New Search
02/28/02 11:47 FAX 541 984 4724 EWEB PUB.AFFAIRS Lf002 <br /> January 16, 2002 <br /> kik • .J0 1 ' - <br /> Marty Douglas, Public Affairs Manager <br /> Eugene Water and Electric Board <br /> 500 E. 4th Ave. <br /> Friends of Eugene, OR 97401 <br /> Rasor Park Dear Mr. Douglas, <br /> 202 Hawthorne - <br /> Eugene, OR 97404 I am writing to you on behalf of the Friends of Rasor Park. Rasor Park is a ten - <br /> acre City of Eugene park in the lower River Road neighborhood. Ours is an all <br /> volunteer group that has been actively working for over six years to preserve this <br /> Willamette Greenway site as open space and to restore it as a. higher quality natural <br /> area. I have attached a publication we produced last year that describes more about <br /> the park and the history of our group's restoration and public education efforts. I <br /> am writing to ask if EWEB might be able to assist our efforts by donating the <br /> installation of a water meter and spigot at Rasor Park. <br /> The City has recently completed a Master Plan for the park. The plan calls for the <br /> park to become a "demonstration" of prairie- savanna restoration, and also to <br /> include interpretive signs or kiosks with information about native plants and <br /> animals, protection of water quality and salmon, and more. Our group hopes to use <br /> the park to promote public education about the benefits of landscaping with native <br /> plants to reduce the need for water, fertilizers, and pesticides. <br /> As part of the initial phases of implementation of the Master Plan, we hope to <br /> STEERING Ct)MMITTFF. undertake a major new round of native tree and shrub planting (up to 280 new trees <br /> Kathleen Allison and shrubs) at the park this planting season (e.g:, in the next few months). The <br /> Joan Connolly City will allow us to proceed with this planting if our group agrees to water the <br /> k'oh Handy <br /> Julie Hulme new plants as needed through their establishment period (i.e., through the first two <br /> Dennis Lueck summers). <br /> Steven Mueller <br /> Becky Riley <br /> Jim Wolter For the past four years, we have relied on the use of water from neighboring <br /> property owners' spigots to water new plantings in the park. We have carried the <br /> water to the park via long strings of hoses, bucket brigades, and even pickup trucks <br /> loaded with (sloshing) buckets. At 81bs. per gallon, this means we've hauled forty <br /> pounds of water from off the site for each watering of each of nearly 100 plants - -a <br /> lot of work! We have managed this feat so far, but more extensive plantings are <br /> planned for this year. Access to water will be a key factor in determining whether <br /> we will be able to carry out this new plan. <br /> City parks planners have told us that they will not be able to provide water at the <br /> park at this time - -the Master Plan has been completed, but there are no funds <br /> budgeted to cover installation of water or associated SDC charges. In fact, given <br /> other budget and scheduling constraints- -the City will be busy for several more <br /> years completing work planned and funded under the recent parks bond measure- - <br /> the implementation of the Rasor Park plan will likely remain a largely volunteer <br />