River Road Community Update #255

By Carleen Reilly

Coronavirus, Neighborhood Planning, and meeting cancellation. Well, dear friends, a lot has changed on the health front since my last message to you. Info about how to take care of yourself, family, friends, neighbors, and the larger community abound. Thus, I will not repeat it here. This crisis makes us particularly aware that building community connectedness is critical to health, well-being, and survival. This crisis thoroughly reveals ‘why’ ‘Community’ has been built permanently into our neighborhood planning efforts.

This link isn’t the most recent version of the draft plan, but it covers all categories. Most changes are to combine, wordsmith, and move actions from one category to the other. Please look at the Community goals, policies, and actions. Some of the critical work supports our vital services, like fire protection, water delivery, law enforcement, and emergency preparedness. https://www.eugene-or.gov/DocumentCenter/View/48190/November-2019-Draft-of-Goals-Policies-and-Actions

As a result of the virus, most community meetings have been cancelled, including our Land Use Conversations. 🙁 If you were planning to attend something, you may want to check to see if it has been cancelled.

RRCO Board meeting. Monday evening, the RRCO Board met virtually. Joshua Kielas set things up on Zoom, and members carried on! Here’s an iteration of meetings cancelled that are known:

  • Land Use Conversations
  • Affordable Housing Meeting
  • Coffee with the Chief at Black Rock
  • Mulch-a-Palooza (rescheduling uncertain)
  • Community Advisory Committee meeting was not scheduled for Spring Vacation.
  • River Road Park and Recreation District classes and activities are closed from March 14 through March 31. Reassessment will be made later. Scheduling for Spring classes continues by phone at 541-688-4052 or message through their Facebook page.

The March General meeting was discussed. Contact will be made with candidates to see if they would submit information about their qualifications and proposals for their races that could be distributed to neighbors. Another option is to hold a ‘virtual’ meeting with the neighborhood, just as the RRCO Board had, if the candidates are also willing to participate. It is time to employ 21st century technology to keep ourselves connected and make progress on our projects.

  • WEDNESDAY, March 19, 2020, 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. Let’s Talk Land: Neighborhood Plan Community Conversations. Cancelled.
  • FRIDAY, March 20, 2020, 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. Police Chief Skinner.  Cancelled. 
  • SATURDAY, March 21, 2020, 10:00 a.m. to 1:00. Mulch-A-Palooza 2020.  Cancelled.
  • TUESDAY, April 7, 2020, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Let’s Talk Land: Neighborhood Plan Community Conversations.  Cancelled.
  • SATURDAY, April 18, 2020, 11:00 to 2:00 p.m. Annual Awbrey Park Wildflower Walk and Santa Clara Community Celebration. 

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.