We've got issues.
• The Metropolitan Policy Committee meets from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm Thursday, June 4, at the Eugene Public Library. Public comment time is early in the meeting and one of the agenda items is “Development of Draft Oregon Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan,” presented by Savannah Crawford of ODOT. Springfield Main Street public safety is also on the follow-up agenda. See lcog.org for more information. Continue reading
• ODOT is currently spraying roadsides. Call Tony Kilmer at ODOT District 5 at 744-8080 or call (888) 996-8080 for herbicide application information. Highways I-5, 101, 126. ODOT may spray Highway 36 soon. • Weyerhaeuser Company, 744-4600, plans to spray 4,804 feet of roadside in the larger Lorane area with glyphosate, aminopyralid, triclopyr, metsulfuron methyl and/or MSO Concentrate. See ODF notification 2015-781-08283, call Brian Peterson at 935-2283 with questions. Continue reading
• We wonder if the High Line elevated park in Manhattan gives us some clues for using the EWEB property by the Willamette River now that the chosen developer, the UO Foundation, has left it in limbo. We know, Eugene is not New York City, but a private-public partnership shaped a mile-and-a-half abandoned elevated railway in the meat-packing district into the most amazing public park, attracting millions of visitors all seasons. Special events and attractions are scheduled, but mostly visitors just come to walk the High Line and see the view. Continue reading
We wrote about the opening of Big Slice Pizza in this column May 14, but now we see the business is closed and owner Glenn Eitelman has not returned an email or answered the store’s phone. The “hole-in-the-wall” pizza joint is on 13th next to Big City Gamin’ and across from the downtown fire station. A note on the door says, “The landlord has retaken possession of these premises, and claims a landlord’s lien on all the property of the tenant located herein.” Building owner John Hammer declined to comment when called. Continue reading
• Environmental advocate Paul Scott, co-founder of Plug In America, will speak on “Autonomous Vehicles and the Future of Sustainable Transportation” at 6 pm Thursday, May 28, at the EWEB North Building, 500 E. 4th Ave. Free. Scott is a former BRING Recycling worker who has gone on to gain national attention in the field of electric vehicles. He was featured in the documentary Who Killed the Electric Car? • Oregonians for Industrial Hemp will meet from 5:30 to 7:30 pm Thursday, May 28, at Growers Market, 454 Willamette St. Find the group on Facebook. Continue reading
• ODOT is currently spraying roadsides. Call Tony Kilmer at ODOT District 5 at 744-8080 or call (888) 996-8080 for herbicide application information. Highways I-5, 101, 126 from 7 miles west of Walton to Florence. ODOT may spray Highway 36 soon. Continue reading
• ODOT is currently spraying roadsides. Call Tony Kilmer at ODOT District 5 at 744-8080 or call (888) 996-8080 for herbicide application information. Highways I-5, 99, 101, 105, 126 east of Springfield and Highway 36 from Highway 99 to 1 mile east of Blachly were sprayed recently, ODOT may spray the rest of Highway 36 soon. Continue reading
• Predictable results in the May Special Election. Disappointing turnout of only 35 percent. We didn’t expect the vehicle registration fee to pass, but we did expect the results to be closer. Lane County voters haven’t figured out that we are undertaxed compared to counties that haven’t relied heavily on federal timber payments. Measure 5 and other tax limits put us in a bind when timber payments dried up. How are we going to catch up now? Nobody loves new taxes and fees, especially ones that affect low-income residents, but the options are very limited. Continue reading
Falafel of Eugene is planning to join Wrap City at Kesey Square, says Kim Still of Saturday Market. Saturday Market contracts with the city to administer the food cart program at Kesey Square and on the Park Blocks. “We are actively seeking a couple more carts to add back in to the plaza food pod,” Still says. “Unfortunately we are not able to permit food trucks in that area, just carts.” Contact the market office at 686-8885, ext. 102. Continue reading
• Community Rights Lane County will host a free workshop from 6:30 to 8:30 pm Friday, May 22, at the LCC Downtown campus, Room 105. The workshop will “explore provocative issues around democracy, the power of the corporate state and communities’ rightful role in local decision-making.” Speakers include advocates Lindsey Schromen-Wawrin from Washington, Cliff Willmeng from Colorado and Ann Kneeland, a local attorney working to get community rights initiatives onto the ballot in Oregon. Continue reading