Eugene weekly., November 13, 2008, Page 8, Image 8

ODOT SIGNS ‘VANDALIZE’
BIKE BRIDGE
Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) workers have installed large
new signs on the graceful new cable-stayed bicycle and pedestrian bridge
south of the Gateway interchange. The signs give directions to the nearby
freeway flyover bridge serving Beltline Road, but not everyone appreciates the
positioning of the signs.
“It is clear that ODOT has absolutely no taste,” says noted Eugene architect
Otto Poticia in a letter to EW. “This is the agency that Eugene has relied on to
design the new and important I-5 bridge entrance to Eugene? Clearly they lack
imagination and aesthetic skills to be trusted to make important design deci-
sions as important as this one.”
Poticia calls traffic
engineering “the least
creative of all the engi-
neering disciplines,” and
says it’s “sad for the
state, since ODOT con-
trols more resources
that influence our built
environment than any
other agency. No use
continuing to discuss
the design of the new
I-5 bridge; they simply
don’t, won’t and never
intended to understand.”
Poticia does give credit to ODOT for the design of what he calls a “beautiful
and sleek” bike bridge to serve the Gateway area. The bike bridge, he says,
“truly makes an important difference to the event of driving the freeway. Alas
it now turns out that they built it to support two very large and ugly standard
signs to guide you to the Beltline and save two posts.”
The bike bridge, he says, “has been vandalized and ruined by its maker.” And
he suggests that the signs be removed and “the person who made this decision
be promoted to painting yellow traffic lines for his or her lack of caring.”
ODOT and Congressman Peter DeFazio’s office did not respond to requests
for comments by press time. — Ted Taylor
COUNCIL BACKS AUDITOR VOTE
Eugene voted overwhelmingly in support of the police auditor on Nov. 4. But
the 65 percent yes vote for the charter amendment didn’t appear to impress
critics on the City Council who again voted against the voter-backed function.
At a Nov. 11 meeting, Councilors Mike Clark, Jennifer Solomon, George Poling
and Chris Pryor voted against pursuing an ordinance to implement updates to
the charter amendment passed by voters. Councilors Bonny Bettman, Betty
Taylor, Alan Zelenka and Andrea Ortiz voted in favor of the police auditor ordi-
nance. Mayor Kitty Piercy broke the 4-4 tie in favor of the pro-auditor mea-
sure.
Clark, Solomon, Poling and Pryor make up a conservative block on the coun-
cil that has frequently voted against the auditor position despite its passage
twice by voters. The four conservative councilors themselves were elected after
running largely unopposed for their seats.
If Jim Torrey, another opponent of independent police oversight had won
election, Torrey and the conservative block on the council could have repealed
the police oversight system approved by voters. It was that prospect that
prompted Councilor Bettman to move to refer the just-passed charter amend-
ment to protect the will of the voters.
“The outcome of the election was important,” Bettman said at the meeting.
“There is overwhelming support for the [police auditor] system,” she said.
“There was a mandate by the voters.”
To follow that mandate, Bettman proposed a dozen ordinance changes and
clarifications to assure the auditor access to information on police complaints
and a role in the intake and review of complaints against the police.
“It’s just reinforcing what the public wants,” said Councilor Taylor in support.
“It’s routine almost.”
But council conservatives appeared adamantly opposed. “This is working too
fast because of a recent election,” said Councilor Clark.
But supporters said the changes have been long considered in response to
continued police opposition to the auditor function. “These aren’t new issues;
nobody should be surprised at it. These are issues we’ve been tackling and
grappling for the past year,” Councilor Zelenka said.
The council plans to hold another work session on the ordinance changes,
hold a public hearing and take final action in a month.
It’s unclear whether all the changes will end up passing. “I don’t support
several of these,” said Councilor Ortiz, a key swing vote. —Alan Pittman
8 NOVEMBER 13 , 2008 EUGENE WEEKLY
news
briefs
OREGON
SCHOOLS
AND PESTICIDES
Eugene-based Oregon Toxics Alliance
says children in Oregon have been exposed
to pesticides in classrooms, on play-
grounds, on ball fields and at school bus
stops. OTA reviewed pesticide poisoning
complaint records kept at the State
Department of Agriculture and Department
of Human Services and found 56 cases of
kids in Oregon schools being exposed to
pesticides since 1990. Forty-three of the
cases were reported in the last 10 years.
OTA Executive Director Lisa Arkin
says there are probably more incidences of
WAR DEAD
Since the U.S. invasion of Iraq
began on March 20, 2003
(last week’s numbers in parentheses):
• 4,193 U.S. troops killed* (4,189)
• 30,774 U.S. troops injured* (30,764)
• 145 U.S. military suicides* (145)
• 314 coalition troops killed** (314)
• 1,123 U.S. contractors killed
(accurate updates NA)
• 97,084 to 1.1 million civilians killed***
(96,976)
• $570.0 billion cost of war
($568.0 billion)
• $162.1 million cost to Eugene
taxpayers ($161.5 million)
* through Nov. 10, 2008; source: icasualties.org;
some figures only updated monthly
** sources: icasualties.org, defenselink.mil
*** highest estimate; source: iraqbodycount.org; based on
confirmed media reports; other groups calculate civilian deaths
as high as 655,000 (Lancet survey, 2006) to 1.1 million
(Opinion Research Business survey, 2008)
pesticide exposure at schools than the
records indicate. Exposures can go under-
reported, she says, because it takes effort
to report an incidence, kids don’t know
why they feel ill, people are unsure of
which agency to inform and some are
afraid of workplace repercussions if they
report the exposure.
According to OTA’s report, 14 of the
reported incidents resulted in school evac-
uations, trips to emergency rooms or cita-
tions from a violation of state pesticide
law. Unlike many other states, Oregon
does not have a statewide policy promot-
ing safe pesticide practices at schools, says
Arkin.
One incident in the report took place
four years ago in Lane County, at a school
bus stop in Junction City. A bus driver
reported smelling odors and seeing pesti-
cide drifting from a nearby aircraft. A
farmer was applying pesticides to a grass-
field next to the bus stop, according to
OTA’s report. The children at the bus stop
were coughing and yelling to get on the
bus.
Arkin says OTA’s report is “tracking
the exposures to pesticides in a state like
our own that really doesn’t protect peo-
ple.” The report itself, she says, is not
making a correlation between higher rates
of illnesses like autism, asthma and breast
cancer and pesticide exposure. But Oregon
does have unexplained high incidences of
these conditions, and Arkin says some of
these highly toxic pesticides have been
linked to cancer, reproductive effects and
nervous system damage
OTA presented copies of the report to
Gov. Ted Kulongoski’s office and State
Superintendent of Schools Susan Castillo
on Monday. — Camilla Mortensen
NO CHILD
LEFT INSIDE
Is staying inside making your kids
sick? It’s time to get them out of the living
room and into the great outdoors, accord-
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