April General Meeting: What’s on the Ballot in May?

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Join us to hear about City Council Candidates, 4J Bond, and STAR Voting on April 16th

April General Meeting
Tuesday, April 16, 6:30 p.m
Wayne Morse Family Farm Living Room
595 Crest Drive

It has been nice to be able to meet in the living room at Wayne Morse Family Farm, after years of ZOOM meetings during the pandemic. Please join us to meet the candidates and hear about the measures we will be voting on in May. This is an opportunity to ask questions and get informed before voting. 

  • Candidates for Ward 2 City Councilor, Lisa Warnes and Matt Keating, will present their views.
  • A representative from the “Yes for 4J Schools” Campaign will explain the renewal of the 4J Operating Levy. This would raise about $22m a year that goes directly into the classroom to benefit children by paying for staff (teachers, educational aides, etc.). They want voters to be aware and informed about what it does and what it costs.
  • A representative of Star Voting will explain the benefits of this type of voting. If you are unable to attend the neighborhood meeting, an explanation can be found at: https://youtu.be/aiQ9Z5sME00?feature=shared

Also on the agenda will be a discussion of SHiNA’s future meetings and activities. We hope to see you there!

SHiNA Food Drive, March 2nd!

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Donate or volunteer for SHiNA’s Food for Lane County Food Drive, Saturday, March 2nd

SHiNA will host a food donation drive on March 2 from 10:00-4:00 at Wayne Morse Family Farm (595 Crest Drive). Swing by on Saturday to donate foods based on the “Most Needed Food Items” list OR make a financial donation via the SHiNA Fundraising Page. You can also donate directly to Food for Lane County via their Venmo, but donations will not count toward the SHiNA fundraising goal.

If you’d like to volunteer for a 2 hour shift at the Food Drive, please email shina_board@googlegroups.com.

Next General Meeting – 01/23/24

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Southwest Hills Neighborhood Association Meeting
Tuesday, January 23 at 6:30 p.m.
Wayne Morse Family Farm Living Room
595 Crest Drive, Eugene

We extend this invitation to residents of the Southwest Hills Neighborhood (SHiNA). At our November meeting we entertained board nominations. It was moved that our current board, plus three new interested neighbors would be nominated for our 2024 board. 

Candidates for board positions:
Chris Jockheck, chair
Clay Neal, secretary
Bev McDonald, newsletter

At large board members:
Rita Fiedler
Carolyn Hintz
Ralph McDonald
John Rogers
Deb Rogers

Our January meeting will include:
• Voting on our new board
• Preparing for our upcoming General Membership meeting on Defensible Space
• Annual Food For Lane County Food Drive
• SHiNA communications, responding to citizen requests, how we inform our members. We need help in this area. If you are interested in helping your neighbors stay informed and communicating with neighbors on important topics and issues, we welcome your input, advice and energy!

If you would like to get to know your neighbors and help with these activities, we encourage you to attend the January 23 meeting. Refreshments served.

Upcoming Neighborhood Meeting: Emergency Preparedness

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Tuesday, October 17 at 6:30 p.m.
Hilyard Community Center, 2580 Hilyard Street, Eugene

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What are public agencies doing to protect the South Hills?

What route will I take to escape a wildfire?

In case of wildfire, what are the priorities of the fire department?

In the vulnerable South Hills, these and other questions need to be considered. Recently, the community of Lahaina was forced to evacuate when a devastating wildfire destroyed that town. It is our responsibility to be informed and prepared for appropriate action.

Please join us for a community discussion on emergency response. Panelists from various agencies will explain their role. There will be time for questions. To send questions for the panelists in advance, use this google form.

Panelists:

  • Matt Keating, our Eugene City Councilor
  • Sierra Anderson, City of Eugene Emergency Management Program Manager 
  • Cary Lieberman, Executive Director at Greenhill Humane Society (and working on disaster safety for animals in Lane County), Lane County Community Organizations that Aid in Disaster (COAD)
  • Janina Rager, Eugene Police Department Community Engagement

SHiNA General Membership Meeting
Tuesday, October 17 at 6:30 p.m.
Free and open to the Community
Hilyard Community Center, 2580 Hilyard Street, Eugene

Topics for future meetings will focus on other aspects of emergency preparedness: fire mitigation, role of Red Cross, FEMA, defensible space, etc.

Understanding Homelessness – Video

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SHiNA-hosted the neighborhood’s first Community Conversation, which brought 40 people to Amazon Community Center to learn about causes of homelessness

On February 15th, SHiNA hosted a panel discussion and ‘community conversation’ on homelessness. Panelists Heather Sielicki, community advocate and; Tracy Joscelyn, manager of Nightengale safe sleeping site; and, Kelly McIver, Communications Manager, Unhoused Response, City of Eugene spoke eloquently and frankly to neighborhood residents. SHiNA recorded the conversation via a video, which can be viewed on youtube via the link below:

We look forward to future Community Conversations on topics important to our neighbors. If you have an important topic that you think would be a good candidate for one of these meetings, reach out to your SHiNA Board at shina_board@googlegroups.com

Upcoming SHiNA Neighborhood Meeting 2/15/2023

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Topic: Understanding Homelessness

Wednesday, Feb 15, 6:30-8:30PM
Hilyard Community Center
2580 Hilyard Street, Eugene

Contributed by SHiNA Chair Chris Jockheck

We see it every day.
We see it everywhere; Eugene, the Valley,
the coast, through out the state and beyond.
We turn our heads so we don’t have to engage.
We avoid certain areas, certain streets.
We see the tents, push carts, all the belongings, what is
kept and what is left behind.
We see the people: individuals, couples, children, young
and old. And we get angry. And we should be angry.

But to whom (who)? To ‘them’?, to local government?, to state government?, to federal government?, our economic system?, education system?, health care system? As we start a new year, both local and state government leaders want to address the homeless issue making it a priority. But what does that mean? How are they proposing to have the discussions so there’s a full understanding of what has created the situation? Are they dealing with the symptoms or are they going to get ‘down and dirty’, and look at dealing with the origins of the crisis? And the future (numbers are only growing).


There are many questions, and many of us think we have ‘solutions’. And we have our bias. But in order to understand the discussions that will be taking place we have to understand the issue. Who are the homeless? How does someone become homeless? Why are some people in a chronic long term situation while some are able to make a transition to a better life? What is in those carts? What role do drugs play? What role does mental health status play? A day in their life???

To help provide that understanding, SHiNA will be hosting a panel discussion and ‘community conversation’ on homelessness. Panelists will be Heather Sielicki, community advocate and; Tracy Joscelyn, manager of Nightengale safe sleeping site; and, Kelly McIver, Communications Manager, Unhoused Response, City of Eugene. We hope to see you there. This will be an in-person meeting only.