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Sparks fly over the details of Measure 20-36
■ upponents say police
should make better use
of existing office space
By Eric Martin
for the Emerald
Advocates for a ballot measure
that would fund a new police sta
tion and the land for a new fire sta
tion hope voters who rejected a
similar measure in May will sup
port their proposal this time
around.
A revised and trimmed version
of May’s Measure 20-31, Measure
20-36 calls for the construction of
an 80,000-square foot police station
— 17,500-square feet less than orig
inally planned — that meets earth
quake safety codes and eliminates
overcrowding. The new station
would be located on city-owned
property on East Eighth Avenue,
across the street from City Hall.
The station would provide the
“same square footage other similar
size police departments in the
Northwest have,” said John Brown,
a real estate appraiser and former
member of the Eugene Police/Fire
Station Task Force. “That’s what
they need.”
Eugene Police Department Lt.
Rick Ziel said space in the current
police facility is cramped, and cit
ed the 12-foot by 14-foot waiting
room as an example.
“There’s no privacy,” Ziel said.
“If you’ve got a girlfriend or wife
that’s just been raped, you have to
stand in a room with other people
and tell [the officers] what you
want to tell them.”
The city formed the task force
last summer to ascertain why vot
ers rejected the original measure.
The force concluded that voters
found the levy too costly, disap
proved of the proposed location
and wanted to see design plans be
fore devoting money to the project.
The new levy would be almost
$6 million cheaper, would use city
owned property and includes plans
for the police station. The measure
also provides funds for the pur
chase of property for a new fire sta
tion that could be built within the
next two years, Brown said.
Opponents of the measure say
the $21.1 million cost for the pro
posed municipal facilities is too ex
pensive and unnecessary. They ar
gue that taxpayer dollars could be
saved if the city were to better use
the office space it already has.
“There are other, less-expensive
options they’re not looking at,” said
Gary Kutcher, citizen activist and
opponent to the measure. “I think
they’ve become fixated with the
idea of a fancy, new police station.”
But Brown said though some dis
agree with tactics employed by Eu
gene police officers, they deserve
safe facilities taxpayers would want
themselves. He said seismic studies
conducted by three outside archi
tectural consulting firms showed
that a minimal earthquake could
flatten the existing police station,
an unacceptable possibility for es
sential services like police because
they must be on-call during disas
ters.
“The city has not paid much at
tention to it, but it’s a fact they’ve
known for 10 years,” Brown said.
“In Western Oregon there have
been 10 moderate earthquakes —
measuring between 2.0 and 6.3 on
the Richter scale — since 1993.”
But Kutcher said there were seis
mic studies completed a year ago
that concluded existing facilities
could be updated and made earth
quake resistant with a cost of $3
million to $5 million.
He also said taxpayers aren’t get
ting what they pay for in Measure
20-36 because only property for
and the design of a new fire depart
ment facility are funded by the
measure — not the facility itself.
“I’m really troubled by the ballot
title (in the City of Eugene Voter’s
Pamphlet),” Kutcher said. “I be
lieve they’re trying to fake voters
out by implying they will get a fire
station.”
The line in question, printed on
page six of the voter’s pamphlet,
reads: “Shall City of Eugene issue
up to $25,120,000 general obliga
tion bonds for downtown police fa
cilities and a fire station?”
Kutcher said the line is biased
rhetoric attempting to sway voters
to cast their ballots for the measure.
But Brown disagrees, and said
the language in question was draft
ed by the City Council.
“It’s not misleading to me,” he
Eugene Ballot
Measure 20-36
• The measure would give the city a
maximum of $25.1 million in local
tax dollars to build a new police sta
tion and purchase land for a new
fire department.
• Supporters say the city’s police and
fire facilities are outdated, cramped
and need to be replaced to accom
modate the city’s growing popula
tion. They also say the police station
is seismically unsound, raising con
cerns that the Eugene Police Depart
ment could be crippled in an earth
quake or other disaster.
• Opponents say the price tag is too
big and that cheaper options, such
as better managing of the city’s ex
isting facilities, should be explored.
said. “I know what [the general ob
ligation funds] are for. If you read
the ordinance, you’ll see a fire sta
tion is not included in this meas
ure. But let’s say we build [the po
lice station] for $22,500,000. The
excess money will go toward a fire
station.”
news briefs
New login method
for modem access
If you use a modem to access the
University network, read this: Uni
versity Computing is rolling a new
login method into use, and as of to
day, the previous method will no
longer work.
“There are two things we’re try
ing to get across to people,” Patrick
Chinn of Microcomputer Services
said. “First, users need to replace
their old modem account user
name and password with their e
mail address and password. The
other part of that is they have to be
using an account on Oregon, dark
wing, or gladstone.”
Specifically, users must replace
the modem account name — ex
ample, uo-janestudent — with
their full account name — exam
ple, Janestudent@gladstone.uore
gon.edu — as the login and then
the password for that account.
Also, users who might not have
an account on gladstone, Oregon,
or darkwing such as law students,
will have to open a new account
on any of those three systems.
To set up a new account, go to
151 Grayson Hall from 8 a.m. to 5
p.m. Monday through Friday. For
questions or help, information is
available online at
http://micro.uoregon.edu/modem
info or you can call Microcomput
er Services at 346-4412 from 9 a.m.
to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Expert speaks
on disability issues
Adrienne Asch, an internation
ally recognized activist in the field
of disability rights and disability
studies, discusses the implication
of genetic engineering, assisted
suicide and the Human Genome
Project during a symposium today
titled, “Disability Studies: Where
Has It Been? Where Is It Going?”
The conference, free and open to
the public, is scheduled from 3:30
p.m. to 5 p.m. in the Fir Room of
the EMU. The Center on Human
Development in the College of Ed
ucation is sponsoring the event.
Asch is the Henry R. Luce Pro
fessor in Biology, Ethics and the
Politics of Human Reproduction at
Wellesley College in Massachu
setts. It is a mistake to view all dis
abilities as handicaps that must be
overcome, she said.
For more information or to regis
ter, call the University Center on
Human Development at 346-2488.
From staff reports
The Oregon Homecoming Committee would like to
thank the following for their generous contributions
to the 2000 Homecoming Ball:
SPONSORS:
Romania Auto Group • U-Lane-0 Credit Union •
University Housing • Student Alumni Association •
President’s Fund • P.A.R.T.Y. Fund • ASUO Student
Senate • Marmot • KAPLAN Test Preparation Center •
Les Schwab Tires • Robinson Theater • Hult Center for
the Performing Arts • Office of the President • Fiddler’s
Green Golf Course • Onsen Spas • Siegmund’s
Cleaners • Track Town Pizza • Euphoria Chocolate
Company • Napoli Restaurant • UO Bookstore • Allen
Hall Advertising • The Break • The Carpet Company •
Eugene Elks Lodge No. 357 • Jerry’s Home
Improvement • King Estate Vineyard • Marist High
School Woodworking Classes • Office of Student Life •
Office of Student Orientation Programs • Springfield
Elks Lodge No. 2145 • Alpha Phi Omega • Pi Beta Phi
Sorority • Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity • Presidential
Student Scholars Association • Ms. Katie Bryant • Ms.
Laura Connell • Mr. Bill Daley • Mr. Bob Devereaux •
Ms. Mary Hudzikiewicz • Mr. and Mrs. John Madden •
Ms. Stephanie Winchester
COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Bryan Orthel • Greg Danielson • Cora Bennett •
Charissa Martin • Mary Elizabeth Madden •
Amy Farley • Jennifer Brewer