River Road Community Update #187

By Carleen Reilly

Fall tips.

Drain irrigation systems. I asked Pat this morning if there was anything I should write about in this morning’s CRG, and he asked me to remind neighbors to drain their irrigation system so the system doesn’t freeze and lines burst. This tip comes from experience!

Leaf Pick up. A new neighbor asked me what to do with Fall leaves. First, the City and County have a leaf pick up schedule. Here’s a link. As I look at this schedule, River Road and Santa Clara are not going to have pick up until December 1 and 2. In my mind, that is much too late. Everyone is raking now because the leaves are dry and easier to rake up.

Second, a myriad uses for leaves are available: pile them on your raised beds and gardens; load them on a truck and deliver for composing to Lane Forest Products near to our neighborhood (about $4 a load, depending on the size of truck); find a friend who is composting or has a big garden to pile them on. Those nutrients are great to put back in our soils.

Ban Plastics. As a point of personal privilege, I want to cheer the European Union for banning single-use plastics by 2021. A statement struck home with me was that if no action is taken, by 2050 more plastic would be in the oceans than there are fish! How incredibly awful! Here’s a quote about the planned ban from the BBC.

“The European Parliament has voted for a complete ban on a range of single-use plastics across the union in a bid to stop pollution of the oceans.
MEPs backed a ban on plastic cutlery and plates, cotton buds, straws, drink-stirrers and balloon sticks.”

The EU hopes to fully implement the ban by 2021, but there is no reason we can’t just quit using these now! I am pleased that RRCO and many city events utilize Lane County’s or Eugene’s dishware lending service by providing tubbies of dishes and eating utensils for gathering rather than using throw-away utensils.

Here is the link to the county reuseable dishware program, which is more comprehensive than the city program.

If you are having a party and don’t have enough dishes and utensils, make arrangements with the county or city so you don’t have to throw out anything but scraps of food, which are compostable. If your organization wants to build tubbies of utensils, Kelly Bell at Lane County Recycling will assist you in scavenging for plates, bowls, cups, napkins, and eating utensils. (Kelly.BELL@co.lane.or.us)

The County also has recycling bins available for your event. If you are holding a large event, the Lane County Master Recyclers can provide volunteers to help sort various materials for recycling and composting.

Tree Pruning Demo & Mulching. October 27, 10:00 a.m.
Hosted by Jen Hornaday and Eugene Parks and Open Space, two certified arborists will demonstrate tree pruning. Trees in East Maynard Park will be mulched. Refreshments, tools, and gloves will be provided. Bring cardboard or newspapers, if you have any. Work parties by neighbors keep our parks pesticide and herbicide free. Follow East Maynard off of River Road to the West Bank Park. A small gravel area is available for parking. Bike transportation or bus are encouraged.

High(er) Speed Rail. As another point of privilege, most of you know that I have a penchant for transportation topics, and high speed rail is one item on my radar. I just received notice that a draft Environmental Impact Statement has selected a Preferred Alternative alignment. If you are interested, here is a link to learn more.

Meetings will be held between Portland and Eugene for public comment, or you can send in online comments. The Eugene meeting will be December 6, 2018, 5:00 to 7:00 p.m, Eugene Library. This is the last meeting in the series.

Affordable Housing. Our River Road project just north of the Dari Mart on Maynard is moving ahead, bit by bit. RRCO Board member extraordinaire Cameron Ewing honchoed quality outreach to neighbors and compiled an awesome document with details of what we value and amenities we want in affordable housing. Neighbors provided comprehensive information about parking concerns, access to gardening, green innovations desired, access to bike paths, opportunities for creative/artist participation, and on and on. If you want to see this document, let me know.

Three developers submitted letters to say they intend to submit proposals to potentially develop the River Road site. The proposals will be submitted November 15 and posted on the City’s website. The Evaluation Committee will meet December 12 or 14 to review the proposals.

Calendar

  • WEDNESDAY, October 24, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Community Advisory Committee PLUS interested neighbors, Reviewing neighbors’ information and draft policies about Parks and Open Spaces. Peace Presbyterian Church, Santa Clara.
  • SATURDAY, October 27, 10:00 to 1:00 p.m Tree pruning workshop at East Maynard Park.
  • THURSDAY, November 1, 7:00 p.m. Santa Clara Community Organization. Messiah Lutheran Church.
  • TUESDAY, November 6. VOTE!
  • MONDAY, November 12, 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. RRCO General Membership meeting, Integration of Neighborhood Planning and Eugene’s Climate Action Plan. River Road Annex, 1055 River Road.
  • SATURDAY, November 17, 11:00 to 2:00 p.m. Filbert Grove Work Party. Tools and snacks provided.
  • MONDAY, November 19, 7:00 to 8:30 p.m., RRCO Board meeting. River Road Annex, 1055 River Road.
  • TUESDAY, November 20, Community Advisory Committee, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. NEHS Library.
  • MONDAY, November 26?, At the Kiosk at Hillcrest, work party to remove knapweed.
  • THURSDAY, December 6, 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., Eugene Public Library
  • MONDAY, December 10, 7:00 to 8:30, RRCO Holiday Dessert Potluck, River Road Annex, 1055 River Road.
  • December, Neighborhood Planning Celebration. More information coming your way.


Disclaimer:
The RR CRG weekly messages are my personal views and interpretation of community events and neighborhood planning efforts. I am not a Board member of RRCO (River Road Community Organization); SCRRIPT (Santa Clara-River Road Implementation Planning Team) has transitioned leadership to the Community Advisory Committee (CAC); and I have never been a City employee.


Carleen Reilly has lived in the neighborhood for over 40 years. She served on the RRCO board of directors from 2007-2013, and has been involved over the years with the Joint Strategy Team (JuST), the Santa Clara-River Road Outreach and Learning project (SCRROL), and the Santa Clara-River Road Implementation Planning Team (SCRRIPT)

She publishes a weekly e-newsletter called “River Road Community Resource Group Newsletter” that focuses on land use, transportation, parks and open spaces, economic development, and Community interests as they are related to our Neighborhood Planning activities in conjunction with the Santa Clara neighborhood. If you would like to subscribe you can contact Carleen at: carleenr |at| gmail dot com.