|
NEWS
BRIEFS : Heir Apparent?
| Kulonsprawlski | Heading
East | To George, With Love | Neighbors
Respond | Cottage Grove Treasure | Peace
Festival III | Sprawl Project |
News:
Vicki's Library Fired city manager was key in decision to use
urban renewal 'slush fund.'
News:
State of the City A progressive response, Part I.
News:
Branding Ducks UO image debate is still unfolding.
News:
14-Minute Delay EFD too busy training to promptly put out fire.
Happening
People: Rosie Duris
HEIR
APPARENT?
The city of Eugene is spending $25,000 and
hundreds of hours of staff and city councilor time in a nationwide
search for a new city manager, but it all may be a waste.
Acting City Manager Jim Carlson has already emerged
as the leading inside candidate for the position. At his State of
the City address this month, Eugene Mayor Jim Torrey said the city
was "blessed" to have Carlson as a manager. Torrey said if the council
didn't want an outside candidate, he would be happy to have Carlson
remain in the manager position. "Jim Carlson has indicated to me that
he's at least going to be around for another two years, and I like
that," Torrey said.
As the head of the newly elected conservative council,
Torrey's support for Carlson could make his appointment to the position
a shoe-in. Council progressives have clashed with Carlson over proposals
for an in-house attorney and city auditor, open government and council
power but have only three firm votes.
Carlson did not return a call requesting comment on
whether he was a candidate if the council chose not to select a manager
from the national recruitment. Last October, Carlson announced that
he would not apply for the permanent position during the current national
recruitment process. But Carlson has not said whether or not he would
be a candidate if the council did not choose an outside candidate.
Based on what Torrey said about Carlson at the state
of the city speech, "it sounds like he's a candidate," Councilor Betty
Taylor says. "He [Carlson] has not said he won't be a candidate" if
an outsider isn't hired, Taylor says.
Taylor noted that past City Manager Jim Johnson also
held the acting manager position and initially said he wasn't a candidate
but then changed his mind and was appointed by the council.
As a possible candidate, Carlson is privy to inside
information that none of the other outside candidates enjoys. For
example, Carlson attended a recent council meeting that was closed
to the public to review applicants for the position.
"I thought it was not appropriate," Taylor said of
Carlson's attendance at the meeting. "I thought it would be better
if he [Carlson] were not there in case he becomes a candidate in the
future."
When asked, Taylor said that because of his attendance
at closed meetings, it's possible Carlson would be able to use inside
information on the council's salary negotiating strategy to press
for a pay raise for himself.
Lauren Chouinard works under Carlson as the city's
human resources director. "I don't think it matters at all," says
Chouinard about confusion over whether Carlson is a candidate. Chouinard
says Carlson made it "very clear" that he wasn't a candidate in the
current recruitment process. But Chouinard says if the council doesn't
select one of the outside candidates, Carlson may continue in the
position for about two years until he retires. "He's not going to
leave us in the lurch."
Chouinard says it was important for Carlson to announce
that he wasn't a candidate in the initial process because outside
candidates may not have taken the time and risk of applying if they
knew they were competing against an incumbent insider. "You got to
ask yourself, am I going to get a fair shake here?" — Alan
Pittman
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SLANT
In case you missed
our endorsement last week, we are urging enthusiastic support
for Ballot Measure 28 — and quickly. Ballots need to be
at the Elections Department by 8 pm Tuesday, Jan. 28. New polling
by KATU-TV in Portland shows an even split for and against Measure
28, with about 8 percent undecided. Republicans alarmed by the
turnaround in public opinion are reported to be planning a last-minute
media campaign against the measure. The party line is government
is big and wasteful and this is a good opportunity to whittle
it down. The problem is that we're looking at an ax and not
a whittling knife. Rep. Dan Doyle says it's all scare tactics:
We're not really facing cuts to public safety, education and
social services. He's got a solution all figured out. Yeah,
sure. Like the Republican leadership has figured it out in the
past. Measure 28 is only a short-term fix, but it's the only
reasonable choice we have at this time. Vote "yes" on 28.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day was particularly
meaningful this year as our federal government prepares to carry
out armed aggression around the world. Ironically, Bush praised
King in public Monday, careful not to mention any of the hundred
ways the White House is in direct defiance of everything that
King represents. Meanwhile, King's legacy is carried on by every
letter writer, phone caller, sign carrier and demonstrator demanding
peace and justice.
SLANT includes short opinion pieces and rumor-chasing
notes compiled by the EW staff. Heard any good rumors lately?
Contact Ted Taylor at 484-0519, editor@eugeneweekly.com
|
KULONSPRAWLSKI
Gov. Ted Kulongoski has teamed up with state
business leaders to target the state's land use laws, blaming them
for restricting industry during the state economic slump.
Last month Kulongoski and the Oregon Business Council
said the state needed to quickly loosen city urban growth boundaries
(UGBs) to free up more land for industrial development.
Bob Stacey, director of the land use watchdog group
1000 Friends of Oregon, says the state doesn't need to expand growth
boundaries to make room for industry. "We just don't buy into that."
Current land use law already requires that cities
include a 20-year supply of industrial land in their UGBs. If the
state thinks the cities may not have included enough land, they should
provide cities technical assistance to arrive at better numbers, says
Stacey. "Look at the facts," he says. "Don't listen to the voices
of panic."
"Do not assume land use planning is a problem because
we're in an economic crisis," Stacey says. "That's just not the case."
— AP
HEADING
EAST
On Jan. 17, the UO Campus Planning Committee
(CPC) held a public hearing regarding long-range plans for development
east of campus. The committee presented the proposed 2003 Development
Policy for the East Campus Area, along with amendments and revisions
to the proposal that have occurred in the past year of discussions
and planning.
In the 1960s, the UO acquired much of the east campus
property bordered by East 15th, East 19th, Agate and Villard; the
intent was to hold the property in reserve for future expansion. The
time for that expansion has come, and both neighbors and residents
have concerns about the university's long-range development plans.
More than a dozen concerned residents, students and
citizens spoke out on the UO's plans for development. The east campus
property includes about 100 single-family homes, more than half of
which will have to be removed in order to accommodate plans for growth.
Community concerns about these removals ranged from destroying the
historic value of the neighborhood to student anxiety about being
required to move on too little notice to these same students' concerns
about provisions for replacement housing.
CPC Chair Mike Fifield appeared sympathetic to student
concerns about notice. He requested a written timeline showing when
houses for removal are chosen and when occupants are notified about
the removal. With regards to replacement housing, UO Housing Director
Mike Eyster said, "We have not addressed that issue."
As for the expansion itself, Jeff Osanka of the Fairmount
Neighborhood Association (adjacent to east campus) insisted that Fairmount
neighbors be included in all ensuing development discussions, because
changes — such as the possible shift from low-density to high-density
housing — would directly affect residents of the Fairmount area.
University Planning Associate Christine Taylor Thompson
said that community comments would be taken into account and discussed
in a future planning meeting. The schedule for that meeting will be
announced some time in the next two weeks.
— Bobbie Willis
TO
GEORGE, WITH LOVE
What began as an idea during Service Learning
Week for students at Wellsprings Friends School has finally become
a reality of chicken coop wire, papier-mâché, paint and
love. These students have created a large — about 5 feet by
3 feet — papier-mâché peace dove as a way to participate
in the national anti-war movement.
Ethan Hughes, Wellsprings teacher and advisor to the
students on the project, says, "The idea came up three months ago
and was resurrected for the Peace Festival," which happened Saturday,
Jan. 18. The students hope to have 1,000 Eugeneans sign the peace
dove so that they can send it to President Bush as a gift of peace
and hope.
Wellsprings senior Sara Lankutis says, "The signatures
have them [community members] be a part of this… There
are a lot of people wanting to counteract war. You don't have to be
working for MTV to make a statement." Freshman Felice Gabriel adds,
"Kids not much older than us are going to war. Maybe this peace dove
[will help convince] the president to make some agreement with the
rest of the world, to think of some alternatives."
Attached to the dove is the mission statement, "The
purpose of the Peace Dove Project is to create world peace and give
everyone a chance to love and be loved. This is a gift to our president
and government. We hope they can feel our love and pass it on."
Sophomore Macy Lleranas has estimated costs for shipping
the dove to Washington, D.C. at about $175 to $275. To contribute
and/or add your own signature to the Peace Dove, call the school at
686-1223. — BW
NEIGHBORS
RESPOND
More meetings are planned and a special
fund has been established for community and legal support in response
to the Oct. 17 police raid in the Whiteaker neighborhood.
A gathering is planned at 7 pm Wednesday, Jan. 29
at the Whiteaker Community Center. For more information, call 684-8064.
"The overall purpose of the fund is to prevent another
raid with such unwarranted use of force from ever happening again,
whether in Whiteaker neighborhood or elsewhere in Eugene," says a
statement from the Whiteaker Community Council.
Checks can be written to "WCC" with "5th & Adams
Fund" on the memo line. Mail to WCC, PO Box 11692, Eugene 97440. Donations
are tax deductible. For more information, contact WCC at 684-8064.
On Oct. 17, the doors of three adjoining houses at
West 5th and Adams were simultaneously broken into as 59 officers
from at least six agencies carried out a fruitless search for a marijuana
growing operation.
The Eugene Police Commission is expected to look at
local SWAT team policies and protocol at its 5:30 pm Feb. 13 meeting,
at City Hall. — TJT
COTTAGE
GROVE TREASURE
In what might be a first for the southern
Willamette Valley, an alternative, independent book store has been
named "Business of the Year" by the Cottage Grove Chamber of Commerce.
Located at the crossroads of 7th and Main, The Bookmine
competes with chain and discount stores and provides an eclectic community
gathering spot with heart, soul and sweat.
The store includes a co-op for plant trading, with
a miniature nursery of vegetables, herbs and flowers that line the
sunny west wall. The plethora of services available at the business
include message, book repair, bird-sitting, child care, birthday parties,
ticket sales and all kinds of counseling.
The early years proved to be a demanding test of faith
for the Bookmine's owners Gail and Birdy Hoelzles. Serving dinner
at a local restaurant supported the duo and their fledgling business
though the initial years of The Bookmine. — John Husby
PEACE
FESTIVAL III
Coming up weekend after next is a three-day
Oregon Peace Festival III with the theme, "Peace Begins at Home."
Events Jan. 31 through Feb. 2 will be held at EMU on UO Campus and
at the Central Presbyterian Church.
For updated information on keynote speakers, workshops
and entertainment, contact: whitedog@oregonpeacefestival.org, or call
686-4455.
SPRAWL
PROJECT
The local Cascadia Media Collective (CMC)
has a new and ambitious project in the works, a 30-minute video on
the issues surrounding urban sprawl. The video will be national in
scope, but based on the Pacific Northwest experience.
The video will "provide a unique look at the connection
between forests, individuals, communities and overall development
patterns," says Lisa Igo of CMC in a project description. "We want
to bring to attention the crisis of urban sprawl — but more
importantly, we hope to help develop a network of resistance to the
further destruction of our communities and the natural world that
surrounds us."
CMC has been working for the past two and a half years
to produce documentary videos on environmental issues and social activism.
In addition to a stream of news stories, the collective has produced
two long videos, Guerilla Video Primer and A Year in the
Streets, and a shorter video on the Umpqua's old-growth forests.
The documentaries, supported by volunteer work and
donations, have been distributed widely. But the CMC says the new
project will require additional investment of time and money. The
group is seeking small grants and donations to fund a $10,000 budget.
For more information, call CMC at 688-2809 or e-mail thecmc@efn.org
— Ted Taylor
Back to Top
Vicki's
Library
Fired
city manager was key in decision to use urban renewal 'slush fund.'
BY
ALAN PITTMAN
Embossed in a plaque at the entrance of
Eugene's gleaming new library are the names of acting City Manager
Jim Carlson and former City Manager Jim Johnson. A commemorative brochure
for the library grand opening this month similarly lists the names
of Carlson and Johnson.
But the key funding decision to build the library
was not made during Carlson or Johnson's leadership. That decision
came under former City Manager Vicki Elmer, who the City Council fired
in 1998 after she rocked the local business and bureaucratic establishment.
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| VICKI
ELMER |
Without Elmer's year leading the city, the new library
may have never been built. Votes to increase property taxes to pay
for a new library had already failed several times at the polls when
the council appointed Elmer manager in 1997.
Before Elmer, Mike Gleason had held the city manager
position for 15 years. He resigned after complaints from pro-environment
city councilors that he was ignoring council direction and was too
partial to developer and business interests.
In 1998, a pot of money Gleason and the city had for
decades dedicated to building parking garages and other improvements
for downtown corporations and big businesses was under fire. Critics
blamed the city's downtown urban renewal fund for wasting money and
doing more damage than renewal. Using urban renewal money, the city
tore down many of downtown's historic buildings and trees and replaced
them with huge concrete parking garages.
While the city was making deep cuts to services in
response to state property tax limitation measures, City Councilor
Betty Taylor suggested that the city divert money from fat urban renewal
coffers to build the long-sought new library.
"Taylor was very insistent," Elmer, now a consultant
and part-time planning professor at UC/Berkeley, recalls. "She kept
asking."
Elmer says she directed staff to put together a report
and work session for city councilors to explore possible other uses
for urban renewal funds. "Why couldn't we build a library?" she asked.
Staff reported that urban renewal could pay for $18
million of a new library if it were built in the downtown district
and if the council voted to dedicate all urban renewal funds to the
new building. Elmer says she made a "very strong recommendation" that
the council use urban renewal for the new library. The City Council
voted to dedicate urban renewal entirely to the library.
A month later, a campaign by development interests,
city executives and The Register-Guard resulted in a council
vote to fire Elmer.
Taylor says she doubts the vote to build the library
with urban renewal would have been possible had Gleason still been
manager. Gleason used urban renewal for whatever downtown big business
people or developers wanted, according to Taylor. "I don't think he
would have pushed to use urban renewal funds" for the library, she
says.
Paul Nicholson, who served as a city councilor with
Gleason, says Gleason "didn't want to use it at all" for the library.
Nicholson says Gleason controlled urban renewal as a "slush fund"
that he could spend with little oversight. The money was used to fund
many salaries in the city's development department, Nicholson says.
"That's the kind of money a bureaucrat loves."
Elmer says she doesn't know why the city didn't decide
to build a library a long time ago using urban renewal. "It was really
a no-brainer."
By using urban renewal, Eugene siphoned off millions
of dollars in state and Lane County tax revenue to build the new library.
Urban renewal works by redirecting property tax money paid within
a defined district. If not for urban renewal, about half of the property
tax money would go to the city general fund, 40 percent to the state
and 10 percent to the county.
With the library now built, the city will have to
decide what it wants to do with millions of dollars in urban renewal
money that will again begin accumulating. City staff are pushing for
using the money to build a new police station after voters refused
twice to pay for the new building.
In September, the City Council voted to divert about
$300,000 of urban renewal money from the library to a fund for the
new police station. Another $100,000 was diverted to the city's general
fund.
Although library fundraisers are still seeking donations
to pay for the library, councilors decided that the library has "excess"
funds. "I don't know if it's legal," said then City Councilor Gary
Rayor in voting for the diversion, but he added, "I don't want to
over-fund the library."
While city staff want money for a police station,
business and development interests are again pushing for using urban
renewal to build more parking garages downtown.
Instead of parking or police, the urban renewal money
could go to fund another popular project like the library. Affordable
housing, a youth recreation center, an indoor swimming pool, central
park, art gallery, or children's museum are just some of the possibilities.
But with a new pro-development council now in power, another people-friendly
project may be at the bottom of the city's list.
Back to Top
State
of the City
A
progressive response, Part I.
EDITOR'S NOTE: The following remarks, edited for
length, were given at the annual Citizens State of the City Address
Jan. 15. Next week, we will continue our coverage with statements
by David Monk, Jan Spencer and Bob O'Brien.
Jobs,
Economy, Sustainability
At a time when Oregon is experiencing some of the
highest unemployment in the country, we can look to pioneering economic
models to give us new tools to address economic growth. The old model
that emphasizes unrestrained industrial and commercial growth has
noticeably collapsed around us.
We need only look at the closure of HMT, the downsizing
and economic woes of Symantec and Hyundai-Hynix for examples of businesses
that fail to meet their stated employment goals. Yes, these companies
were heavily courted by our city leaders, and even romanced with tens
of millions dollars of tax cuts and subsidies. Hynix continues to
apply for corporate welfare; and while this international corporate
giant has already received an estimated $50 million in property tax
breaks, funding for our schools and social services are severely cut.
Under the state tax system, about 48 percent of the lost revenues
would have gone to city services, 41 percent to public schools and
11 percent to the county budget.
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| LISA
ARKIN |
The result is that these types of industrial enterprises
drain the local economy, not build it up. The type of "business-friendly"
vision that has been touted by our mayor undermines our environmental
and social objectives, and leaves our community unbalanced and wanting.
We stress that — and contrary to the mayor's claims —
the progressive community is quite friendly to business ventures,
but we discern between businesses that consume more resources than
they contribute, cheapen the labor market with underpaying jobs, and
defile Eugene's unique natural beauty. The progressive community goes
on record supporting stable, diverse, and equitable businesses that
protect our public air, water and land and are responsive to the community's
well-being.
Yes, there are examples of local businesses that are
working models of sustainable economic practices — they provide
profit, living wages and tax revenue for our city without depleting
our natural resources. We would like to see our city officials recognize
local businesses that have taken responsibility to operate and prosper
within a sustainability framework. For example, why not reward business
practices that are environmentally sensitive and tax those that harm
human health and the natural resources of our city.
I would like to take the opportunity to describe a
few local businesses that contribute uniquely to our community's vision
for economic stability.
Living Tree Paper Company is an example of a business
that has stepped out of the box to apply renewable technologies to
manufacture paper. The goal of Living Tree Paper is that no new trees
are cut. To accomplish their goal, paper is made from post-consumer
recycled waste and non-wood fibers. This local company supplies environmentally
sound paper that is cost-competitive. Their clients include Staples
Office Supplies, Nike, Mitsubishi, the UO and many others.
Paradoxically, the city is not purchasing any paper
from Living Tree, despite the company's local presence and their adherence
to Eugene's sustainability goals.
If the city is looking to attract businesses to locate
to Eugene, why not look for ventures such as Oregon Research Institute.
Founded in 1960, ORI is a leader in conducting socially relevant research.
ORI currently employs 300 people and has an operating budget of $15
million. A clean and healthy environment is a primary value for the
Institute and, in searching for a site for its new building, it has
made a conscious decision to remain in an urban setting.
With a business like Peterson Pacific, Eugene has
an example of how an established company can diversify to take advantage
of the new sector of reclamation and recycling. Peterson Pacific has
180 employees in west Eugene and originally built logging equipment.
Starting in 1991, they began to build industrial chippers and shredders
to prevent yard debris from going into landfills. Peterson also builds
machines for shredding old asphalt shingles which are then recycled
and reused.
Another opportunity to advance public policy in economic
development is the new federal courthouse. This complex will determine
a weighty portion of our urban landscape and the health of the local
economy and the environment.
The leadership and citizens of Eugene can look directly
to both resolutions for the criteria that should shape our future
economic development. In a nutshell, these policies direct our city
leaders to:
"Focus efforts to diversify the local economy and
provide family wage jobs principally by supporting local, and environmentally
sensitive business."
In the objectives of these two policies, we are reminded
that the quality of the environment and the health of the economy
are interdependent. These resolutions provide the roadmap that would
move our city towards economic stability, and steer us away from "business
as usual." When our city leaders stand by these adopted policies,
as they should, we will have the ability to create constancy for our
future economic growth.
However, the city adopted these principles three or
more years ago, and most citizens are not aware that they even exist.
In August of last year, the council allocated $50,000
to assess sustainable economic development and to set project priorities.
The council acted correctly to allocate seed money, now they must
follow through to ensure that the funds serve the purpose of integrating
principles of sustainability into city planning.
The best way to achieve this goal is to create a Commission
on Sustainability and Environment, following the example of other
Northwest cities such as Portland and Seattle.
City leaders should never again ask citizens to close
our eyes to the damage wrought by the Wal-Mart-ization of our economy
and our land. Sustainability can guard against such short-sightedness.
— Lisa Arkin
Schools
and Social Services
Just like a healthy environment and economy, high
quality schools and a strong social service safety net are part of
what makes a successful community. All of these things enable our
citizenry to lead successful, productive lives. All of these attributes
attract jobs and contribute to the livability of our community.
Our City Council took the first steps toward ensuring
a living wage for it employees. It successfully led an effort to raise
funds for some school programs. It has supported the development of
a new community library. All of these efforts support schools and
families
However, our state budget crisis has had a huge impact
on our local community. This has been painfully illustrated through
cuts to valued services that have already been implemented and those
will be enforced if Measure 28 fails to pass.
 |
| KITTY
PIERCY |
Our community has historically been rich with a wide
range of social services that have supported the elderly, the mentally
ill, those with disabilities and those living in poverty. These services
have allowed thousands to live in dignity and independently who would
otherwise require more expensive emergency services.
In our community, we have a talented non-profit sector
funded through grants, donations and state allocations. They care
for our kids, our parents, and our most vulnerable citizens with great
dedication and modest compensation. We get a great deal for this investment
and it reflects much about the caring community we want to be.
All this is in grave danger. Our social service system
is experiencing enormous cuts and all those they serve suffer with
cruel reductions in services. In Eugene will our grandparents and
neighbors with disabilities be able to maintain independent, sustainable
living situations? How many of the people we love who suffer from
mental illness will find no place of refuge short of jail?
Many of those who need the social service system live
in poverty. It is important for our city to encourage and maintain
jobs with livable wages and benefits, not those that exploit their
workers such as Wal-Mart.
For a decade our public school system has been eroded
and our children have found crowded classrooms, fewer teachers and
fewer course options while higher requirements for achievement have
been put in place. Parents are forced to wonder how long they will
be able to keep their children in our public schools or whether those
children of lower income families will be doomed to an inferior education
that ill prepares them for a successful future. Our institutions of
higher education become more expensive and less available to our children
to the point that they can hardly be called public schools.
It is important for our community leaders in this
time of state budgetary crisis to take on a larger role. While it
is certainly worthwhile for them to spend time with our children and
attend events in support of non-profits, it is perhaps even more important
they be looking for ways to work with the Legislature to develop a
resolution to our state's long-term funding problems. Not in every
county in the state as Mayor Torrey has suggested, but here in our
own backyard.
Gov. Kulongoski has said that he expects solution
for these problems to come from the grassroots, to come from out of
communities. Our City Council should be a significant part of engaging
our community in that discussion, perhaps in conjunction with the
county commissioners, Lane County Commission on Children and Families
and other groups that bring community members together to address
issues of concern
One step would be to join with Citizens for Oregon's
Future to look at Oregon's tax structure, to educate the public about
that structure and to help Oregon provide a stable, adequate and fair
tax system.
Building our community trust in government is key.
Community conversations and building support for solutions is an important
role our local government has in strengthening our community and our
hopes for a better future. — Kitty Piercy
Back to Top
Branding
Ducks
UO
image debate is still unfolding.
BY
BOBBIE WILLIS
The UO's awkward quandary over its association
with KUGN-AM radio remains unresolved as the university struggles
to maintain a positive image in economically challenging times.
On Dec. 18, in the quiet of the UO's winter break,
KUGN announced its decision to drop the ultra-conservative Michael
Savage radio show Savage Nation from its programming line-up.
The decision came in the wake of a UO fall term filled with heated
complaints by concerned students, faculty and community members regarding
the relationship between UO football and KUGN — home of conservative
"shock jocks," such as Savage, Michael Medved and Dr. Laura Schlessinger.
Controversy began in the fall around KUGN's descriptor
"Voice of the Ducks" being seen as a grave misrepresentation of the
actual voice of the university. This controversy fell in the midst
of other image-refining moves by the UO, including mandates around
the new "O" logo and the introduction of the tepidly received "Mandrake"
mascot. Though, according to UO administration, there is no intended
connection between the incidents, each situation speaks to the "branding"
of the UO in attempts to handle, even maximize, the university's most
recent athletics-generated higher profile.
In a Dec. 12 panel discussion hosted by the UO Center
for Diversity and Community (CODAC), students, faculty, administrators
and community members came together to discuss the topic, "Campus
Climate, Community and Broadcast Media." They all spoke from different
perspectives about the university's reputation, how to responsibly
partner that reputation with those outside the institution, and the
effects of such partnerships on the campus climate and community.
Just after this Dec. 12 discussion, KUGN made its
announcement regarding Savage Nation. Students and faculty
are now back on campus in full winter term force, and the issues around
"Voice of the Ducks," while quieted, are still hanging in the balance.
CODAC panelist and concerned undergraduate Nicole
Barrett says of the KUGN decision, "It's just a case of someone else
making a sacrifice so the university doesn't have to."
UO Vice President of Administration Dan Williams maintains
that the university's contract authority does not allow UO to dictate
programming. However, he reiterates that the UO is in the fifth year
of a five-year contract with KUGN through ESPN, and that when renegotiations
for that contract come up this summer, hopefully limitations can be
established regarding the descriptor "Voice of the Ducks."
"We were all about as embarrassed as those who were
organizing the discussion about the risk of being identified with
the programming," says Williams. "We were not insensitive to the hurt
that that brought to a lot of our students… [But] we really
weren't arguing with one another over the same things." Williams stands
by the university's responsibility to uphold the First Amendment,
even though he realizes that this case is a particularly rough storm
to weather.
John Shuford of CODAC says, "I think that KUGN's own
comments speak for themselves. Their management has spent a good deal
of time … sending a clear message that this was their own decision,
based on their own growing discomfort with the programming content
of Savage Nation. ...
"The broader issues on which the CODAC forum was based
— public inquiry and dialogue on freedom of speech and freedom
of association, sports marketing and licensing, campus climate and
community relations for this public university — have not changed."
Even though this has been a year of image-refining
and "branding" changes for the UO, Williams maintains that it isn't
a particularly pivotal time for the university image. However, he
does concede, "When I started out in this business, higher education
was valued and appreciated by the general public. And we kind of took
that for granted." With the state budget in crisis, a liberal arts
school such as the UO is "having to work harder at having the public
value what we do. … This has driven us to be much more aggressive
in communication and marketing," says Williams.
Regarding the panel discussion and feedback from both
the panelists and the audience, Shuford says, "I think, based on the
feedback that we have received, [that] the panel helped take the ongoing
discussions on these topics to a new level. But what will happen next,
around all of this, is still unfolding." CODAC will be compiling the
feedback from that discussion this month. There is hope that the discussion
will continue in similar kinds of university/community meetings.
Back to Top
14-Minute
Delay
EFD
too busy training to promptly put out fire.
BY
ARIA SELIGMANN
Eugene firefighters were so busy training for
a potential fire it took them forever to respond to a real one.
On Monday, Jan. 13, it took the Eugene Fire Department
(EFD) 14 minutes — 10 minutes past the "goal" response time
of four minutes — to respond to a 911 phone call reporting a
car fire in the alley between 12th and 13th on Lincoln, across from
the Eugene Weekly offices.
Car owner Phyllis Mulkey, 65, had been picking up
medicine nearby, and was driving down the alley when she noticed smoke
billowing out from under the hood. She stopped the car, got out and
quickly walked away, unharmed.
| |
| TIRES
HAD EXPLODED AND THE FRONT OF THE CADILLAC WAS ENGULFED IN FLAMES
BEFORE FIREFIGHTERS ARRIVED. |
Meanwhile, EW receptionist Erin Lusk noticed
smoke, then flames, pouring out of the 1983 Cadillac Fleetwood just
out her front window, and placed a call to 911. It was 2:58 pm.
A crowd of observers quickly gathered, alternating
between watching the fire engulf the car, and watching the clock to
see when the EFD would arrive. One bypasser emptied his small fire
extinguisher into the grill and under the car, snuffing visible flames
for a few minutes. Flames returned under the hood and soon there were
two small explosions — popping tires, first the right then the
left. The sounds caused others working in nearby offices to come outside
to see what was going on. Meanwhile, those with cars parked nearby
could only keep their fingers crossed that the Cadillac's gas tank
wouldn't blow.
Finally, one fire truck and crew arrived at 3:12 pm
and quickly put out the fire, using a crowbar to pry open the blackened
hood.
Police were also slow to respond and block off the
street. The first officer arrived in a meter-reader scooter at 3:14
pm, 16 minutes past the call to 911.
The official EFD record documents a quicker fire department
response time of 10 minutes: The call was received at 2:59 pm, the
dispatch occurred at 3:01 pm, the truck was en route at 3:02 pm and
it arrived at 3:09 pm. There was no explanation given for the four-minute
discrepancy with witness reports.
EFD spokesperson Glenn Potter says that although the
fire department "shoots for" a goal of four minutes, which is the
national standard, "We don't always meet it."
In the case of a fatality, Potter says cases would
be reviewed to see how the EFD could have better handled the situation.
Even though in this case Mulkey wasn't harmed, Potter says regarding
the 14-minute delay, "I may initiate a review of it myself."
A firefighter on the scene said his truck came from
the 2nd and Chambers station (about 24 blocks away), where firefighters
had been training. He said the engines at University Station (on Agate
Street) were out and "number five [on East 33rd] was out doing familiarization."
Station #1 at 7th and Pearl is only eight blocks from the fire.
Familiarization means the firemen are examining buildings
and roadways in preparation for an emergency.
Potter says that "training is important for firefighters.
We're required to conduct a certain amount of training and work on
our readiness. At the same time yes, we recognize the possibility
that at certain times this could delay our response time and this
was one of those."
When a station decides to do training, Potter says
"people are moved around like soldiers on a battlefield." If one is
out of position, another would be put into position "so we maintain
an adequate response time to all areas of the community." The fire
chiefs and deputy chiefs make the policy.
None of the EFD chiefs spoke directly to EW,
but chose to speak through Potter.
David Mulkey, husband of the car driver, says "I was
appalled how long it took. I thought typically the response time was
4 to 8 minutes, but they took a lot longer than that."
As to the fire department's need to train, Mulkey
says, "I don't care whether you're practicing or not. You've gotta
be ready."
Mulkey, a farmer who says he can't afford a new car,
wonders if his car could have been saved if firefighters had arrived
sooner than they did. Yet he's grateful his wife is OK, adding, "We
trust the Lord. We don't trust fire departments."
Back to Top
 |
Rosie
Duris
Teacher Rosie Duris has invigorated the
music curriculum in her first year at Bethel's Meadowview Middle School.
"The school had funds for equipment," she explains. "I talked them
into getting guitars and keyboards — so popular for kids this
age." Except for band members, all Meadowview students take alternating
nine-week blocks of daily art and music classes. "I hear kids saying
that music is their favorite class," observes Vice Principal John
Luhman. "When you can get them to come in at 7:30 for choir, you've
got to be doing something right." A Methodist minister's daughter,
Duris got her start singing in church. She studied cello, piano, French
horn, and organ; and earned degrees from WSU and UW. She taught in
Portland and Puyallup while raising three children, now in their 20s.
Following a divorce, Duris moved to Eugene in 1998 and found work
at Awbrey Park Elementary. Downsized by budget cuts last spring, she
jumped at the half-time Meadowview opening. "I'm working full-time
and loving it," she admits. "I'm taking guitar lessons and learning
to improvise. I've never had so much fun teaching."
— Paul Neevel
Nominate A Happenin' Person
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