Eugene weekly., March 24, 2022, Page 6, Image 6

news
EWEB has also been involved in updates regarding poten-
tial levee construction. Unlike SUB, which relies mostly
on wells, EWEB draws its water supply from the McKen-
zie River. “EWEB supports infrastructure improvements
that need to be made to keep the city of Springfi eld safe,”
Fricke says in a statement to Eugene Weekly.
LOBBYING FOR FUNDS
Vogeney estimates the entire project — including
analysis, design, construction, permitting, paperwork
for levee certifi cation and accreditation, fl ood control
structures and dealing with environmental issues and
channel migration — will come out to about $40 million.
The United Front Partners of Lane County, a group of
Lane County government offi cials who work collaboratively
to lobby for federal funding, has included the 42nd Street
Levee in its discussions since 2018, according to Fossen.
The U.S. House of Representatives included the levee in
the Water Resources and Development Act of December
2020. The legislation authorizes the USACE to complete a
“feasibility study” on the structure, which will be used “to
determine whether federal support is justifi ed,” Fossen
wrote in an email to EW. But funding for the specific
USACE program that Congress authorized is competi-
tive, Vogeney says, and the USACE wasn’t able to fund
the program during its last budget cycle.
slant
• The war in
Ukraine drags
tragically on
with no reason-
able end in sight. The city of Eugene sent
$10,000 to relief eff orts, as well as some stiff
words to Eugene’s Russian sister city Irkutsk.
The University of Oregon also condemned the
“unprovoked violence” in an email to students,
staff and faculty and included an important
reminder that the action of governments does
not reflect the actions of individuals (don’t
believe us? Just remember Donald Trump was
the U.S. president).
• If you've been escaping into Duck basket-
ball like some of us, that reverie ended March
19. University of Oregon men lost in the second
round of the National Invitational Tournament,
and the women lost in double overtime in the fi rst
round of the Big Dance. Oh well, there's always
next year. Now we can watch softball, baseball,
tennis, or maybe just go play pickleball.
• “Barriers to Latino Engagement in Lane
County” is the City Club of Eugene topic at
6
M A R C H
2 4 ,
2 0 2 2
“I think projects like this sometimes tend to get over-
looked,” says Val Hoyle, Oregon’s labor commissioner, a
U.S. Congressional candidate and Springfi eld resident.
“But it's absolutely critical, not just for Springfi eld, but
for our entire area.”
While the city waits for the study, Vogeney’s trying to
do what he can with the resources he has.
“Yes, we're lobbying through the United Front,” Vogeney
says. “We're also here at the local level. Over several years,
we're setting aside some money each year to begin our
work on the levee independent of any federal analysis or
funds. We're really trying to leverage as many diff erent
resources and capabilities as we can.”
The city of Springfi eld has put aside about $500,000
for the 42nd Street Levee so far, with some of that
money going toward staff who are currently working
on the project.
On a national level, Rep. Peter DeFazio, whose seat Hoyle
is running for, has been working to secure funding for the
levee and other local projects through the Infrastructure
Investment and Jobs Act. “I have, over the years, spent
a lot of time working closely and communicating with
Congressman DeFazio and his staff ,” Hoyle says. “And I
know that this has been a priority.”
In the meantime, Vogeney says, Springfi eld has applied
for a grant with Lane County. The entities plan on using
that money to create an emergency action plan for the
levee. Along with the county and other community stake-
holders, Vogeney says the city is working to develop
emergency notifi cation protocols, plan for evacuations
and fi gure out how it can redirect water away from criti-
cal infrastructure.
Vogeney says the United Front is including the 42nd
Street Levee on its 2022 agenda and will continue to
explore other avenues for funding.
Hoyle says she’s been working to bring attention to
the project both locally and nationally — and that she’ll
continue to do so if elected to Congress. She’s been in
communication with Lane County offi cials and wants to
bolster their message. “This isn't saying, ‘Hey, look, what
I can do,’” she says. “There are a whole lot of people who
have been working on this for a long time.”
“I'm just adding my voice to those people who are doing
the work,” Hoyle adds. “I think people need to know how
important the project is.”
For Vogeney, time is of the essence. “It can take 10 years
or more to get these types of projects designed, permit-
ted and constructed,” Vogeney says. “We need a pretty
good lead time to be able to actually put all that together
and get it designed and done. And each year, there's that
risk of whether we will have that larger fl ood that could
actually put the levee at risk or cause fl ooding.” ■
noon Friday, March 25. Speakers will be Jose
W. Melendez, assistant professor of planning at
University of Oregon, and Ashley Espinoza, exec-
utive director of Lane Workforce Partnership;
the Q&A panel will be Emma Avalos and Davis
Wenzell Nieto. Watch a livestream or attend
the Friday forum at the First United Methodist
Church, 1376 Olive Street.
• Lane Community College has selected its
next president. Next to Mary Spilde’s 22 years,
Marge Hamiliton’s tenure seemed brief — but
fi ve years and a pandemic is nothing to sneeze
at! LCC’s incoming leader, Dr. Stephanie Bulger,
was announced at the March 16 LCC board meet-
ing. She comes to Eugene from her position as
vice chancellor for Instructional Services at the
San Diego Community College District California.
Bulger will be coming into a school with reduced
enrollment and budget cuts, but also one beloved
and supported by the community.
telling stories about the issues that K-12 and
higher education students face. Although we’ll
miss her reporting, we wish her the best as she
moves on with her career.
• Speaking of education, The Register-Guard
is losing its education beat reporter Jordyn
Brown. For more than three years, Brown has
kept an eye on Lane County’s education system,
• Spring has sprung and the daff odils are
blooming. Sometimes in the middle of chaos,
it’s good to note those things. And take your
allergy meds.
DR. STEPHANIE BULGER
E U G E N E W E E K LY . C O M