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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 8, 2004)
PEPPER BALLS NOW IN POLICE ARSENAL Eugene police have bought a new weapon to use against protesters. The pepper ball gun shoots volleys of paint-ball like spheres that hit victims at 380 ft. per second and explode in a cloud of concentrated pepper powder. Police use of the weapon has been contro- versial in other cities, according to news re- ports. Protesters against a President George Bush fund-raiser in Portland last year com- plained that Portland police opened fire on them with the weapons without provocation. At Wesleyan College in Connecticut, stu- dents complained after police attacked a peaceful street gathering by firing pepper guns. In the past, Eugene police have been zeal- ous in their use of pepper spray, emptying can after can of the searing chemical on peaceful tree sitters protesting the cutting of stately trees downtown in 1997. The City Council recently passed a controversial new ordi- nance banning unpermitted gatherings of 25 or more downtown, providing the police yet more opportunities to use their pain compli- ance weapons. — Alan Pittman PEOPLE OFFER DIFFERENT TAKE ON STATE OF CITY In response to Mayor Torrey’s annual State of the City Address Jan. 7, local pro- gressive groups are joining forces once again for the Third Annual Citizens’ State of the City Address from noon to 1:30 pm Monday, Jan. 12 at Harris Hall at 8th and Oak. The event, organized by Citizens for Public Accountability and Friends of Eugene, is billed as “the people’s companion” to the mayor’s perspectives, and will include sev- eral speakers: Cara Stevensen will speak on creating networks, empowerment and community at the neighborhood level. Gary Gillespie will speak for the Eugene Springfield Solidarity Network on jobs, justice and the local econ- omy. Lauri Segel of 1000 Friends of Oregon will speak on key Eugene land use issues. A speaker from Community Alliance of Lane County (CALC) will talk on human rights is- sues affecting transgender people and immi- grants. And Becky Reilly will speak on the environment and public health. The mayor’s State of the City Address Jan. 7 will be recorded by Metro Television for broadcast at 9 am and 4:30 pm Jan. 8; 9 and 10:30 am Jan. 9; and 10:30 am and 12:30 and 3 pm Jan. 10 on Comcast Channel 21. SCIENTISTS TALK ABOUT POST-INFERNO LOGGING Two leading scientists with very different perspectives will be discussing in a public forum one of the most controversial topics in public land management today — the log- ging of burned-over forest lands.. The free dialog with John Sessions and Bob Beschta will be held at 7 pm Jan. 13 in Harris Hall at 8th and Oak. Jan. 20 is the deadline for public comment on the most ambitious post-fire logging pro- ject in modern history slated for the Siskiyou Wild Rivers area. The Forest Service used Beschta’s recom- mendations to develop one logging alterna- tive that would log 105 million board feet (21,000 log truck loads) and a report authored by Sessions to develop another alternative that would cut nearly 10 times as much (1.02 billion board feet or 204,000 log truck loads). For more information, call the Cascadia Wildlands Project at 434-1463. GEOGRAPHER TO LECTURE ON GLOBALIZATION Neil Smith, geogra- pher, anthropologist and current holder of the Wayne Morse Chair of Law and Politics for 2003-04, will speak on “Lost Geographies and Failed Globalizations: From Versailles to Iraq.” The free public talk will be at 7:30 pm Thursday, Jan. 15 at the Hilton downtown. Smith is a distinguished professor of an- thropology and geography at the City RiverBend Can’t Snarl Traffic LUBA decision could cost PeaceHealth millions. PeaceHealth may have to pay millions of dollars more to improve roads to build its huge new hospital complex on the banks of the McKenzie River, according to a decision Jan. 5 by the state Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA). PeaceHealth has argued that it doesn’t need to pay for most new road infrastructure to serve its hospital because congestion would be at acceptable levels by 2018, when Springfield planned to build new roads to serve the area. But critics charged that would leave people struggling with traffic snarl for more than a decade and said the hospital was legally required to address traffic concerns now. “Real compliance would require almost $100 million in new roads on or before the date the hospital and associated commercial facilities become operational,” Jan Wilson of CHOICES commented on the RiverBend proposal. Opponents, including CHOICES, 1000 Friends of Oregon, Lane County and Robin and Jon Jaqua, appealed the city of Springfield’s approval of land use changes to accom- modate the hospital to LUBA and the appeals board agreed that PeaceHealth’s traffic impacts must be addressed before 2018. LUBA cited previous decisions and court cases that waiting a decade or more could make state regulations requiring traffic mitigation for such major projects “meaningless.” “To conclude that OAR 660-012-0060 is unconcerned with such potentially lengthy periods of failure seems inconsistent with the rule’s prime directive: to assure that al- lowed uses are consistent with the function, capacity, etc. of transportation facilities,” the LUBA opinion stated. LUBA noted that given financial and other constraints, it is “something of a polite fic- tion” to assume that all the city’s planned road improvements for the Gateway area will in fact be constructed by 2018. Therefore, area roads may be failing with congestion 8 JANUARY 8, 2004 University of New York Graduate Center. He also serves as director of the Center for Place, Culture and Politics, an interdisciplinary center providing an forum for the examina- tion of a wide range of vital contemporary is- sues. Along with public lecture on Jan. 15, Smith is teaching a geography course and leading a roundtable for activists on Jan. 22. “In the early 21st century we are living through a new and dangerous American im- perialism that Americans have the responsi- bility to challenge,” Smith says. During his visit, he will explore “the origins of this new empire over the last century and especially highlight the largely unacknowledged politi- cal geography of its creation.” For more information, call 346-3700 or visit www.morsechair.uoregon.edu TOP SLOGANS PICKED Purely subjective judging has been com- pleted in EW’s Eugene Slogan Contest (see story in our Dec. 31 issue). The idea was to come up with a tourism slogan for Eugene in light of our state’s new slogan: “Oregon: We Love Dreamers.” • “Eugene: Sometimes a Great Notion,” by Benton Elliot takes a prize for being a slo- gan that might actually become adopted someday. The hopeful message honors the literary and philosophical insights of Ken Kesey. • “Eugene: Sustainable Disagreement” by Rachael Dillman wins for being succinct and insightful, and only slightly cynical. • “Eugene: Caucasians for Cultural Diversity” by Martin and Linda Sage wins for its wit, truth and irony. • “Eugene: Come for the rain, stay for the hippies” by Jake Wilson takes a prize for re- minding us that life is unpredictable and full of surprises. Winners can claim their prizes, a choice of Bijou tickets or an EW sweatshirt, at our offices. “well beyond” 2018, according to LUBA. To address immediate traffic congestion from the project, PeaceHealth and Springfield could build a smaller/less dense hospital development, redesign the facility to better promote buses, amend the regional TransPlan to provide more roads or bus rapid transit and/or amend the plan to accept higher levels of congestion, LUBA noted. But amending TransPlan would require potentially difficult city and county approvals and PeaceHealth has strongly resisted any restraints on the size or location of it’s plans for a car-oriented hospital. Another option would be to pay for more roads. PeaceHealth had earlier agreed to pay $10 million for road improvements to mitigate congestion that would otherwise continue after 2018. PeaceHealth officials have said the hospital is al- ready paying “more than it’s fair share” for roads in the area. What the higher road tab for PeaceHealth may be is unclear but could be hefty. Wilson has totaled $130 million in area transportation projects that PeaceHealth will rely on that are mostly unfunded. The list includes $38 million for extending BRT to the development but doesn’t include the $122 million estimated cost of upgrading the I- 5/Beltline interchange. Another option would be hoping to win an appeal of the LUBA decision in state court. One of the three LUBA members did dissent from the majority on the road congestion issue. Of course, RiverBend opponents could also appeal and challenge LUBA’s dismissal of their complaints that RiverBend violates rules about building in flood plains, building a hospital in a residential zone, and requiring county and city of Eugene approval and co- ordination. LUBA also ruled that PeaceHealth’s RiverBend plan was inconsistent with Springfield’s adopted Commercial Lands Study, which designated the area for far less commercial development. But LUBA did say that PeaceHealth and Springfield may be able to get around that problem later with arguments that RiverBend met the overall policy goals of the study. — Alan Pittman
