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Eugene Weekly : 12.24.03 Page 6 of 7 <br /> 111 City Councilor Nancy Nathanson,who opposed a new parks bond measure at an October <br /> committee meeting, according to minutes. <br /> Councilor Betty Taylor says the majority of the council appears to not want parks on the <br /> ballot next year to compete with a new$35-million police station that they want to pass. <br /> Another funding option would be higher parks system development charges. The city <br /> could spend SDCs on buying natural parks and building natural amenities and trails in <br /> existing parks, says Fred McVey,the city's SDC analyst. <br /> Eugene generates about$1 million a year in parks SDCs, McVey says. Higher rates for <br /> developers could bring in much more money. Eugene's parks SDC is the second lowest <br /> among 16 other comparable cities in the state. Salem charges almost three times more per <br /> new home and Portland charges almost twice as much. But any increase in parks SDCs <br /> will likely face stiff opposition from the homebuilders lobby. <br /> Even if another parks measure made it on the ballot,Pringle says he and many other <br /> natural parks advocates would want clear spending controls to make sure this time that it <br /> wasn't another"Trojan horse" for ball fields. "I don't think you can give this department a <br /> blank check," he says. "My level of trust has evaporated." <br /> The Battle for Amazon <br /> The city of Eugene and ball field advocates want to put two more soccer fields into <br /> Amazon Park in a wetland,but natural park advocates say Amazon has already suffered <br /> enough sports development. <br /> New parking lots,recreation centers,tennis courts, field lights, and the Amazon Parkway <br /> have all chipped away at the natural part of the park already, says Tom Pringle. "How <br /> much can this park take before it just collapses?" <br /> Sharon Blick, a local naturist who shows kids how to dip for fish and frogs in Amazon <br /> creek, says she fears that wildlife in the park is declining. "They need to do something to <br /> improve the habitat pretty soon." <br /> Instead of spending$350,000 on the new fields and thousands more on ongoing <br /> maintenance,natural Amazon advocates say the city should restore the park and wetlands <br /> with native plants,trees and a meandering creek with islands and pedestrian,bike and <br /> jogging trails,bridges and boardwalks to enjoy nature in the heart of the city. <br /> But city park staff and sports advocates say they would rather spend the money to drain <br /> and fill the low-quality wetlands. "The need for fields now is bigger than ever," Ultimate <br /> Frisbee player Corey Dingman said at a meeting last month. The park is already"pretty <br /> heavy on the natural side as compared to the active side." <br /> But natural parks advocates strongly disagree. "Amazon park has already been <br /> http://www.eugeneweekly.com/archive/12_24_03/coverstory.html 1/6/04 <br />