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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 9, 2001)
n n the _w e_h ^ www.dailyemerald.com Ln independent t newspaper *T^V I I on Daily Emerald Joey does it all * “Win-win” situation loey Harrington led the Ducks in every way Alumni made a more than $2 million donation to imaginable during their Holiday Bowl win. PAGE 7 the Lundauist School of Business. PAGE 6 Tuesday January 9,2001 Volume 102, Issue 69 Weather today Joey Harrington led the Ducks in every way imaginable during their Holiday Bowl win. PAGE 7 Win-win situation Alumni made a more than $2 million donation to the Lundquist School of Business. PAGE 6 RAIN high 51, low 42 Since 1 900 University of Oregon Eugene, Oregon West Eugene Parkway stopped for now The City Council voted against a wetlands amendment that would have allowed the four-lane expressway project to move ahead By Rebecca Newell Oregon Daily Emerald The planned construction of a four lane expressway through West Eugene to ease congestion in the area hit a red light during winter break. The Eugene City Council voted Dec. 13 against a wetlands amend ment, an element necessary for the continuance of the West Eugene Park way project. The council didn’t actually vote against the parkway, but against an amendment that would have allowed the expressway to pass through a wet lands area between West 11th Avenue and the Southern Pacific railroad tracks. That vote essentially halted the parkway’s progress, Mayor Jim Torrey said. Councilors who opposed the wet-f lands amendment said the wetlands should be protected, and some coun cilors suggested the city focus on pro moting alternative transportation rather than building more roads. “More concrete is not the solution to traffic congestion,” said Betty Taylor, who voted with three other councilors against the amendment. The proposed parkway would have linked Highway 99 with Highway 126. The road was designed to allevi ate congestion on West 11th, provide a faster route for people traveling from Eugene to the coast and improve access to West Eugene from down town. Councilor Bonny Bettman, who vot ed against the wetlands amendment, said the parkway would have been an ineffective use of tax dollars. “Moving forward with this project would have used all available state funding for the next 20 years, except for the 1-5 interchange project,” Bettman wrote in an e-mail to the Emerald. The plan originated in the 1960s, when a highway study recognized the need for a limited-access road that would serve West Eugene and link In terstate 5 with Highway 126. In 1986, Turn to Parkway, page 5 Laura Smit Emerald The construction of a four-lane expressway through West Eugene would ease traffic congestion in the area. Laura Smit Emerald During winter break, a fire devastated the second-story rooms of this six-bedroom house rented by University students. Don’t get burned by fire damage Four students lost $25,000 in property in a December house fire— but renter’s insurance offers protection By Beata Mostafavi Oregon Daily Emerald No one was home during winter break when fire gutted a house in South Eugene rented by University students, but the blaze caused almost $225,000 in damages. For the past week, cars have driven more slowly past 3302 Donald St. Remnants of police tape, a collapsed roof, black walls and the smell of burnt wood is all that remains of the six-bedroom house. Fire dispatch received the alarm Dec. 29 at 3:42 a.m., and the fire’s cause is undeter mined, according to the Eugene Fire Department. Deputy Fire Marshal Mark Thompson said the department originally sus pected that combustibles next to an electric wall heater caused the fire, but that possi bility has been eliminated. Four University students and two others were renting the house. They have since found new living arrange ments. Chris Smith, a Eugene resi dent who lived in the house for three weeks, said he and one of his roommates were the only Turn to Fire, page 6 EWEB expecting : to increase rates ■A shortage of electricity and rising demands for power are forcing the EWEB Board of Directors to find a way to cover costs By Lindsay Bucheie Oregon Daily Emerald The energy crisis that has swept the West Coast has hit Eugene. As a result, energy prices are ex pected to increase 15 percent dur ing the next year for Eugene resi dents. The Eugene Water & Electric Board, which is the primary provider of electricity to the city of Eugene, de cided last week to consider a price increase to cover the rising demand for electricity. EWEB Vice President Peter Bartel said an increase beginning in March is unavoidable, but the size of the in crease is yet to be determined. “The employees approached the board and told us a price increase had to happen in order to cover costs, but they were unsure as to how to handle that increase,” Bartel said. “We basically told them to take some time to consider what could be done and then come back to us.” The EWEB Board of Directors is scheduled to decide Feb. 6 how to handle the increase. Part of the decision includes how much of an increase is needed and how that amount could be spread over the year in order not to over whelm customers. EWEB will also consider tacking surcharges onto Turn to EWEB, page 3 ii Typical ly, there is a flow of power between Oregon and California. Now both states are in demand and can’t provide for each other. Peter Bartel vice president, EWEB _n
