The Downtown Neighborhood Association

Fall 2009 Newsletter

I think Sherrill said she wanted everything by Oct 29 if we're going to use the newsletter as a November meeting announcement.

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Permalink Reply by Liz on October 27, 2009 at 6:52pm

Posted for fact-checking and general commentary. I want to put Tom's name on this too since most of what's here are issues he raised at the last SC.

Raising the bar at the bars

There's nothing wrong with a little partying. Practically everyone in Eugene knows that the intersection of Broadway and Olive is a party mecca, with a lively street scene and a half-dozen or so bars and nightspots. But the flip side is the effect partying has on the larger downtown community. There's lots more to downtown than the bars.

As downtown residents, how can we prevent bar patrons from trashing our neighborhood and lowering our quality of life? This issue will intensify in the coming months as more bars open and more housing is planned.

We're thrilled that the City Council approved extra funding for a late-night police bike patrol, since a quick drive-through by a police cruiser really doesn't provide enough security downtown. But we don't see the bike patrol very much along Broadway where so many of the problems happen, such as the altercation that killed Andrew Hopkins last July or the cruel attack on a homeless man last month. And Broadway is also where most of the partying goes on.

We also don't see the bike patrol enforcing the citywide 10 p.m. noise ordinance. In fact, an officer will only address a noise problem if a citizen calls to complain about it, and response time is typically at least half an hour. But noise problems downtown are too numerous and often too mobile for such a slow response. Why can't noise problems downtown be addressed by the police as they arise? Why should drunken bar patrons yelling, playing drums, or blasting car stereos at 2:00 a.m. be permitted to disturb downtown residents when it isn't tolerated elsewhere?

Some responsibility for disorderly behavior also lies with the bars themselves. Standards of customer behavior that are respectful of other downtown businesses as well as downtown residents need to be set and enforced by the bars. At present, only Davis' has regular security staff during its nightclub hours. As new bars open, let's encourage all of the bar owners to similarly do their part to keep downtown liveable.

Permalink Reply by Liz on October 27, 2009 at 7:05pm

LTD article response

Sherrill, for what it's worth, here's some extra words if you need them.

Lynn, thank you for your response. Andy Vobora of LTD also posted a response on our website (look for the discussion "LTD issues"), where he essentially said that LTD is already stretched to the breaking point in terms of vehicles, personnel, and funding. And of course nobody wants new taxes to pay for LTD expansion.

I have no doubt that LTD is doing the best it can under straitened circumstances. But it's still my opinion that if LTD truly does want to dramatically increase "choice ridership"--those riders who have other transportation options--then they have a responsibility to prioritize making LTD a more attractive option for that ridership. If more people see public transit as a viable alternative to driving, it will be a lot easier for LTD to get the tax funding it needs to develop a truly usable system. A regular ridership of only 7% in a liberal, eco-conscious city like Eugene is unacceptably low.

Permalink Reply by Barbara Lynne Schwartz on November 9, 2009 at 10:28am

This is my first time on this website. Can you tell me how to find Mr. Vobora's response? (I'm looking for LTD Issues and apparently don't know where to search for this discussion.)
Thanks!
Lynne Schwartz

Permalink Reply by Liz on November 9, 2009 at 11:36am

Barbara,

Thanks for joining eugeneDNA! You can either type "LTD issues" into the searchbar in the upper right corner, or if you go to the main page and click "View All" under "Discussions," it's on the second page. We really need to clean up the discussion list...

Permalink Reply by Sherrill Necessary on October 27, 2009 at 8:14pm

That is correct. I've added Liz's article and posted the newsletter as it looks today. Will has committed to his letter to the city, but I haven't heard from JD. With those two pieces, we have a great newsletter. Unless someone comes along with a neighborhood project or a list of holiday events, I suggest we leave those out.

Attachments:

Fall09 DNA newsletter.pdf, 472 KB

Permalink Reply by J.D. Olsen on October 28, 2009 at 4:11am

Sorry, I've been rather busy with work recently.

The news from the security front is that I really don't HAVE any news. I'm REALLY struggling to come up with anything worthwhile. I haven't heard ANYTHING one way or the other about the efficacy of the exclusion ordinance, etc., with the exception that the cops like having it as a "tool in their toolbox." My understanding is that relatively few people have been banned; I don't know the stats on how many of those stay away, though, which is really the key statistic. The summer-centric extra staff EPD stationed downtown have returned to their regular duties, so patrols are below the level they were over the summer, but that's the only real thing I've heard from that quarter.

Permalink Reply by Sherrill Necessary on October 28, 2009 at 1:03pm

Since the article is really a status and not a position piece or editorial, I think the couple things you listed will be enough. It is more than I knew a couple minutes ago.

Permalink Reply by Sherrill Necessary on November 2, 2009 at 11:20am

The Fall '09 newsletter featuring an article on Downtown bars is attached below.

Fall 2009 Newsletter

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