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WILLIAM VAN VACTOR <br />Lane County'Administrator <br />September 6, 1995 <br />WP c4zvv /92/M <br />Mr. Mike Gleason, City Manager <br />City of Eugene <br />777 Pearl Street <br />Eugene, OR 97401 <br />Dear Mike: <br />On May 2, 1995, the Lane County Board of Commissioners received request from <br />the Friends of Delta Ponds asking that the Delta Ponds /Debrick.Slough area be <br />designated as a nature park and that the City and County work cooperatively to <br />manage the ponds for this purpose. The Friends also requested that a park <br />planning process similar to the one used for East Alton Baker Park be initiated <br />by the County and the City. The Board directed staff to review the County's <br />ownership in the area and recommend what type of involvement the County should <br />have in managing the proposed park. <br />County staff has reviewed our ownership in the area and has reported this <br />information to the Board. The County owns two lots in the vicinity of Delta <br />Ponds, consisting of approximately 11 acres. In addition, the County owns <br />several acres of road right -of -way adjacent to Delta Highway. Due to budget and <br />staffing limitations, County staff has recommended to the Board that the County <br />convey the 11 acres to the city. Some of the road right -of -way property could <br />also be considered for conveyance, but this issue will take significant <br />discussion and evaluation by both the city and county. <br />The County Parks Division does not have the staff to administer a planning study <br />of the park or to co- manage the park with the city. Consequently, County staff <br />has also recommended that the County should not be involved in the management <br />and /or planning of the park. <br />Bob Keefer, County Parks Manager, has met with Johnny Medlin, John Etter, and Hal <br />Gausman of the city's Public Works Department to discuss the proposed Delta Ponds <br />Mature Park in more detail. Also attending the meeting were representatives of <br />the Friends of Delta Ponds. City staff were supportive of the park concept and <br />the acquisition of the county lands. However, they could not pursue the project <br />much further without the support and direction of the City Manager's office and <br />the City Council. Please let me know if the City wants to pursue the acquisition <br />of the county lands in the Delta Ponds area and if the City wants to manage the <br />Delta Ponds as a nature park as proposed by the Friends of Delta Ponds. If the <br />City wants to pursue the acquisition further, county staff will be willing to <br />work cooperatively with city staff to move the conveyance to the property <br />forward. <br />PUBLIC SERVICE BUILDING 1125 EAST 8TH AVENUE /EUGENE. OR 97401 657 -4203 J F4X (503) 687 -3803 <br />