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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 28, 2014)
LET TERS NO PLACE FOR INDUSTRY I often disagree with Bob Emmons’ editorial opinions; however, his Viewpoint in the Aug. 21 issue concerning Seavey Loop is right on the money. Based on my years as business development officer for Business Oregon as well as over a decade working on a variety of natural resource and land use issues, I believe Seavey Loop is no place to put industry. The Seavey Loop area is just fine the way it is and it should be left alone. As a senior policy advisor to former governor Barbara Roberts, I had the good fortune to spend some time, on several occasions, chatting with Hector McPherson, the father of Senate Bill 100. We talked about the bill and his motivations for working so hard to get it passed, and why the bill was important. I have no doubt that Seavey Loop is just exactly the kind of place that SB100 was created to protect from urban sprawl. I respect both Sen. Lee Beyer and Rep. Phil Barnhart. I know them both and know that they are hard-working legislators. I will continue to support them both. However, in this case, I find that I must respectfully disagree with their positions on the industrialization of Seavey Loop. Every once in awhile there comes a time and place where people just need to draw the line and say enough is enough. I believe the time is now and Seavey Loop is just such a place. Bob Warren Eugene RIGHT TO KNOW GMO As the debate about GMOs heats up further in Oregon, there is a disproportionate amount of chatter on one side of the issue. Outside supermarkets, petitioners tell passing people lies about we all know are just a touch above child pornographers. Imagine my surprise when a security person (or an usher?) came out of the show, went right up to one of the scalpers and handed him free tickets! In front of us! So that’s how they run it: The people at the arena want to make more money, so they give free tickets to the scalpers and split the profits. What an ugly racket. Jared Wolfsen Eugene FRACTURED NEIGHBORHOOD transgenic technology, using fear to get them to sign a proposition for labeling. They inundate social media and rallies with buzz terms and pictures of rats with tumors. All of this on a very basic principle: We have a right to know. I’m not going to discuss the merits of that. But what I will do is point out the worst offender. OregonRightToKnow.org and the attached Facebook group have systematically been censoring any debate on the topic of food safety, even from informed plant geneticists and biology experts. A small farmer who teaches sustainability and embracing all forms of farming had his posts removed and banned despite him being very patient and courteous. DESIGN MATTERS So my message is this: Be critical of sources. Look at the issue with a careful eye. Don’t buy into fear websites. Make the decision for yourself with all the information, not just what the anti-GMO zealots will let you see. Jeff Holiday Eugene SCALPING SCAM My partner and I recently tried to attend the Steve Winwood/Tom Petty concert at Matthew Knight Arena. We were out front looking for inexpensive tickets, along with about six other people. I was asking politely and reminding all who entered to have a good show. The only people selling tickets were the scalpers, who as BY JERRY DIE THEL M Just Like Old Times RAZING THE OLD CITY HALL AND RAISING THE NEW I t’s slowly dawning on people who have been busy at other things that our old block-sized City Hall is about to be torn down and replaced by a quarter-block sized structure with a three- quarter block surface parking lot. I’ve been critical of the process because I think the proposed City Hall is too small, in the wrong place and will force the removal of an historic building that can still be reasonably remodeled and repurposed. Repurposing the old building would preserve a $40+ million public investment in the present structure and its full block of structured parking. Leasing out a renewed, rebuilt and updated building would also go a long way to recovering the $1.2 million yearly 4 A ugust 28, 2014 • eugeneweekly.com “Looking Forward to Breaking Ground in September” proclaims an advertisement for Oakleigh Meadow Cohousing. Breaking the ground, the meadow and the community are exactly what will happen if OMC continues. Natural spaces like Oakleigh Meadow are rare and protecting them is vital to the health of waterways, green space and living things. When the meadow was for sale, I was relieved when it was bought by folks who seemed to be thoughtful about smart growth and the importance of preserving green space. I was hopeful when a vision was put forth for thoughtful community housing that would enhance the greenway. But the land is now in the hands of people intent on a development that will destroy the meadow and the community. The neighborhood is seriously fractured and the meadow’s in jeopardy of being filled in. OMC’s development is not healthy for the community or the greenway. I urge the landowners to re-think their housing proposal and work with community members to preserve Oakleigh Meadow. Together, we could put the land into public ownership and find a sensible place for the housing project. I would give my time and money cost of renting space for the downtown services now widely distributed around the city. I’m also critical of the city manager’s and Eugene City Council’s adopted strategy of thinking big but starting out small, using the $11 million on hand, $1 million of which would go to demolition and another $1 million to fill in the site and build the parking lot. The $9 million that’s left buys little more than offices for the manager and council and a rebuilt council chamber. It probably won’t be enough to afford a prudent fourth floor or the solar and other green energy enhancements that everyone expects. Also problematic is the proposed think-big second phase, which is intended to add a much larger $40 million to $80 million office companion and bring back some of the farmed-out services to a City Hall campus. It seems unlikely ever to be built. And where would that leave us if it is not? Better to try to build a mid-size project from the start on the site above a restored North Park Block with its Farmers and Saturday Market Square and squeeze one more round of life out of our old City Hall. And speaking of where would that leave us, wouldn’t it be prudent to wait to tear down the present building until there is an actual final design and real bids, not just construction manager cost estimates for its construction? Real project costs can often disappoint and send projects sideways. And if they come in too high, it would then be just like old times downtown with another do over and another sad and empty block. This looks like a case of too little too early rather than too little too late. Jerry Diethelm of Eugene is an architect, landscape architect and planning and urban design consultant.
