Health Options Digest
September 11, 2005
Coalition for Health Options In Central Eugene-Springfield (CHOICES)
In This Issue
From the Editor
Risky Business
The United States has spent over $200 billion on the War in Iraq (Source: National Priorities Project) because terrorism is one of the top risks facing the country, right?
Wrong.
Statistically speaking, death by terrorism isn't a significant risk. It is nowhere close to being one of the top 10 causes of death. (See "Among travel risks, death by terrorist attack is remote.")
As Hurricane Katrina has tragically reminded us, there is a greater risk of death from natural events than from terrorism.
And death from natural causes are far more common still.
Indeed, the leading causes of death in the United States are: 1) heart attack, 2) cancer, 3) stroke, 4) emphysema and chronic bronchitis, 5) accidents, 6) diabetes, 7) flu and pneumonia, 8) Alzheimer's senility, 9) kidney disease, 10) systemic infection, 11) suicide, 12) liver disease, 13) high blood pressure, 14) homicide, and 15) all other causes (Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).
Supreme Court Justice Rehnquist died of the second leading cause of death: cancer.
The fifth leading cause of death -- accidents -- includes all kinds of types of death due to transportation on land (car, bicycle, pedestrian, farm vehicle, etc.) plus relatively few deaths in the air or water. But it includes even more deaths from causes such as falling and poisoning. (Source: National Safety Council.)
Interestingly, suicide (#11) ranks higher than homicide (#14) as a cause of death. Since 2001, death by terrorism is included in the suicide and homicide categories. The statistics for the tragic events of September 11 four years ago today include 20 deaths by suicide for the terrorists themselves and close to 3000 deaths by homicide for the people on the doomed flights and in the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
While we remember those who died four years ago today on 9-11, and those who died or are suffering from Hurricane Katrina, talk of spending hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars for the "War on Terror" or for hurricane relief will surely cause the nation to reconsider its priorities and what we must or can afford to spend.
Inevitably, some will argue that human compassion requires us to help those in need. Others will ask if the public should, in effect, subsidize those who choose to lead risky lifestyles, whether that be living in a city below sea level, smoking two packs of cigarettes a day, or eating lots of fatty foods without getting much exercise. They will question rebuilding a city below sea level that will surely be flooded again.
Inevitably, questions of who pays will lead to questions about insurance and personal responsibility.
We won't answer those questions here and now. We will merely note that health insurance rates -- hence the cost of health care -- continue to climb because people want the best in modern health care for the leading causes of death -- heart attacks, cancer, stroke and so on -- but are less inclined to make the kinds of personal lifestyle choices that are necessary to avoid the leading causes of death. Walking, running or bicycling several days a week is far cheaper than multiple-bypass heart surgery, but it is always easier to put off such activities and expect that someone else will pay the hospital bills.
And the costs of health care will continue to rise until we as a nation can come to grips with the connection between public support (whether through public insurance such as Medicare or private insurance through an employer) and personal responsibility.
Musical Hospitals -- The Game Continues
The new PeaceHealth hospital at RiverBend is being erected... and providing jobs paying between $67,000 and $90,000 a year to those who can operate a crane.
The new McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center is... well, where exactly will it be?
Like a never-ending TV game show, the game of musical hospital continues, only now attention shifts to McKenzie-Willamette. You, too, can play the game and try to guess where the hospital will land.
The EWEB site, long the favorite of the Eugene City Council, appears to be dropping behind. The Lane County Fairgrounds are a perennial entry, but one full of problems. There's plenty of space at Second and Chambers, but doctors don't want to go so far west. The old Civic Stadium has emerged as a new possibility. And what fun would the game be without that frequent guest star John Musumeci and his Crescent Village site?
But the game really shouldn't be this hard to play and go on for so long, should it? We suggest a few principles that might make the game easier:
1) The site should be centrally located, i.e., easily acceptable from most locations in Eugene and beyond.
2) The site should be well-served by existing roads and public transit lines so that people can get to the hospital easily.
3) The current use of the site, if any, should be easy and inexpensive to relocate.
4) The site should avoid areas at risk during natural disasters, i.e., flooding and earthquakes.
Three Weeks In Review
But aside from Hurricane Katrina, changes on the Supreme Court, and the fourth anniversary of 9-11, not much has happened locally or regional as summer winds to a close.
In a letter to the editor, we noted that Don Kahle was essentially right in suggesting that our settlement with PeaceHealth requires them to market or redevelop the old Eugene Clinic site in a timely fashion, making that a possible location for a new McKenzie-Willamette hospital.
In other news, recent actions by the state legislature are forcing further cuts in the Oregon Health Plan. We hope those making the cuts remember that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Changes are afoot for downtown Eugene, and the Eugene City Council wants to hear ideas for what to do about the aging city hall building.
Two new hotels -- and a new traffic light -- are planned in the Gateway area. After the state and local governments spend over $100 million to beef up roads in the Gateway area, look for traffic to be as bad or worse than it is now. If you build it, they will come... and most likely come by car on increasingly congested roads.
And some of that growth -- for example, Symantec -- is subsidized by the public through the enterprise zone program. People continue to debate the merits of enterprise zones.
And if you want your voice to count, consider applying for the new West Eugene Enterprise Zone Community Standards Committee being formed by the City of Eugene and Lane County. Applications are due by September 23.
Bus rapid transit, dubbed EmX for "Emerald Express," is moving forward and is schedule to begin operation between downtown Eugene and Springfield by late 2006.
Speaking of hurricanes, the rising cost of gasoline and alternatives modes of transportation, Russell Sadler reminds us that it was Oregon's own Governor Tom McCall who pushed the idea of even and odd days for purchasing gasoline, a simple and effective method for dealing with gasoline shortages in the early '70s.
And while it is risky to attribute any one natural disaster to global warming, the long-term trend is increasingly clear: The burning of fossil fuels, in particular, from cars and trucks, is raising the level of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and causing the global climate to change. We applaud Governor Ted Kulongoski for joining his counterparts in California and Washington in implementing modest but significant measures to reduce the generation of greenhouse gases.
And transportation choices lead us back to lifestyle choices and the leading causes of death. Many of the leading risks of death can be reduced by living an active lifestyle: walking, running or bicycling frequently, for example, not only in a gym or on a track but in your daily life to get to and from the places you need to go.
Measure 37 is a growing mess. In recent news, some want to develop a subdivision on or near the grave of Chief Joseph in the shadow of the Wallowa Mountains. Under Measure 37, doing so might be legal. Under any reasonable sense of what is right and decent, doing so should be illegal.
But it will fall to the courts to sort out the details of Measure 37, which most knowledgeable attorneys agree is a poorly written piece of doo-doo. This Tuesday, September 13, oral arguments will be heard in the constitutional challenge against Measure 37.
Speaking of Kulongoski's counterpart to the south, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger might be forced to raise taxes if his spending control plan fails at the polls in November. Read my lips...
Rob Zako, Editor
343-5201
rzako@efn.org
Opportunities
Your Chance To Provide Input About West Eugene Enterprise Zone?
| City of Eugene; Lane County | September 9, 2005 |
Media Contact Only: Melinda Kletzok, Public Information Officer, 682-3747
Contact: Jan Bohman, City of Eugene Community Relations, 682-5587
Could a position on the West Eugene Enterprise Zone Community Standards Committee be your chance to provide input on criteria for the zone?
A joint City of Eugene/Lane County committee will help develop and adopt permanent standards and public benefit criteria for the West Eugene Enterprise Zone. The committee will be comprised of two elected officials and two citizen members from each governing body.
"This work of this committee will have a lasting impact by helping to shape the community standards for the jobs created in the Enterprise Zone," said Eugene Mayor Kitty Piercy.
Lane County and the City of Eugene will appoint their two citizen members through separate application processes. This committee's work will be concluded by January 2006.
"This is a great way for people interested in the future of the West Eugene area to become involved," said Lane County Commissioner Chair Anna Morrison. "Involvement in government is important and this is a golden opportunity for people to have input into plans and decisions."
HOW TO APPLY
Lane County: Applications online at: http://www.lanecounty.org/CAO/documents/CAO_WebCommApp_locked.doc
In person: Lane County Commissioners Office, 125 E. 8th Ave., Eugene. For more information, call 682-4203.
City of Eugene: Contact the City Manager's Office, 777 Pearl Street, Room 105, Eugene. For more information, call 682-5010.
Deadline for applications for both the City and the County is September 23, 2005.
Springfield panels seek volunteer members
By Serena Markstrom
The Register-Guard | September 3, 2005 |
SPRINGFIELD -- Civic-minded volunteers have two upcoming opportunities to serve on a city panel.
The Police Planning Task Force has two openings for citizen-at-large representatives and one opening for a business community representative. All three terms expire in 2009.
Established in 1994, the task force provides citizen input to the police chief.
The 10-member group generally meets the first Thursday of each month.
The deadline to apply is Oct. 14. Interviews of all candidates will be conducted by a subcommittee of the current task force. New members will be appointed by the City Council in November.
The city also needs to fill two vacancies on the 12-member budget committee.
The committee is made up of six city councilors and six members of the community and meets April-June, with additional meetings as needed. It reviews the city's financial plans, including the annual budget.
The openings are for Ward 3 and Ward 4 and applicants must live in the ward they wish to represent.
The terms expire Dec. 31, 2008. For more information, contact Norma Barton, budget officer, at 726-3698.
Applications are due by 5 p.m. Sept. 30. Applicants will be interviewed Oct. 17 and appointed Nov. 5.
Application forms for both the task force and the budget committee are available in the city manager's office in City Hall, 225 Fifth St.
PeaceHealth
Letter -- PeaceHealth property is surplus
By Rob Zako, Member, CHOICES, Eugene
The Register-Guard | August 22, 2005 |
In a July 31 guest viewpoint, Don Kahle suggested that PeaceHealth had agreed to divest itself of the old Eugene Clinic site within two years of the settlement with the Coalition for Health Options In Central Eugene-Springfield. On Aug. 2, The Register-Guard printed a correction to Kahle's piece, asserting that such a divesture was not part of the agreement.
In fact, Kahle's perspective is closer to the truth. The agreement reads: "Promptly, but not later than two years from the date of this Agreement, PeaceHealth shall initiate the planning for redevelopment or marketing of ... 1162 Willamette Street and associated properties... . PeaceHealth further agrees that it will not limit the potential uses of the properties, especially by trying to prevent their being used for medical or hospital purposes."
During negotiations, CHOICES explicitly asked PeaceHealth to not tie up the Willamette Street properties but to allow this underutilized part of downtown Eugene to be redeveloped, whether by PeaceHealth or someone else and whether for medical or other purposes.
While CHOICES doesn't know PeaceHealth's plans for the Willamette Street properties, the Hilyard, RiverBend and RiverBend Annex sites should provide more than sufficient space for their future needs, leaving the Willamette Street properties as surplus. CHOICES looks forward to PeaceHealth upholding the spirit and letter of the settlement agreement by promptly redeveloping or marketing its Willamette Street properties.
Slant -- PeaceHealth at Hilyard
| Eugene Weekly | August 25, 2005 |
News that PeaceHealth is planning to maintain a full urgent-care hospital at Hilyard and 13th after building a regional mega-medical center in north Springfield is adding to the pressure on McKenzie-Willamette. The Springfield hospital is being forced to find a new home in Eugene, go out of business or sell out. PeaceHealth appears to be seeking a monopoly on hospital services in the region. We've seen very little effort on the part of PeaceHealth to collaborate with other providers of medical services. In fact, the big non-profit has been a ruthless competitor, contrary to its mission statement: We value the involvement, cooperation and creativity of all who work together to promote the health of the community. ... We build and evaluate the structures of our organization and those of society to promote the just distribution of health care resources. If PeaceHealth board members really believe those benevolent words, they will initiate a meeting with McKenzie/Triad board members to hash out the "just distribution of health care resources" in our region.
Letter -- Rethink hospitals by rivers
By Harriett Smith, Eugene
The Register-Guard | September 5, 2005 |
For those convinced that siting a hospital near a river or on a flood plain is a good idea, I can only point to conditions on the Gulf Coast in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. We are not currently vulnerable to hurricanes in Lane County, but an earthquake could damage or destroy dams upriver from us and cause flooding in the very areas we are considering putting the medical facilities to which we'll turn in times of emergency.
It's time to think again about the RiverBend and Eugene Water & Electric Board sites, this time with disaster planning in mind.
OML receives go-ahead to renovate: Lab's operating space will nearly double
| The Springfield News | August 31, 2005 |
Oregon Medical Laboratories (OML), the state's largest reference laboratory, will soon occupy 70,000 square feet of the former Sony Disc Manufacturing plant in Springfield, having received permits from the city for a $17 million renovation. OML plans to have its new lab fully operational in January 2006.
OML's administrative staff moved into the new facility in July. (more...)
Job with upward mobility guaranteed
By Serena Markstrom
The Register-Guard | September 6, 2005 |
SPRINGFIELD -- Some kids love to climb and speak in made-up languages.
Some grown-ups get paid between $67,000 and $90,000 a year to do so. Two operators from Campbell Crane based in Portland will call Springfield home for at least the next two years as they sit high above ground helping to build PeaceHealth's regional hospital complex at the RiverBend campus on Game Farm Road. (more...)
McKenzie-Willamette/Triad
State: McKenzie-Willamette must solidify plans to relocate, whether to EWEB or somewhere else
By Amber Fossen
The Springfield News | August 24, 2005 |
McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center will file its certificate-of-need application this week, knowing it won't be considered simultaneously with PeaceHealth's plans. (more...)
Rosie Pryor -- Fast and Painless Update
By Rosie Pryor, Director of Marketing and Planning, 744-6164, rospry@mckweb.com
McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center | August 30, 2005 |
Monday, McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center submitted an application to the State of Oregon Certificate of Need coordinator for approval to construct a 148-bed full service acute care hospital at the Eugene Water and Electric Board site in central Eugene. McKenzie-Willamette must secure state approval to relocate to Eugene. The application provides detailed information about McKenzie-Willamette's plans to construct a hospital to replace its existing Springfield facility.
Recently, McKenzie-Willamette's request for review of this application simultaneous to any state review of PeaceHealth's plans to operate a third Eugene/Springfield hospital was denied. McKenzie-Willamette seeks the opportunity to place its plans before state staff side-by-side with those submitted by PeaceHealth so the state, and Eugene/Springfield residents, can make a fully informed analysis of the two proposals.
McKenzie-Willamette proposes to construct a 7-story hospital building with 148 beds and shelled space for another 53, to be added into service as needed over the next decade. The 62-page application and thirteen exhibits, which is a public record, provides background information for state officials about the projected need for the facility McKenzie-Willamette proposes to build as well as details regarding design and construction and financial viability.
We continue to await the outcome of EWEB's analysis of relocation costs. We're optimistic we can reach a successful conclusion to our negotiations with EWEB and receive full state review concurrently with any provided for proposals for a third hospital.
Questions? Please feel free to respond to this e-mail or give me a call. Thank you.
If you prefer not to receive Fast and Painless Updates from McKenzie-Willamette, please reply to this e-mail or give me a call and we'll remove your name from our address list.
Slant -- Triad at Civic Stadium?
| Eugene Weekly | September 1, 2005 |
What would really cause PeaceHealth conniptions as it schemes to monopolize health care services in the region? How about a big, beautiful new McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center at the 17-acre Civic Stadium site at 20th and Willamette? Lots of doctors, nurses and other medical professionals live in south Eugene, access is good, and the area is not in any flood zone. School District 4J owns the property and squeezes only about $60,000 a year rent from the Ems; but the prime property could be sold for millions that the schools could really use. The baseball franchise has been talking about moving to a new stadium for years. This whole idea is being pitched by retiree and North Eugene school volunteer Steve Sylwester. So far, he's presented his nine-page concept to the mayor, the school super and McKenzie-Willamette's CEO. Not a peep out of anybody. Want to read all 4,000 words of Sylwester's arguments for the site? Check it out.
Steven A. Sylwester -- A Good Idea
Locating the new Triad/McKenzie-Willamette Hospital on Eugene's Field of Dreams
By Steven A. Sylwester
Eugene Weekly | September 1, 2005 |
There are good ideas and there are bad ideas. A less than five-minute pondering of the following ESRI and FEMA Hazard Information and Awareness Web site that graphically details the flood hazard areas (100-year flood and 500-year flood) in Eugene should effectively rule out any continuing consideration of the EWEB site and the Lane County Fairgrounds site for the new Triad/McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center. (more...)
Hospital eyes land other than EWEB's
By Edward Russo
The Register-Guard | September 10, 2005 |
Eugene Mayor Kitty Piercy is worried that the city's chance to attract a new hospital south of the Willamette River is slipping away.
McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center executives appear to have shifted their search for a new hospital site away from the Eugene Water & Electric Board property along the Willamette River to other sites in Eugene and Springfield, Piercy said Friday.
Those sites include property in north Eugene and in the Glenwood area of Springfield, she said. Also, there's the possibility that McKenzie-Willamette simply would expand its existing hospital in central Springfield, she said. (more...)
Letter -- Keep the fairgrounds where it is
By Libby Bottero, Eugene
The Register-Guard | August 27, 2005 |
The Lane County Events Center and Fairgrounds provide numerous opportunities for serving our diverse community interests throughout the year and deserve our support. Its convenient central location is essential for public access to the site by walking, bicycle and bus, and it has plentiful parking. Don't sell the fairgrounds!
The farmers' markets and holiday markets, home and garden shows, RV and boat shows, Asian Celebration, Black Sheep Gathering, model railroad show, Copper Penny antiques and Piccadilly Flea Markets, Friends of the Library sale, ski swap, pet shows, gem shows, Frontier Heritage Fair and the county fair are just some of the many events that our family has attended within the last year. For a monthly event calendar see: www.atthefair .com.
The popular Lane County Fair offers a wealth of entertainment and educational enrichment for all ages. For the price of a movie one can spend the entire day enjoying the many displays of local arts and crafts, farm animals and garden produce, a wide variety of services and products, information booths, food, rides, music and much more.
The ice center and the sports program at the site provide great opportunities for our youth to develop healthy skills. Other public resources adjacent to the fairgrounds include the Lane County Historical Museum and the Lane County Oregon State University Extension Service, which sponsors the 4-H youth development program. Keep the fairgrounds where it is for the benefit of the entire community.
Charles Warren -- Fairgrounds an attractive bird in the hand
By Charles Warren
The Register-Guard | September 6, 2005 |
Many well-meaning people feel the best solution for the Lane County fairgrounds is to sell it and to move the fair to another location.
This sounds like a simple solution, but the situation is much more complex than it appears. (more...)
Medical team members recall horrors in Katrina aftermath
By Jim Feehan
The Register-Guard | September 11, 2005 |
Suzie McCray has seen her share of trauma as an emergency room nurse at McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center. But she said nothing in her training or experience could have prepared her for the nightmare she faced treating thousands of victims of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. (more...)
Health Care
Dropping premiums, boosting health care
By David Steves
The Register-Guard | August 24, 2005 |
SALEM -- After watching tens of thousands of low-income Oregonians lose access to the Oregon Health Plan because they failed to pay premiums, Gov. Ted Kulongoski and legislators on Tuesday lauded a bill that makes the program more affordable.
Senate Bill 782, which eliminates premium payments for the very poorest of Oregon Health Plan enrollees, is one of a handful of changes made by the recently adjourned Legislature when it comes to health care for the poor and uninsured.
Compared with the big expansions of the health insurance program in the 1990s and deep cuts earlier this decade to save money, the recent changes amounted to tweaks that ensure the health plan's survival for 2005-07. But they don't do much more than that. (more...)
Cuts in health plan considered
The Department of Human Services will hold a public hearing Thursday to discuss possible changes to benefits
By Edward Walsh
The Oregonian | September 5, 2005 |
Facing a legislative mandate to cut spending, the Department of Human Services has scheduled a public hearing Thursday in Salem to consider possible changes in the Oregon Health Plan affecting benefits in four areas: hospital stays, vision care, dental care and over-the-counter drugs. (more...)
State proposes health plan spending cuts
By Charles Beggs
The Associated Press | September 9, 2005 |
SALEM -- Hospital officials and other medical providers flayed proposed budget-balancing spending cuts in the state health plan Thursday, saying they would unfairly hurt the most chronically ill people.
Despite the criticism, an advisory panel backed most of the planned trimming, except for a limit on hospital stays for some low-income people in the state's version of the Medicaid program.
The Human Services Department is shaving benefits to keep spending in line with the budget passed by the 2005 Legislature. Lawmakers told the state Human Services Department to decide how to make the cuts to keep outlays within the budget.
The state's decisions on reducing benefits are subject to approval by the federal government, which pays about 60 percent of Medicaid costs. (more...)
Kaiser Permanente submits plans for building new hospital in Hillsboro
| The Oregonian | September 1, 2005 |
Kaiser Permanente has submitted plans with Hillsboro to build a 232-bed hospital and other medical facilities on its 15-acre property in the Tanasbourne area.
When the multi-phase project is completed, Kaiser's current medical and dental buildings off Northwest Evergreen Parkway will be gone. They'll be replaced with the hospital and 450,000 square feet of other medical facility space. (more...)
Nearby Developments
Letter -- Can We Grow and Improve?
By Kurt Yeiter, Principal Planner, Eugene Planning and Development Department
Eugene Weekly | August 25, 2005 |
I want to express my appreciation for the article "Clear as Mud" (7/28) because it highlights several of the difficulties the city faces when trying to create pedestrian and transit friendly Mixed-Use Centers (MUCs). The city's goal with MUCs is to accommodate growth in a way that actually makes the city better. This requires a fundamental change in the built environment that is economically feasible, socially beneficial, sensitive to neighborhood character and property values, affordable, and consistent with state law. Obviously this is no easy task!
The article, coupled with experiences in implementing MUCs and discussions with neighborhood groups over the last several months, highlights a few ironies and conflicts inherent in this undertaking:
* The city of Eugene's growth management policies encourage in-fill, mixed-use, redevelopment and higher density development, while maintaining the character and livability of individual neighborhoods. Adopted policies also discourage expansion of the Urban Growth Boundary to provide new developable land away from established neighborhoods.
* Some people discourage development of MUCs near the edge of the city, but many also see the neighborhoods nearest the city core, which are typically already zoned to allow higher densities, as most deserving of preservation.
* Commercial areas are thought to hold great potential to accommodate high concentrations of new residences, but high density living is already allowed in most commercial zones. If it were easy and marketable to do, why isn't the market providing more homes in commercial areas now? Should the city offer incentives to promote this?
* A common complaint is that higher density living results in taller buildings near low density homes. Even if new dwellings were steered toward the upper floors of commercially zoned properties, they would often still abut lower-rise residences.
* The process of customizing solutions for each potential MUC is already too slow and expensive, but there is a desire for more public involvement in the process. That would add more time, expenses, or both. (Don't worry: there will always be substantial opportunities for public involvement in Eugene's Mixed Use program.)
* Some do not want MUCs on streets with heavy traffic, but the traffic is needed to support the retail businesses the neighborhoods want.
* Neighborhoods understandably want high quality, aesthetically pleasing development, and possibly the opportunity to dictate what type of commercial activity locates in a MUC, but we do not want so many regulations that the city appears to be anti-business.
Add these few examples with the city's limited general fund and uncertainties brought by Measure 37, and it is clear that creating MUCs will be a slow process of experimentation and collaboration with the community as a whole. If successful, Eugene may grow and improve over time -- a worthy goal. The Eugene Planning Division looks forward to working with local residents and businesses towards this end.
Downtown Developers: The unique and respected partnership turns its talent toward the heart of Eugene
By Sherri Buri Mcdonald
The Register-Guard | September 11, 2005 |
They don't look like high-powered developers, with multimillion-dollar projects from here to Hawaii.
In fact, in their short-sleeved sport shirts and casual pants, Tom Connor and Don Woolley look like they could be your neighbors, your kids' teachers, or just a couple of parents at a PTA meeting.
But Connor, 51, and Woolley, 46, have been crafting successful development deals in the West for more than 25 years. (more...)
City property owners voice their concerns
By Sherri Buri Mcdonald
The Register-Guard | September 11, 2005 |
Tom Connor and Don Woolley's plan for a major redevelopment of West Broadway thrills many downtown small-business owners, but it also makes some of them nervous.
Several downtown property owners said they're worried that the city might use its power to condemn their properties if they refuse to sell to Connor and Woolley, who appear to want their parcels as part of the redevelopment. (more...)
Council hopes public will offer City Hall ideas
By Edward Russo
The Register-Guard | September 11, 2005 |
Do you have an opinion about what Eugene should do with its City Hall? If so, city councilors and the mayor want you to get down to the building in question at East Eighth Avenue and Pearl Street on Monday evening so they can hear your thoughts.
The City Council has been talking since 1999 about possible replacement of City Hall, which houses city administrative offices, the main police station, municipal court and other city agencies. (more...)
New hotels to open in '07 at Gateway
By Tim Christie
The Register-Guard | August 25, 2005 |
SPRINGFIELD -- The 234 hotel rooms lost when the old Clarion Hotel was torn down last summer will be replaced by two new hotels set to open in the Gateway area in 2007, a development company announced Wednesday.
Sycan Development plans to build a 90-room TownePlace Suites by Marriott, an extended-stay hotel, and a 142-room Holiday Inn that will be the first full-service hotel built in the metro area since the Hilton Eugene opened in January 1982.
The hotels will be operated by a sister company to Sycan called InnSight Hotel Management Group, said Richard Boyles, president of both companies. (more...)
Two hotel projects in works for Gateway district
By Ben Raymond Lode
The Springfield News | August 31, 2005 |
The City of Springfield could be getting two major new hotels within the next two years.
Apparently propelled by the recent spur of large corporate business activity in Springfield, hotel developer Sycan Development of Oregon is looking to construct a TownePlace Suites by Mariott at the intersection of Kruse Way and Hutton Street.
That facility is planned to open in early 2007, according to a Sycan press release. (more...)
County OKs tax incentives for Symantec, Williams Bakery
By Amber Fossen
The Springfield News | August 31, 2005 |
Two major employers will be able to avoid the burden of property taxes for five years.
Lane County Commissioners unanimously approved Symantec Corporation and United States Bakery's requests for enterprise zone extensions. In exchange, the companies must compensate new employees, make annual payments to local jurisdictions, and provide funds for three community projects. (more...)
Letter -- Enterprise zone will help growth
By Scott Purcell, Eugene
The Register-Guard | August 30, 2005 |
We are poised for job creation, business investment and improved long-term city funding in Eugene.
Thanks to key votes by a majority of the Eugene City Council and Lane County Board of Commissioners, we are poised to revitalize a program that brought more than 1,500 family-wage jobs to our community during its former 10-year run and increased our property tax base substantially. Now Eugene can again take advantage of the benefits provided by enterprise zones -- protecting and growing our economic base.
Adoption of the enterprise zone comes as good news to the 80 percent of Eugene citizens surveyed by the city in February who desired the city to take an active role helping outside companies come to Eugene. Further, 67 percent said the city should provide tax incentives to help businesses create new jobs.
It's good news for the Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce also, which has advocated to restore the program ever since the City Council abandoned it in 1997. The chamber works hard to help this community be sustainable. After all, local businesses, whether headquartered or operating here, provide the jobs and property taxes to pay for the services that benefit all who live here: good schools, abundant parks, safe streets.
For the 10 years Eugene had an enterprise zone program, it was a proven success, helping 48 local companies expand and recruiting to town nine new companies; most are still here. Kudos to our forward-thinking leaders who have restored this important program.
Letter -- Growth can't continue forever
By Ray Wolfe, Eugene
The Register-Guard | September 4, 2005 |
Scott Purcell's promotional enterprise zone statement (letters, Aug. 30) begs for scrutiny and alternative interpretation.
Purcell asserts: The first enterprise zone " ... brought more than 1,500 family-wage jobs to our community ... and increased our property tax base substantially." This overlooks the possibility that businesses would have migrated to Eugene without the corporate welfare so naively provided. Eugene offers indispensable business needs -- cheap and copious water and electricity -- that dominate responsible corporate decision- making.
Purcell assumes that the 67 percent of citizens supporting the corporate property tax exemptions understood the cost of lost property taxes -- $52 million over five years (1992-97) -- and the often painfully decreased city services.
Purcell omitted the compelling reasons why a City Council majority terminated the enterprise zone in 1997 and why the 1997 council advisory committee minority report, necessary to facilitate more complete disclosure, was never presented to the 2004 Eugene Economic Growth Committee by city staff. That report found that a growing economy and increased market demand, not subsidies, facilitated expansion of businesses in the enterprise zone.
Do Purcell and the Chamber of Commerce understand that long-term, sustainable growth is an oxymoron? Can they continue to ignore numerous signs of limiting resources, or will the no-speak taboo continue? Ignoring growth unsustainability invites disaster. Please, let the dialogue begin!
Slant -- Eugene City Council happy?
| The Eugene Weekly | September 8, 2005 |
We hear Mayor Kitty is urging council members to join her in a happy little entry in the Eugene Celebration Parade this year. Hmm. Sounds like a quorum. Somebody take notes. But the councilors are not exactly a happy bunch at the moment, and not everyone is eager to grin, hold hands and skip along the parade route. Hynix managers are already dancing in the streets in anticipation of up to $100 million in tax abatement. And our city attorneys just got a fat new five-year contract without any real competition or serious scrutiny. City lawyers are clicking the heels of their $200 shoes. But on the council, grumbles and growls are growing. This might not be the best time to feign unity and blow kisses.
Amazon subdivision goes back before city
By Joe Harwood
The Register-Guard | August 23, 2005 |
Martin and Leslie Beverly appear poised to take another shot at developing residential lots on property in the Amazon Creek headwaters area in Eugene's south hills.
The latest proposal calls for about 77 lots on 25 acres at the south end of West Amazon Drive, east of Fox Hollow Road. The property consists of three tax lots, and initial filings with the city hint that the development would occur in three phases.
The Beverlys have been trying to create lots on the land since they bought it in 1998. Neighbors, environmentalists and other concerned citizens have opposed every attempt to develop the property. Two environmental activists even scaled a tree on the private woodland in 2000 and spent a month protesting the proposal before city officials rejected it. (more...)
Survey says no to safety taxes
By Bill Bishop
The Register-Guard | August 24, 2005 |
A majority of voters favor a proposed public safety plan to target drug dealers, reopen jail beds, reduce child abuse and domestic violence, and increase drug and alcohol treatment.
But they don't want to pay the $39 million it would cost, according to a survey done for Lane County's Public Safety Task Force.
The survey, conducted last week, shows that 60 percent of probable voters want the county to somehow implement the $39 million plan. (more...)
Task force pledges goal of unanimity
By Bill Bishop
The Register-Guard | August 26, 2005 |
In the calm before a storm of debate, the county's Public Safety Task Force pledged Thursday to strive for unanimity at its next -- and possibly last -- meeting to devise a multi-million-dollar tax proposal to reopen jail cells, put deputies on rural patrol, go after methamphetamine dealers and thieves, treat addicts, reduce family violence and reform juvenile delinquents.
Ahead lay big and controversial issues. (more...)
Editorial -- Task force must press on
| The Register-Guard | August 27, 2005 |
Based on results of their recent survey, no one could really blame members of Lane County's Public Safety Task Force if they decided to just chuck it all and go home. (more...)
Task force hammers out public safety plan
By Bill Bishop
The Register-Guard | September 9, 2005 |
It took 18 ballots before the county's Public Safety Task Force could reach a compromise $24.4 million package of services to fight methamphetamine, reduce family violence and improve treatment and prevention programs.
But after a three-hour meeting Thursday night, the panel could not agree on how to pay for the package.
However, the members did reach the only unanimous vote of the night by agreeing that the Lane County Board of Commissioners should seek a tax other than the property tax to pay for additional jail beds, rural resident deputies, drug treatment, youth-oriented crime prevention programs and other services. (more...)
County residents in support of beer tax for treatment funding
| The Register-Guard | September 9, 2005 |
A nickel a beer to fund treatment for alcoholics and addicts?
"Why not?" a majority of Lane County adults would say if lawmakers asked, a county-funded survey released Wednesday suggested. (more...)
Public safety questions put to forum
By Matt Cooper
The Register-Guard | September 9, 2005 |
The public can weigh in on the state of public safety in Lane County during a series of upcoming forums.
The county and its 12 cities are studying the possibility of a multimillion-dollar tax proposal for services ranging from reopening jail cells to reforming juvenile delinquents.
East Lane Commissioner Faye Stewart will hold town hall meetings to discuss the state of the system, the recommendations of the public-safety task force and any concerns of residents. (more...)
Kate Davidson -- A fresh look at the county's fiscal crisis
By Kate Davidson
The Register-Guard | September 11, 2005 |
Are Lane County's public safety programs underfunded? The story, as it has been represented by county officials and reported unquestioningly by the media, is startlingly incomplete.
In reality, the county's public safety funding can be seen as an issue of overall general fund budgeting, priority setting and credibility -- not simply an issue about the need for taxpayers to pony up more money.
We all want the benefits that a system of shared resources, in the form of taxation, can confer. Public safety, health and human services, public works and land management are a few of the services that citizens value and that Lane County provides.
But the truth is that the county's fiscal crisis has become permanent. Given this fact, do we want our county government to go about business as usual, forwarding revenue proposals to voters with little or no real citizen input?
Or do we use the opportunity that a fiscal crisis offers to turn the budget process on its head so that it starts with the results we demand and the price we are willing to pay, rather than the programs we have and the costs they incur? (more...)
County payments law in doubt
By Matt Cooper
The Register-Guard | September 11, 2005 |
Lane County has 15 months to secure critical funding from Congress and the White House at a time when the federal deficit is cause for hand-wringing among lawmakers.
In other words, it's getting close to crunch time. (more...)
Bethel likely to seek levy to fill gap
By Serena Markstrom
The Register-Guard | August 23, 2005 |
The Bethel School Board agreed Monday that it needs to put a local option levy before voters to fill part of its budget gap. The next step is to answer two key questions: how much to ask for and where the money should be spent. (more...)
Transportation
Letter -- Gateway traffic light a bad idea
By Michael Perkins II, Springfield
The Register-Guard | August 30, 2005 |
A new traffic signal for the Crossroads center on Gateway Street is a rather poor idea (Register-Guard, Aug. 6). The road is already extremely congested, and adding another signal at this location will only worsen the situation.
Its proximity to the Gateway-Belt Line Road intersection is the most blatant reason not to place a light here. It will cause further interruption in traffic flow, increase the number of accidents and not be the solution needed. Rather than install this signal, a better move would be to access Gateway Loop. It is a far better solution. This road is already served by a light and connects many other existing businesses as well as the Gateway Mall. Plus, there is already an existing road stub that services the Allied building, Curtis Restaurant Supply and a number of other businesses that abut the Crossroads center.
All that separates the parking lot and this stub is a hedge. At a similar cost, and with an agreement from other businesses, this would better serve all of us, as well as increase the sales at other less-visible businesses. And this will not further impede the already-burdened Gateway Street.
Letter -- Make LTD bus service free
By John Sachs, Springfield
The Register-Guard | August 28, 2005 |
In observing some of the latest Lane Transit District amenities, plans and visions, a couple of things occur to me.
In view of whom LTD is attempting to serve -- that is, those who are prevented by either economics or conscience from having their own vehicles with all the attendant expenses -- perhaps we need to be building a Ford, not a Ferrari. If it is true that upwards of 80 percent of LTD expenses are paid by business taxes and less than 20 percent by fares, I suggest that priorities need to change a little.
If LTD truly desires to serve the less fortunate of the local population, why not scale down the grandiosity of the projects -- and upper management salaries -- and make bus service free within the county?
How about it, LTD strategic planners? Shoot it full of holes or give it some serious thought.
Letter -- Bus rapid transit a boondoggle
By Rob Waldman, Eugene
The Register-Guard | September 7, 2005 |
So the new EmX rapid transit bus line is going to cost $23 million and shave five minutes off the ride between Eugene and Springfield. What a colossal waste of money!
Are there so many people in Eugene who go to Springfield on a regular basis to justify this expense? Of course not.
Over the years I have seen our city government waste money time and time again, and this is just the latest example. Our downtown mall is an empty shell despite opening it up to traffic, and all the fancy brick crosswalks aren't drawing people or businesses back to the rotting core of Eugene. But the Lane Transit District has outdone itself this time with a $23 million bus system to get us all over to Springfield five minutes faster.
Eugene-area agencies do not have a clue on how to manage their public works projects. What an embarrass- ment.
EmX, moving right along: Few may know about it, but the rapid bus system is on the way
By Matt Cooper
The Register-Guard | August 29, 2005 |
The new lane and traffic signals at East 11th Avenue and Mill Street in Eugene are evidence of the $23 million high-speed bus line that is on the way -- and all but unknown by many who visit Eric Hanneman's neighboring tropical-fish business.
"Mainly, they have no idea," Hanneman said. "I'm not sure the specialness of the system is apparent yet, even to me."
Lane Transit District's new-age bus system -- Bus Rapid Transit -- is still largely on the drawing board, with inaugural service between the Eugene and Springfield downtowns not expected until the end of next year.
But now that construction has begun on special bus lanes, raised platforms and traffic signals, the public's questions and concerns are starting to collect at district headquarters. (more...)
LTD declares end of line for this hybrid
By Edward Russo
The Register-Guard | September 7, 2005 |
Not long ago, Lane Transit District touted its cute, compact blue Breeze buses as the way of the future.
Then it got them.
The six buses carried passengers around Eugene for just 2 1/2 years. Now, they are parked collecting dust in a corner of LTD's headquarters in Glenwood. Without costly repairs to their diesel-electric hybrid engines, their only future appears to be an auction, where they will be sold for a fraction of the $1.74 million they cost taxpayers.
The buses were bought by LTD four years ago to launch the frequent-service Breeze route in and around downtown Eugene. (more...)
LTD chooses well-tested hybrid buses for fleet
By Edward Russo
The Register-Guard | September 7, 2005 |
Jim Boon had been intrigued by the potential of electric hybrid buses since they first came on the transit scene in the late 1990s. But he wanted reassurance that they would work reliably on Seattle's busy streets.
So Boon, procurement manager for King County (Wash.) Metro Transit, waited a few years, until major bus makers had started producing electric hybrids.
Then he waited awhile longer, until some of the early bugs had been eliminated. (more...)
Editorial -- Bold enough to fail
| The Register-Guard | September 9, 2005 |
No doubt about it, the Lane Transit District's experiment with electric-diesel hybrid buses was a disaster. Government agencies should expect to be held accountable for such costly mistakes.
At the same time, avoiding errors should not be LTD's sole ambition -- the district must also anticipate local transit needs and prepare to meet them. A play-it-safe strategy might have prevented a waste of money on lemon hybrids, but prudence should not bring with it timidity and a lack of vision. (more...)
Correction -- Bold enough to fail
| The Register-Guard | September 10, 2005 |
A Sept. 9 editorial incorrectly stated that the Lane Transit District's route between downtown Eugene and downtown Springfield carries 3,500 passengers a month. The figure is for daily boardings, and is projected to increase to 5,000 a day after completion of the first segment of the bus rapid transit system.
Editorial -- Highway tolls coming: Oregon contemplates private road-building
| The Register-Guard | September 11, 2005 |
Oregonians who travel out of state experience a mild shock when they're asked to pump their own gas, pay sales taxes and stop at highway toll booths. That last experience may soon cease to be foreign -- the Oregon Department of Transportation is considering allowing private companies to build highways and recover their investment by collecting tolls. As Oregon embarks on this experiment, the state must ensure that it does not result in a fragmented or two-tier transportation system. (more...)
Russell Sadler -- If a gas-buying panic sets in, we should recall the plan from McCall
By Russell Sadler
The Register-Guard | September 6, 2005 |
August 2005. Katrina has just slammed into the Gulf Coast. The stories from New Orleans and Mississippi are filled with terror and tragedy.
As if Hurricane Katrina's damage isn't tragedy enough, the media are very likely talking the country into lining up at the gasoline pumps again. A crippled transportation system is understandably creating shortages in the hurricane-stricken area. The Bush administration is displaying its usual incompetence, bungling its way through the hurricane's aftermath.
If Americans panic over gasoline prices and swarm to the pumps, the transfer of stored gasoline from the distribution network to vehicle tanks will produce spot shortages that will trigger panic buying and lines at gas stations far from the area affected by the hurricane, where real shortages understandably exist.
Oregon has more experience than most states in successfully coping with panic buying and gasoline lines. Rewind the videotape to 1973: "The Winter Gov. Tom McCall Turned Out the Lights." (more...)
Editorial -- Holding the (waist)line
| The Register-Guard | August 25, 2005 |
The glass-is-half-full approach: Congratulations, Oregon. You're the only state in the nation whose residents aren't getting fatter. A report released Tuesday by a public health advocacy group noted that obesity rates have continued to rise in every state but Oregon, where they have remained steady at 21.5 percent of the population. (more...)
Oregon: More active by design?
By Rukmini Callimachi
The Associated Press | August 26, 2005 |
PORTLAND -- To shed the pounds that crept around her waistline, Linda Ginenthal began riding her bike to work -- an easy 3 1/2 -mile trip.
It's not a marathon, nor is it a grueling hike. Yet diet experts say it's the kind of daily activity that could hold the secret to why Oregon is the only state in the nation in which the obesity rate did not increase in the past year.
According to a study released Tuesday by the Washington, D.C.-based Trust for America's Health, the percentage of overweight Oregonians held steady at 21 percent last year, a sharp contrast to Alabama, where the rate of obesity increased 1.5 percentage points to 27.7 percent.
What makes Oregon different is its emphasis on urban design, which encourages outdoor activities such as biking to work, the study's authors said. (more...)
Bend's growth prompts rethinking commuting
By Meghann Cuniff
The Associated Press | September 2, 2005 |
BEND -- In a steadily growing city with a shortage of downtown parking and an ever-increasing number of cars on the road, alternative forms of transportation may seem like a good idea. At least Jeff Monson seems to think so.
The executive director of the Bend agency Commute Options works with area businesses to encourage workers to forgo their cars for the sake of their health, their community and their parking spots.
Bend residents are turning to bikes, car pools and the more traditional use of their two feet to get around town more and more, Monson said. (more...)
Innovation Accelerates Construction of the Coast Fork Willamette River Bridge
| Oregon Department of Transportation | |
ODOT has pioneered a streamlined approach to environmental permitting, and it's already paying off. Using the new programmatic permits, the agency shaved more than 90 days off of the normal permitting process for its Coast Fork Willamette River Bridge project. As a result, the agency may save as much as $1 million. (more...)
Northwest states to raise the bar on car emissions
By Brad Cain
The Associated Press | August 22, 2005 |
SALEM -- Despite an effort by auto industry lobbyists to kill the move, two Pacific Northwest states -- Oregon and Washington -- are getting ready to adopt California's new vehicle emission standards to reduce greenhouse gases.
When that happens, California's newly implemented emissions standards -- the toughest in the country -- will be in effect along the entire West Coast from Canada to Mexico. (more...)
New auto rules slightly raise mileage target
By Danny Hakim and John Broder
The Register-Guard | August 24, 2005 |
The Bush administration's long-awaited plan to overhaul fuel economy regulations was released Tuesday, promising to save gasoline by requiring modest improvements in the performance of sport utility vehicles and other trucks.
But the proposal was swiftly condemned by environmental groups and other critics, who said it would do little to slow the nation's swelling oil consumption. (more...)
Change in Gear
Cities and states rev up to cut emissions while D.C. drags in reverse.
By Kera Abraham
Eugene Weekly | August 25, 2005 |
First the old news: The U.S. is the most fossil-fuel-hungry nation in the world. We've got 5 percent of the world's people, but we belch out a quarter of the world's greenhouse gases, the primary contributors to global warming. While a majority of nations moves ahead to reduce emissions in accordance with the Kyoto Protocol, the U.S. government just continues to blow smoke.
After shunning Kyoto (the U.N. agreement to curb global warming, which Clinton signed in 1998 and Bush retracted in 2001), the White House announced a plan that amounts to asking termites infesting a wooden mansion to please chew a little slower. The Bush administration claims that it can reduce greenhouse gases 18 percent by 2012 through voluntary cutbacks, but the Pew Center on Global Climate Change estimates that the policy will actually result in a 12 percent increase in greenhouse gas emissions. On July 29, the U.S. Congress passed an energy bill, drafted in secret, that awards $8.4 billion in tax breaks to oil, natural gas, coal and nuclear power companies.
Now the new news: While the Bush administration drags its oil-heavy feet, American states and cities are lunging ahead to reduce global warming, and Oregon and Eugene are parts of that movement. (more...)
Editorial -- Fueling consumption
| The Register-Guard | August 25, 2005 |
The Bush administration has proposed new fuel economy standards that fall dismally short of what is necessary to reduce this country's dependency on foreign oil and cut greenhouse gas emissions. (more...)
Governor may veto four bills, plus DEQ budget constraint
| The Associated Press | August 26, 2005 |
SALEM -- Democratic Gov. Ted Kulongoski is pondering whether to veto four bills, plus a restriction that was attached to the budget of the Department of Environmental Quality. (more...)
Governor orders tougher vehicle emissions curbs
By Diane Dietz
The Register-Guard | August 30, 2005 |
Gov. Ted Kulongoski brought the nebulous topic of global warming in for a hard landing on Monday when he ordered the state to adopt California's tough auto emissions standards.
Now's the time to confront the twin challenges presented by "global warming and the end of the oil era," the governor said in a Portland speech.
"Recognizing that the science around global warming is now clear, I am committed to combating this problem to save our quality of life for our children and grandchildren," he said. (more...)
Editorial -- Kulongoski's bold move
| The Register-Guard | August 31, 2005 |
Gov. Ted Kulongoski's critics can no longer say the governor hasn't made even a single bold, visionary move since he was elected.
On Monday, he laid that accusation to rest by defying the state Legislature and putting Oregon where it belongs -- at the forefront of the fight against global warming. (more...)
Global warming link to storms debated
By Miguel Bustillo
The Los Angeles Times | August 30, 2005 |
Is the rash of powerful Atlantic storms in recent years an ominous sign of global warming?
Although most mainstream hurricane scientists continue to be skeptical of any link between global warming and heightened storm activity, the growing intensity of hurricanes coupled with the continuing frequency of large storms is leading some to rethink long-held views. (more...)
Measure 37, Oregon's Land Use Planning System
Measure 37 One Year Later
Editor's note: Guest contributor Rex Burkholder is Deputy Council President of Metro, greater Portland, Oregon's regional government. He also chairs the Joint Policy Advisory Committee on Transportation (JPACT) and serves on the Bi-State Transportation Committee, as well as other regional transportation committees. See a full bio here.
This coming November marks the anniversary of the passage of the landmark Measure 37 in Oregon. The measure (described here and here) created statutory permission for property owners to claim compensation or waiver of any land use regulation adopted after they or their ancestors acquired the property that they feel reduced its value. (more...)
Russell Sadler -- Justices draw line on compensation
| The Register-Guard | August 22, 2005 |
Supporters of Measure 37, which requires compensation for any government land use regulation that diminishes the value of property, have been trying to introduce a radical concept into Oregon that overturns decades of settled law on what constitutes the "taking" of private property for public use.
The Oregon Supreme Court just delivered a stinging rebuke to the legal theory that these radicals and their lawyers are peddling. In the case of Coast Range Conifers vs. the Board of Forestry, the court unanimously delivered the message, "Oregon ain't goin' there." (more...)
Bill Moshofsky -- In My Opinion
| The Oregonian | August 23, 2005 |
On Aug. 11, the Oregon Supreme Court allowed state foresters in effect to steal nine acres of privately owned timber to protect an eagle nest. The court followed prior decisions holding that no compensation need be paid for losses caused by regulatory restrictions so long as the owner is left with any economic use of his property. In this case, the landowner still had 31 acres that could be harvested, the court reasoned, so tough luck, the landowner lost the value of the other nine.
Under such reasoning, the state presumably could have reversed the numbers, denying the ability to harvest the 31 acres because the landowner had the other nine acres left. That's no different than taking 75 percent of someone's bank account. (more...)
Idea shines light on M37 gloom
The details may prove daunting, but a Metro panel's ideas for avoiding Measure 37 waivers by paying claimants draw interest
By Laura Oppenheimer
The Oregonian | August 22, 2005 |
A fragile Portland-area compromise could limit rural housing development under Oregon's property rights law while speeding growth where communities plan for it.
Home builders and farmers -- two groups often at odds -- are coming together behind a plan that would work like this: (more...)
Measure 37 Claims Less Common in Cities
By Rob Manning
OPB Radio | August 24, 2005 |
PORTLAND -- The Portland City Council approved its first Measure 37 claim at a hearing Wednesday. To date, commissioners have looked at only three claims. They denied one earlier this year, and a decision on another claim they reviewed Wednesday was postponed until fall.
Claims in cities have been less common than in rural and suburban areas. "Oregon Considered" host Allison Frost asked Rob Manning to explain a little about why things are different in cities. (more...)
Bulldozer activity stirs up reactions
A pattern of roads cut into the hilly landscape of the controversial Marr Ranch property south of Joseph with a bulldozer by Steve Krieger of Joseph last Friday stirred up a hornet's nest of reaction.
Nez Perce Tribe attorney Geoff Whiting said that Krieger had no permits for any road work on the property and it has been specially designated under state law by the tribes for protection.
"If the State of Oregon, at every level, has the courage to enforce Oregon law, Steve Krieger will be going to jail," Whiting said. (more...)
Culture, property rights clash at hero's grave
A land dispute near Chief Joseph's monument may force Oregon to decide how owners' rights stack up against history
By Laura Oppenheimer
The Oregonian | September 11, 2005 |
JOSEPH -- A handful of landmarks have defined Oregon for generations.
Smith Rock. Mount Hood. The end of the Lewis and Clark trail.
But construction near such revered places becomes a possibility in the wake of Oregon's new property rights law, Measure 37.
One proposal -- a subdivision near the grave of Native American hero Chief Joseph, in the state's northeast corner -- illustrates how similar battles statewide could divide Oregonians. (more...)
St. Johns site shows Measure 37 tangles
A landowner wants to develop property, and the City Council wants to give him a waiver, but it's not quite that simple
By Anna Griffin
The Oregonian | August 24, 2005 |
In principle, Measure 37 is simple: If government reduces the value of your land, through zoning or planning or whatever, you get compensation.
In practice, as the Portland City Council will be reminded today, the new land-use law approved by voters last fall is a lot more complicated. Take, for example, the case of Augustine Calcagno. (more...)
Jack Davies voted against ballot Measure 37.
By Tom Bennett
The Daily Astorian | August 24, 2005 |
"I thought, 'my God, what a nightmare,'" he said of the controversial land-use initiative.
But after the measure was passed overwhelmingly by Oregon voters in November, the local farmer saw the new law as a lever to undo what he considered an injustice done to him years ago by whoever drew the zoning boundaries around his rural property south of Astoria. (more...)
Big claim raises big issues
By David Bates and Nicole Montesano
The (McMinnville) News-Register | September 10, 2005 |
One of Measure 37's unknowns is what will happen once a large claim is approved by the government.
Will subdivisions sprout up in the countryside overnight, as some have claimed? Or will the property sit vacant as the owners run into the difficult logistical aspects of development?
McMinnville is about to get an answer. (more...)
Five more Measure 37 claims OK'd
| The (Albany) Democrat-Herald | September 2, 2005 |
Five more Measure 37 claims have been approved by the Linn County Board of Commissioners.
However, in similar fashion to last week's meeting, the commissioners questioned their role in the Measure 37 process before thay acted at their meeting Wednesday. (more...)
Redmond utility wins land-use exemption
By Chris Barker
The (Bend) Bulletin | August 30, 2005 |
A Redmond-based utility garnered a victory Monday in its long-running fight to upgrade an electrical transmission line between Redmond and Sisters.
But the win, which gave Central Electric Cooperative a waiver from Deschutes County land-use laws, doesn't necessarily mean construction will start any time soon. (more...)
County OKs Measure 37 claim for a tourist center
Development outside Ashland's growth boundary would include an interpretive area and an RV resort
By Damian Mann
The (Medford) Mail Tribune | September 1, 2005 |
Jackson County commissioners approved a Measure 37 claim Wednesday that removes a major hurdle for a proposed welcome center just north of Ashland.
The claim, filed by Reginald and Annette Breeze, Charles Kenney and Darrel Hinnewinkel, asked the county to remove zoning restrictions that prohibit the property from being developed as a commercial zone. It is located on Valley View Road, outside of Ashland's growth boundaries. (more...)
City Councilman Unearths Magical Zoning Amulet
ROCHESTER, NY -- After years spent poring over mysterious and arcane plat sheets and deciphering long-forgotten building codes, city councilmember Mike LaMere unearthed the mysterious City Zoning Amulet Friday. (more...)
Other News
Dave Hauser -- 'Only in Eugene': Please, let's give it a rest
By Dave Hauser
The Register-Guard | September 8, 2005 |
When The (Portland) Oregonian ran an editorial recently chiding Eugene for some resistance to a downtown development, the headline declared: "Only in Eugene." As is often the case with those particular words, what followed was not particularly flattering. During her mayoral campaign, Kitty Piercy suggested we retire the phrase.
I second that motion. "Only in Eugene" is self-limiting, suggesting that somehow we are uniquely capable of fouling up our civic opportunities. Beyond that, it implies something that simply isn't true. (more...)
Interim planning director wins job
By Edward Russo
The Register-Guard | September 2, 2005 |
Hiring from within, Eugene City Manager Dennis Taylor on Thursday picked Susan Muir to lead the city's Planning and Development Department.
Muir, 37, came to Eugene two years ago to be the department's planning division manager. She was chosen for the department's top job after a nationwide search produced 41 applicants. (more...)
Council to trim list of candidates for city manager
By Serena Markstrom
The Register-Guard | September 10, 2005 |
The pile of potential city managers to succeed retiring Mike Kelly is about to shrink.
On Monday, the City Council will hold a nonpublic executive session with Bob Murray, the executive search specialist hired by the city, to narrow the application pool from 45 to about 12, said Bill Spiry, director of human resources. (more...)
Schwarzenegger warns of possible tax hike
| The Register-Guard | September 4, 2005 |
SACRAMENTO -- With his Proposition 76 spending control plan trailing badly in the polls, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is warning voters he might be forced to reverse his stance and raise taxes if the measure fails in the Nov. 8 special election.
The measure, considered the cornerstone of the governor's ballot agenda, would impose spending caps on everything from education to health care and criminal justice. It also would give the governor new power to make cuts without legislative approval.
However, a recent poll by the Public Policy Institute of California showed that Proposition 76 was favored by just 28 percent of likely voters, with 61 percent opposed and 11 percent undecided.
Schwarzenegger, who until now has been steadfast against new taxes, told a radio audience in Sacramento on Friday that if the spending cap is not approved he might have no choice.