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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 11, 2005)
news briefs COUNTY TESTS KIDS FOR LEAD In response to high lead levels in 10 per- cent of recently tested local children, the Lane County Public Health Department will conduct more testing to determine whether lead poisoning is a widespread problem in the area. The county tested 50 children, ages 6 months to 5 years, who had been exposed to certain risk factors for lead poisoning. Three of the children had blood lead levels at or above 10 micrograms per deciliter and two had levels between 5 and 10 micrograms per deciliter. The Center for Disease Control con- siders lead levels at or above 10 micro- grams per deciliter elevated, but Lane County Public H e a l t h Department specialist Ta m a r a Wilhite says that even half that amount is worrisome. “Most science shows that any level of lead is elevated,” she says. “We determined that at 5 [micrograms per deciliter] or above we would try to do some kind of intervention through education.” Lead has been linked to a variety of health problems in children. Wilhite is working with the county’s Women, Infants and Children Nutrition Program to test more kids for lead. The Lane County Health Department invites the gen- eral public to two sessions of free blood lead testing, limited to the first 350 kids ages 6 months to 5 years. The first session will be held at the mental health building at 2411 MLK Blvd. on Monday, Aug. 15. The second session will be held next to the Willamalane Park and Swim Center on G Street in Springfield on Tuesday, Aug. 16. Both ses- sions will run from 8 am to 5 pm. — Kera Abraham VIP PARKING FOR HYBRIDS? So you drive a hybrid car that cuts back on fossil fuel emissions. Does that make you special? Former city councilor and current LRAPA board member Gary Rayor thinks so. Rayor wrote to the City Council on Aug. 2, suggesting that the city consider an ordinance to offer parking incentives for hybrid vehi- cles. He referenced an ordinance adopted by the city of Aspen, Colo., that exempts hy- brid vehicles from two- hour park- ing re- strictions in resi- dential permit zones and al- lows them to park in high occupancy vehi- cle zones without a permit. Rayor suggested a similar or- dinance in Eugene that could offer free or ex- tended parking in city parking lots, on the street and in special zones such as near the UO. Mayor Kitty Piercy thinks it’s an idea worth considering, and she plans to incorpo- rate it into upcoming discussions about a sus- BY PAUL NEEVEL RUTH BELLER AND STERLING WALLACH “Showing art is a great way to relate to peo- ple,” says Sterling Wallach, recounting the brief history of the Last Friday ArtWalk. “It’s been exciting to see how they respond.” Wallach and his partner Ruth Beller, both of them art students in earlier days, painted large commercial murals in Florida before they moved to Eugene 15 years ago and launched their ArtTrek painting business. Inspired for years by the Jawbreaker Window Gallery at 4th and Monroe, Wallach and Beller opened their own Whiteaker-neighborhood art space, Possum Place, in September 2004. In October they organized the first Last Friday ArtWalk, with a total of five stops on the tour. “Every month since then, new people have joined,” says Beller. “They open their living rooms and studios to show their art.” July’s Last Friday tour list had 27 stops and participants of all ages, from full-time artists to first- time exhibitors, plus a neighborhood plant sale at Scobert Park and unveiling of the collaborative Whiteaker Puzzle Project. Learn about this month’s event, see a map of exhibit venues, and find out how to participate at lastfridayartwalk.org 8 AUGUST 11, 2005 tainable business initiative. “I hope there will be a lot of ideas about how we can use incen- tives and other encouragements for sustain- able practices,” she said. — Kera Abraham LRAPA BOARD PICKS MEMBER that a group of citizens might sue the agency on that point. Tight funding and staffing shortfalls are still problems for LRAPA. The board voted against offering retroactive severance pay- ments to two employees who had been laid off without notice in mid-February. — Kera Abraham CELEBRATION BOOKS BANDS The Lane Regional Air Pollution Authority board of directors appointed its second at-large member on Aug. 9. William Carpenter, an environmental lawyer and for- mer chemical engineer from Springfield, Band bookings are wrapping up for the won the board seat with five of eight votes. Eugene Celebration coming up the last week- end in September. The list so far includes Politically, Carpenter’s record is a mixed Rock & Roll Soldiers, Cherry Poppin’ bag. As an attorney, he has represented clients Daddies, North Mississippi Allstars, Catie who sued the Environmental Protection Curtis, Pretty Girls Make Graves, Prezident Agency for violating clean air standards. As an Brown and Eleven Eyes. The EC has a web- engineer, he has worked for oil companies in site (www.EugeneCelebration.com) with Arizona and California. He currently serves on links and e-mail the Springfield addresses for P l a n n i n g those wanting to Commission and a get involved in the committee assisting big community the UO law student bash. group Friends of Dates for the Land Air Water. EC are later than Carpenter said usual to draw that his priorities as more college stu- an LRAPA board dents. The rain-or- member will in- shine event begins clude finding con- Friday, Sept. 30 sensus on divisive and continues issues and avoiding through the week- mandatory auto emission controls North Mississippi Allstars end. This year’s in the county. He theme is “Live on Broadway,” and the annual emphasized that clean air draws people to the arts festival will be more compact this year, region, and maintaining the air quality makes featuring “an enhanced footprint that concen- good economic sense. trates stages and attractions in and around the David Monk, former executive director of main thoroughfare of downtown,” say organ- the Oregon Toxics Alliance, questioned the izers. legality of having two at-large seats on the As in previous years, a Saturday morning board. He said that the state statute clearly parade is planned, along with live entertain- mandates a seven-member board at this time, ment on several stages, a Community with four representatives from Eugene and Causeway of local non-profit agencies, no at-large members. He advised the board
