessary resources to achieve the improvement.
Today, the vision that PeaceHealth leaders had in the mid-1990s has become a reality. All PeaceHealth facilities in Alaska, Washington and Oregon now share standard hardware and software for practice management, lab systems, financial systems, clinical images and patient records. This commonality allows for the exchange and integration of data to support improved decision-making ability. And it's making a profound difference in the lives of our patients. Here's one example: (more...)
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McKenzie-Willamette/Triad
EWEB, hospital look to revive deal
By Christopher Stollar
The Springfield News | August 13, 2004 |
Springfield's hospital may yet cross the river.
Although McKenzie-Willamette withdrew its offer to buy the 29 acres now occupied by the Eugene Water & Electric Board on Aug. 3, the medical center may still buy the building on the banks of the Willamette River. (more...)
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Letter -- EWEB must protect ratepayers
By Paul Cauthorn, Eugene
The Register-Guard | August 22, 2004 |
It will be a sad day if Eugene Water & Electric Board members decide to fire sale the river property for some field in west Eugene, leaving ratepayers to pick up yet another cost. Ron Farmer's misleading comparison of an appreciating asset (river front property) to a depreciating asset (automobile), is simply ridiculous (Register-Guard, July 30). Since this EWEB board member is the regional president of the Bank of America and president of the Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce, he must know better.
Secondly, the newspaper and the board keep referring to the 2002 cost estimate of $38.5 million for the relocation. Eugene has seen an incredible escalation of real estate prices since 2002 and will likely see this continue in at least the near future, which will drastically add to the cost of moving the facility.
The board should also give thought to what the future appreciation effects of these properties will be as a result of the sale. Let's not forget the old real estate adage "location, location, location."
The current EWEB location is a sweet spot in the core of Eugene that could see substantial value increase. Any future locations should be purchased with the same appreciation potential.
This is another example of service cutbacks, higher taxes and brand new public buildings, as Robert Beauchamp mentioned in his recent letter to the editor. If the move doesn't pencil out, EWEB should not sell its property at this time and further add to our utility bills.
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Health Care
Gary Nauta -- Preserve citizens' right to their day in court
By Gary Nauta
The Register-Guard | August 10, 2004 |
In his July 29 guest viewpoint, Dr. Thomas Wuest discussed the legal and financial ripple effect that the actions of two bad police officers may have on the city of Eugene. Wuest compared this situation to that of the medical community as it faces questions of malpractice.
As one who has served our community both as a firefighter and as a police officer, however, I know the importance of protecting our constitutional jury rights, especially for those of us who must put ourselves in harm's way. That's why the Oregon State Council of Firefighters strongly opposes Measure 35, a constitutional amendment that would limit one of our most fundamental rights -- the right to our day in court. (more...)
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Letter -- Consider fate of injured patients
By Heidi Monson, Eugene
The Register-Guard | August 15, 2004 |
So, Thomas Wuest (guest viewpoint, July 29) asks us to consider the problems physicians face? Let's ask him to consider what those who've been injured by doctors often face.
Imagine what it's like to learn that your life has been stolen from you by a doctor's sloppiness. Imagine living in constant, unending pain. Imagine living with debilitation -- whether physical, mental or emotional -- your former life nothing but a memory.
Imagine losing your livelihood, home, dignity and pride. Imagine what it's like to find that the medical community itself has closed ranks against you because you're guilty of having been harmed by one of them.
This is often the life of a person who's been injured by a doctor. Capping medical malpractice awards would remove the only tool we have to keep doctors from sloppiness -- the threat of personally being responsible for the carnage. This is the only field in which practitioners actually expect not only to get away with their mistakes, but even to be paid for them.
Yes, doctors are only human, but then, so are their patients, a fact that seems to be increasingly foreign to too many physicians. If Wuest truly wants to resolve the malpractice problem, he should be active in its prevention, not in removing the only means we currently have to prevent it.
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Letter -- State sets LIPA fee limits
By Gary Young, M.D., President, LIPA, Eugene
The Register-Guard | August 13, 2004 |
The letter from Melissa Mona (letters, Aug. 1) is based on a false assumption: that Lane Individual Practice Association makes money by denying services. This is untrue and must be corrected.
LIPA is paid a fixed administrative fee by the state of Oregon; this fee is far less than what most plans serving private-sector clients charge but is nevertheless the amount set by the state. LIPA cannot and does not exceed this limit, ever.
Any taxpayer money saved by denying non-covered claims is used for the benefit of other Oregon Health Plan members seeking approved services. That's how the state has structured the OHP, stretching taxpayer dollars to cover those most in need.
In Lane County, it is LIPA's job to carry out the state's mandate. In fact, LIPA even sets aside a percentage of its allowed administrative fee to promote patient access, and it administers a unique prenatal care program for low-income women.
LIPA's critics have a right to free speech, but they have no right to misrepresent the facts. LIPA does not profit by denying services.
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Leo Cytrynbaum -- LIPA succeeds despite constraints
By Leo Cytrynbaum
The Register-Guard | August 16, 2004 |
Before moving to Lane County with my family, I participated in Medicaid health plans for poor and disabled patients in California and New York. It was a shocking and frustrating experience. I learned that around the country, and even in other parts of this state, that many Medicaid patients have their care thwarted by the limited resources available to them.
I am proud to practice medicine in Lane County where, under the auspices of the Lane Individual Practice Association, patients who have Oregon Health Plan insurance (Oregon's version of Medicaid) go to the same doctors and hospitals as everyone else. They are treated as people. And that is because of LIPA's success at running the Oregon Health Plan in our community.
Of course, no health plan is perfect. The idea behind the Oregon Health Plan was to provide health insurance for as many poor and disabled Oregonians as possible. This is an honorable goal, but the only way for Oregon to achieve this was to create rules for the health plan that limit the benefits for any individual patient. LIPA must follow these rules. (more...)
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Health costs blamed for job losses
By David Steves
The Register-Guard | August 20, 2004 |
A Eugene businessman argued the case Thursday for Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry by describing his high-tech company's struggles to provide health insurance for employees.
Michael Lafferty, research and development director for Synaptech in Eugene, was one of three Western businessmen to talk with reporters on a conference call about the challenge of handling rising medical insurance costs.
Lafferty, who is on the steering committee of Oregon Business Leaders for Kerry, said his company has seen its rates nearly double to cover medical insurance to its eight employees and their 12 dependents.
He said the company, which works on computer systems for schools and colleges, has done everything it can to control medical costs, including a no-smoking policy and full coverage of employees' memberships to fitness centers. (more...)
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Soaring health costs add to job market ills
By Eduardo Porter
The New York Times | August 19, 2004 |
A relentless rise in the cost of employee health insurance has become a significant factor in the employment slump, as the labor market adds only a trickle of new jobs each month despite nearly three years of uninterrupted economic growth.
Government data, industry surveys and interviews with employers big and small indicate that many businesses remain reluctant to hire full-time employees because health insurance, which now costs the nation's employers an average of about $3,000 a year for each worker, has become one of the fastest-growing costs for companies. Health premiums are sapping corporate balance sheets even more than the rising cost of energy.
In the second quarter, the cost of health benefits rose at a 12-month rate of 8.1 percent -- more than three times the inflation rate and the rate of increases in wages and salaries. (more...)
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Uninsured and uncertain
By Daffodil Altan
The Register-Guard | August 22, 2004 |
Los Angeles Times
When Jenna Zies moved to Sacramento, she took a few temporary jobs, then found work as a substitute teacher. The job didn't come with health insurance, and she figured she could go without coverage for a while. (more...)
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Editorial -- Canada won't help with drug prices
| The Springfield News | August 13, 2004 |
Prescription drug prices are a huge problem in this country, but we can't solve that problem by importing the stuff from Canada.
Plans to do just that have become trendy in Washington, D.C., lately. And truly, it doesn't seem fair that the Canadians can get life-saving drugs so much more cheaply than we can.
But the idea of our government reimporting them en masse from Canada is just the wrong way to address the problem, for a number of reasons. (more...)
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Governor seeks waiver for drug plan
By David Steves
The Register-Guard | August 20, 2004 |
Oregonians could buy lower-cost medication from Canada through local pharmacies under a proposal Gov. Ted Kulongoski forwarded Thursday to the Bush administration.
The proposal was greeted with skepticism by the Food and Drug Administration, which has questioned the safety of allowing U.S. consumers to access prescription drugs from beyond the nation's borders.
Kulongoski requested a federal waiver to allow Oregon to import federal Food and Drug Administration-approved medications under what he called the "Pioneer Prescription Drug Project." The Democratic governor also asked that the feds respond within 30 days.
Kulongoski said the feds' approval represents the final step necessary "for us to provide the relief Oregonians need from the skyrocketing price of prescription drugs." (more...)
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Editorial -- Help for the uninsured: Governor offers innovative Canada drug plan
| The Register-Guard | August 22, 2004 |
Every now and then an elected official comes up with an idea that makes so much sense, people ought to smack their foreheads and say "Why didn't I think of that?"
Gov. Ted Kulongoski's innovative plan to help Oregonians who have no health insurance obtain their prescription drugs at the lowest possible prices fits nicely into the head-smacking category. (more...)
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Vermont plans to sue FDA over Canadian drugs
| The New York Times | August 11, 2004 |
BOSTON -- Vermont will become the first state to sue the federal Food and Drug Administration for rejecting a plan to import prescription drugs from Canada, the state's governor and attorney general said Tuesday.
Reacting to intense pressure to help make prescription drugs more affordable, Vermont officials had asked the drug agency in November to approve a pilot program under which the state would contract with a Canadian company that would take orders for prescription drugs from Vermont residents and distribute them by mail.
On Monday, state officials received a letter from the drug administration denying the request, saying that the government could not ensure the safety of drugs imported from Canada.
Other states, including Illinois, have received similar denials, but no other state has taken the FDA to court over the issue. (more...)
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Surgeon general sounds obesity alarm
| The Associated Press | August 15, 2004 |
PORTLAND -- At a luncheon this week, U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona talked about one of his leading public health priorities: how to undo the national obesity epidemic.
He also ate the catered lunch of four-cheese lasagna, bread rolls with butter and chocolate chip cookies offered during his forum with state health officials at the Governor Hotel. (more...)
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Building boom propels hospitals into the future with technology
By Linda Johnson
The Associated Press | August 18, 2004 |
VINELAND, N.J. -- Greeters direct new arrivals at the elevators. Wireless telephone systems and Internet access are available. And every guest room is private, cheerful and with a fold-out chairbed.
Hospital or hotel?
It's a hospital, and the patient-comfort and high-tech features at the just-opened South Jersey Regional Medical Center in Vineland define the dramatically different design of 21st-century hospitals. (more...)
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Nearby Developments
City jail floated as way to cut crime
By Bob Keefer
The Register-Guard | August 16, 2004 |
SPRINGFIELD -- Tired of property crime plaguing Springfield, the City Council is poised to ask residents to pay as much as $28.7 million to build a new downtown public safety center, including a 100-bed jail.
Local police would use the jail to lock up petty criminals instead of sending them to the Lane County Jail, where they're routinely released because of overcrowding.
At a special work session and meeting tonight, the council will decide whether to put a bond measure on the November ballot for voter approval. If it passes, the bond would add about $87 in taxes each year for the owner of a $100,000 home.
City leaders say building their own jail is the only way to keep minor criminals locked up. (more...)
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Springfield council sends jail to voters
By Bob Keefer
The Register-Guard | August 17, 2004 |
SPRINGFIELD -- Racing to get onto the November ballot, the City Council interrupted its summer vacation Monday night to approve measures that would -- if passed by the voters -- build a city jail and bring urban renewal to Glenwood.
Capping a special work session and meeting that lasted more than four hours, the council voted 5-0 to seek voter approval of a $28.6 million bond measure to build the city jail as part of a new downtown public safety center that would house the police department, city prosecutor and municipal courts.
Years of frustration with the fact that the Lane County Jail routinely releases prisoners because of overcrowding led to the council's decision to try to build a jail in Springfield to keep petty criminals locked up. (more...)
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Editorial -- Questions abound: Springfield officials must make case for new jail
| The Register-Guard | August 20, 2004 |
Springfield officials have complained for years that the Lane County Jail costs too much to operate and habitually releases prisoners prematurely because there's insufficient space for them at the jail.
Now, city officials have decided to stop griping and do something about it. On Monday, the City Council voted to put a $28.6 million measure on the November ballot that would build a 100-bed city jail as part of a new downtown public safety center that would also house the police department, city prosecutor's office and municipal courts.
The frustration that prompted city officials to make this move is deep and understandable. For many years, officials have tried to stop what they call the "revolving door" at the county jail, where petty criminals are routinely released because of overcrowding and inadequate funding. That's particularly galling and troublesome for Springfield, which for years has had one of the worst property-crime rates in the state. Meanwhile, the county has refused to reduce what city officials regard as excessive charges for those inmates who do remain behind bars.
But Springfield officials must answer several critical questions before the fall election if they expect city voters to approve the public safety measure. (more...)
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Glenwood renewal to get city review
By Bob Keefer
The Register-Guard | August 16, 2004 |
SPRINGFIELD -- At its special meeting tonight, the City Council will consider creating an urban renewal district in Glenwood, the largely unincorporated area on the banks of the Willamette River between Eugene and Springfield.
The proposal comes with a $32.5 million wish list of projects, all to be paid for by tax-increment financing.
That's a method of paying for public projects by freezing property tax revenues to taxing agencies in a district at current levels.
Any revenue increases due to appreciation then go to the district for the life of the district, 20 years in this case. That income allows the district to borrow money to pay for various projects.
The city charter requires voter approval of tax-increment financing in Springfield, and parts of the proposed district lie within Springfield city limits. The council has to approve the proposal by Sept. 2 to get it on the Nov. 2 ballot.
Under the proposal being submitted to the council tonight, the City Council itself would become the urban renewal agency controlling the district, which will include all of Glenwood, from Interstate 5 to the river. (more...)
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Council OKs two levies for ballot
By Amber Fossen
The Springfield News | August 18, 2004 |
A new Springfield public safety facility and an urban renewal district in Glenwood are no longer far-off notions. Two ballot measures will bring the pivotal decisions to a vote this November.
Both concepts have been years in the making, but discussions finally led to action Monday night when council members unanimously approved forwarding to voters measures that, if passed, would make a new public safety facility and urban renewal a local reality.
The proposed plans will hinge on Springfield voters' support. (more...)
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Council nixes plan for fire district
By Amber Fossen
The Springfield News | August 20, 2004 |
Fire and emergency services will continue to remain under Springfield's authority.
In a 3-2 vote, councilors decided against a motion that would have moved toward letting the city hand off fire and emergency medical services to a special fire district -- in this case, Willakenzie Rural Fire Protection District.
The concept previously received the council's approval and was forwarded to the Lane County Boundary Commission last February before it was to head to taxpayers for a vote. The commission ruled unanimously against the request to merge, saying the proposal didn't comply with the Eugene-Springfield Metro Plan and that the plan would need to be amended to clarify language about service provisions.
Approval of the text amendment was a necessary step to get the idea back in play, but it has now been grounded indefinitely -- and perhaps permanently. (more...)
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Theater project awaits grant
By Janice Dresser
The Springfield News | August 18, 2004 |
Have you ever been annoyed when someone six foot six sits in front of you at the theater? This won't happen at the 284 seat Richard E. Wildish Theater on Main Street in Springfield because it will have steep stadium seating like a Greek or Roman amphitheater.
But the Wildish Community Theater is quiet these days. Not because the stage director has called for "quiet on the set," because he can't. There is no stage. There are no seats or ticket booths or snack bars either. Construction has stopped behind the colorful mural that covers the entrance to the old McKenzie Theater on Main Street.
It will take $800,000 to make the hammers pound again and make a community theater in downtown Springfield a reality.
"Our federal grant application for the $800,000 has been submitted," said Mark Pangborn, Springfield Renaissance Development Corporation (SRDC) Board Member and project coordinator. (more...)
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Cruise line leans toward Springfield
By Sherri Buri McDonald
The Register-Guard | August 21, 2004 |
SPRINGFIELD -- Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. appears to be getting closer to picking Springfield for a large reservations call center.
The company is zeroing in on a 22-acre site in the Gateway area, and is expected to submit preliminary plans to the city in coming days for a 150,000-square-foot building that initially would accommodate 350 workers and possibly grow to 1,000 in about four years, local officials said.
Royal Caribbean is set to meet with Springfield officials early next month to review the plans.
But the Miami-based cruise line is keeping largely silent with the public. (more...)
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Council delays go-ahead on land study
By Edward Russo
The Register-Guard | August 10, 2004 |
The task for the Eugene City Council on Monday seemed simple enough -- help pay for a study to see if the metro area has enough commercial land for a healthy economy.
But any time an issue is tied to the politically charged subject of land use in Eugene, matters are never as simple as they seem.
That much became evident during the City Council's meeting, when councilors extensively discussed a request by the Lane Metro Partnership for $15,000 from Eugene to pay the city's share for an analysis of undeveloped commercial and industrial land in the Eugene-Springfield area.
In the end, the councilors voted 6-1 to delay taking action on the funding request until Sept. 13, following their summer break. (more...)
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Council kicks in for land study
By Edward Russo
The Register-Guard | August 12, 2004 |
Reversing course from earlier in the week, the Eugene City Council on Wednesday decided that it was ready to authorize a study to evaluate whether the metro area has enough commercial land to attract, retain and nurture businesses.
After a contentious debate, councilors voted 6-2 to approve spending up to $15,000 for the study in cooperation with the city of Springfield, Lane County and the Lane Metro Partnership, a business recruitment agency.
The study deals with a politically charged topic in Eugene, where slow-growth advocates worry that a study that finds a lack of commercial and industrial land could lead to pressure to expand the city limits. (more...)
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Editorial -- The lay of the land: City Council switches gears on land inventory
| The Register-Guard | August 15, 2004 |
The debate over whether the Eugene-Springfield area has an adequate supply of commercial and industrial land sometimes takes on the character of a battle between the forces of Light and Darkness.
If one were to cast the conflict in terms of how opponents stereotype each other, it's an ideological smackdown with selfish, no-growth, tree-hugging eco-zealots in one corner and land-raping, money-grubbing "pave Paradise and put up a parking lot" developers in the other.
Interestingly, both sides place huge strategic importance on obtaining an accurate inventory of available commercial and industrial land. They're absolutely right that the real discussions can't begin until the inventory is in hand. But this kind of survey is particularly susceptible to the computer programmer's GIGO effect: "garbage in, garbage out." In other words, if a survey's criteria are flawed, its results will be unreliable. (more...)
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Letter -- Land inventory inadequate
By Mike Gansen, President, Home Builders Association of Lane County, Eugene
The Register-Guard | August 18, 2004 |
I am writing this letter in regard to "City deal for park slips away" (Register-Guard, Aug. 5). I do not have an opinion for the city or the developer, but I would like to address the core issue -- the shortage of buildable land. The land shortage inside the urban growth boundary of Eugene-Springfield is driving the cost of land to record highs each week.
The parcel off Dillard Road, zoned residential, would not be at issue if there were more land available. We are required by state law to maintain a 20-year buildable land supply within the UGB. Assuming all of the demand estimates are accurate, there is very little chance we currently have a 20-year supply, which in itself seems grossly inadequate. A more appropriate approach would be a 50-year plan designed to allow for long-term solutions.
I hear the word sprawl used quite often, and it conjures up visions of the Los Angeles freeways and massive overcrowding. The reality is that the population in this area is expected to grow by 250,000 by the year 2050. Over the next 50 years, I hardly consider this sprawl. I would, however, consider that reason enough to, as a community, consider long-term planning because, like it or not, more people are moving here.
It is time to consider expanding the UGB and planning for the infrastructure and necessary employment for our growing community.
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Work to begin on Crescent shopping center
By Joe Harwood
The Register-Guard | August 10, 2004 |
Arlie & Co. says it will break ground on its 39-acre mixed-use development in northeast Eugene early next month.
The Eugene real estate and development company plans to start installing roads, stormwater pipes and other infrastructure Sept. 9 for the first phase of Crescent Village, said Larry Reed, Arlie's director of planning and development.
While the company is doing the groundwork, it is marketing lots of various sizes to possible buyers and tenants.
Reed said the first phase covers about 11 acres of commercial land that will feature a large grocery store, restaurants and other retail activity as well as some office space.
Later phases would include apartments, rowhouses and townhouses. Many of Arlie's Crescent Village buildings will feature offices or shops on the ground floor, with living quarters above.
Preliminary plans call for up to 631 dwelling units, 32,000 square feet of specialty retail, 115,000 square feet of commercial, 102,000 square feet of general office space and 30,000 square feet of medical-dental offices. (more...)
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St. Vincent de Paul makes plans to buy Centre Court building
By Susan Palmer
The Register-Guard | August 12, 2004 |
If Terry McDonald has his way, the Centre Court building in downtown Eugene won't be vacant much longer.
McDonald, executive director of St. Vincent de Paul, said Wednesday that he has signed a purchase agreement for the 75,000-square-foot building at the corner of Broadway and Willamette. The deal includes the empty lot next door.
McDonald declined to say how much he offered for the structure and the lot, but the building was assessed at almost $1.5 million in 2003.
The owners of the building -- developers Tom Connor and Donald Woolley -- weren't in the office late in the day and couldn't be reached for comment.
The deal is contingent on arranging bank financing and approval of St. Vincent de Paul's board of directors, McDonald said. (more...)
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Editorial -- It's an improvement: St. Vincent de Paul can benefit downtown
| The Register-Guard | August 16, 2004 |
Earth to downtown Eugene: Nordstrom's department store isn't coming to the corner of Broadway and Willamette Street anytime soon.
Eugene's need for investors who will bring shoppers and workers to the city core is long-standing and obvious to everyone, while progress toward revitalization has been agonizingly slow. It's good news when a developer with a long track record announces plans to fill one of the most prominent of the downtown area's many empty buildings.
St. Vincent de Paul has agreed to buy the Centre Court building, the one on the southwest corner of Willamette and Broadway that long ago housed a JCPenney store. The nonprofit organization intends to consolidate two of its thrift stores in the ground-floor space of the building, and fill the upper stories with rental offices.
The Centre Court building has been vacant for two years. Having lights on inside, with shoppers and officer workers coming and going, will bring life back to a corner that desperately needs it.
Yet, some downtown property owners and managers are making it known that they're unhappy with the prospect of having St. Vincent de Paul as a neighbor. Putting a thrift store at one of downtown's primary commercial intersections, they fear, won't bring the kind of synergy they're looking for. The critics would prefer that the building's owners held out for another buyer, even if it means leaving the Centre Court building vacant. (more...)
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'Staggeringly high' costs halt plan to buy Centre Court
By Susan Palmer
The Register-Guard | August 20, 2004 |
It looked good on paper for a couple of weeks. But Thursday, St. Vincent de Paul rescinded its controversial offer to buy the vacant Centre Court building in downtown Eugene because of much higher than expected renovation costs.
No one pressured the agency to pull the offer despite the fact that some downtown business owners hadn't welcomed the notion of a thrift store on the ground floor of what many consider to be a premier property, said Terry McDonald, the agency's executive director. (more...)
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Transportation
LTD to combine EmX, road plans
By Amber Fossen
The Springfield News | August 13, 2004 |
Special lanes for LTD's planned bus-rapid-transit system will be constructed at the same time as the rest of Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway -- but the decision comes with its pros and cons.
The LTD board approved pulling $300,000 in funds set aside for the Pioneer Parkway EmX project to build EmX lanes at the same time as the rest of MLK Parkway.
The decision avoids an estimated 30- to 40-percent increase in overall construction charges if the lanes were laid as part of a separate project two to three years after the initial road project. Incorporating the lanes into the MLK project will also limit disruption to the community.
However, because the project is moving forward before the environmental impact statement is complete, funds spent for the construction will not be eligible for federal funding as part of a package of requests in last year's transportation bill. (more...)
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Letter -- Find alternatives to parkway
By Rob Handy, Eugene
The Register-Guard | August 17, 2004 |
In November 2002, some prominent elected officials told voters that the West Eugene Parkway was "planned and ready to go," that the "money was there," and that the "state would maintain it." It turns out that all those statements were untrue. The money isn't there, and the parkway is a shell game.
Lavelle Larson (letters, July 31) should be pleased by the actions of the Eugene City Council. Since a slim majority of the voters endorsed the parkway proposal in November 2002, the Eugene City Council has completed all actions the Oregon Department of Transportation said were needed to construct the parkway.
Ironically, it appears that it is ODOT itself that is now having trouble with the project. After studying the project for over a year, a soon-to-be-released report concludes that the parkway will cost $30 million more than originally thought. As reported in The Register-Guard May 12, ODOT has yet to respond to wetland concerns raised years ago by the Bureau of Land Management, an agency that must give its approval to the project. And now it appears that ODOT wants to construct the parkway but then turn it over to the city of Eugene to pay to maintain it!
There are real transportation problems in west Eugene. It's time to stop waiting for an expensive solution that we can't afford and to look for less expensive, practical, short-term efforts that can improve traffic.
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BLM's wetlands 'park' may block Eugene parkway
By Diane Dietz
The Register-Guard | August 21, 2004 |
A remote marsh that's transformed into a popular park in recent years could become an immovable roadblock to the long-fought West Eugene Parkway.
Construction of the highway through wetlands in west Eugene was to begin next summer, but the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, which has developed the marsh into a place for hiking, bicycling and nature watching, has raised serious objections to the road-building plan.
BLM officials say that the increasing numbers of people using its land in the West Eugene Wetlands for recreation signals a substantial change from 1997, when highway officials last analyzed the impacts of the proposed five-lane highway. (more...)
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County, city to consider talks on owning piece of parkway
| The Register-Guard | August 21, 2004 |
In a new twist, state highway builders are looking for local government to take over ownership of part of the West Eugene Parkway if it is ever built.
The state is making that request because it recently ran into a snag: The $17 million the state secured to build the three-mile eastern segment of the parkway is half what it needs to build a road that would be as sophisticated and smooth-flowing in future decades as state highway rules require.
To get around that roadblock, state highway department engineers plan to scale the eastern segment down to city-level standards, which under state rules means they must give the road to a local government -- either city or county -- when the construction is done.
In the next month, the Lane County Board of Commissioners and the Eugene City Council are scheduled to decide whether they are willing to even talk about owning the road, and absorbing maintenance and repair costs that go along with it. A formal agreement would come later. (more...)
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Bob Welch -- I-5 keeps us routed in the here and there
By Bob Welch, Columnist
The Register-Guard | August 10, 2004 |
At first glance, today's dedication of the new bridge over the Willamette River is all about a 1,993-foot temporary replacement span. But that's being shortsighted.
It's really about a 1,376-mile freeway called Interstate 5 -- the West Coast's Main Street -- and the latest attempt to keep the sucker alive. I-5 is like some aging, indispensable uncle constantly in need of replacement parts. How can you say no to someone so vital?
I-5 is the backbone of the Left Coast, an asphalt and concrete linking of three states and three countries. True, it lacks the romance of, say, Ventura Highway or the Road to Perdition, but, around here, it's our go-to, cruise-control route for north-south travel. (more...)
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Vital Link To Open Soon: Temporary bridge over Willamette River coming in ahead of schedule
By Bob Keefer
The Register-Guard | August 11, 2004 |
Never mind that the temporary Interstate 5 bridge over the Willamette won't actually open for another week.
The fast-track project was ready enough Tuesday for the snipping of a red ribbon and praise for an early completion that will net the contractor more than $300,000. (more...)
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I-5 detour bridges will open to traffic this week
| The Register-Guard | August 15, 2004 |
Traffic will begin using the new detour bridge on Interstate 5 across the McKenzie River by early Tuesday morning, and two days later, the switch to the Willamette River detour bridge also will be complete.
Starting at 6:30 p.m. Monday, motorists will encounter lane closures in the southbound lanes of the McKenzie River crossing as workers begin moving traffic barriers and changing the lane stripes. The transition should be complete by 6:30 a.m. Tuesday. Northbound traffic over the McKenzie will remain on the existing bridge, which has been strengthened to accommodate heavy-haul trucks.
The changeover on the Willamette River bridge will begin at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, in both northbound and southbound directions as crews complete paving, barrier and striping changes. By 6:30 a.m. Thursday, all lanes on the detour bridge should be open to freeway traffic.
The $38.6 million project by Hamilton Construction of Springfield came about because of shear cracks in the understructure of both bridges that made them unsuitable for use by trucks with extra-heavy loads. Heavy-haul trucks have been prohibited from using the bridges since March 2003.
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Editorial -- Bridge design: Aim high: Interstate 5 span should be a landmark
| The Register-Guard | August 16, 2004 |
A temporary bridge to carry Interstate 5 traffic across the Willamette River has been completed ahead of time, earning the contractor a handsome bonus. It's an impressive structure, built with admirable efficiency as well as environmental sensitivity, but it won't appear on many postcards. As designers begin thinking about a permanent replacement, they should aspire to build a bridge that is not only functional but beautiful.
The temporary bridge is proof that architects and engineers can quickly install a bridge that gets cars and trucks from one riverbank to the other. Nothing more is demanded of the temporary structure.
A permanent bridge, however, will be in place for half a century or longer. Its design presents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to give the Willamette a distinctive crossing. It's a chance to create a landmark for the Eugene-Springfield area, one that conveys a sense that the southern Willamette Valley is more than a place to get through on the way to somewhere else. (more...)
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Changing lanes: New bridge opens
By Mark Baker
The Register-Guard | August 19, 2004 |
Let the record show that the first car over the new, temporary Interstate 5 bridge spanning the Willamette River on Wednesday evening was a black Ford Taurus with Oregon license plates.
Of course, it was following a white pickup truck with flashing yellow lights -- a pilot car with the construction company's project manager behind the wheel -- that was the leader of the pack. But we'll give the honor to the nameless couple in the Taurus, who appeared oblivious they were making history.
One northbound lane of the new bridge opened to traffic about 6:45 p.m. Wednesday and morning commuters should be flying over on both northbound lanes today, whizzing past what is soon to be a ghost: a 42-year-old piece of steel and concrete destined to be replaced.
All four northbound and southbound lanes across the temporary bridge were scheduled to open midweek, but a blown engine on a piece of machinery Wednesday caused a delay and the southbound lanes probably won't open until Sunday, said Jim Sly, project manager for Hamilton Construction of Springfield. (more...)
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Elections
Hampton Campaign Gearing for November
| Eugene Weekly | August 19, 2004 |
Supporters of County Commissioner Don Hampton are getting organized in anticipation of a well-funded, "tough race" in November. "A victory for Don is critical for everybody in Lane County," says Michael Carrigan, campaign co-coordinator. (more...)
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'Run Jim Run' drive seeks Torrey write-in
By Edward Russo
The Register-Guard | August 17, 2004 |
The idea of recruiting lame-duck Eugene Mayor Jim Torrey as a write-in candidate for the same job in November moved from private conversations to the public spotlight Monday, as supporters launched an effort to rally support for a Torrey bid.
Torrey on Monday said he is undecided. But the "Run Jim Run" drive, spearheaded by former Mayor Jeff Miller, asks residents to let Torrey know that they want him as a write-in candidate in the Nov. 2 general election against primary winner Kitty Piercy. (more...)
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Editorial -- Listening to a write-in: Piercy should address apprehensions
| The Register-Guard | August 17, 2004 |
Nervousness about the direction of Eugene city government has erupted into the open, with an effort under way to draft Mayor Jim Torrey as a write-in candidate for re-election. Kitty Piercy, the only mayoral candidate whose name will appear on the Nov. 2 ballot, should pay attention to these signals, and attempt to persuade more people that her pledge to be "a mayor for all Eugene" was more than a campaign slogan.
Piercy has been trying to do that, but to some extent she's a victim of her own message. She won a majority of votes in the May primary election partly by portraying her major opponent, City Councilor Nancy Nathanson, as something she isn't -- a servant of big business and a promoter of urban sprawl.
The natural assumption is that Piercy will be less friendly to business and resistant to growth, and will advance those positions by using her power to break tie votes on an evenly divided City Council.
That assumption has led some people to conclude that Piercy must be stopped before she even gets started. Former Mayor Jeff Miller is attempting to create a groundswell of support for a Torrey candidacy. At a City Hall rally Monday, about 75 people gathered to urge Torrey to jump into the race. (more...)
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State rules 'Run, Jim, Run' a PAC
By Edward Russo
The Register-Guard | August 18, 2004 |
Let the games begin. The Eugene political games, that is.
Battle lines quickly formed among Eugene's political players Tuesday, a day after the launch of an effort to get Mayor Jim Torrey to run for re-election as a write-in candidate.
Torrey, who said he is undecided, is being wooed by conservatives unhappy with the May election that nominated liberal-leaning Kitty Piercy as mayor. Former Mayor Jeff Miller and others have formed "Run, Jim, Run" to persuade Torrey to enter the race. A Torrey bid for the Nov. 2 general election would present a challenge to Piercy, though write-in campaigns are generally considered long shots.
Monday's announcement of the "Run, Jim, Run" effort caused a quick fallout. (more...)
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Draft-Torrey effort files as PAC
By Edward Russo
The Register-Guard | August 19, 2004 |
The sunshine of financial disclosure will, after all, illuminate the drive to draft Eugene Mayor Jim Torrey as a write-in candidate.
Under mounting pressure, the leaders of "Run, Jim, Run" on Wednesday registered their group as a political action committee. That will require them to publicly disclose their receipts and spending in about a month. (more...)
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Editorial -- File, Jeff, file: Miller promises to register his anti-Piercy PAC
| The Register-Guard | August 19, 2004 |
Former Eugene Mayor Jeff Miller has, thankfully, thought better of leaving city voters with the impression that he was thumbing his nose at state election laws.
After telling Register-Guard reporter Ed Russo on Tuesday that he "wasn't sure" if he would register the "Run, Jim, Run" organization as a political action committee, Miller called Russo on Wednesday saying he'd had a change of heart. He intends to register "Run, Jim, Run," his effort to draft Mayor Jim Torrey as a write-in candidate for re-election to oppose Kitty Piercy, as a PAC "in the next couple of days."
That's good news for Eugene voters, because registration as a PAC would require "Run, Jim, Run" to list the identities and donations of all contributors who give more than $50. So far, the group has raised about $7,000, Miller said, most of it in small donations. He has received two $1,000 contributions, but he wouldn't name the donors. (more...)
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Write-in Effort Draws Fire
Is the Torrey revival campaign in violation of state election laws?
By Kera Abraham
Eugene Weekly | August 19, 2004 |
Opponents of Mayor-elect Kitty Piercy have launched a campaign to convince outgoing Mayor Jim Torrey to run as a write-in candidate against Piercy on the November ballot, but the campaign appears to be in violation of state election laws. (more...)
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Slant -- Write-in Campaign
| Eugene Weekly | August 19, 2004 |
This week we witnessed the awkward kick-off of the yellow-shirt brigade urging Mayor Jim Torrey to run a write-in campaign to keep his job in November. Yellow is a good color for this pro-Torrey group. They are afraid to say who's paying for their polling, paying for their websites, paying for their T-shirts, paying for their full-page ads. Sounds like the Gang of 9 all over again, without the nasty cartoons (yet). Meanwhile, all this sneaky campaign activity appears to violate the spirit, if not the letter, of Oregon campaign finance law. This ill-advised campaign is just making Torrey & company look like sore losers, and if the campaign does go ahead, the results could prove embarrassing for our lame-duck mayor. Call off the yellow dogs, Jim.
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