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<br /> • Whiteaker area: Officials postpone the closure _ u' >, b ° >' �' _ a a>
<br /> h other options. _ .3 ~ A :; 3 .0 ;~:
<br /> so that a task force can weigh P •-bo.c - a , a," a, ai
<br /> By ERIC MORTENSON ti) . v >, 3 w: • The Register-Guard r _fit � � r 3 a, .0 m zi .0 c" a o o s. o . m e
<br /> g Tro park n :4:3 ' w tn c _ ° N 0 •
<br /> A half -dozen tents sprouted from o 0 0 >
<br /> q The dtii m�teinpararil close Clr:` C 3 0 ° v o 0 ; ,c, > t :,> , �; ,
<br /> pie grass at Scobert Park in west .. one acne Scobert dark- because of N 0. : >; a 3 c N o., ';
<br /> Eugene Tuesday and two dozen peo- i>r�ie and.thei problems..•' of ti o 2 a• Q - N 2 = ° 3 .. ' -
<br /> pie took up temporary residence as r t`+�xtrs � x tit ri p't.. (^,. i x > r - x 05 0 T n a ° -0 = 0 E
<br /> city officials, neighbors and bedrag- )t- :c ,V o •:.
<br /> C).•-• ° `° N ° o ° o 3 °'
<br /> gled activists negotiated the park's Ii1 �`; fl � 3 s'x? 2 - ef'
<br /> Y +''-' o x a, o a, , a,
<br /> fate. i 2 2N . '4 .\"•x „z a,•,.} % �. • c � - c o o v E a, o a, a, .c .n c o a 0. >, ° 0
<br /> .s 9 . ;�, ? a '-' 0 Q) . al .SC U ...., N c rn w.. •0 >, T A c °, W
<br /> The city announced last week ir= E °4 4, x� e •, ° c - :522" �, c � o
<br /> F?fn 4 4� `�` co c $-. .5-' ° _ --- ° 23wcoco c, •o • ,3a
<br /> that it would close the park for three rr? , Eugene iA`� • f >" 7 ''r Z. c — m 0 0 c . _ 0 g ? ro a, p o E h c c a
<br /> months beginning Monday because . • :I_+ tyfb13 'ea** c o c � - c ` v ° ", o ti o o ° 05 ofl 0 3 on
<br /> of neighbors' complaints about i " S ` - -; .- y,., S c o be r t i 0 a • 0 o ° g � o 0 ° c 0 ° ° - ° — c
<br /> drunks, drug users and people uri- i 71i A ' ': Park o c ° �,' y c " ° o > .SC ' ; o 0.
<br /> nating' in the park shrubbery. + ia k o� ° ra�� <,. ° °.> ° c L. ° E E ° �' ° c > ° co
<br /> p2 N�yoE �r / 3 W0 .. . -- - p % o a ,_ 3 C1. a ` > cy v i m
<br /> . But city officials agreed. Monday .a[Myo ti.:x:: t0i 1 0 . >, o . . C �n . as •• y a., o y .0 o A 3 p
<br /> night to delay the closure for a week TOM PENIX / the Reglster�uard y a m a °v °[� °o >, = L = Z 0 0 o A _' g c -t,.. i
<br /> to give an informal task force time 0 c 0 E = "' o — > Y 3 c c o -.2 o . °' •3 8 y ?, N
<br /> to pursue other options. In the mean- People using the park Tuesday ca 3 c% > 8 0 c y a 2 y e o c 0 K
<br /> time, activists occupied the park gave the issue a different spin, say- --• o m a y o ,- .... N >, c a co =' w " c c 3 " c W tn = c "=.' overnight and hoisted a banner read- ing that closing parks is an ineffec- a , c ¢ rn c ova; 1... rq r IS N D, c N c4 o c, :o .- E c c °''
<br /> E
<br /> o p c.) t o . F o — c' cu ° c Q , E
<br /> ing "Save Our Public Space." five way to combat crime. a >° ° 3 co o o °>. ° 2 7 2 o 0 °_' o °
<br /> Community organizers will hold On a deeper level, they believe
<br /> another meeting at 7 tonight in the the city is targeting spaces used by w > .n �, o - • 3 •o E U •° `' .r a, b ., ai c g
<br /> Whiteaker Elementary School cafe transients and others with alterna c --- o - 2 y o w 3 ' c v o ; o .C2 cu c 3
<br /> o -. y N o as E. 0 x b c •v o •° �. a Q ° ,� o o
<br /> teria. tive lifestyles. They pointed to the a
<br /> Scobert Park is on West Fourth November 1995 closure of tiny West c Oi .. *- o .- ,.- ,, c c a, _ . _
<br /> University Park on 14th Avenue as c an n . a 0 ° c a c E 0." °
<br /> Avenue just west of Blair Boulevard. �' o o E a o a, >•,.., c b }, c c ; ° _ u c g
<br /> another example. o . -7, 6 ° c ° *• c a ° °,
<br /> Although statistics on the number of Meanwhile, a pair of University U - -o co 3 t. 7:, -v 2 °3 3 c v, -0 ` m o.
<br /> police calls in the area weren't avail - c 3 i c
<br /> c g >, >, > c ° o — o a n � F.
<br /> of Oregon landscape architecture in- a > c ci,
<br /> able Tuesday, Eugene police say the �, , c - c - 43 n c , ° c
<br /> park has been plagued by problems structors said park closures are rare o c N ° o o '6—.5. g .°c . > >, ° o d .0
<br /> and pose public policy risks. c o o o a, o E •-• ,
<br /> c 3-. .c CD , c .� a, >, v
<br /> loitering littering, vandalism, n o o ,n "' • E E . � o W x Q, ... o N 3 c r o ,o
<br /> drug use, drinking and the like. "Parks can and have historical) o ° a; 3 E c 3
<br /> But the closure request came played a central role in the well-
<br /> Y o n� c oc. c a, oo -- -
<br /> C N w c O U 0 d . _ �. p , o b L" q, o
<br /> lm the Whiteaker Community being of neighborhoods and, writ U
<br /> � �, .= -,7, -, -1-• u o y .c „ •, -5- ° y � ° °� E E 2 a, a - 0 Y o c ° s o o � = 0 , o o � 7 > w
<br /> large, in the well -being of cities,' As- r: Li .cc, o ., - .Q, — „ ° -, c ° c b 7' c 0 7., o o • E
<br /> �uncil, not police, sector command- sist Professor Stan Jones said. h'�"i o 8 a m : o ( �. =: ° 2' 3 o E a 0 .0 .0
<br /> er Lt. Tom Brett emphasized. "One problem can be that in dos- "It became a park where every- P
<br /> body wanted to hang out," Brett said. ing a park, you create more of a
<br /> "The conduct got to be more than vacuum in that area for other things
<br /> the neighbors could stand." Turn to PARK, Page 2D
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