Health Options Digest
October 9, 2005
Coalition for Health Options In Central Eugene-Springfield (CHOICES)
In This Issue
From the Editor
Two Weeks In Review
We apologize for the lateness of this issue. As the saying goes, "stuff" happens... and a lot of stuff has been happening, faster than we are able to digest it and get it to you!
The serious game of "Musical Hospitals" has exploded in recent weeks, with Triad now anxious to finalize a site for a new McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center within the next month.
Public interest has also exploded, with almost a dozen letters to the editor in the past two weeks with ideas for a new McKenzie-Willamette hospital. But opinions are literally all over the map: Eugene should build its own community hospital; no new second hospital will be built in downtown Eugene, but Sacred Heart is already there; put a new hospital in north Eugene or closer to Veneta; look to the Belt Line Road/Roosevelt area; don't build near a river; PeaceHealth should sell its Eugene Clinic site to Triad -- or the City of Eugene should condemn it for the good of the community; PeaceHealth should sell its Hilyard site to Triad -- or the City of Eugene should condemn it for the good of the community; or build a new hospital in west Eugene.
While the details of the proposals differ, most agree on two points: 1) Eugene needs its own hospital and 2) now that it has decided to move to Springfield, PeaceHealth shouldn't get in the way of Triad developing a hosital in Eugene.
Speaking to the City Club of Eugene, Dr. John Nelson, the immediate past president of the American Medical Association, argued that providing health insurance actually costs less than not providing it.
Local doctor Frank Turner highlights the national Citizens' Health Care Working Group and calls for "an adult discussion of what health care we want and how to pay for it." We agree.
The Home Builders Association of Lane County claims that Eugene is running out of land for building the kinds of entry-level housing that younger buyers can afford. But with investors from California and beyond snatching up houses as fast as they are put on the market -- in some cases sight unseen and with no intention to occupy -- it is unclear that adding more buildable land would do much for people looking to buy entry-level homes.
Looking beyond the immediate housing crunch, the Region 2050 project continues to grapple with the bigger and longer-term picture.
The greater Eugene-Springfield area might learn something from Bend, which is the fastest growing community in the state and which tried to plan its future 13 years ago and is now at it again.
While some believe Oregon's land use laws have made housing expensive in our state, investors from other West Coast states are finding bargains here, which suggests there are probably other factors at work.
Indeed, housing prices are surging in states all over the country, not just in Oregon.
Many people support keeping the Lane County Fairgrounds where it is, which is probably a good thing. But speculation that the fairgrounds might be a site for a new hospital has gone up in smoke.
Still, some suggest moving the fairgrounds to Glenwood. Indeed, Springfield might like to move half of Eugene to Glenwood, which would give Springfield the growth its leaders want but would also change the character of Springfield.
Civic Stadium might also be off the "A" List of potential hospital sites, but it might still move for other reasons, opening up space for residential development or other uses in near south Eugene.
The new Royal Caribbean Cruise Line call center is taking shape in the Gateway area and two new hotels are planned nearby.
Speaking of the Home Builders, they are going to the Court of Appeals after a defeat in Circuit Court and a partial defeat with the Land Use Board of Appeals. They oppose increased sewer and wastewater fees for new homes aimed to offset the cost of providing such services to new homes.
The question of how to fund public safety in Lane County is headed to the county commissioners.
To make matters worse, Lane County (like other western counties with large federal timber holdings) is at risk of losing federal payments in lieu of taxes on such federal lands.
ODOT is beginning to study the possibility of a new interchange at Interstate-5 and Franklin Boulevard, one with on and off ramps in all directions. Look for a long discussion with strange bedfellows. The first question should be: Is there a need for a new interchange?
Eugene City Council Gary D. Papé thinks it is great that Congressman DeFazio, the ranking minority member on the powerful House Transportation Committee, is bringing more transportation dollars to Oregon. But some conservatives see pork and government waste in such federal earmarks, especially in light of the desire to rebuild the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina.
State Senator Bill Morrisette and others continue to call for a Lane Transit District Board elected by and accountable to the people of Lane County. No taxation without representation!
Meanwhile, LTD board member Mike Eyster argues that Bus Rapid Transit is a bold step into the future.
Measure 37 continues to be a mess, and will likely become more of a mess as we see more claims, more waivers, more court appeals... and next year more ballot measures.
A thoughtful blog, New Frames, notes that Oregonians appear conflicted: We want protections that prevent uncontrolled sprawl but we also want private property rights. If Oregon can figure out how to have both, we will position ourselves well to be a leader in the 21st Century.
Neal Peirce argues for a "new federalism." We'd add that what we need is a "new Oregon-ism."
And Michael Leachman argues that Oregonians need to decide if we believe in ourselves, if we believe a government by and for the people can successfully confront the problems none of us can handle on our own.
As Oregon embarks on a 4-year "Big Look" at our land use planning system, these and other big questions and ideas need to be on the table and all Oregonians need to be helping to craft the answers that work for us.
Here in Eugene, Mayor Kitty Piercy is pushing sustainability as good for business.
Governor Kulongoski recently called for less government red tape, strong investment in roads, telecommunications and utilities, and more support for education at all levels to drive Oregon's economy.
Former State Senator Tony Corcoran, reflecting on Hurricane Katrina, wrote, "Americans are slowly becoming aware that there's a reason for 'government,' there is a reason for the 'commons,' and it took a crisis to make that fact apparent."
Citing John McPhee's 1989 book The Control of Nature, former Eugene Planning Commissioner Chuck Rusch argues against fighting nature around New Orleans, as the Mississippi River will likely shift course, as it has done every thousand years or so, leaving New Orleans high and dry and depriving it of its riverside charm. Similar advice may apply to Eugene and Springfield, which are also built next to rivers that have changed course significantly over time.
Similarly, Paul Hawkens, a leading voice for sustainable business, urges working with and not against natural forces.
More people have written letters in defense of Mayor Kitty Piercy, whom the Eugene Weekly recently painted as not progressive enough.
Those who like politics as an exciting spectator sport must be looking forward to Springfield Mayor Sid Leiken challenging Lane County Commissioner Bill Dwyer.
Lastly, tell us it isn't so. Tell us that "Ahnold" hasn't lost his touch with the people of California and that his most important proposal isn't trailing in the polls by 37 percentage points. We fantasize that Oregon will some day have an actor -- or actress -- as our governor, and that we will then see our governor on the cover of tabloids in supermarket checkout lines.
Rob Zako, Editor
343-5201
rzako@efn.org
Opportunities
Applicants sought for Lane County Fair Board
| The Register-Guard | September 27, 2005 |
The Lane County Board of Commissioners seeks applicants for the Lane County Fair Board.
The board is responsible for oversight of the business management and programs of the Lane County fairgrounds and for handling financial, policy or program issues that may arise.
The fair board meets monthly; the term is three years.
The deadline to apply is Oct. 21.
Applications are available in the commissioners' office, plaza level of the Public Service Building, 125 E. Eighth Ave., Eugene.
For more information, call 682-4203.
LTD Board Seats Open
By Kera Abraham
Eugene Weekly | September 22, 2005 |
Lane Transit District has had a hectic year. A worker strike in early 2005 punctuated accusations of mismanagement by General Manager Ken Hamm, and riders have complained about sweeping service cuts and fee increases. Reactions to the planned Bus Rapid Transit System, which will use hybrid-electric buses for quicker routes between Eugene and Springfield, have been mixed.
Whether you give LTD a thumbs-up or a thumbs-down, you can direct it toward the agency's board of directors, which must approve all major decisions. Three of the seven board members' terms expire at the end of the year, creating an opportunity for change.
Unlike other local agencies funded by public dollars, the LTD board is appointed by the governor rather than elected, in accordance with the state statute. Last legislative session, State Sen. Bill Morrisette of Springfield introduced a bill requiring local election of the LTD board, but the bill died in committee.
LTD board members Susan Ban, Gerry Gaydos and Dave Kleger's terms will expire at the beginning of 2006. LTD spokesman Andy Vobora says that the agency will set a Dec. 1 deadline for potential board members' applications. The governor will then recommend three candidates, and the Senate will confirm or reject the appointments at a January meeting.
LTD doesn't plan to run paid advertisements about the open positions in local newspapers. Vobora says that the governor's office directs the agency not to spend money on recruitment, but governor spokeswoman Holly Armstrong says that LTD is free to advertise as it wishes.
The lack of advertising frustrates LTD rider Dorothy Ehli. "It's a good-old-boy network going on here," she says.
Sen. Morrisette echoes her concerns. "I have always felt that the LTD management makes the recommendations to the governor and that's how appointments are made. It's a closed circle," he says. "There should be some public posting of these positions. We want people over a wide range of socio-economic groups to apply, not just the people who the board thinks would fit. To me, that defeats the whole idea of representation."
Applicants must live within specific geographic areas: north Eugene (east of River Road) and Coburg for Position 4; Central and West Eugene, including the UO area, downtown, and the Whiteaker, Jefferson, and West Side neighborhoods for Position 5; and West Eugene/Highway 99, River Road, and Junction City areas for Position 6. Candidates can download applications from http://www.governor.state.or.us/Gov/pdf/forms/Interestformdown.pdf
County seeks applicants for health advisory panel
| The Register-Guard | September 17, 2004 |
The Lane County Board of Commissioners seeks applicants for the Health Advisory Committee, which advises on matters of public health, planning, policy development and more.
The group meets monthly, on the second Tuesday. The deadline to apply is Oct. 14. Applications are available in the commissioners' office, Public Service Building, 125 E. Eighth Ave., Eugene.
For more information or to request an application by mail, call 682-4207.
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.
...
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
Regulators open review of hospital on Hilyard
By Joe Harwood
The Register-Guard | October 5, 2005 |
State health care regulators on Tuesday formally launched their review of PeaceHealth's plan to create a 104-bed acute care hospital at its Sacred Heart Medical Center campus in Eugene once PeaceHealth moves the bulk of operations to Springfield in 2008.
The 90-day clock for the review of the Hilyard Street site begins ticking today, and officials will render a final decision on the application no later than Jan. 3, 2006, said Jana Fussell, certificate of need coordinator for the state Department of Human Services.
The announcement comes as a setback to McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center, Sacred Heart's smaller rival. McKenzie-Willamette had sought to have the 148-bed hospital it hopes to build in Eugene reviewed at the same time regulators scrutinized the Sacred Heart application. McKenzie-Willamette officials have been unable to nail down a site for a new McKenzie-Willamette, and thus can't get a formal state review started. (more...)
High court sides with LTD in tax case against hospital
By Matt Cooper
The Register-Guard | October 6, 2005 |
The Lane Transit District has prevailed against PeaceHealth in a tax case that went all the way to the Oregon Supreme Court.
The transit district will keep more than $500,000 in disputed payroll taxes from PeaceHealth after the court last week ruled against the hospital organization in a three-year battle over which PeaceHealth employees are subject to the tax. (more...)
McKenzie-Willamette/Triad
Hospital timeline too tight, some say
By Joe Harwood
The Register-Guard | September 27, 2005 |
It may be almost impossible to assemble enough property in downtown Eugene soon enough to persuade Triad Hospitals Inc. to build its $225 million hospital in the city's core, given the tight timeline the health care corporation has set for the city, observers suggest. (more...)
Downtown Hospital
Triad could give huge boost to city center.
By Alan Pittman
Eugene Weekly | September 29, 2005 |
Land for a new Triad hospital at the Eugene Clinic site downtown could cost $50 million or more, based on a 2001 city study. (more...)
Springfield busily woos hospital for Glenwood
By Joe Harwood
The Register-Guard | September 30, 2005 |
SPRINGFIELD -- When Triad Hospitals Inc. opened the door last week to building a new McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center in Glenwood, city officials quickly sought to pull them in.
Not only would a $225 million for-profit health care facility inflate Springfield's tax base, it could ignite redevelopment of the shabby Glenwood district, further helping city coffers.
With such a huge payoff within its grasp, Springfield intends to compete vigorously for the hospital, Mayor Sid Leiken said Thursday. (more...)
Letter -- Let's build our own hospital
By Bill Smee, Springfield
The Register-Guard | September 27, 2005 |
What principle is it that limits us in the south Willamette Valley to only two hospitals -- one a for-profit and the other a nonprofit that acts like a for-profit? Is there some kind of statute or a physical law that states: two and no more?
Given the nature of the public discussion so far, one would think this is indeed the case. But if it is true that a community should have one hospital for every 50,000 inhabitants, then we need at least twice as many as we have now.
Too long have we been subject to the thinly-disguised extortion of McKenzie-Willamette/Triad and PeaceHealth: "Do as we want, or we'll go somewhere else, and you'll, somehow, be stuck with nothing."
So let's call the bluff. Let's tell them "thanks, but no thanks," and then let's build our own hospital, one which we own and operate: Lane County People's Hospital. Sound good?
Some may cringe and squawk about socialism! My response: So? If it works, then who cares about labels?
Letter -- Downtown will have hospital
By Rick Tomaro, Eugene
The Register-Guard | September 27, 2005 |
I am starting to seriously doubt the intelligence of the Eugene City Council. Once again it is panicking about finding a downtown site for a hospital.
First, there will still be a hospital in downtown Eugene.
Second, there are no good locations for a hospital within the downtown area without some sacrifice on many levels. If there were, PeaceHealth would not be building RiverBend.
Third, the fact that the council will not acknowledge this after all this time is mystifying. There will be a hospital in the downtown area. Sacred Heart will still be a presence. Whatever new hospital is built near Eugene, it will probably not be in the downtown area. Get used to it.
Letter -- Put hospital in north Eugene
By R.B. True, Eugene
The Register-Guard | September 29, 2005 |
It would appear that PeaceHealth has downtown pretty well locked up.
Trying to stuff another hospital into the middle of what is already a traffic nightmare doesn't sound too practical. Patients and emergency vehicles could encounter delays trying to get through traffic on those narrow, congested streets.
Homes and apartments by the hundreds are going up out Barger Drive and Royal Avenue. New schools and businesses are in place. Has anyone thought about the needs of those folks? They are residents of Eugene, too.
Veneta and Elmira are booming. Their families would benefit, too, by having a hospital more easily accessible.
Surely there would be a site large enough and convenient enough for a hospital. Think about it.
Letter -- Look elsewhere for hospital site
By William M. Eddie, Eugene
The Register-Guard | September 29, 2005 |
The two most often discussed sites for Triad Hospital, the Eugene Water & Electric Board site and downtown locations, would both be disastrous choices for Eugene. Neither site would provide parking, room for future expansion or land for doctors to relocate their practices. Access to both would be terrible.
The north Eugene proposal in the Crescent Drive area would be too close to PeaceHealth's new RiverBend hospital. Most likely, all north Eugene residents on the east side of the Willamette River will opt for the new RiverBend Hospital in Springfield.
The only logical place for a new hospital facility is the Belt Line Road/Roosevelt Boulevard area. There is ample space for a world class hospital facility, plenty of room for parking and enough land for surgeons and hospital doctors to practice close to the hospital. Belt Line Road would allow easy access for Eugene as well as Veneta and Junction City. This could become a wonderful medical complex for now and the future.
Our City Council should re-examine the issue and make a true improvement to our community. Go for the cure, not the Band-Aid.
Letter -- High Ground
By Eldon Haines, Ph.D., Eugene
Eugene Weekly | September 29, 2005 |
In the event of a major Oregon disaster, we want our hospitals to be safe, accessible, and functioning -- or do we? PeaceHealth has already chosen its Riverbend site on the McKenzie River. Now McKenzie-Willamette is considering several sites on the banks of the McKenzie or Willamette rivers.
A doctor friend of mine sounds these warnings: A major coastal earthquake, magnitude 9+, could breach any (or all) of the reservoirs in the Willamette-McKenzie watershed, flooding Eugene-Springfield beyond our imagination. A major volcanic eruption on South Sister's bulging side could melt winter snows, flooding Eugene-Springfield like we've never seen. Massive rains in the watershed could (again) bring massive floods -- perhaps breaching some of the reservoirs and magnifying the disaster.
Have we not learned from the Katrina flood of New Orleans that, above all, hospitals must be open and functioning well during an emergency? Our emergency response would be abysmal if our two major hospitals were under water and damaged beyond recovery.
Please, McKenzie-Willamette, take the high ground.
Letter -- PeaceHealth should provide site
By Bazil Freedman, Eugene
The Register-Guard | September 30, 2005 |
Regarding McKenzie-Willamette's search for a suitable site in Eugene, I wish the hospital well and hope that it will be able to contribute to Eugene's success as a community.
When it comes to the idea of "for the good of the community," it does seem that should PeaceHealth ever be willing, for the good of the community, to release some of its larger holdings in Eugene for the new location of Triad's hospital, it would indeed be a grand and gracious move that would benefit many, while perhaps causing some loss of revenue for PeaceHealth.
For example, what if Triad located on Hilyard Street at the present hospital location? As a business, why on earth would PeaceHealth want to relinquish such a choice site?
But as a nonprofit, spiritually based entity, it might be a wonderful act "for the good of the community." Perhaps we just shouldn't assume without question that profit has to be an integral part of the equation.
What profits the community, and I mean the Eugene community, surely would benefit the bottom line for everybody.
Letter -- Clinic site best for Triad
By Peter A. Keyes, Eugene
The Register-Guard | September 30, 2005 |
I applaud Eugene Mayor Kitty Piercy and city councilors for their leadership on securing a downtown site for McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center. It is clearly in the public interest to locate a hospital there to serve Eugeneans on the south and west side of the river, especially those far from the RiverBend campus.
There are no viable sites besides the Eugene Clinic site, owned by PeaceHealth. The Eugene Water & Electric Board site is a terrible location for a hospital, and a hospital is a terrible use for that site. Besides, Triad can't afford it. The fairgrounds have been taken off the table. And the Crescent Avenue site is absurd, actually closer to RiverBend than the current McKenzie-Willamette location.
The Eugene Clinic site is centrally located, adjacent to our transportation hub and zoned for this use. The only impediment is PeaceHealth's intention to use it for a few more years.
The public has been caught in the middle of a fight between two relatively benevolent corporations. That an issue of such overriding public concern could be decided entirely by two private entities is bizarre. We must ensure that our city's long-term needs carry at least as much weight as the strategic planning of two corpora- tions.
Given all parties' obvious concern for the public good, I am confident an agreement can be reached. But if this effort is sidetracked, the city shouldn't hesitate to condemn the properties. I have never seen another situation that so clearly justified such action.
Letter -- Put Triad at Hilyard site
By Ed Gerdes, Eugene
The Register-Guard | October 2, 2005 |
While many agree that a full-service hospital sited in downtown Eugene is not only desirable but also necessary, agreement as to where to site the hospital eludes us. Suggested sites like the Eugene Water & Electric Board, the Lane County Events Center, Civic Stadium and Willard Elementary School all have various drawbacks.
Only one site exists in the core area that already meets all requirements necessary for a full-service hospital. That is Sacred Heart Medical Center's current Hilyard Street site, which is owned by PeaceHealth. PeaceHealth says it plans to remodel its existing site and continue to use it for offices, emergencies, out-patient care and the like, but PeaceHealth can move those services to a newly remodeled area in the former Eugene Clinic site that it already owns.
A recent U.S. Supreme Court decision, Kelo v. City of New London, reaffirms the city's power to condemn any privately owned property and transfer it to another private party for a better use. Since PeaceHealth is abondoning its full-service hospital downtown, maybe the city should simply condemn the Sacred Heart property and sell it to other owners who want to operate a full-service hospital there.
Letter -- Eugene needs its own hospital
By D. J. Barber, Eugene
The Register-Guard | October 5, 2005 |
I recently moved to Eugene and have followed the PeaceHealth-Triad story with interest. PeaceHealth, the not-for-profit, is leaving Eugene for the greener pastures of Springfield. Triad, the for-profit, would come to Eugene, thus filling the gap left here by PeaceHealth's departure -- and also to avoid being squeezed out of existence by PeaceHealth's new presence in Triad's formerly exclusive market.
I've seen many proposals, some good, some not. The Eugene Water & Electric Board site has got to be among the poorest for the many reasons previously cited. The sites in west Eugene at Belt Line Road and Roosevelt Boulevard seem to be very good for access and growth potential.
The PeaceHealth clinic site near the Lane Transit District station, with condemnation of adjoining properties to facilitate enough space for a hospital and parking? Probably not. But the concept of condemnation, as decreed recently by the Supreme Court, gave me an idea.
If Eugene public officials, for the public good of the citizens of Eugene, want to use condemnation as a way to allow Triad into a central area of Eugene, why not use it at the Hilyard campus of PeaceHealth? Triad could occupy the Hilyard site and pour $200 million into improvements there. That could make a world-class facility in the same place.
This is just an observation by someone new to the area . I'm sure there are myriad long-standing issues. But a city the size of Eugene can't be without a hospital.
Letter -- Site hospital in west Eugene
By Marc Shapiro, Eugene
The Register-Guard | October 6, 2005 |
I continue to be extremely perplexed by the conviction and related effort to site the new McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center in the core of Eugene.
Considering that PeaceHealth is planning to continue to operate an emergency facility at the current Hilyard Street location, there appears little to be gained by siting another hospital in close proximity thereto.
By contrast, west and southwest Eugene have a substantial population with no reasonably close medical facilities -- not even a doctor's office! A major part of Eugene's recent growth has been in the Bethel area. It would seem to make more sense to build a new hospital in west Eugene. There appears to be land available, a major expanding population and a health care service vacuum.
Why not put the new hospital where it is most needed, where there is land available and there is reasonable access? Let us stop wasting resources on what would be a redundant and unnecessary facility and build the new hospital in west Eugene where it can be of most benefit to the community.
Letter -- Sell Sacred Heart site to Triad
By Stanley A. Boyd, Eugene
The Register-Guard | October 7, 2005 |
I heartily agree with Bazil Freedman (letters, Sept. 30). If PeaceHealth truly wants to be a good community citizen and is not trying to monopolize health care, it should sell its Eugene Sacred Heart property to Triad.
Triad only wants space for less than 150 beds. The Eugene City Council could make up for its previous shortsightedness and assist in whatever is necessary for parking and access in the surrounding area.
Does PeaceHealth need that space? They're really trying to find things to do with it. What with the buildings and property it now has in the north Springfield area, they have plenty.
Health Care
Editorial -- The cost of the uninsured
| The Register-Guard | September 26, 2005 |
The United States' health insurance crisis -- and it is a crisis, with 44.8 million Americans lacking coverage -- is usually regarded as a problem that would cost a lot of money to fix. But Dr. John Nelson, immediate past president of the American Medical Association, casts doubt on that notion. Providing health insurance, Nelson believes, actually costs less than not providing it. (more...)
Frank Turner -- Curing health care crisis takes us all
By Frank Turner
The Register-Guard | October 7, 2005 |
How are we ever going to clean up the mess that is our dysfunctional health care nonsystem?
Since February, a group of qualified people has been educating themselves (and the rest of us) about our health care delivery process. We need to listen, and we need to speak.
The group, called the Citizens' Health Care Working Group, is tasked by federal law to examine the situation, report to the people and take public testimony. The CWG will draft legislative recommendations for Congress. According to the timeline in the law, Congress will have hearings early in 2008. Thank you, Sens. Ron Wyden of Oregon and Orrin Hatch of Utah.
Let's have an adult discussion of what health care we want and how to pay for it. We have some time; let's use it well. (more...)
OHSU study: Emergency-room co-payments save money -- or do they?
| OHSU News Service | October 5, 2005 |
PORTLAND -- Cutbacks in the Oregon Health Plan, including establishment of a $50 co-payment for emergency-room visits, led to a 14-percent drop in E.R. use among OHP Standard enrollees, according to the results of an Oregon Health & Science University study. (more...)
Progress of immunization slows for world's children
| The Associated Press | September 30, 2005 |
UNITED NATIONS -- About 1.4 million children younger than 5 die needlessly each year from measles, whooping cough and other diseases that are easily prevented by vaccines, the U.N. children's agency said Thursday.
Major gains made in vaccinating the world's children during the 1980s have leveled off, and donor nations must understand that progress to bring immunizations to those remaining will take renewed efforts and more cash, said Dr. Peter Salama, UNICEF's chief of immunizations. (more...)
Nearby Developments
Builders say metro area running out of home sites
By Scott Maben
The Register-Guard | September 27, 2005 |
Eugene is running out of space for new homes that younger buyers can afford, and what vacant land remains increasingly caters to higher-end housing, pushing more growth into outlying communities, according to the Home Builders Association of Lane County. (more...)
Editorial -- Where will people live?
| The Register-Guard | October 2, 2005 |
Eugene doesn't need a new inventory to discover that the city is running short of land suitable for housing construction. What the city really needs is a fresh look at the perennial question of how Eugene should grow. The old terms of the debate -- compact growth vs. sprawl -- allow important decisions to be made by default. (more...)
Slant -- Region 2050
| Eugene Weekly | September 29, 2005 |
Deadline is Sept. 30 for public input into the Region 2050 long-range plan looking at how to accommodate an estimated influx of another 160,000 or so people in our area by the 2050. What's missing, or at least under-emphasized in this discussion, is the idea that it doesn't have to happen. We'd be silly to ignore growth projections, but we'd be idiots to shrug and figure it's a done deal. We can end corporate tax incentives that stimulate population growth, pull the plug on sprawl-inducing projects such as the troublesome West Eugene Parkway. Make development pay its full costs, and disclose the hidden costs. Instigate campaign finance reform to get big sprawl money out of politics. The list goes on. Sustainable growth is an oxymoron. Even a 1 percent "slow" growth means our valley will double its population in 72 years. Think ahead a few lifetimes and our local environment and quality of life are in big trouble. Log on to http://www.region2050.org to fill out a survey. And a great website for further information on Oregon population action is http://www.agoregon.org
Letter -- All residents should be heard
By Tia Politi, Pleasant Hill
The Register-Guard | September 27, 2005 |
I recently attended a community meeting produced by the Lane Council of Governments revolving around the issue of the 2050 plans for growth in the Pleasant Hill area. As an involved mother of two children in our shrinking local schools, I find the idea of managed growth -- especially that focused on developing affordable housing for young families in our area while preserving high-value farm and forest land -- quite appealing. I also feel strongly about maintaining our identity as a separate community and not eventually getting swallowed up by Springfield, which, by the way, seems to be what will happen if we do nothing.
What concerns me is the "no-growth-of-any-kind" vitriol by meeting coordinator Carol Berg Caldwell and her traveling band of hostile agitators as being representative of the feelings in our area.
Apparently, Caldwell has presented herself before the Lane County commissioners purporting to represent Pleasant Hill and saying that the proposal and the process are fatally flawed. She does not represent my viewpoints.
Whatever your feelings about growth, no-growth or managed growth, I would encourage all Pleasant Hill residents to log on to the LCOG Web site at www.region2050 .org, educate yourselves about the issues and complete the survey to let your opinions be known.
"No growth of any kind" is not the only viewpoint around, and all residents should be heard. The deadline for survey submissions is Monday, Oct. 3.
Letter -- Growth is non-linear
By Ray Wolfe, Eugene
The Register-Guard | October 1, 2005 |
The Lane Council of Governments' summer public meetings series, "Design Your Future," has generated much attention and public input on regional problem solving. Unfortunately, information provided in the brochure is misleading.
The brochure's graph is misleading because it depicts exponential growth as linear, and therefore fails to provide the realistic sense of urgency necessary to understand and deal intelligently with population growth. Exponential growth is most emphatically non-linear. The shocking numerical inflation of projected population growth moved author Paul Ehrlich to title his book, "The Population Explosion."
If pond lilies were doubling in number each day and the pond was half-full on the 29th day, it would be completely filled on the next day. This surprising observation is more impressive when extended in time. Ponds two, four, and eight times the size of the original pond would be needed on days 31, 32 and 33 respectively. Accommodating such extended growth soon becomes impossible.
About two years ago the Region 2050 administration was provided with a videotape illustrating exponential growth. If such fundamentally important information is ignored by accountable employees, how can public participants expect their collective opinions to be respected? People failing to understand problems become part of the problems themselves. The videotape, "Arithmetic, Population and Energy" is available in the Eugene Public Library.
Deja Vu Again?
Will "Bend 2030" Meet The Same Fate As Its Ancestor?
By H. Bruce Miller
The (Bend) Source Weekly | September 22, 2005 |
People in Bend are worried. They're worried about the quality of their schools, the lack of affordable housing, the need for better transportation.
Most of all they're worried about growth. They're worried that their city is growing too fast, without any real plan. They fear it will lose its character and charm.
To address their worries, the people of Bend organize a "visioning process." Over two years, thousands of volunteer hours are devoted to developing a vision of what Bend is and what people want it to become. In 1992 the group's final report, titled "Your Community 2000," is presented to the city council--which promptly shoves it into a file drawer and forgets about it.
Flash forward 13 years, to 2005 and what might be called "Son of Your Community 2000."
Officially the name is "Bend 2030--Our Community Vision." The city council has voted to spend $130,000 out of the city's general fund -- $60,000 of it to pay Darcy McNamara to coordinate the effort, another $40,000 to hire Portland consultant Steve Ames--to produce a "vision" and an "action plan" whose purpose (as stated on Bend 2030's website) is "to foster a shared sense of direction for the Bend area; to better manage community growth and change; to guide local government planning and decision-making; to inspire and motivate community involvement and action. And more."
Worthy goals--but why should we have faith that Bend 2030 won't meet the same ignominious fate as Your Community 2000? (more...)
Census estimates Bend among nation's fastest-growing cities
By Bulletin staff report
The (Bend) Bulletin | September 22, 2005 |
Bend is the sixth-fastest-growing metropolitan area in the United States, according to Census estimates released today.
The area, which includes all of Deschutes County, grew by 12.2 percent between 2000 and 2003 to 129,000 people, the Census report said.
Bend Mayor Bill Friedman said the ranking was not much of a surprise. (more...)
Prices in other West Coast cities outpace the local market, luring bargain hunters
By Ted Sickinger
The Oregonian | September 25, 2005 |
For Neil Berl, an investment adviser and recent emigre from California, Portland is a real estate bargain basement.
Sure, price increases are dropping locals' jaws. But Berl recently moved his family to Lake Oswego from the San Diego area, one of the hottest housing markets in the country during the past five years. He's convinced what he sees here is a no-brainer investment opportunity.
"Portland still has an affordability factor that allows normal people to actually live here," Berl said. "I think it's extremely reasonable." (more...)
Previously owned home sales soar
By Bob Willis
Bloomberg News | September 27, 2005 |
Sales of previously owned homes unexpectedly surged in August and prices reached an all-time high, defying predictions that the U.S. housing market would soon cool. (more...)
A Million For A House Is No Longer Unusual: There are 54 seven-figure homes in Lane County alone
By David Caruso
The Associated Press | September 28, 2005 |
NEW YORK -- Everything about Frank Fazio's new two-bedroom apartment on Manhattan's Upper West Side is decidedly average, including its price: a hair under $1 million.
With five rooms and about 1,050 square feet of space, the place is a nice size, by New York standards, but it is no mansion. There are no chandeliers, no soaring cathedral ceilings and no doorman downstairs to help with groceries. (more...)
Building-ban plan under fire
By Edward Russo
The Register-Guard | September 27, 2005 |
A proposal to protect waterways and wetlands from development in Eugene drew opposition on Monday from some homeowners who would be affected. (more...)
Letter -- Reduce proposed setbacks
By Bruce Wild, Eugene
The Register-Guard | September 26, 2005 |
Why is the city of Eugene so very determined to apply an 80-foot protective zone, almost half of the protection given the Willamette River, around a small drainage ditch in the city's south hills?
The ditch, running through approximately 40 backyards, currently has 30 feet of protection. State Goal 5 does not require any protection at all, yet Eugene wants to expand the protection to 80 feet. Why? Apparently, because Eugene can.
We cannot condone this grab for our assets under the guise of protection. Protection from what? The people who preserved the area for 40 years? Come on, Eugene; give us some credit for the preservation we have voluntarily accomplished.
Taking away the use of 80 feet of our properties is nothing short of punishment for good stewardship. Had we developed the property, clear-cut the place, and filled in that wretched little ditch, we would not now be victims of this blatant land grab.
Neighbors of the Crest Drive Citizens Association last Tuesday voted to request that Eugene reduce the proposed setbacks to a more reasonable total of 40 feet. Because setbacks are drawn on a map, 20 feet on each side of the ditch is more than adequate.
Our last opportunity for citizen input is tonight's public hearing. We hope City Council will free itself from crippling political correctness and the virtual realities of Goal 5 proposals, listen closely to the compromise endorsed by the CDCA, and decide to fairly represent us, the owners of small properties.
Town hall reveals support for fairgrounds
By Matt Cooper
The Register-Guard | September 28, 2005 |
About 100 people answered the call Tuesday to talk about the future of the Lane County fairgrounds, and most of them said they're quite happy with the facility's locale in the heart of the urban area.
Lane County Commissioner Peter Sorenson organized the town hall meeting at the fairgrounds after speculation in recent months that the aging 56-acre facility might work better in a rural setting. (more...)
Discussion on fairground location continues
Community members sounded off at Tuesday's meeting
By Christopher Hagan, News Reporter
Oregon Daily Emerald | September 29, 2005 |
Eugene residents voiced their support for the Lane County Fairgrounds at a town hall meeting Tuesday night.
The meeting, arranged by Lane County Commissioner Peter Sorenson, was held to assess community opinions on what to do with the fairgrounds property, known as the Lane Events Center. There has been discussion recently on whether to sell the property and move the fair to another site.
Most speakers, many of whom were representatives or members of local businesses and organizations, were concerned about what would happen to their groups if the fairgrounds were moved. (more...)
Public: Keep the fair there
By Ben Raymond Lode
The Springfield News | September 30, 2005 |
One individual seriously suggested turning the Lane County Fairgrounds into a hockey arena at a town hall meeting about the fairground's future on Tuesday evening.
Most of those who showed up, however, did so simply to say they want the fairground to remain where it is.
The meeting was put on by Lane County Commissioner Peter Sorenson, who represents South Eugene. (more...)
Letter -- Move fairgrounds to Glenwood
By Ted Dewey, Eugene
The Register-Guard | October 8, 2005 |
Three cheers for Mayor Sid Leiken and Springfield! It's high time someone looked at Glenwood, and particularly its riverbank, as an opportunity.
What a shame it's the wrong organization looking. This is where a forward-thinking county would put its fairgrounds-convention center. Why?
First, the riverbank is an unpolished gem.
Second, the area is ripe for redevelopment and, if you want to make a convention center work, you will have to attract a major hotel, if not several. The current fairgrounds cannot do so without a large dislocation of residents.
Third, you can take a chronically too-small fairgrounds and put it somewhere larger and tackle the animal waste runoff issues.
Fourth, if you consider the possibility that an earthquake could destroy our dams and flood the area, rebuilding the fairgrounds is much easier.
And finally, putting the fairgrounds on the EmX line is a win-win.
One further advantage: To move the fairgrounds at all will require enough vision to persuade the voters to pony up the money.
It's time to think big, and this has that potential.
Why should Triad take the fairgrounds? One, it has a single owner who can promise it in 30 days -- not move in 30, but promise the site for the future.
Two, it is not the perfect location for its existing use.
Three, it's better located and not between two PeaceHealth facilities.
Four, it lets Triad point out that the argument that rivers are necessary to healing is just plain silly.
Schools, city contemplate baseball stadium's future
By Edward Russo
The Register-Guard | October 9, 2005 |
The Eugene Emeralds are through playing baseball for the year, but some folks are still thinking about Civic Stadium. Or, more accurately, about the future of Civic Stadium. (more...)
Cruise building, work force taking shape
By Ben Raymond Lode
The Springfield News | September 30, 2005 |
A few dozen people wined and dined for a good hour on Wednesday evening in a building off Sports Way in Springfield that is nearing completion.
The casual meet-and-greet was an opportunity for locals to take a peek inside the 180,000-square-foot building that is expected to eventually house roughly 1,000 Royal Caribbean Cruise Line call center employees. (more...)
Shilo upgrades, making rooms for growth
By Joe Mosley
The Register-Guard | October 8, 2005 |
SPRINGFIELD -- The inventory of hotel and motel rooms in the Gateway commercial area is being upgraded and expanded, following a lull in the lodging industry that included the demolition of two of the region's largest hotels.
Gateway will be the likely site for two new hotels that are being planned currently, and an existing facility has been upgraded recently to hold on to its share of what is expected to become a growing market for lodging in the area. (more...)
Council: No soup for you: GOREAP Ministries moves its hunger ministry to Island Park while it looks for digs
By Ben Raymond Lode
The Springfield News | September 28, 2005 |
Determined not to stop serving some of those in the community who need help the most, GOREAP Ministries moved their soup kitchen to Island Park on Tuesday.
After months of debate and emotional public testimony at several Springfield City Council meetings, the council on Monday voted against allowing GOREAP to continue operating from the American Legion Post 40 at 344 Eight Street.
The controversy surfaced after residents of the Washburn historic district complained about some people coming to the soup kitchen as being a nuisance and a safety concern.
The complaints, in turn, made the city aware of the existence of a soup kitchen that they hadn't known about.
Monday's decision, according to Bill Grile, the city's development services director, was made because it was found that the soup kitchen was not "a lawfully established use" that could continue going on at the American Legion. (more...)
Deal close on sale of old Sears property
By Edward Russo
The Register-Guard | October 7, 2005 |
Oregon Research Institute and the city of Eugene haven't completed the sale that would lead to redevelopment of the former Sears property downtown, but they are getting closer. (more...)
Rite Aid reopens at shopping center
By Joe Mosley
The Register-Guard | September 30, 2005 |
Phase One can be crossed off the checklist. A new Rite Aid store is up and running at the southwest corner of Woodfield Station, south Eugene's shopping-center-in-transition. The 21,000-square-foot store opened its doors Sept. 15, and will celebrate its grand opening on Sunday. (more...)
Planning commission says no to Country Coach
By Sherri Buri Mcdonald
The Register-Guard | September 27, 2005 |
The Lane County Planning Commission has dealt a setback to Country Coach, which wants to have 74 acres next to its plant included in Junction City's urban growth boundary for the recreational vehicle maker's expansion. (more...)
Planners clearly say no on expanding boundary
By Serena Markstrom
The Register-Guard | October 5, 2005 |
Last month, the Lane County Planning Commission thought it had voted against recommending to the county Board of Commissioners an expansion of Junction City's urban growth boundary.
But the county's legal counsel said the commission's vote didn't constitute a recommendation and advised the commission to revisit the issue before forwarding it to the county commissioners.
On Tuesday, the planning commission made its stance clear by voting 5-3 not to recommend RV maker Country Coach's proposal to amend the Lane County Rural and Junction City comprehensive plans to make way for the company to develop 74 acres adjacent to its current facility. (more...)
Mount David rezoning goes forward
By Karen Mccowan
The Register-Guard | September 27, 2005 |
COTTAGE GROVE -- In a move that displeased more than two dozen opponents of a developer's plan to build the largest subdivision in city history, the City Council unanimously passed the first reading of an ordinance Monday night to rezone 75 acres on the slopes of Mount David.
The action amounts to only tentative approval of the ordinance, which will be placed on the agenda of the council's next meeting for further discussion and likely adoption.
Councilors noted that the city's planning staff found that rezoning the land from forest to single-family residential complies with Cottage Grove's comprehensive plan. (more...)
Public Facilities and Services
Home builders fight development fee hikes
By Joe Harwood
The Register-Guard | October 4, 2005 |
Like a pit bull with a favorite bone, the Lane County Home Builders Association refuses to let go of its fight to overturn increased sewer and wastewater systems development fees and the processes used last year in Eugene-Springfield to enact those charges.
Despite getting figuratively kicked in the side by a Lane County Circuit Court judge in June, and then sprayed with water by the state Land Use Board of Appeals in September, the home builders remain dogged in their attempts to bite down on development charges.
Builders lost at the Circuit Court level, and the land use panel recently rejected two of the builders association's three claims. The association has appealed the Circuit Court loss to the Oregon Court of Appeals, and will do the same this week with the partial LUBA defeat, said Roxie Cuellar, government affairs director for the home builders. (more...)
Springfield again tries to get funds to run jail
By Bill Bishop
The Register-Guard | September 28, 2005 |
Springfield officials will try again to get $2 million in operating funds for their yet-to-be-built city jail when the county's Public Safety Task Force meets tonight for a make-or-break vote on taxes to pay for increased police and crime prevention services.
The task force, composed of elected officials from Lane County and all its cities, twice rejected the $2 million request earlier this month. In doing so, the panel lost the support of Springfield officials, who cast the sole "no" vote for a $24.5 million package hammered out by the task force. (more...)
Jail official considers using Lane County system
By Bill Bishop
The Register-Guard | October 3, 2005 |
After a 35-year career in criminal corrections, Karen Daniels says she recognizes a good jail management idea when she sees one.
The chief deputy sheriff of Thurston County, Wash., is thinking about using the inmate risk assessment tool developed jointly by Lane County court, pretrial services and corrections officials.
Local officials began using the computerized system in December to rank inmates on their risk of being violent, repeating their crimes or failing to appear for court if released before trial. Those with the lowest risk scores are the first to be released to ease overcrowding in the jail. (more...)
County district founders, but jail not DOA:
Lane officials give up on plan for law-enforcement district
By Stacy D. Stumbo
The Springfield News | September 28, 2005 |
It's been months since Lane County Commissioners formed a 16-member committee to devise ways to pass a proposed county-wide public safety district that would sustain services.
Earlier this month, the county officially gave up on the public safety district.
The concept of a district is dead, but the committee continues to search for ways to improve public safety services, including construction of a municipal jail in Springfield. (more...)
Panel tackles public safety funding
By Bill Bishop
The Register-Guard | September 29, 2005 |
Any new tax to fund public safety in Lane County must provide property tax relief under two proposals that got strong support Wednesday from the county's Public Safety Task Force.
Although the 12-member panel failed to gather the 10 votes necessary to make a formal proposal to the Board of County Commissioners, the group gave nine votes to a sales tax and nine votes to a gross receipts tax on businesses -- a proposal introduced for the first time Wednesday.
Both proposals would aim to raise about $60 million in taxes dedicated solely to county-funded public safety programs ranging from youth services to adult jails, from crime prevention to drug treatment -- including a $24.5 million package of improvements earlier recommended by the task force. (more...)
Panel considers two new taxes
| The Springfield News | September 30, 2005 |
The 12-member Lane County Public Safety Task Force was unable to gather the 10 votes necessary to make a formal proposal to the Board of County Commissioners Wednesday night and secure funding for programs including a Springfield municipal jail. (more...)
No consensus on public safety
By Matt Cooper
The Register-Guard | October 4, 2005 |
A Lane County sales tax or a business tax emerged last week as two options to fund more public safety in the county, but where it will all end up is anybody's guess.
The county commissioners must now decide whether to support one of the taxes -- or some other way to raise the money. And they must decide whether to simply enact a tax package, or put it before the voters for approval. (more...)
Editorial -- Progress on public safety
| The Register-Guard | October 6, 2005 |
Few thought the Lane County Public Safety Task Force had much chance of success when it began searching last June for a way to pay for sorely needed police and crime prevention services. (more...)
Reverse Robin Hood
County tax would hit the poor, give to the rich to fund cops/jails.
By Alan Pittman
Eugene Weekly | October 6, 2005 |
Lane County governments have come up with a solution to how to fund the huge increase in cops and jails they want -- stick it to the poor and give the rich a tax break.
Ten out of 12 of the local governments taking part in a county task force committee backed a massive $60 million per year sales tax last week to about double county spending on jails, prosecutors and cops. The proposal also includes a proposal to reduce property taxes that will largely benefit big business and the rich.
The sales tax will fall hardest on the poor. The county's own consultant reported last month, "Sales taxes are inherently regressive: households with less income usually will pay a greater percentage of their income for taxes." (more...)
Commissioners face decision on tax funding for public safety
By Matt Cooper
The Register-Guard | October 7, 2005 |
Lane County's problem with public safety is coming to a head. Or a board, to be precise.
The board of county commissioners will hear Wednesday from a countywide task force that recommends either a sales tax or a tax on business revenues in order to generate $60 million a year for jail staff, youth services, crime prevention, drug treatment and more.
Regardless of the recommendations of the task force, however, the commissioners know they're the ones on the hook for a solution. (more...)
Sun setting on county payments program: Officials head to Washington to lobby
| The Springfield News | September 30, 2005 |
The federal "county payments" program that reimburses timber revenues from Lane County's federal lands has less than a year to go -- and county officials are getting nervous. (more...)
County commissioner to make her case in D.C.
| The Register-Guard | September 30, 2005 |
Commissioner Anna Morrison left this week for Washington, D.C., to garner support for reauthorization of some county funding.
If the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act is not reauthorized before September 2006, there will be "devastating" cuts to public safety, roads, communities, public service, health, law enforcement, sustainable forests, outdoor recreation and wildlife habitat, the county said.
Morrison is meeting with representatives from schools, counties, labor organizations and the timber industry. She is also visiting House and Senate members who represent states that receive money under the act, but are not currently co-sponsors of the legislation and encouraging them to sign on to the bill. For more information, call 682-3747.
Coastal residents consider carving out own county
By Winston Ross
The Register-Guard | September 30, 2005 |
FLORENCE -- It's bad enough that the Lane County seat is "full of liberals" in Bill Lambiaso's views. But, beyond that, he simply doesn't see why he should be called for jury duty in Eugene when he lives more than an hour away.
Bob Hursh says he can't stand watching the county try to hawk property on the coast to pay for services enjoyed mostly in the valley.
And a group of residents near Swisshome are so tired of methamphetamine-fueled crime and what they term the inept response of Lane County's budget-strapped law enforcement that they've erected a sign warning "nightcrawlers, thieves and other outlaws" that they'll be shot on sight if they try pilfering any more property in the neighborhood.
Keith Stanton says he has found the answer to all their problems:
Secession. (more...)
If OK'd, then it gets complicated
| The Register-Guard | September 30, 2005 |
Getting voter approval for a new county is the simple part: If petitioners can gather 5,500 valid signatures, or a majority of the registered voters in what would be Siuslaw County, the Lane County Board of Commissioners will decide whether to approve an election, according to Chapter 202 of Oregon Revised Statutes. (more...)
Secession by petition not a new idea
| The Register-Guard | September 30, 2005 |
Lane County was formed out of Linn and Benton counties in 1851, before Oregon became the nation's 33rd state and was still known simply as the "Oregon Territory."
Originally the county covered all of Southern Oregon east to the Rocky Mountains and south to the California border, according to the Oregon State Archives.
Lane County has changed drastically over the years, spawning Douglas County and extending its reach to the coast by acquiring part of what was then Umpqua County in 1853. With the creation of Wasco County in 1854, it lost all territory east of the Cascades.
Despite the campaign by a Florence man to split the county now, there's not much precedent for secession by petition, though it's not a new idea. (more...)
Editorial -- Siuslaw County?
| The Register-Guard | October 1, 2005 |
According to a 19th century rule of thumb, a county seat should be no more than a day's ride distant. According to a 21st century rule of thumb, people who are more than an hour's drive from the county seat will feel alienated from their county government.
That's certainly the case in Florence and other portions of Lane County that lie on the west side of the Coast Range. Some people in those areas are talking about breaking away to form Siuslaw County. Secession is fun to think about, but the practical obstacles are formidable. (more...)
County uneasy about city's parks plan
By Matt Cooper
The Register-Guard | October 1, 2005 |
Eugene's vision for the parks of tomorrow is butting up against the Lane County commissioners' sense of authority today.
The city's 20-year plan for parks, recreation and open space, dubbed PROS, includes land far beyond city limits and the urban growth boundary -- land overseen by the commissioners. The commissioners are annoyed because they say the county and property owners who might be affected were not consulted in the planning process. (more...)
Project adds life to Delta Ponds
By Edward Russo
The Register-Guard | September 28, 2005 |
Cue the geese.
During Tuesday's announcement of an improvement to Delta Ponds, five honking Canada geese glided down from the sky and landed on a pond, to the delight of the gathered officials and residents.
The well-timed appearance of the waterfowl underscored the aim of the work, which is to enhance wildlife habitat in north Eugene's Delta Ponds.
"This is just one of the most wonderful projects that just keeps growing and growing," Mayor Kitty Piercy said. (more...)
Letter -- Renovate City Hall
By John S. Smeed, Eugene
The Register-Guard | September 28, 2005 |
We should keep the existing Eugene City Hall. I agree with Otto Poticha's recommendations (Register-Guard, Sept. 17) that the structure is a "very special and unique architectural achievement."
The reason that the structure does not meet the earthquake design criteria of today is because the design loads have changed since it was built -- which is true for many of the buildings in Eugene -- but Poticha indicates "the structure could be strengthened with walls, and other structural buttressing could be added if the below grade parking garage was converted to offices."
Regarding the article Sept. 18 saying Eugene hired a Portland architect to evaluate the city hall structure to answer the question: "Should the city hall be renovated, enlarged or replaced?," I would guess that architect's final analysis would find enough reason to justify replacing the existing unique structure. Some architects would rather propose a new design rather than update a structure that has some code problems that need attention.
Poticha is correct -- Eugene does have a very special and unique architectural achievement in its city hall building. Save the Eugene City Hall by renovating the structure to meet today's building codes.
School board sets rate for proposed tax levy
| The Register-Guard | September 28, 2005 |
The Bethel School District Board on Tuesday night set a rate of $1 per $1,000 of assessed property value for its proposed local option levy, according to a district press release.
The five-year levy will be on the May 16 ballot next year. If voters approve the levy, it would provide the district with about $1.4 million per year, said Pat McGillivray, the district's community relations director.
The money would be used to help maintain current programs and prevent further cuts.
In addition, the board would aim to direct money toward increasing students' math performance, buying new textbooks and updating computers.
A recent scientific survey indicates the majority of Bethel residents will support a levy at that rate, McGillivray said.
Transportation
I-5 interchange at Franklin Boulevard proposed
New connection would ease University access from the north, but no definite plans are set for construction
By Christopher Hagan, News Reporter
Oregon Daily Emerald | September 28, 2005 |
The cities of Eugene and Springfield are considering a project that could change the way students get from Interstate 5 to the University.
The cities and the Oregon Department of Transportation are investigating the possibility of creating a new freeway interchange at Franklin Boulevard, placing exits and on-ramps closer to the University.
The interchange would create new connections to downtown Eugene and Springfield directly from I-5 and spur redevelopment around Franklin and Glenwood boulevards. The new connections would make it easier to reach the University from the north. (more...)
Letter -- Delegation serves Eugene well
By Gary D. Papé, City Councilor, Eugene
The Register-Guard | October 7, 2005 |
The new highway bill recently approved by Congress will give badly needed relief to our decaying transportation infrastructure in Oregon. Even a cursory glance at funded projects will illustrate the benefit to Eugene motorists, bicyclists, rail passengers, bus riders and pedestrians alike.
Rep. Peter DeFazio deserves accolades for his role in crafting many regional elements of this legislation. However, Sens. Gordon Smith and Ron Wyden have done their part for Eugene, too, without enough credit. Working as a team, they protected Oregon projects in the Senate and added to the investment in our state.
As an example, in August a member of Smith's staff traveled to Eugene to tour local transportation projects as the highway bill was in final negotiations. He diligently made inquiries that went beyond our briefing materials and, upon discerning that the future transportation system improvements around the federal courthouse had actually been underfunded by $1 million in the previous year, Smith's aide wasted no time relaying this oversight to Senator Smith and his staff. Within barely a week, the final version of the highway bill contained the missing $1 million for the realignment of traffic to connect the federal courthouse and Willamette River to our downtown.
Senator Smith's attention to details and willingness to go the extra mile should be commended. Eugene is well served by DeFazio, Smith and Wyden, who are together making a big dent in Oregon's infrastructure needs.
Letter -- Elect transit district board
By Bill Morrisette, State Senator, District 6, Springfield
The Register-Guard | September 26, 2005 |
The services Lane Transit District provides to the community are essential and can best be determined by elected board members.
The primary reason for my position is that the business tax that funds LTD is based on the number of employees a business has; this is blatant taxation without representation. Other reasons include the huge investment being made in the fixed line to provide bus rapid transit, which I believe is detrimental to efficiency.
Flexibility and customer convenience should be the goal, not huge buses on a fixed line that would lead to cutting necessary services to other parts of our community. The opening paragraph of a Sept. 9 Register Guard editorial makes a great point. "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." My question is, by whom?
In the 2005 Legislature, my Senate Bill 558 would have made the LTD board elected. But the bill didn't get out of committee, in large part due to the efforts to kill it of the current nonelected board and its taxpayer-funded lobbyist.
Editorial -- Why is Governor Ted in charge of our bus service?
| The Springfield News | September 30, 2005 |
A recent letter to the editor by state Sen. Bill Morrisette asks a really good question: How does it make sense for the state governor to be in charge of Lane County's public transit?
Yup, that's how it works right now. Governor Ted Kulongoski appoints whomever he chooses to the board of Lane Transit District. The appointees, although most of them want to be sensitive to the needs of the people they serve, don't answer to us -- they answer to the guv. (more...)
Letter -- LTD Board should be elected
By Paul Prensky, Eugene
The Register-Guard | October 4, 2005 |
All across the Bush administration, the president's foxes are guarding our henhouses. Dozens of political hacks are administering crucial national services, from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Food and Drug Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency -- you name it.
Paul Krugman, surveying this sorry scene (Register-Guard, Sept. 27), concludes: "The lesson of Hurricane Katrina is that cronyism and corruption can have lethal consequences." These imperial arrangements are worse than horrendous -- they are murderously criminal.
We here in the Emerald Empire should be able to catch a whiff of this species of scandal. We have our own home-grown version in the unelected, governor-appointed Lane Transit District board of directors. Luckily, the good ol' appointees don't exercise control with impunity, though not for lack of trying. The hardnoses crumbled in the face of union solidarity. But that victory is meager. They have, so far, gotten away scot-free with a Tom DeLay-style boondoggle -- spending tens of millions of our dollars to decrease commute time on Franklin Boulevard by 25 percent.
Eliminating stops alone accounts for most of that. The banks and construction companies make out like bandits and we get fewer routes and less service. State Sen. Bill Morrisette is absolutely correct: The LTD Board, by all rights, should be elected, not appointed.
Mike Eyster -- Bus rapid transit is a bold step into the future
By Mike Eyster
The Register-Guard | October 9, 2005 |
Imagine the uproar that must have ensued when planners first proposed construction of interstate highways. Such a radical notion was surely criticized by certain people who were alarmed at the economic and aesthetic costs of such a monumental undertaking. And yet today, it's hard to imagine life without Interstate 5, a vital artery for the West's economy and mobility.
While differing in scale, a similarly farsighted project launched by the Lane Transit District is destined to become the centerpiece of Lane County's transportation system of the future. Yet EmX, LTD's bus rapid transit system, has become the target of some dissent. (more...)
Prozanski says Legislature shares blame
By David Steves
The Register-Guard | September 28, 2005 |
An Oregon lawmaker with a strong interest in state freeway patrols said the Legislature is partly responsible for the growing number of drivers who speed and get away with it. (more...)
Editorial -- Pedal to the metal for public safety
By Emerald editorial board
Oregon Daily Emerald | September 29, 2005 |
It's a sunny fall day and you're driving to Portland. With a straight stretch of road ahead, you press the gas pedal. Your speed climbs quickly to 85 mph.
Perhaps you worry that the blue and red lights of an Oregon State Police trooper will flash behind you.
Chances are, they won't. Budget cuts between 2000 and 2004 have reduced the number of troopers by 36 percent, according to statistics reported Wednesday in The Register-Guard.
Meanwhile, speeding citations have dropped 29 percent, driving complaints have increased 70 percent and crash complaints have increased 32 percent. (more...)
Bush pursues conservation ideas
By Elisabeth Bumiller
The New York Times | September 28, 2005 |
WASHINGTON -- On Monday morning, President Bush called on all Americans to conserve gasoline by driving less. By Tuesday morning, he had come up with some specific advice for his White House staff: Take the bus.
And that was just the beginning. The president also directed his staff members to turn down the air conditioning; scale back nonessential travel; turn off copiers, computers and printers at night; form carpools; and use public transportation. (more...)
Eugene Business Commute Challenge hits the streets
Eugeneans who drive to work are encouraged to bike or take the bus
By Eva Sylwester, Senior News Reporter
Oregon Daily Emerald | October 7, 2005 |
Employees at 70 Eugene businesses took a break from their cars this week and commuted to work via bike, carpool or bus as part of the Eugene Business Commute Challenge.
In its sixth year, the challenge offers participants a chance to win prizes such as gift certificates to local restaurants and tickets to local events if they report the highest number of driven miles saved.
Lane Transit District distributes free day passes to the city to give to participating business upon request. The passes are good for the week of the challenge only.
Businesses reported their results on Wednesday, and there will be a celebration Friday in which winning businesses, judged in different divisions based on their number of employees, will be awarded the various prizes. (more...)
Report: New rules will slash car pollution
By Diane Dietz
The Register-Guard | October 5, 2005 |
Oregon's move to require cleaner cars will reduce greenhouse gases in the state by about 12 percent by 2020 -- assuming that the effort survives a legal challenge by Republican lawmakers and automakers, a new report estimates.
Calculations released Tuesday by the Oregon State Public Interest Research Group indicated that the gas reductions from Oregon's clean car program would equal the exhaust of 350,000 cars. (more...)
Measure 37
Land-use foes plan tactics for campaign
Measure 37 -- Opposing sides prepare for the 2006 elections with strategies to alter the state land-use law
By Laura Oppenheimer
The Oregonian | October 5, 2005 |
Oregon land-use adversaries are jump-starting a 2006 showdown of ballot initiatives to either weaken or bolster Measure 37.
Planning advocates 1000 Friends of Oregon filed two proposals Tuesday to blunt the year-old property rights law. They'll ask voters to prevent neighbors from hurting one another's investments or livelihoods, and outlaw developers from using the law.
On the other side of the divide, Oregonians In Action is charging ahead with a campaign to maximize landowners' freedom, whether that translates into rural housing, or businesses along the Columbia River Gorge. They say sore losers have kept Measure 37 from working properly.
Toss in a complicated land-use concept in the Portland metro area, and voters could be hit with one of the most visible campaigns of next year. (more...)
Symposium pits critics, backers of Measure 37
By Joe Harwood
The Register-Guard | October 6, 2005 |
Key backers and critics of Oregon's controversial Measure 37 on Friday will come to Eugene to debate the land use law that has prompted claims from about 2,500 property owners statewide, including about a half-dozen in Lane County. (more...)
Environmental symposium examines Measure 37
By Christopher Hagan, News Reporter
Oregon Daily Emerald | October 7, 2005 |
The University School of Law will host a symposium today on Measure 37 and land-use planning in Oregon.
The symposium, sponsored by the Journal of Environmental Law and Litigation (JELL), will include speakers from two of the most outspoken groups on the measure. Representatives from 1000 Friends of Oregon, a land-use planning advocacy group opposed to the measure, and Oregonians in Action, the group that authored the measure, will each participate in the panels.
Panels will focus on the current litigation process, the government response to the measure and land-use issues in Oregon, among other topics. (more...)
Measure 37 Legislation -- Or Not?
By Dave Hunnicutt, Executive Director
Oregonians In Action | July-August 2005 |
As many of you are aware, the Oregon legislature is currently in session. With the ongoing dispute over the size of the budget for schools and various other state programs, there is no end in sight.
So what does that mean for Measure 37? Unfortunately, I'm not sure I can tell you. (more...)
Lars Larson -- Governments were walking on people; Measure 37 fixed that
By Lars Larson
The Springfield News | October 7, 2005 |
Yesterday, I talked to a man named Nabil, who bought a gas station and pumped $300,000 worth of improvements into it É before Oregon city changed the land-use zoning, essentially banning the place from ever being renovated, remodeled or replaced as a gas station.
Such is the current war on the automobiles that carry 95 percent of us to work. Nabil's lawyers explained to Oregon city that since they took half a million dollars in value out of the gas station, they could either give his client a check or let him spend money to make improvements. A final decision is due this week. (more...)
Todd Myers -- State should take heed of Oregon land-use law
By Todd Myers, Guest Editorial
Snohomish County Business Journal | October 2005 |
Last November, Oregon voters overwhelmingly passed Measure 37, a law requiring the state and counties either to pay landowners for lost property value when new zoning restrictions are imposed, or allow owners to operate under the rules in place when they bought the property. Supporters and opponents said Measure 37 would radically change the landscape of Oregon. The reality, however, is turning out to be less revolutionary than either side expected. (more...)
Oregon canola-growing guidelines expected
By Mitch Lies, Oregon Staff Writer
The Capital Press | September 30, 2005 |
MADRAS -- A state official said recently the proposed canola control district rules are just days from being adopted.
The rules are aimed at protecting the state's vegetable seed industry from cross-pollination with canola and from the spread of diseases and insects.
The rules restrict canola production within three areas -- the Willamette Valley, the Central Oregon counties of Crook, Jefferson and Deschutes, and a section in Northeast Oregon where vegetable seed production occurs.
Growers in those areas can grow canola for seed if they follow state guidelines, but will need a special permit from the state to grow canola for oil.
State officials had hoped to adopt rules by now, but concerns over the potential for Measure 37 conflicts are slowing the adoption, said Dan Hilburn, administrator of the Oregon Department of Agriculture's Plant Division. (more...)
Oregon's story, a cautionary tale
Editorial -- Progressive approach to land use set back -- at the ballot box
By Linda Brinson
The (Winston-Salem, North Carolina) Journal | October 9, 2005 |
PORTLAND, Ore. -- There is trouble in paradise. The specter of sprawl is threatening Oregon, that shining example of land-use planning, the state where ordinary citizens banded together to do something before the suburbs ate the countryside. (more...)
Survey: Rescind Measure 37?
| The Portland Business Journal | October 3, 2005 |
In this week's Business Pulse Survey, we ask: If given the opportunity, would you vote to rescind Measure 37?
Results can be found here next Friday and in the Oct. 14 edition of our print edition.
To vote, visit http://portland.bizjournals.com/portland/poll/index.html?poll_id=99 (more...)
Take the Measure 37 poll
| New Frames: Think Global. Blog Local. (blog) | October 7, 2005 |
The Portland Business Journal is conducting an online poll about Measure 37, the measure that has overturned Oregon's 30 year land use conservation laws. I've written a lot (here, here, here, here, here, here, here) about M37 on this blog and its potential to do major damage to Oregon's natural resources, farmlands, scenic beauty and the state's tax payers.
The question the Journal poses is whether or not M37 should be overturned. It's important to keep in mind that overturning it wouldn't mean that the debate over land use would end, or should end, because clearly Oregonians need to have a serious discussion about the future of this state and what we want it to look like and be for our children and grandchildren.
Currently Oregonians seem to be conflicted about private property rights and uncontrolled development. They support private property rights, but at the same time they don't want sprawl. The question for conservationists is how do we appeal to the latter sentiment in future campaigns because most people vote based on their emotional feelings on such matters. That's where the "NO on 37" camp failed in November of '04, despite having more funds than the pro-sprawlers who sponsored the measure. They didn't have a "Mrs. Dorothy English" poster child equivalent. (more...)
Gas station's owner invokes Measure 37
Land use -- Oregon City's first claim under the new law involves downtown property
By Steve Mayes
The Oregonian | October 4, 2005 |
OREGON CITY -- The owner of a downtown gasoline station who filed the city's first Measure 37 claim is likely to win the right to renovate the property. (more...)
Ag group urges Abrams buyout
By David Bates
The (McMinnville) News-Register | September 22, 2005 |
Sam Sweeney will tell you his fields feature some of the best soil in the Willamette Valley for growing vegetables.
But as good as his soil is, he will concede that it's not quite as good as that of the little patch of earth just west of McMinnville -- the one on West Hill Road where Maralynn Abrams is now proposing a 67-acre subdivision.
That's why her property is zoned for exclusive farm use, forcing her to get an exemption under Measure 37 in order to submit a development proposal. It's also why Sweeney has joined with other local farmers in seeking to keep her property free of streets and houses.
The local farm lobby's organizational vehicle is the Yamhill Soil & Water Conservation District, whose board is chaired by Sweeney.
It decided last week to propose a conservation easement on the property -- basically, a deal under which a property owner agrees to sell his or her development rights. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has a program in place where it funds such easements, even ones as costly as this one might prove. (more...)
Measure 37 claims swarm in Silverton
Parcel near Victor Point liable to suffer water well shortage
By Omie Drawhorn
The (Silverton) Appeal Tribune | October 5, 2005 |
Alta Gildersleeve and Ardath Weber have owned their 13.4-acre property on Lorence Road near Silverton since 1968. The farmland sits on a narrow road off Victor Point Road, and until recently, remained undeveloped.
Back when they purchased the property, they were intent on subdividing, but within a few months that was made illegal by the enactment of the Exclusive Farm Use Regulation. The property owners, now Keizer residents, currently rent their property to a farmer for $650 a year.
But as of November, when Measure 37 passed, they had the opportunity to be compensated by Marion County for the money they potentially lost due to the farm use regulation. Now, Gildersleeve and Weber are joining more than 100 people across Marion County in filing such a claim. (more...)
Measure 37 ties hands of Cannon Beach leaders
City Council directs staff to amend zoning code for Measure 37 claims
By Laurel Eddy
The Daily Astorian | October 5, 2005 |
CANNON BEACH -- The city of Cannon Beach will sttle David Holland's Measure 37 claim by waiving ordinances and allowing him to develop, the council decided unanimously Tuesday. (more...)
Lincoln County unveils new web page for Measure 37 information
By Joel Gallob
The (Newport) News-Times | September 30, 2005 |
Lincoln County Counsel Wayne Belmont and Liz Sample, the County Recorder and Webmaster, on Wednesday unveiled a new addition to the county's website: a page that deals solely with Measure 37 claims filed with Lincoln County.
There are now, Belmont said, 28 claims filed with the county, some the commissioners have acted upon, and some Belmont plans to bring before them with recommendations for action next week. (more...)
County will waive rules on Measure 37 claims
By Joel Gallob
The (Newport) News-Times | October 7, 2005, 10:00:43 PDT |
The Lincoln County Board of Commissioners this week received a recommendation from Planning Director Matt Spangler and County Counsel Wayne Belmont to waive land-use rules that restrain development in five Measure 37 claims. (more...)
Next M37 battle: waiver transfers
By Keith Chu
The (Bend) Bulletin | October 7, 2005 |
Billy Towery stands on his Jefferson County property, which is the subject of a Measure 37 claim.
Oregon voters passed Measure 37 nearly a year ago, but counties in Central Oregon -- and across the state -- are still struggling with just what the property rights initiative really means.
In Central Oregon, the pressing issue is transferability -- whether a land-use waiver granted under the initiative can be sold or transferred from one property owner to another.
The matter is set to be tested in a landmark court case and has the Jefferson County Commission poised to amend its Measure 37 ordinance for the third time.
Westwood vote, tie to Measure 37 considered
By Meg Landers
The (Medford) Mail Tribune | October 6, 2005 |
With Oct. 19 set for a vote on supplying water to the Westwood subdivision, the Medford Water Commission turned its attention Wednesday to future Measure 37 claims. (more...)
Land-use claims ring Ashland
Measure 37 grievances are mostly filed to split tax lots
By Robert Plain
The (Ashland) Daily Tidings | September 26, 2005 |
There are Measure 37 claims surrounding the city of Ashland.
The hotly debated voter referendum allows Oregonians to get relief from some state land-use laws if they have owned their property before the law was enacted. As it begins to play out, most of the claims are occurring in the counties rather than the cities. And with real estate prices being what they are in the area, many are jumping at the chance to develop land outside of Ashland.
To the north, near the exit 19 interchange, Chuck Kinney and his partners want to build a welcome center, rest stop, restaurant and RV park. To the south, near the airport, Neil and JoAnn Boyden want to build either a luxury golf course and equestrian center or an 88-home subdivision. To the east, near East Main Street, John and Susan Pierson plan to apply for permission for a subdivision where their family farm is now.
And this is just the proverbial tip of the iceberg. All told, at least 25 Measure 37 claims have been filed with Jackson County south of Talent, some closer to Ashland than others.
But local political officials say what may look like a lot of new development on paper may never pan out to being a lot of new development on the land. (more...)
Tribes, state differ on land's designation
Two more subdivisions on the horizon, activist says
The state of Oregon says there's not enough evidence to declare the entire Marr Ranch an archeological site, but tribal representatives claim the land has been declared "archeological significant" in strict accordance with state law.
The issue was part of an emotional call for the protection of Wallowa Lake made by Natives and long-time Oregonians alike at a State Parks and Recreation Commission (SPRC) meeting held Thursday at the United States Forest Service Visitors Center.
Along with the proposed Marr Ranch development, concerned resident Jean Pekarek testified that two Measure 37 proposals are on the horizon: a 14-lot subdivision on the western shore of the lake and a 25-house development on the wide-open east moraine. (more...)
Oregon's Land Use Planning System, etc.
Land Conservation and Development Commission -- Shift in focus for panel
By Carl Mickelson, Staff Writer
The (Coos Bay) World | September 29, 2005 |
COQUILLE -- There is one truism on which many people can agree when it comes to the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development -- the agency charged with governing land use laws throughout the state.
"It has always been resented," said John Van Landingham, a member of the Land Conservation and Development Commission -- the regulatory arm of the department. (more...)
Neal Peirce -- Federalism for the 21st century
By Neal Peirce
The Seattle Times | September 26, 2005 |
WASHINGTON -- If the nation's heart in responding to the challenges of Hurricane Katrina is even half as large as President Bush now says it is, we face a set of perplexing "how's."
How does a lumbering federal bureaucracy, its domestic departments starved for attention and funding, position itself as a true partner with the ravaged states and localities and people of New Orleans and the broader Gulf Coast region?
How, in an alarmingly hurricane-prone part of the country, does Washington make sure its dollars don't put people and homes once again in harm's way, unprepared to weather future killer storms?
How does the federal behemoth work to serve Bush's suddenly discovered constituency -- the poor and disadvantaged -- when the Gulf Coast state governments have historically led the race to the bottom in terms of social assistance?
Only, I'd suggest, by a very new New Federalism for the 21st century -- not some form of Washington-mandated command and control, not federal disengagement, but rather a process of direct engagement, mutual respect, consultation and open democratic processes. (more...)
Michael Leachman -- Spending cap: A lesson in bad government
By Michael Leachman
The Springfield News | September 30, 2005 |
Oregonians have a little over a year to decide if we believe in ourselves.
Next year, Oregon voters probably will be asked to vote on whether we want to arbitrarily restrict public investments. We should reject this approach.
Oregonians want a government that confronts the common problems that none of us can handle on our own. We want clean water, good schools, affordable health care and child care, safe neighborhoods, outstanding universities, fire protection, fair and just courts open five days a week, children protected from abuse and neglect, and quality care for our elderly and our disabled neighbors. And we want these things delivered efficiently, at a fair price.
That is not too much to ask. We can do it. We have only to take responsibility for the common good, and then to work together to make sure our public institutions are efficient, up-to-date expressions of our highest ideals. (more...)
Other News
Editorial -- Seeking sustainability: Eugene initiative promotes 'triple bottom line'
| The Register-Guard | September 27, 2005 |
In promoting her Sustainable Business Initiative, Eugene Mayor Kitty Piercy risks embracing a concept that everybody supports, but no one can define. Piercy may succeed, however, in giving the idea a solid foundation by focusing on how particular segments of the local economy can apply principles of sustainability in beneficial ways. If the result is that good things happen to businesses, workers and the environment, people will be welcome to label them as examples of sustainability. (more...)
Governor: Rules need tweaking
By Scott Maben
The Register-Guard | October 4, 2005 |
Less government red tape, strong investment in roads, telecommunications and utilities, and more support for education at all levels are the keys to driving Oregon's economy, Gov. Ted Kulongoski told a gathering of business people in Eugene on Monday.
Kulongoski, a Democrat who plans to run for re-election next year, spoke at a meeting of the Oregon Economic Development Association. He said the state is reducing regulatory barriers to new and expanding businesses but needs to further streamline approval processes. (more...)
Tony Corcoran -- Delicious Ironies
Blackberry Pie Society ponders political peculiarities.
By Tony Corcoran
Eugene Weekly | October 6, 2005 |
Happy first birthday, Blackberrians! I hope you spend it banefully bashing Bush's bad behavior. However, as a former nattering nabob of negativism myself, let me propose to you that there is a tiny silver lining around Katrina's penumbra.
...
But I think that one lesson, which writers from Molly Ivins to Paul Krugman have pointed out, is the most important one: Americans are slowly becoming aware that there's a reason for "government," there is a reason for the "commons," and it took a crisis to make that fact apparent. Remember the Great Depression? Our nation healed through the formation of large government projects like the WPA and the CCC, through Social Security, and ultimately Medicare and Medicaid. Big government wasn't all that bad then. It only became bad as a target of political and financial benefit to the wealthy. (more...)
Chuck Rusch -- Storms aren't the only threat to New Orleans
By Chuck Rusch
The Register-Guard | October 2, 2005 |
My brother lives in New Orleans, as do his four adult children and their families. Fortunately, they all made it through the recent hurricanes, as did their houses and pets. Many others did not make it, and for some the nightmare of rebuilding their lives out of the ruins continues. I hope we learn something of lasting value from their tragedy.
I have visited the city many times over the years and have appreciated its beauty, uniqueness and history. I very much want to see it recover from the one-two punch of Katrina and Rita. But before we invest $200 billion in that effort, we had better make sure that New Orleans continues to have a river running through it -- a discussion I have found missing in the media. I am afraid New Orleans' problems with Mother Nature are far from over.
According to John McPhee's 1989 book, "The Control of Nature," for the past 60 years the Mississippi River has been trying to break free of its present channel in favor of a shorter, steeper route to the Gulf of Mexico down the Atchafalaya River to the west. McPhee states that the Mississippi has a long history of changing channels every thousand years or so. Indeed that's how most of Louisiana was formed. (more...)
Nation ready for disasters? Think again
By Joseph Verrengia
The Associated Press | October 2, 2005 |
Have we seen America's future through the eyes of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita?
Monster storms drowning cities and obliterating coastlines. Jobs vanishing and prices rising as ports and pipelines close. Millions fleeing, but many are trapped and die. Chaos reigns, paralyzing government and leaving the world's wealthiest society humbled and frightened.
Natural disaster in the United States has morphed to a dangerous new level. Some experts say the nation can expect to be pummeled by more of these mega-catastrophes over the next 20 or 30 years in a nasty conspiracy of unfavorable weather patterns, changing demographics and political denial.
A month after Katrina and one week after Rita, it's not clear how the United States will play the new hand that nature apparently has dealt.
...
"The first rule of sustainability is to align with natural forces, or at least not try to defy them," said environmentalist Paul Hawken, a leading voice in the green design and green commerce movements. "There is no reason to go backwards in redesigning the city." (more...)
Richard Parker -- Rita's reality: We have much to learn from the storm that didn't hit Houston
By Richard Parker
Knight Ridder Newspapers | October 2, 2005 |
HOUSTON -- Interstate 10 is jammed with cars and trucks and SUVs, red gas cans strapped to their roofs, their insides filled with people, goods and belongings. Abandoned cars litter the roadside like they were tossed there with the garbage. There is no gas. And America's fourth-largest city lies abandoned.
It is Saturday morning and Hurricane Rita has come ashore to the east, wrecking Port Arthur and Beaumont and inundating poor Louisiana, again. The gray mushroom cloud that hung over Houston at dawn has dispersed. And even as the dark National Guard helicopters fly relief missions, the city's residents are driving back -- by the hundreds of thousands -- from the refuge they took elsewhere, even though there is not enough power, water or fuel.
If the story of Hurricane Katrina was of universal human calamity, the story of Katrina's lesser sister, Rita, was a social, cautionary tale about the particular values that Texans, and Americans by extension, hold dear to our detriment. We are an urban people and emptying Houston -- like Los Angeles or New York -- is a nearly impossible task. We are economically wed to our cars but they are wed to fossil fuel, of which there is only so much. And we live in a political era that has been defined by political individualism. (more...)
How High Can It Go?
By Lyric Wallwork Winik
Parade | October 2, 2005 |
The cost of oil is rising, and so is our dependence on it. We asked experts for answers to our most pressing questions about how oil's future and how we can take control.
Here's the good news: We won't suddenly run out of oil. You will not roll your SUV into the gas station, only to discover that another car has gotten the globe's last drop.
Now for the bad news: No one knows how high oil prices can go. And no one is sure just how much oil we have left. But most of all, no one can predict what will happen to the world's oil supply, because -- as Daniel Yergen, head of Cambridge Energy Research Associates, puts it -- "The greatest risks aren't under the ground, but above it." (more...)
Editorial -- Getting parents involved
| The Register-Guard | October 5, 2005 |
Until now, the Chalkboard Project has primarily been an exercise in pulse-taking -- finding out what Oregonians think of their schools and identifying barriers to improved achievement. Now the foundation-backed project is launching its first policy initiative, with the goal of encouraging parental involvement in schools. The target is well chosen, and the Chalkboard Project is a good vehicle for the effort. (more...)
Editorial -- Chalkboard Project goes beyond advice, offers help
| The Lebanon Express | October 5, 2005 |
In a recent statewide survey on parental involvement in schools, the Chalkboard Project discovered that more than 60 percent of parents want to be more involved in their children's education but need help from employers and schools. The survey followed up on a previous one that found 83 percent of Oregonians believe lack of parent involvement is the primary obstacle to student achievement.
The Chalkboard Project is a independent and non-partisan group funded by five Oregon foundations. According to its website, its goal is to help create a more informed and engaged public that understands and addresses the choices and tradeoffs required to build strong schools. Chalkboard members believe every public school student deserves a quality education that will lead to success in college, in the workplace, and in life. (more...)
Local Politics
Auditor campaign drawing funds
By Edward Russo
The Register-Guard | September 29, 2005 |
It's far from the big money of a mayor's campaign, but contributions are trickling in for the Eugene proposal that would allow the City Council to hire an independent auditor to review complaints about police.
The "Vote Yes For External Police Review" committee had received $2,499 from Aug. 24 to Sept. 22, according to a campaign disclosure filed Tuesday with the city recorder. Of that amount, $1,600 was loans, with the largest individual loans coming from two city councilors, Bonny Bettman and Andrea Ortiz.
Eugene's single-issue election will be on Nov. 8. As of Wednesday, there was no organized opposition to the measure, City Recorder Mary Feldman said. (more...)
People
Letter -- Beyond Struggle
By Kim Krichbaum, Dexter
Eugene Weekly | September 29, 2005 |
Alan Pittman's article, "Mayor Maybe" (9/15) illustrates both the things I love about EW, and the few attitudes that keep it from being even better. What I love is the consistent support of life-affirming policies on issues like enterprise zone tax breaks and the West Eugene Parkway, and quality investigative reporting explaining these issues to us.
What I wish would change is writing in a way that creates polarization. Alan refers to Dave Hauser, the Eugene Chamber of Commerce president, as a natural opponent of the mayor. I do not want to see Dave Hauser or anyone else as a natural opponent. When we stand strongly for issues we believe in, and then look for ways that others are aligned with us and ways to convince them that our strategies are in their best interest, we effectively create positive change in our world. When we see others as opponents, we help create a struggle, focusing on winning and beating the other guy, more than creating positive change. Sometimes we force others into the role of opponent because of how we see and treat them.
Pittman talked at length about whether Piercy is a progressive. Questioning whether Kitty made the best decisions and why, is good journalism. But asking whether she fits in the "progressive" box creates the kind of in/out, black/white thinking that creates struggle and polarization.
Letter -- Unfair Treatment
By Marc Baber, Joyce Berman, Dan Carol, Joy Marshall, Eugene
Eugene Weekly | October 6, 2005 |
However fair and balanced your recent cover story (9/15) on Mayor Kitty Piercy was (or wasn't), we thought your cover art and caption ("Mayor Maybe") was very, very unfair. Mayor Piercy has reached out to councilors and community members in unprecedented ways, and has shown herself with the LTD, Sanipac, and other issues to be a real, hands-on problem solver. She intends to make Eugene a model for clean energy and create a stronger jobs base. It won't happen overnight and it won't happen without support from her base.
She represents the entire city -- yes, even people that we progressives may not always agree with. Too often we in the progressive community let the perfect be the enemy of the good, as we referee from above the political fray. So we are writing to cry "foul'" for a cover that we wish to penalize for "unnecessary roughness." Mayor Piercy deserves better than cheap shots.
Leiken files as board candidate
By Matt Cooper
The Register-Guard | September 30, 2005 |
Springfield Mayor Sid Leiken said Thursday that he's still not sure whether to challenge incumbent Bill Dwyer next May for Lane County commissioner.
But he filed to run, just in case.
In fact, Leiken filed more than a week ago for the board's Springfield post, although he said Thursday that it "doesn't really mean much of anything" and he'll decide for sure by the end of October.
Leiken said the filing merely allows him to raise money. Just in case.
"If you want to say I've filed to run, that's fine," Leiken said. "I'm looking at it as, I've filed as a hold. I will have my announcement next month."
Talk of a Dwyer-Leiken matchup is swirling about. Eugene developer John Musumeci said reliable sources have told him Leiken will run, and Eugene Mayor Kitty Piercy said Leiken "is more actively considering the county commission seat than I had thought him to previously be doing." (more...)
Former legislator, EPUD board member Dick Eymann, 86, dies
By David Steves
The Register-Guard | September 28, 2005 |
Web editor's note: This story was edited Sep. 29, 2005 to include a correction.
Richard O. "Dick" Eymann, a former Lane County lawmaker who presided over one of the Legislature's most productive sessions, died Monday.
Eymann's family said his death was caused by age-related conditions. He was 86. (more...)
Editorial -- A life of public service
| The Register-Guard | September 29, 2005 |
It wasn't exactly a golden age, but there was a time in Oregon, roughly defined as the era of Gov. Tom McCall, when events and personalities converged in a burst of civic energy. Many aspects of Oregon's self-image date from that period, and today's leaders are judged by its standards -- seldom to their advantage.
Dick Eymann was at the center of public affairs during those years, and his death Monday at age 86 pushes an extraordinary moment in Oregon history further into the past. (more...)
Marcola, Oregon lose Dick Eymann
By Stacy D. Stumbo
The Springfield News | September 30, 2005 |
Juanita Eymann, 85, stood between two pine trees outside her Marcola home on Monday and prayed.
She knew her husband -- eighty-six-year-old Richard O. Eymann -- had not been well, and asked God for the strength to let him go.
When she came inside the farm house she shared with him for more than 50 years, her youngest daughter told her he was gone. (more...)
Has the Terminator Lost Touch?
By David S. Broder
The Washington Post | October 2, 2005; Page B07 |
MENLO PARK, Calif. -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was deep into nostalgia when he came here the other day to pitch several hundred Sun Microsystems workers on the four initiatives he is promoting in a Nov. 8 special election.
"Remember," he said, "you sent the Terminator up to Sacramento to fix those problems" -- mounting debts, power blackouts, rising taxes and gridlocked government -- that led to the ouster of Democratic Gov. Gray Davis and the bodybuilder-movie star's victory in the recall election.
That was only 24 months ago, but, oh, how the world has changed. In a post-rally interview, lighting up a cigar and complaining that the outdoor event had left him "sweatier than I've been since I visited the troops in Baghdad," Schwarzenegger managed to display the same chin-out aggressiveness that marked his action-movie career. "Absolutely!" he shot back when asked if he expected to win the uphill battle facing him in next month's election.
But a poll released that same day last week told a different story. The Public Policy Institute of California survey showed Schwarzenegger's job approval down to 38 percent. An initiative he is backing to make it easier to fire weak teachers is trailing by four points. Another, to shift redistricting power from the legislature to a panel of retired judges, is losing by 17 points. And a budget reform to put government back on track and greatly increase his control of spending -- which he told me is "the most important" of his proposals -- is failing by an astonishing 37 points. (more...)