NEWS BRIEFS
PHOTO BY TED TAYLOR
slant
Plywood covers the lower
glass panels of the old showroom
NEW PLANS FOR
OLD DEALERSHIP
Looking at the old Romania car dealership on Franklin Boulevard, it’s hard to
imagine what it was like during its heyday back in the 1960s and ’70s. Back then,
the wall of glass was bright and squeaky clean, a window into a dazzling display
room showcasing the latest Chevrolet models. The parking lot, now empty and in a
losing battle with the local flora, once played host to legions of Cameros, Chevelles,
Corvairs and Corvettes, the chrome polished to perfection.
Now it stands along Franklin as a reminder of older times, the distinctive ’50s
Googie futuristic architecture sorely out of place among the new development
around it. The glitz and glamour is gone, replaced with hard asphalt and the
occasional discarded beer bottle. Many say it’s an eyesore, a relic that should be
demolished to make way for something better. Others point out that the building
made its way onto Oregon’s National Register of Historical Places and should be
restored to its former glory.
The UO, which acquired the property in 2007, has set up a consulting team to
decide just what to do with the currently derelict building. Spearheaded by Lorig
Associates, a real estate development firm based out of Seattle, the project will
develop several possible uses for the building and present them to the public in mid-
August.
“The university is not entirely sure what the best use of the land might be,” said
Christopher Ramey, associate vice president for Campus Planning and Real Estate,
via email. “This is the point of commissioning the study. We expect to know
considerably more about what our options are when the study is completed.”
The study has three goals: to get input from the community on what the best use
of the land might be, analyze the market with the possibility of selling the property
to private interests, and create scenarios for development.
Because the building is on the National Register, potential developers are faced
with a unique dilemma. If they choose to keep the building, they have to abide by the
myriad regulations laid down by the state designed to preserve the original design.
The National Register does not, however, protect a building from being razed to the
ground, which then allows the developer or the UO to do whatever they want with
the property, including just building another big parking lot.
Right now the UO is still considering its options. The building and land are too
far away from the rest of campus to house what are referred to as “core university
needs” —classrooms, faculty offices, libraries, labs and other areas related to
education, which limits its usefulness.
“At this point in the process we don’t want to rule things out (with the noted
exceptions),” said Ramey via email. “What we are looking for in the study is what
kinds uses might make sense, and we don’t want to constrain the thinking at this
point.” — Nils Holst
ACTIVIST ALERT
• Streetcars will be the topic at City Club of
Eugene at 11:45 am Friday, July 15, at the Hilton. Bob
Krebs, former ODOT intercity rail coordinator, will
speak and a representative of United Streetcar LLC
of Clackamas will also attend.
• Planned Parenthood’s Birds and the Bees
Garden Party fundraiser with live music and food is
from 5 to 8 pm Friday, July 15 at a location to be
announced. Suggested donation is $10 for adults, $5
for kids. Purchase tickets at http://wkly.ws/12y
• The next volunteer clean-up at Civic Stadium
will be from 10 am to noon Saturday, July 16. Bring
hand tools, gloves and water.
• MoveOn is helping organize at least four local
meetings in private homes Sunday, July 17 in its
WWW.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM • BLOGS.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM
• This week’s cover story takes a look inside Lane County government,
and we discover it’s a mysterious institution with a cast of characters that
would make a great TV drama. It’s a mix of Law and Order with Survivor, Dirty
Sexy Money and Californication. Actually, a tremendous amount of good work
and critical services are provided by Lane County, but as county employees go
about their essential work, we are observing a disturbing shift in leadership
away from the sound thinking that would benefit the people of Lane County for
generations. The bright ideas that support sustainability, local enterprise and
self sufficiency are being shelved in favor of the same old outdated policies
that favor polluting industries, resource extraction and criminal prosecution.
This shift in policy by Men Behaving Badly is happening without the open,
public process that was the hallmark of Commissioners Fleenor, Handy and
Sorenson when they were in the majority.
Our new County Administrator Liane Richardson has not impressed us so
far with her Lost in Space hiring and spending decisions. She still blames the
spotted owl for Lane County’s economic woes. Is this The Twilight Zone?
• “Sticking your neck out” was the criteria for the 2011 Annual Turtle
Awards handed out July 8 at the City Cub of Eugene meeting in the
Hilton. Carmen Urbina, parent, community and diversity coordinator for School
District 4J, and Dan Bryant, pastor of the First Christian Church, took the
Turtles this year before a crowd including many former Turtle winners. Their
speeches, after intros by Gerry Gaydos, Marion Malcolm and Guadalupe Quinn,
reaffirmed the power of positive action. We need that today!
A cautionary note for future Turtles from Dan Bryant: “If you’re going to
stick your neck out, you better have a strong back.” KLCC broadcasts audio
from City Club meetings at 6:30 pm Monday following the Friday meeting. This
Friday’s topic: “Back to the Future With the Streetcar” with Bob Krebs, former
ODOT intercity rail coordinator.
• Last week we wrote about O.U.R. Federal Credit Union going into federal
conservatorship. After we went to press we heard back from the National
Credit Union Administration (NCUA) and were told the agency was not at
liberty to talk about specific problems at O.U.R. beyond the prepared statement
that went out June 24. We have learned, however, that the federal team sent
in is now auditing the credit union for poor management (such as alleged
improper loans, excessive overhead, poor bookkeeping, inadequate reporting,
etc.) and also for possible criminal activity. The FBI will further investigate any
suspected illegal shenanigans.
We hope O.U.R. just needs a tune-up and some new parts and will continue
to roll out its unique and valuable services for decades to come. If it does
dissolve (all of its 2,184 accounts are insured), we would like to see NEDCO or
some other local nonprofit fill in the gaps. The need for basic bank account
services, financial education and small business start-up loans is now greater
than ever.
• Raise the debt limit? It was a housekeeping vote seven times in the
George W. Bush administration, but now the radical GOP leadership is fearful
of its Tea Party base and is unwilling to even eliminate the outrageous tax
credits and loopholes used by billionaires to support their lavish mansions, jets
and overseas investments. As President Obama and Gov. Kitzhaber have
discovered, tax reform is extremely difficult because every tax credit comes
with a built-in lobby and paid-off lawmakers.
The Republican anti-tax rhetoric is really a smokescreen for another
agenda: dismantling public education, social services, entitlements and
environmental regulations. All these things get in the way of prosperity,
according to those who want to “take back America from the socialists.” But
conservatives would be wise to heed the growing gap between the rich and
poor. Throughout history, when the rich arrogantly oppressed too many people,
the peasants at some point grabbed their pitchforks and stormed the castles.
The equivalent today would be a huge backlash at the polls.
campaign called Rebuild the Dream. “The American
Dream used to mean something in this country,”
reads the email campaign message. “That if you put
in a hard day’s work, you could expect good American
wages, benefits, a dignified retirement, and a better
life for your kids. Everyone wasn’t in the middle class,
but everyone believed that — given a fair shot — they
could make it there. That’s the American Dream I’m
fighting for.” Information on the location of Eugene-
area meetings and how many people have signed up
for each one can be found at http://wkly.ws/12v and
people can also sign up to host their own meetings.
• Lane County Democrats are holding their eighth
annual Chili Cook-Off competition from noon to 3 pm
Sunday, July 17, at Alton Baker Park Picnic Shelter
#2. Live entertainment, food, raffle prizes, all for $5
suggested donation. Contact cronin@uoregon.edu or
call (503) 927-8189. The next monthly meeting of the
Lane County Democrats will be at 6:30 pm Thursday,
July 21, at EWEB. Contact chair@dplc.org or call 484-
5099. Dems will also be celebrating Obama’s 50th
birthday from 5 to 8 pm Thursday, Aug. 4, at an open
house for their new offices at 228 E. 11th Ave. in
Eugene. Find the DPLC newsletter at http://wkly.
ws/12x
• A free talk on “The Evolution of LEED” will be
from noon to 1 pm Tuesday, July 19, at the Eugene
Downtown Library Tykeson Room. The next major
revision of the green building rating system is due out
in 2012. Speaker is Gabe Cross of New Axiom, LLC.
RSVP to eugene@cascadiagbc.org or call Jenna at
682-5541.
EUGENE WEEKLY JULY 14, 2011 9