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Wednesday, May 5,2004
Since 1900 University of Oregon Eugene, Oregon
Volume 105, Issue 148
Moss Street moppets
University President Dave Frohnmayer cut the ribbon at the Moss Street Children's Center's opening
By Jennifer Marie Bear
News Editor
Student parents and their children were
welcomed to the Moss Street Children's
Center's grand opening Tuesday afternoon
with cookies, hand puppets and praise to
all involved with the project.
Although Tuesday marked the official
opening of the center, it been offering
child care services since Jan. 5, when con
struction was finished on the north side of
the building and the center was able to
open five of its eight classrooms.
"It took a little longer than planned (to
finish construction)," said Dennis
Reynolds, child care coordinator for the
University Child Care and Development
r Centers.
He said the center — which is now com
plete and only lacks a few finishing touch
es — boasts a total of eight classrooms, a
commercial kitchen, a staff room and a
common room for parents to relax and
hang out.
The nearly $3 million building, which
was funded by student building fees, has
the capacity to accommodate about 120
children, Reynolds said.
He added that the facility, located at
1685 Moss St., was designed to fit in with
*■ the surrounding community, and planners
even went so far as to construct the center
around one 40-year-old water oak tree and
one giant Ponderosa pine tree.
"Our very footprint on the land was
shaped by our goal of preserving these two
old trees," Reynolds said.
EMU Director of Student Activities
Gregg Lobisser said the new center is
Lauren Wimer Senior Photographer
Michaela Wickert, 5-and-a-quarter-years-old, blows bubbles during the grand opening ceremony of
the Moss Street Children's Center on Tuesday afternoon.
special because it was tailored to serve the
needs of children, while many other child
care facilities simply get housed in a left
over building.
One example of the center's attention to
children's needs is at the building’s en
trance, which is adorned with two doors:
one door that is the normal size and
height for adults, and one child-sized door
for the center's younger patrons.
At the grand opening, about six guides
were on hand to greet parents and kids,
give out souvenir hand puppets and lead
tours of the new center.
Junior environmental studies major
Katy Siepert, who attended the grand
opening, said she originally wanted her 5
year-old son Sage to go to the Spencer
View Co-op Family Center, but they didn't
have any openings. Siepert said it turned
out for the best, however.
"I'm really pleased that happened," she
said. "Moss Street is awesome. Since Sage
has been here, I feel like we've developed
good relationships with the teachers in his
classroom."
Siepert said she's been impressed with
Turn to MOPPETS, page 5
Museum of Art
renamed after
alumnus donor
The University has renamed its art museum
the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art and also
is planning a $14.4 million renovation to add
10 times the gallery space to the museum
By Moriah Balingit
News Reporter
The University announced Wednesday that the University
Museum of Art has been renamed the Jordan Schnitzer Muse
um of Art after the University alumnus and Portland philan
thropist who donated several million dollars to the renova
tion effort, the largest private donation given to the museum.
Choking back tears, Schnitzer gave an emotional thanks to
his parents during his speech at the press conference to an
nounce the name change.
"Finally (I thank) my parents ... whose example of both be
ing surrounded by art and giving back to one's community
helped shape and form my values that continue to guide my
cultural and civic interests," he said.
Schnitzer's mother, Arlene, opened an art gallery featuring
contemporary Northwest art when he was in second grade.
"I grew up in a house surrounded by art," Schnitzer said.
He first got involved with the museum 27 years ago and was
president of the Art Council from 1981 through 1983. In the
late '70s, the museum began "to dream a larger vision to even
tually fulfill die original plan when the museum was built,"
Schnitzer said.
The museum's original design was meant to accommodate
a renovation to double the museum space. The renovation was
realized 70 years later with the groundbreaking ceremony in
2002.
The $14.4 million renovation will add 38,154 square feet to
the museum. The completed structure will contain 10 times the
Turn to MUSEUM, page 8
OLCC plans to authorize liquor sales in grocery stores
The Oregon Liquor Control
Commission is testing for
grocery stores to sell more
than just beer and wine
By Parker Howell
News Reporter
Buying alcohol may become easier
this year as the Oregon Liquor Con
trol Commission begins a new test
program to set up liquor stores with
in grocery stores.
In a controversial move, the agency
has already begun preliminary agree
ments with three Oregon retail stores,
hoping to increase convenience for
consumers and raise revenue for state
and local governments.
The two-year plan calls for estab
lishing as many as six of the pilot
stores, one of which may be located
in the Gateway area, OLCC Director
Teresa Kaiser said.
If finalized, the contracts will allow
selected grocery stores in Gresham,
the Bethany area of Washington
County and Bend to sell liquor,
Kaiser said.
Kaiser said the agency will contin
ue looking for new locations, includ
ing a retail location in Eugene, al
though high lease rates have
hindered efforts to open new liquor
stores in this area.
The decision represents a significant
departure from existing OLCC policy.
Oregon is one of several "control" states
that requires the government to own
liquor at some point before it is sold.
Currently, grocery stores are only
allowed to sell beer and wine, while
state-licensed liquor stores cannot
sell those items or food.
The Associated Liquor Stores of
Oregon voted unanimously in late
April to contest the plan, saying it was
"adamantly opposed" to the idea,
ALSO President George Kuppler said.
Kuppler said the association,
which comprises a portion of Ore
gon's 238 liquor agents, did not
know the details of the plan, includ
ing why it was initiated and how it
would be funded.
"1 still don't have a good explana
tion of what the driving force was,"
he said.
The OLCC projects sales of about
$1 million from the grocery stores,
less than the typical stand-alone
liquor store licensed by the agency,
Kaiser said. The agency will solicit
feedback on the stores' performances
from customers.
"Ultimately, citizens will be the
judge," she said. "They can weigh in
on whether we hit the mark."
Kaiser said about half of the rev
enue from the stores will go to state
and local governments. Last year,
liquor sales totaled $267.9 million,
with $111.7 million going to govern
ments, according to the OLCC Web
site at http://olcc.state.or.us.
Kuppler said the process is pro
ceeding too quickly.
"This is not a fast track, this is a
racetrack," he said.
OLCC spokesman Ken Palke ad
mitted the decision came quickly, but
he said it was necessary to continue
with contracting.
"You might say the mle was adopt
ed in an emergency fashion," he said.
Palke said agents were alerted that
the OLCC was considering different
marketing models for spirits.
The OLCC focused on "under
served" high-growth areas when de
termining where to locate the new
store models, Kaiser said. The agency
sought partner stores that were at
least 1.5 miles away from existing
liquor agents.
"We don't want to upset existing
agents," Kaiser said.
Kuppler said agents don't oppose
opening new stores, but grocery
stores will offer unfair competition.
"(Grocery stores) will end up with
a very unfair advantage," he said. "1
can't sell a candy bar."
Kuppler also expressed concerns
that the plan will lead to statewide
loosening of liquor control.
"If this pilot moves forward, this
opens the door," he said. "We'll prob
ably be an open state in three to four
years."
However, Kaiser said the plan
won't be a radical change.
"We don't want to be a California,
with a store on every corner or every
block," she said.
Kaiser said the test locations would
likely undergo remodeling to create
separate, enclosed areas with differ
ent cash registers for the sale of
liquor.
"We're not going to have alcohol
next to the lettuce," Kaiser said.
She said the move is largely a
Turn to LIQUOR, page 8
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