GOIN’ FOR GOLD
See page 4
Oregon daily
emerald
Thursday, June 21. 1984
Eugene. Oregon
Volume 86. Number 2
Downtown Plan draws public criticism
By Paul fcrtelt
Of the Emerald
Several community members
criticized a plan to reopen
Willamette Street to traffic bet
ween 10th and 11th Avenues at
a public hearing in the City
Council chambers Tuesday
night.
That plan was one of several
recommendations made by the
Downtown Planning Commis
sion that would greatly alter the
face of the downtown area. The
commission, which consists of
nine businesspeople and other
community members plus two
non-voting members1, heard
public comments on the draft
plan released last month.
Other recommendations of
the commission include restora
tion of the Millrace east of High
Street, a stairway up Skinner
Butte at the end of Willamette
Street, and pedestrian im
provements along several
downtown streets. The plan
also proposes the establishment
for a central plaza and open
market area to combine public
events with retail business
operations.
According to the plan, open
ing Willamette Street to two
way traffic would “strengthen
its image as Eugene’s ‘main
street’’’ and enhance the en
trance to the downtown mall.
Wider sidewalks, pedestrian
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Photo by Michael Clapp
A proposal to reopen Willamette Street between 10th and 11th avenues proved unpopular with
citizens at a public hearing on the recommendations of the Downtown Planning Commission.
level lighting and tree plantings
are also proposed for the street.
But no one spoke in support
of that part of the plan, and op
position came from a number of
sources, including the Lane
Transit District and Lane Com
munity College, which has a
downtown center on that por
tion of the mall.
Opening the street would in
crease congestion on 10th
Avenue, the central transfer
area for LTD buses, said Janet
Culver, president of the LTD
board of directors. This would
create a safety hazard for those
trying to catch a bus, she said.
It would also add to the time,
needed to transfer from one bus
to another, and many people
would miss their buses. This
would increase rider frustration
and cause a drop in ridership
and revenues for the system,
she said.
Adding traffic to the street
would also increase the chance
of collisions between buses and
cars, and an accident on 10th
Avenue could upset the
schedule of the whole system,
she said.
“Buses and auto traffic do not
mix in a downtown area,” she
said.
The LTD could only accept
the plan if a centralized, off
street loading area were
established for the buses,
Culver said. But that change
would be very expensive, she
added.
The opening of Willamette
Street was also criticized for
aesthetic reasons. Jim Wilcox
said the ambience of the mall
was one of the things that con
vmcea mm to move to migene
several years ago.
“People are the city and not
cars,” he said.
But not all testimony was
negative, and several people
who disagrred with specific
portions of the plan, praised the
commission for their concern
for the downtown and for their
openness to public criticism.
Others offered their own sug
gestions for improvement of the
downtown. A centralized loca
tion for a farmers’ market would
allow the market to operate
more than one day a week and
draw people to the downtown
area, said John Graham,
manager of the Lane County
Farmer’s Market.
Speaking for the Chamber of
Commerce, Eugene attorney
Michael Farthing pointed to the
need to address the downtown
parking situation. He said
chamber members are split on
whether to maintain the “free”
parking system.
Farthing made no specific
recommendations on parking,
but said “The present system
needs fixing.”
One major goal of the plan is
to attract new businesses to
downtown. This could be ac
complished by hiring an agent
to market the downtown to pro
spective businesses, says Pat
Decker, the city’s senior
planner.
Applications for state colleges,
universities exceed expectations
By Alfred Gross
Of the Emerald
The number of applicants to
Oregon's colleges and universities in
general and the University in particular
has increased compared to the same
date last year.
As of May 25. there has been a 7.3
percent increase in applications to the
University over those received last year
at that time, according to Susan Weeks,
coordinator of planning studies and
services.
Application activity for all eight state
institutions of higher learning is up
nearly 5 percent over May 1983. "That
is higher than we had anticipated, and
it that trend continues we could expect
to have more students in the fall than
we had predicted in the winter."
Weeks says.
"S\stem-wide, usually about 70 per
cent of our total admitted students ac
tually enroll." she adds.
However, "the May 25 is still early in
the admissions cycle. Things are star
ting to firm up but are not as firm as
they will he in July or August." Weeks
says.
One of the surprises is the increase in
nonresident freshman admissions,
which counters earlier predictions.
"The trend is for students, for
economic: reasons, to stay close to
home. That doesn't appear to be what
is happening," Weeks says. She at
tributes this to a faster economic
recovery rate in Washington and
California than in Oregon.
One factor influencing what appears
to be an increase statewide, however,
might be greater efficiency of informa
tion processing at Portland State
University, which has some new
equipment.
1'he University processes its own ap
plications. and freshman applicants
constitute the bulk of these. They are
“up almost 13.B percent over last
year’s." says Jim Much, director of ad
missions and records.
“This means a larger freshman class,
and we hope it's a further indication
that enrollment declines are behind
us," Much says.
l-’roshman applicants in each of the
three categories — resident, non
resident and foreign — have increased
over last year.
There is a larger proportion of non
resident freshman students at the
University than at other state univer
sities. Much says.
“We put some extra effort into
recruiting out-of-town students." lie
says. This was done through high
school visits, direct mail contacts and
the work of alumni.
Transfer and graduate student
percentages are fluid but not signifi
cant, Much says. “The trend that has
been established in the last four months
I expect to continue throughout the
summer," he says.
1,
Sculpture unveiled on campus
The University’s School of Law
unveiled a sculpture Tuesday of the late
Wayne Morse, former U.S. senator from
Oregon and University law school dean.
Stephen Haney, a master’s degree stu
dent in fine arts, created the larger-than
life bronzed bust of Morse as a gift to the
law school for its centennial.
The school’s original Founders’ Day
was June 19, 1884, when the University
Board of Regents approved a resolution
to create a public law school for the state.
Haney began research for the sculpture
last summer by using videotapes of
The Morse Park Corp. donated two
framed statements by and about Morse to
accompany the sculpture, and track
lights and an oak pedestal were provided
by the Physical Plant. The Cultural
Forum donated the bronze for the bust as
well as work space for Haney.
Morse to help develop his concept for
the work, according to Sharon Gordon,
assistant law dean. In February, Gordon
and Nancy Morse-Campbell, Morse's
daughter, gave their approval of the clay
bust, which eventually would be bronz
ed and placed on the school’s main floor.
Photo by Steve Crowell