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COREY Kurt A From: FINNEY Kevin P Sent: Wednesday, January 21, 2004 8:50 PM To: *Eugene Delta Ponds Subject: Delta Ponds Project Update' In the several months since we last updated the *Eugene Delta Ponds list on the project's progress we have reached several significant project milestones including: • The City and the Army Corps of Engineers have signed the Project Cooperation Agreement, the legal document which describes the extent of the project and commits the two partners to funding their share of the restoration and recreation improvements. • The Army Corps has completed the first round of draft design drawings and City staff have reviewed and commented on them. We expect to see plans at about the 90% stage by the end of next month. • The City has hired Lauri Mullen as the Delta Ponds Vegetation Enhancement Coordinator. Ms. Mullen will work with City and Corps staff over the next two years to eradicate invasive plants in the project area and to ensure the success of the subsequent native plantings. • The Delta Ponds Tech Team has been organized and has been meeting regularly for several months. The team members include Trevor Taylor, Lauri Mullen, Carolyn Weiss, Michelle Cahill and Kevin Finney. Lorna Baldwin and Jesse Cary-Hobbs, in addition to other City staff, continue to provide important support to the Tech Team. • Over twenty business owners, community service groups, public agencies, and neighborhood groups have signed the Declaration of Cooperation for the Delta Ponds Project. The Declaration of Cooperation, a statement of support for, and commitment to, the Delta Ponds project, was drawn up and facilitated by the Governor's Oregon Solutions team at the request of Mayor Torrey. Upcoming milestones and ongoing work on the project include: • A contract for invasive species removal work will be let by the Army Corps of Engineers this spring. City staff have mapped the invasive and high-value native habitat areas in ponds system and will be working with the Corps and their contractor to ensure the success of this important aspect of the restoration work. • City and Corps staff continue to work together to refine the designs for the trails, parking areas, overlooks, enhancement benches and footbridges. • The public hearing for the Willamette Greenway permit and zone change request, required for the project, will be held on January 28 at 5 p.m. in the Sloat Room in the Atrium Building, 99 West 10th Avenue. All contacts between project staff and the public regarding these land use issues have been very positive and City planning staff have recommended that the hearings official approve the two applications. • A complete delineation of the wetlands in the 150-acre project area is underway. The field work has been completed and staff have met with Division of State Lands staff to agree upon an approach to the DSL permits required for the project. • City and Lane County staff continue to meet periodically to work on the transfer of County lands along Delta Highway for the project. The Project Team will continue to work on the following aspects of the project over the next few months: • Permits - We are preparing applications for our permits from the Water Resource Department, Division of State Lands and the City of Eugene (building permits). We will submit the WRD and DSL applications once we have received the necessary design details from the Army Corps of Engineers. • FEMA issues -Project staff are working with a consulting engineering firm to resolve any possible issues related to construction in or near floodways • Final Design -Staff will continue to work with the Corps team to refine the design for the restoration and recreation improvements. Please contact me or other Project Tech Team members if you have questions about the Delta Ponds project. Thanks for your interest in the project. 1 _ _