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Eugene's Parks and Open Space Division Receives National and International Recognition The month of June brought two special recognitions to the City of Eugene's Parks and Open Space Division. It received an Honorable Mention in the U.S. Conference of Mayors City Livability Awards for cities over 100,000 in population and special recognition from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and Center for Disease Control and Prevention 'CDC) International Active Cities Contest. The U.S. Conference of Mayors recognized Eugene's parks and open space program for improving the quality of life for its residents and Mayor Jim Torrey for his leadership role in establishing the Mayors Committee for Parks and Open Space that resulted in the 1998 bond measure. First place went to the City of Chicago while Boston, Orlando, Pittsburgh, and Virginia Beach received "Outstanding Achievement" recognition. Eugene is one of five communities that received an honorable mention. PAHO and CDC recognized Eugene for the"preservation of green areas in a pedestrian-friendly city"and providing its residents with diverse opportunities to actively enjoy parks and open space. Over 140 cities from North America and Latin America submitted applications. While Eugene was one of only six North American communities that applied, only two made it through the rigorous preselection process, and Eugene was the only U.S. community to be recognized. Surrey, British Columbia, in Canada received the highest honor for a North American city. PAHO and CDC sponsored the Active Cities Contest to celebrate World Health Day 2002 and promote an active lifestyle as one of the best ways to prevent disease, manage stress, bolster self-esteem, provide opportunities for social interaction, and enhance mental health and alertness. The h ;alth agencies cite lack of physical activity as a serious public health problem leading to adverse impacts on health and increased health care costs. For information about the U.S. Conference of Mayors City Livability Awards, visit www.usmayors.org/70thAnnualMeeting/madisonlivability_061502.asp. For information about the Active Cities Contest or World Health Day, visit the CDC webpage at www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/worldhealth/contest.htm. For more information about the city's applications, contact Carolyn Weiss, Parks Planner, at 682-4914. Questionnaire About Parks Website Available on Web Parks and Open Space technical staff created and recently launched a web-based questionnaire to poll users about the parks website. The questionnaire, along with other information gathering-strategies, is a key part of an effort to make the site more user-friendly. The questionnaire asks people visiting the site why they visited the site, whether or not they found the information they were looking for, what they liked least and best about the site, and how they might improve the site. People filling out the questionnaire also have the opportunity to rate the site on a scale from 1 to 10 and give contact information if they choose. Information gathered from the questionnaire, along with the results from other surveys being conducted in the division and research, will provide the basis for a proposal to redesign the site, with an emphasis on making the site more organized, easy to navigate, aesthetically appealing, and technically engaging. To access the questionnaire, visit www.ci.eugene.or.us/Forms/pos/q_nnaire.asp or go to the City's homepage, then follow the links to"Parks"and "questionnaire." For more information about this project, contact Parks and Open Space Public Information Specialist Therese Picado at 682-4814. For more information about the technical aspects of designing the questionnaire, contact Support Technician Bob Blanchard at 682-4889. I THIS WEEK 06/20 Th 4:30pm All Invited Downtown Plan Open House Equitable Building, One E. Broadway 06/20 Th 7:30pm SM,GP,PF RR/SC Urban Services Committee River Road Park District, Rm. C EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 3 June 20,2002 cc020620.wpd