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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 27, 2016)
NEWS B Y K E L LY K E N O Y E R NEW UO PLANS MAY END INDIAN RESTAURANT Scientific Impact project will displace Evergreen Indian Cuisine T he University of Oregon Foundation is planning a new building for scientific research, but in the process, its plans may destroy a nearby restaurant, Evergreen Indian Cuisine. The UO’s newly announced billion-dollar proj- ect, the Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact, is billing itself as a great opportunity for undergrads to work in labs with professors and post-docs. The project will be funded primarily by a $500 million do- nation by Phil Knight and matched donor money. But squarely in the path of the planned construction is Evergreen. The Best of Eugene award-winning Indian res- taurant now faces an uncertain and unplanned future de- spite 10 years in its current location. Usha Shaik, co-owner of the family business, says Evergreen signed a five-year lease in February and immediately began remodeling. “After we signed up, we got new booths, new tables and we got new tiles recently.” She says the tiles themselves cost almost $20,000. Altogether, Evergreen’s remodels since February have cost $50,000 to $60,000, Shaik says. Evergreen, which leases directly from the University of Oregon Foundation, has always had a good relationship with the UO, Shaik says: “They always give us heads-up notice, and they always took care of us very well.” That wasn’t the case with this recent plan, however. Shaik didn’t hear about the news till the day before it hit the press. She says she was told, “Don’t get shocked,” and to “wait un- til tomorrow.” The family didn’t find out what exactly could happen to their restaurant until they got their hands on The Register-Guard at 5 am the next morning, Oct. 18. Tobin Klinger, senior director of Public Affairs Com- • On Oct. 28 there will be a free TEDTalk, TEDxVenetaWomen, from 8 am to 2 pm at the Applegate Regional Theater. The free event will include nine live talks by local women, interspersed with previously recorded TEDTalks from TEDWomen 2016, held the previous day in San Francisco, with which it is affiliated, according to Jennifer Chambers, a local organizer for the event. Chambers says the regional theme is “Use The Time You’re Given,” to play on the national TEDWomen slogan this year, “It’s About Time.” Speakers include Danuta Pfeiffer, Beth Robinson, Liz Vollmer-Buhl, Leigh Anne Jasheway, Megan Malone, Pat Edwards, Eilidh Lowery, Evelyn Hess and Kathleen Cremonesi. Subjects include grief and mediation, the importance of play, the power of place, as well as mindfulness, integrity and race. For more info, visit tedxvenetawomen.com. USHA SHAIK’S FAMILY-OWNED EVERGREEN INDIAN FOOD WILL BE DISPLACED BY THE UO’S NEW PROJECT munications at UO, says that nothing about the building is finalized yet. He says the UO is in the “early stages” of working with people who own pieces of the property or have leases “to come up with mutually agreeable circum- stances for the future, but we’re probably about a year out from putting shovels in the ground.” Asked about any news for the businesses that will be affected by the construction, Klinger says, “All I can say is that we’re early in the process and we’re having those conversations with them.” Shaik says she still isn’t sure what will happen to her restaurant, and as of press time, she still hasn’t heard any- thing else from the UO. Her biggest hope is that the school will give Evergreen a spot in the new building, but she would at least like to hear details about when construc- tion will start and how Evergreen will be reimbursed for its five-year lease. “Otherwise we can’t do anything, and we have a huge family in the back; they work,” she says. “They don’t know what to do; they are sad because they can’t find a job because they are not educated. It would be the whole family out of a job.” When asked about these options, Klinger says, “We’re way too early; we haven’t even started to think about spe- cific plans.” Shaik says she loves the current location where Ever- green gets plenty of extra business from students and dur- ing campus-related events. She says she even hopes that her young son, Goush, can someday attend the UO for a STEM degree, perhaps even in the new building. But without more details from the UO, she says she doesn’t know what will happen to her family’s future in Eu- gene. “We haven’t been sleeping at all this week,” she says. will be a square dance for all ages and skill levels as well as sack races, games, food and drink, and a costume contest. Admission is $10-$30 (sliding scale). The hoedown takes place at Quiet Camp, 24580 Suttle Road in Veneta, and there will be free camping onsite. More information at forestdefensenow.com. THE ANCIENT FOREST HOEDOWN IS OCT. 29 • “Doty & Coyote: Stories from the Native West” is 7 pm Friday, Oct. 28, at the UO Baker Downtown Center, 975 High Street. Join the Lane County Historical Museum in welcoming Native American storyteller Thomas Doty for an evening of traditional and original stories from Oregon. Event is FREE to the public. • The University of Oregon Western Equestrian team is hosting an open barn and silent auction as its first fundraiser of the year. Jessica Barker tells EW, “As our team grows, it is important to us that we can provide equal opportunity for everyone regardless of their background. The proceeds of the silent auction will go towards transportation, team dues and hotel accommodations.” She says, “It is our goal this year to create a better connection with the Eugene community and I believe this event is just the starting point.” The event is 2 to 5 pm Saturday, Oct. 29, at 82847 E. Cloverdale Road in Creswell. Auction starts at 2:30 pm. • The 13th Annual Ancient Forest Hoedown is 6 to 11 pm Saturday, Oct. 29. The Slippery Slope String Band performs and Cascadia Forest Defenders say there • Eugene members of Health Care for All Oregon say if you “want to find out more about the downfalls of our health insurance system and the potential savings from a more efficient universal publicly funded system we invite Democrats and Republicans alike to watch a screening of a new documentary, Now Is the Time.” The showing is 7 pm Tuesday, Nov. 1, in the main room of the First United Methodist Church, 1376 Olive Street. No charge but donations will be appreciated. • Panel registration and table request forms for the March 2-5 2017 Public Interest Environmental Law Conference (PIELC) at the UO Law School are now online. The panel form is at goo.gl/cqi5fN and the table form is at goo.gl/h0PKEd. Panel submissions close Jan. 20, 2017. eugeneweekly.com • October 27, 2016 9
