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.