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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 26, 2006)
called, “The Forest Family Feud! Politics with a Twist,” to be held at 6 pm Thursday, Jan. 26 at Cozmic Pizza downtown. The free event for all ages will be hosted by Joseph Calbreath of KMTR-TV. Organizers say the event promises “plenty of learning and laughs to be had, so anyone looking for a good time and to expand their understanding of environmental issues in Oregon should attend.” FRUSTRATING CITY WEBSITE Back in August, Eugene City Manager Dennis Taylor called the city’s new website “another example of the city’s commitment to open government and enhanced access to public information,” lauding the web portal’s “convenient access” to a wide range of city information. But Taylor must not have used the website much before he spoke. Last week Taylor ad- mitted the website has been subject to “fre- quent complaints” for its slow-loading pages and will have to be fixed. Jan Wilson, a local environmental ac- tivist, complained to the City Council Jan. 23 that with the city’s new web portal “almost never am I able to get what I want.” Unlike other city and county sites, the Eugene web- site is tedious to use and frequently crashes her computer, she said. “Your voice joins a chorus of con- stituents,” Councilor David Kelly replied. ‘The City’s website is another example of the city’s commitment to open government and enhanced access to public information.’ —DENNIS TAYLOR Kelly, a com- puter consultant, said he’s even heard complaints from city staff. “Navigating it is very challenging,” he said. To fix the problem “will take some significant work.” Unlike most other government and com- mercial sites, the city website uses an auto- mated portal that makes outside links to inter- encourage Oakridge residents to improve en- ergy efficiency in their homes. The Oakridge Warm Homes project will direct residents toward funding from agen- cies such as Lane County Rural Development, Lane Electric Co-op, Lane Regional Air Pollution Authority (LRAPA), the Oregon Department of Energy, Oregon ‘Navigating it is very challenging. To fix the problem will take some significant work.’ —DAVID KELLY nal pages of the website impossible. Such links are key to the usefulness of the Internet. The site also relies heavily on slow-loading, cumbersome and difficult to search docu- ment image (pdf) files and has had trouble working well with Internet Explorer, the most common web browser, and with dial-up modems, the most common way to connect to the Internet. — Alan Pittman FUNDING FOR CLEANER AIR A group of local and federal agencies, nonprofits and businesses are partnering to KIDSTUFF Housing and Community Services, the USDA, the EPA and St. Vincent de Paul Society. The consulting firm Good Company is facilitating the program with support from the American Lung Association. The agencies involved in the Warm Homes project represent a spectrum of inter- ests, from low-income housing to energy conservation, but one likely end result is cleaner air in Oakridge, where particulates from wood burning have compromised the air quality. “Their agenda is different from our agenda, but everybody wins,” said LRAPA spokeswoman Kim Metzler. “A lot of people in Oakridge use wood stoves when it’s cold. If the air is stagnant, [pollution] re- ally builds up in the community.” Funding could subsidize homeowners for changing out catalysts on wood stoves, re- placing wood stoves with other heat sources, insulating, re-wiring homes and repairing roofs, all of which can improve energy effi- ciency. The help could come in the form of rebates, grants and no-interest loans, Metzler said. Oakridge residents interested in the Warm Homes project can attend an informational meeting and fill out an application for fund- ing at 9:30 am Saturday, Jan. 28 at the Middle Fork Ranger Station on Highway 58. Applications are also available at Oakridge City Hall. — Kera Abraham PORTER HONORED A community memorial service for for- mer Congressman Charles O. Porter will be held at 2 pm Monday, Jan. 30 at First Congregational Church, 1050 E. 23rd Ave. in Eugene. The Rev. Greg Flint will speak, along with numerous other community lead- ers. Porter died in Eugene Jan. 1 at the age of 86 from complications of Alzheimer’s dis- Quality Resale since 1978 BIG SALE! 25% OFF ALL CLOTHING! FRIDAY AND SATURDAY ONLY! KIDSTUFF has the widest selection of quality clothing for infants-juniors, Maternity, Furniture, Books and Toys NEW OWNER! 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