• We’d like to say the shooting of 33 univer-
sity students in Blacksburg surprised us.
Sadly, it did not. We’ve seen our own gun
slaughter here at Thurston High School.
We’d like to say the Thurston shooting
changed things in Oregon, so it could never
happen again. Sadly, it did not. There are no tough new
gun laws and no big increase in continuing funding for mental
health treatment or school counselors. The Blacksburg massacre set a new
record for wanton gun violence in this nation. We’d like to say that record will
never be broken. But sadly ...
• Greg Bothun, UO physics professor, gave the Eugene City
Club a persuasive lecture last Friday on the virtues of
switchgrass as an alternative to gasoline in this country.
George Bush even mentions switchgrass, and Jon
Stewart makes fun of him for doing so. Bothun says
switchgrass has the highest energy density per gram of
any of the gasoline alternatives we’re looking at. The pro-
fessor also suggests what individuals can do, short of plant-
ing switchgrass in your parking strip, to combat global climate
change: 1) Replace all your lightbulbs 2) Weatherstrip 3) Drive
25% less.
briefs
CITY RUSHES
DOWNTOWN
DECISION
The city of Eugene continues to charge
ahead with a recommendation to give $50
million in subsidies to a Portland developer
for a downtown megaproject without signifi-
cant public input.
As early as April 25, the City Council
could decide to endorse the staff recommen-
dation for a KWG development proposal that
could involve tearing down almost four
blocks of downtown and replacing them
mostly with parking garages, high-rent hous-
ing and chain stores.
“Are we ready to make this decision in the
community and the council?” asked councilor
Alan Zelenka at a Monday, April 16 meeting.
“I think the answer is a big no.”
While the decision could have enormous
public cost and community impact, the city
has planned no public hearings or public in-
formation sessions before the planned vote.
City Manager Dennis Taylor said purchase
options that city staff crafted
for the property to be torn
down require that the coun-
cil vote “no later than” May
14.
The council did hear
from a panel of staff selected
developers and community
members on Monday.
Debate on the council is
centering around whether
the city should pursue an in-
cremental development ap-
proach stressing a diversity
of local ownership or a sin-
gle-owner megaproject that
WILL 2008 BE
STOLEN TOO?
Oregonians who want a Democrat to win
in 2008, Greg Palast says, should “get out of
Oregon.”
Palast, who extensively
documents stolen, mis-
counted and undercounted
votes from the 2004 election
in his book Armed
Madhouse, predicts that the
2008 election will be riddled
with similar (or worse) prob-
lems. “Oregon’s one of the
only places in America
where you’re not going to ex-
pect the election to be
stolen,” he says. Instead, he
says, Oregonians committed
to democracy should move to
CARLY KRATZER
news
would generate critical mass with chain
stores.
Mayor Kitty Piercy appeared to favor a
big project by a single owner. “Something
that’s big could be incremental” if done in
phases, she said at the Monday meeting. Also
a big owner could in the future sell off pieces
so it “could have individual owners.”
The mayor said the city could try to en-
gage the public, but many people in the city
don’t come downtown. “There’s public and
there’s public.”
But Councilor Bonny Bettman said, “We
can achieve critical mass by proceeding incre-
mentally” with diverse, local ownership. She
questioned how a monopoly single owner
could bring the diversity needed for a vital
downtown.
Bettman suggested focusing on bringing
people downtown rather than new buildings.
“To me it’s a critical mass of people down-
town, not cars, not parking, not concrete, not
asphalt,” she said.
City staff are pushing for a quick decision
with public input and cost benefit studies after
the major decisions on the developer and de-
velopment approach are made. “That’s really
putting the cart before the horse,” Bettman
said. — Alan Pittman
• It used to be that Oregon was an environmental leader. Thirty-six years ago
the state passed the nation’s first bottle bill. But that nickel deposit wouldn’t
pass today. Efforts to up the return to a dime or just expand deposits to
water, juice and other containers are foundering in a state legislature awash
in grocery and beverage distributor cash. Some of that lobbying cash comes
from keeping the millions of nickels that go unredeemed when their cans and
bottles litter out of state. Pathetic.
• The city of Eugene is rushing
toward giving $50 million to a
single developer to rip up four
blocks of downtown to build
mostly condos and a chain store
mall. The city’s like a bulldozer on
rails with this, but how about a
compromise? Have Beam do its
proposal for a historic renovation
of the Center Court and
Washburne buildings and a small
building in Aster’s Hole. Give the
block across from the library
(including the Sears pit) to KWG
for apartments, a movie theater,
a corner park and retail. Leave
the rest for local diversity.
Subsidies for KWG and Beam
could be minimized by using the
Aster’s Hole
existing mostly empty garages for
parking and EmX. If Connor/Woolley won’t follow with a project in their former
Symantec building, condemn the building and fill the boarded-ip ground floor
with local businesses and nonprofits displaced by redevelopment.
• It’s not too early to place your bets. Who will challenge Gordon Smith for his
Senate seat in 2008? The Oregonian’s list of possibles is long: Congressmen
Peter DeFazio, Earl Blumenauer and David Wu; R-turned-D State Senator Ben
Westlund from Bend; Portland progressive Steve Novick; and even former
Governor John Kitzhaber, still considered most likely to win a statewide race.
We’ll bet that our Congressman DeFazio will not run, although it’s more
tempting with the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee promising to
come up with most of the dreaded dollars. Why would Peter foolishly give up
his powerful transportation subcommittee chairmanship for a contest he’s
likely to lose, no matter what the polls might show this week or next? If we
win this bet, no need to place another one on candidates to succeed DeFazio,
but the chattering class (including us) can’t resist. Try Peter Sorenson, Floyd
Prozanski, Susan Castillo. What about Kitty Piercy or Jim Torrey or Jack
Roberts? Somebody suggested bringing Jim Weaver back. Have fun. Place
your bets.
APRIL 19, 2007 9