June 13, 2015
Next Meeting
Board meeting, Thursday June 18, 7 pm, MoC at 29th
“Dangers: Fire and Ice” Gathering, June 21, 2 pm, Wayne Morse Family Farm
From the editor
Last weekend your editor was called out of town for a sudden family event,
so our newsletter skipped a week. But this week we have a long issue. There
are changes to announce and important announcements from the City and other
organizations.
Changes
After a puzzling delay, the city Council has approved our new charter, so
that the name of the organization changes from the Crest Drive Citizens
Association (CDCA) to the name YOU created and selected by majority vote.
The organization is now the Southwest Hills Neighborhood Association (SHiNA
— like Tarzan’s Sheena!).
The old name (Crest Drive Citizens Association) seemed to suggest that
SHiNA’s area was centered on the area around that street and the Wayne
Morse Family Farm. That was partly true, in that most of the controversial
development issues in the past few years concerned streets in that area
(Lorane Hwy, Crest Dr., Storey Blvd., Friendly St.), or the area around
Cascade Manor.
But the area has always extended west to Chambers and City View, and now
south to the city boundary. Also the major issues now involve the whole
area: people subdividing properties, or proposed cell towers, property
crime and traffic, and the changes happening just north of us in what the
city calls the South Willamette special development zone.
Our area is for the most part built out, though there is still some land to
be developed, notably around Rest Haven (see the notice below), and also in
other spots that need to be monitored carefully.
The name change suggests that we should change the name of our Web site
from [1]crestdriveca.com to something else. We can change the name on the
Web page itself, but the address URL is not easily altered. So what we’ve
done is set up a new domain. [2]swhillseugene.com, and arranged for it to
open up the old Web site. Both addresses still continue to work; you can
take your choice.
Traffic note
A neighbor writes: “Hi…would it be possible for you to put some kind of
request for drivers on the straightaway of Lorane Hwy. 4 curves up from
Friendly to please SLOW DOWN? We are having a real issue with drivers
going 45-50 mph before the curve and it’s just a fatality waiting to
happen, to animals or humans! It’s hard enough for people to walk or ride
bikes on Lorane, but with this, it’s downright dangerous Thanks.”
Any thoughts on what to do?
D A N G E R ! ! !
Our Father’s Day gathering
FIRE and ICE
wildFIRE and ICEcream
Learn what you can do to protect your house from wild fires!
A speaker from the state Forest Service will address the association at our
June gathering, next Sunday, June 21 at 2 pm at the farm house in Wayne
Morse Family Farm Park on Crest Drive.
The meeting will also feature free ice cream (Fire and Ice) and a free door
prize raffle.
It’s Father’s Day, and if you bring items to donate, we will take them to
Goodwill and famly shelters.
A neighbor on[3] nextdoor.com highlighted the imporatance of being
prepared:
“Last night’s house fire on Jefferson quickly spread to nearby trees and
threatened to spread to other homes. Whole neighborhoods can burn down when
a small fire has wind and dry conditions to help it spread. Over 3,000
homes were lost in 1991 in the Oakland Hills Fire (see
[4]www.facebook.com/FriendlyNeighborsForum for more photos). 25 people died
and over 150 were injured. This could *easily* happen in South Eugene,
with our forested hills and tree-lined streets to help spread a fire in dry
weathe.
( You can learn more about creating a defensible space against wildfires
around your home or business here:
http://www.readyforwildfire.org/defensib%5B5%5D…)”
More from the City on emergency plans:
Is Your Neighborhood Prepared?
What is your emergency response plan?
Are you and your neighbors prepared in the event of an emergency?
The City of Eugene Emergency Management Program is hosting an event on June
27 to assist individuals and neighborhoods with the disaster planning
process.
Date: Saturday, June 27, 2015
Time: 10 AM to noon
Location: Tugman Park, 3666 Hilyard Avenue
Being prepared means that you can support yourself and your household for
three days minimum in the absence of electricity, water service,
supermarket access, and first responders. “You can be the hero” if you are
prepared, and that starts with four important steps:
Be informed about emergencies that could happen in your community, and
identify sources of information that will be helpful before, during, and
after an emergency.
Make a plan for what to do in an emergency outlining how your family will
meet, evacuate, and communicate.
Build an emergency supply kit to support family and pets for a minimum of 3
days.
Get involved in community groups. Meet your neighbors, share your skills,
and volunteer.
Preparedness takes the whole community. This event focuses on turning
awareness into action by encouraging all households and neighborhoods in
Eugene to make an emergency plan.
From 10–11, participants will learn how to effectively conduct a Map Your
Neighborhood session. From 11-noon, we will walk through the process of
creating a neighborhood disaster plan.
Another kind of preparedness.
VACATION WATCH
(Your editor has used this free service; it is thorough and reassuring; the
volunteers really know their job well.)
Going on Vacation?
Let EPD keep an eye on your home!
Seniors on Patrol, trained volunteers from the Eugene Police
Department, will perform a thorough inspection of your property while you
are away on vacation. Vacation checks entail a visual check of your home
and outbuildings and ensuring that vehicles, gates, lighting and the
general security of the home is intact and in accordance with the request.
When a vacation check reveals something suspicious, volunteers are trained
to back out of the immediate area and request a patrol officer be
dispatched to investigate further.
Vacation checks will be performed, as staffing allows, with the oal of
checking the home 2 to 3 times each week that you are gone or 1 time a
week for vacations longer than 30 days. Upon your return, you will receive
a letter detailing the dates/times that your home was checked along with
any notations made by the volunteers.
For City of Eugene residents only. For vacations of a minimum 5 days and a
maximum of 90 days (or 3 months). For residential properties only. Business
locations, vacant properties, homes for sale and homes with a house sitter
or other guest(s) staying in the home are not eligible for vacation checks.
Applications must be submitted at least one week before your departure. If
you submit your application on-line, you will receive a confirmation that
the application has been received and will be processed. Telephone requests
for vacation checks cannot be accepted. Information and applications
at [6]https://www.eugene-or.gov/index.aspx?NID=1969
Rest Haven Development News
From the city plannning office: “i am writing you since you were on the
interested individuals emails list regarding the re-designation and zone
change for the Rest-Haven property….The property owner has filed their
own similar application to change the Metro Plan land use designation and
zoning of the property.
We are now reviewing the property owner’s application.
A public hearing on the request has been scheduled for July 14th, 2015 and
the hearing notice is at this link
http://pdd.eugene-or.gov/LandUse/DocumentDetails?file=MA-15-0001&id=1260989
. The full set of application materials are at this link
http://pdd.eugene-or.gov/LandUse/SearchApplicationDocuments?file=MA-15-0001
Transportation news
“Toward a More Walkable Eugene” June 17
featuring Jeff Speck – free public lecture
Join acclaimed urban designer, city planner, and author Jeff Speck for his
presentation, Toward a More Walkable Eugene, on June 17, at 6 p.m., in The
Studio at the Hult Center. The talk will be preceded by a reception at 5:30
p.m. Seating is limited, so please RSVP to dxoregon@gmail.com.
Speck is the author of “Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America, One
Step at a Time”, and one of the most engaging writers on community design
today. He will address how to transform downtown into a walkable
environment that is useful, safe, comfortable, and interesting. Learn about
best practices from around the nation, and ideas for Eugene.
Speck is a city planner and urban designer who advocates internationally
for more walkable cities. As director of design at the National Endowment
for the Arts, from 2003 through 2007, he presided over the Mayors’
Institute on City Design and created the Governors’ Institute on Community
Design. Prior to this, Speck spent 10 years as Director of Town Planning at
DPZ & Co., the principal firm behind the New Urbanism movement. Since 2007,
he has led Speck & Associates, a boutique planning firm that specializes in
making American downtowns thrive. For more about Speck, visit
http://www.Jeffspeck.com.
Hult Center Studio, 7th Avenue, Eugene, Oregon
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
5:30 pm happy hour/ Hors d’oeuvres
6:00 pm presentation
7:00 pm Q&A
Please RSVP to dxoregon@gmail.com
High News
ACLU Civil Conversation:
Implementation of Ballot Measure 91: Legalization of Marijuana
Tuesday, June 23 from 5:30-7:00 PM
The Lane County Chapter of the ACLU will host a Civil Conversation on the
implementation of Measure 91 on Tuesday, June 23 from 5:30-7:00 at the
Eugene Public Library (100 W. 10th Ave.) in the Tykeson Room. The
discussion will feature perspectives from Anthony Johnson, Executive
Director, New Approach Oregon; Lieutenant Jennifer Bills, Eugene Police
Department; and Steve Marks, Executive Director, Oregon Liquor Control
Commission.
Measure 91, approved by Oregon voters on November 4, 2014, will end decades
of marijuana prohibition in Oregon and legalize the cultivation,
possession, and use of marijuana for adults 21 and over. Additionally,
Measure 91 provides for the creation of state licensed retailers overseen
by the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, and levies a tax on sales.
Beginning July 1, 2015, adults in Oregon will be permitted legally to
possess and cultivate small quantities of marijuana for personal use. On
January 4, 2016, the Oregon Liquor Control Commission will begin reviewing
applications for licensed retail outlets.
As these dates approach, the OLCC, Oregon Legislature, and legalization
advocates are in the process of creating and refining several important
aspects of the Measure’s implementation. Some of these include: labeling
standards, testing standards, inspection standards, background check
requirements for retailers, home-grow rules and regulations, advertising
restrictions, sales restrictions, and tax collection and distribution
systems.
The Civil Conversation will address these and other important aspects of
the implementation of Measure 91. Please join us to learn and share your
opinions.
Health News
Our Community. Our Health. Our Vision.
A Simulcast County-Wide Meeting
We all want Lane County to be a healthy place to live and learn, work and
play. Come share your ideas of what a healthy community would look and feel
like. This visioning session is part of a community effort to create a
community health improvement plan for Lane County. Join us in creating a
better future.
Simulcast County-Wide Meeting
Thursday, June 25th
5:30- 8:00 pm
Locations:
• Eugene/Springfield: River Bend Hospital
• Cottage Grove: Cottage Grove Hospital
• Florence: Peace Harbor Hospital
Light dinner provided – ASL and Spanish Interpreted
Registration Required: http://ow.ly/NsyRO Please register by June 19th.
Please forward this invitation to anyone who may be interested. Interested
in learning more about the Community Health Program? Click Here:
http://ow.ly/NspYB
For additional questions on registration please call or email:
Heather Amrhein, Community Health Program Manager, United Way of Lane
County, 541-741-6000 x122, hamrhein@UnitedWayLane.org
Another opportunity: No travel needed: A chance to expand your family’s
horizons
Northwest Student Exchange
Host an Exchange Student – Families Needed
Parents seeking ways to supplement educational and personal growth
opportunities for their children may want to consider hosting an exchange
student! Children and adults alike can broaden their perspective on the
world and meet new people, discover new cultures and ideas.
NorthWest Student Exchange places international high school students with
families here in Eugene. We currently have 11 kids placed who participated
in the exchange this past school year and are scheduled to depart this
month. They all had an outstanding year building lifelong friendships and
expanding their families.
Families can be couples with young or teenage children, no children, empty
nesters, grandmas and/or grandpas, single parent families with or without
children in the home. NorthWest Student Exchange candidates are screened
for motivation, academic and language skills and maturity. We offer solid
support seven days a week for students and host families! It’s easy to get
more information about hosting. Just call Cynthia Burgeson, Regional
Manager, NorthWest Student Exchange with questions at (541) 207-3897 with
no obligation to host!
* * * * * *
References
1. http://crestdriveca.com/
2. http://Swhillseugene.com/
3. http://nextdoor.com/
4. http://www.facebook.com/FriendlyNeighborsForum
5. http://www.readyforwildfire.org/defensible_space/
6. https://www.eugene-or.gov/index.aspx?NID=1969
SHiNA 