SHiNA News October 3, 2015

From the Editor

Good Evening (or morning if you’re wise enough to have a proper bedtime) Neighbors,

I hope this newsletter finds you and yours in good spirits as we enter the cool mornings of Autumn. The October General Meeting is coming up and with it, the annual nominations for the Executive Board for the November 2015-October 2016 year.  Otherwise, this meeting deals mainly with the ongoing activities surrounding land-use issues and will include information and time for a potential vote by the General Membership on the SHiNA position regarding The Willamette Special Area Zone. See the “Board News” section, below, for more information.

I would love to provide some lighthearted news in addition to the more serious issues facing the community. Please contact me with any such neighborhood news/events you would like to see covered here. Some ideas would be birth announcements, milestone birthdays or anniversaries or perhaps some local history or humorous story. I’m open to ideas!

Kind Regards,
Eldon Fox
Acting Corresponding Secretary, SHiNA

Board News

The next board meeting is scheduled for October 8th at the Market of Choice balcony from 6:00 to 7:30.

The next general meeting will be held on Sunday, October 18th from 2:00 – 4:00 at the Wayne Morse Family Farm. The farm is located at 595 Crest Drive in Eugene. The General Meeting will include a discussion period followed by time for a possible vote of all attending neighbors to determine the official position of the Neighborhood  Association with regards to the South Willamette Special Area Zone. It is important that the neighborhood’s wishes are properly represented, so please make an effort to attend to get informed and have a voice.

A Calendar of meetings and events is available on the SHiNA website at the following address swhillseugene.com/wp/calendar. Please contact me with any block party, or other (non-political) neighborhood events, you would like to add to the calendar.

Land-use

Rest-Haven Memorial Park

The city council has extended the public timeline for written public testimony or comment to Monday, October 12th. Other dates related to the possible rezoning can be found on the SHiNA website calendar http://crestdriveca.com/wp/calendar/.

The city’s process for submitting testimony can be found here: https://www.eugene-or.gov/index.aspx?NID=524

From the City

City Calendar

The city of Eugene maintains a calendar of upcoming city events covering a wide range of departments and activities. The calendar is available at https://www.eugene-or.gov/calendar.aspx.

4J School District Budget Committee & Equity Committee Opportunities

Eugene School District 4J has openings on its volunteer budget committee and equity committee. The multi-year committee positions run through June 2017 or June 2018. Applications are due Thursday, October 15, at 5 p.m.

By statute, budget committee applicants must be registered voters and must live within the boundaries of Eugene School District 4J. Equity committee applicants are not required to live within the 4J boundary but preference will be given to district residents. Applicants do not need to be parents of students in 4J schools.

More information is available here: http://www.4j.lane.edu/2015/09/4j-budget-equity-committees-seek-applicants/

30-Minutes Can Make a Difference: Become a Lunchtime Mentor for a Middle School Student

The Eugene Middle School Lunchtime Mentor Program pairs caring, responsible adults in the community with at-risk teens and preteens to meet once a week for 30 minutes at lunchtime during the school year for conversation, sharing, and support. Middle school students are referred to the program and generally are youth who are at risk for any of a number of reasons—for example, living in poverty (including homelessness and living in transitional housing), being bullied, having a difficult time at home, having an incarcerated parent, feeling unmotivated at school. Mentoring has been found to boost attendance on mentoring days, raise grades, and lower referrals for behavior problems. Mentors must commit to the full school year, pass a criminal background check, and take part in a brief training session. Mentoring is available at all eight Eugene middle schools. Last year, this all-volunteer program mentored 117 students. There are waiting lists of students at almost every school.

More information is available here: http://eeflane.org/schools/about_4j/MiddleSchoolMentoring/

Neighborhood Matching Grants – Project Review: Now through Oct 30

The City of Eugene Neighborhood Matching Grants cycle is now open with $50,000 available for neighborhood improvement and community-building projects. All projects are required to undergo a pre-review by October 30, 2015.

Editor’s note. This is a program that has helped out neighborhood in the past. If you have an idea for a project, activity, sign, or artwork; something that would help your area of the neighborhood, street, park, etc., please consider organizing an application. More that one application can come from the same association, or from a separate group with SHiNA’s blessing.

• Community improvement projects to assist with, or enhance the experience for those participating in, the 2016 US Olympic Track and Field Trials held in Eugene July 1-10, 2016.
• Physical improvement projects that involve recreation or public safety facilities, natural resource features, public art and spaces, or community gardens. Projects that improve universal accessibility are also encouraged.
• Public school partnership projects that benefit school children and the immediate neighborhood.
• Neighborhood-based events and celebrations.
• Capacity building initiatives that serve to create, diversify, or increase participation in a neighborhood-based organization or promote an understanding of issues important to neighborhood residents.
• Outreach, research, education or organizing projects that address planning-related topics such as transportation (pedestrian or cyclist safety), land use (neighborhood or area planning) or public safety (disaster planning, neighborhood mapping, neighborhood safety).

Grant guidelines and application materials are available on the City’s web site, eugene-or.gov/matchinggrants, and at the Permit and Information Center located at 99 W 10th or by calling Cindy Clarke at 541-682-5272.