Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012, February 24, 2000, Page 6A, Image 6

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Associations to be revamped
■ Neighborhood groups
will have to meet four
times per year in order
to be funded by the city
By Darren Freeman
Oregon Daily Emerald
With a relatively large audience
of 25 in City Hall Wednesday
night, City Council took another
step toward revamping Eugene’s
neighborhood associations sys
tem, but the University area might
get left behind.
Nearly one year after City Coun
cil devoted the funds to revitalize
the city’s ailing neighborhood as
sociations, the council Wednes
day night approved a set of guide
lines and a funding framework.
“We talk a lot around this table
about public involvement. In my
mind, neighborhood associations
are the best way to get the public
involved and to promote commu
nity,” Councilor David Kelly said.
The council decided that neigh
borhood associations will have to
encompass at least 300 house
holds but cannot contain more
than 8 percent of Eugene resi
dents. Every residential tax lot
must be represented by an associa
tion, and the associations cannot
be separated by major barriers,
such as an arterial road or the
Willamette River. The associa
tions will hold elections to change
neighborhood charts and will re
port to the city.
To receive full funding, associa
tions must meet four times per
year, and at three of those meet
ings, at least ten residents in addi
tion to the executive association
members must be present.
Because the neighborhood asso
ciation representing the Universi
ty area has only met once in the
past year, Councilor Bobby Lee,
who represents much of West Eu
gene area, said the University area
would not likely receive funding.
Lee supported the proposals,
however, because he felt they set
concrete standards for neighbor
hood associations. “The city
needs standards, and the Univer
sity area can’t be a standard,” Lee
said. “It’s a very unique area.”
Instead, Lee proposed a neigh
borhood program be tailored to fit
the University area.
The council also discussed
salmon protection and heard the
first Youth Leadership Program
presentation of the year. Seven Eu
gene high school students presented
various youth issues ranging from
traffic safety to academic programs
for struggling students.
Gelbspan
continued from page 1A
visit to campus. Event organizers
said Gelbspan’s lecture was spon
sored by more than 50 different
groups — the widest coalition ever
to sponsor a speaker at this campus.
“There is a lot of misinforma
tion that is being promoted — par
ticularly about natural resource is
sues and in the field of fossil
fuels,” said John Baldwin, direc
tor of the University Institute for a
Sustainable Environment and
Gelbspan’s host. Gelbspan “has
worked tirelessly to uncover the
truth. It’s very important for the
next generation of students to sort
out what information is true.”
Gelbspan’s talk described the
devastating effects of the in
creased amount carbon dioxide
trapped in the atmosphere on
weather patterns, global
economies and political struc
tures. He used anecdotal evidence
to make his point, such as rapidly
melting glaciers, crops failing be
cause of intense droughts and ex
treme storms.
The audience listened intently
as Gelbspan told them about the
“dozen or so” scientists who have
worked to refute the compelling
evidence of global warming pre
sented by more than 2,000 scien
tists on the other side. These 12
“greenhouse skeptics” are funded
by fossil fuel concerns, he said.
“It’s sheer propaganda,” said
Vera Kewene, a senior geography
major. Kewene, who is also in
volved in the sustainable business
symposium, said she has received
the kinds of disinformation that
Gelbspan spoke of.
“What he said was totally backed
up by things I read,” she said.
Gelbspan said he spends his
time traveling around the country
speaking about this issue because
“people need to know about this
stuff.” The intense efforts of the
fossil fuel lobby and what he calls
a “human instinct not to want to
know about this huge and scary
problem,” have contributed to
widespread ignorance on this issue.
There is a very promising, simple
solution to this problem. Technolo
gies exist right now that can “give us
all the energy the energy we use to
day—and more,” he said.
Merriah Fairchild, a senior dou
ble-majoring in women’s studies
and planning, public policy and
management liked the solutions
Gelbspan offered.
“It stood out that he has some
pretty solid solutions,” she said. “I
just hope our elected officials lis
ten to them.”
THIS SUMMER