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Mr. Pape, commented, regarding facilities.improvements at the Hult Center'for. the Performing Arts, that <br />the list of capital improvements was too costly to come from the General Fund. He agreed that aproject -- <br />such as the roof was unavoidable but asked if there were other ways to pay for the rest. Mr. Svendsen <br />replied that the Hult Center had never generated enough income to fund building preservation projects and <br />such projects had always been supported by the General Fund. <br />Mr. Pape opined that problems with preservation and maintenance at the Hult Center facility should be <br />addressed in an ongoing way so that they do not become emergencies. Mr. Svendsen responded that there <br />were a number of speck Hult Center projects that were not directly preservation related but rather were <br />backstage related things such as the orchestra pit elevator. He indicated that patron user .fees (PUF) would <br />fund that sort of improvement. <br />Ms. Taylor, seconded by Mr. Kelly, moved to extend Mr. Pape's time to <br />speak. The motion carried unanimously, 15:0. <br />Regarding the proposed replacement of the Laurelwood Golf Course Maintenance Building on page 86, <br />Mr. Pape pointed out that the City Council had yet to discuss whether the City wanted to keep the golf <br />course. <br />III. .BREAK <br />Mr. Mulligan called fora 10 minute break at 6:56 p.m. <br />IV. ROAD FUND OPERATIONS OVERVIEW <br />Public Works Department director, Kurt Corey, provided the overview presentation. He rioted that the <br />local gas tax increase benefited capital preservation of the roads. He said the backlog of street preservation <br />projects had greatly increased, due in part to the freezes and thaws the City had experienced over the last <br />several years. <br />Regarding street lighting, Mr. Corey noted that the City needed to discuss whether the Road Fund was a <br />sustainable means of providing such lighting into the future given the dramatically rising cost of energy. <br />He added that the City had achieved significant energy savings through its installation of light emitting <br />diode (LED) traffic lights. <br />Mr. Corey said the urban forestry/tree maintenance services used to be a General Fund activity, but had <br />been transferred to the Road Fund. He acknowledged that there had been public criticism for using this <br />funding for urban forestry activities. However, he averred it was important to discuss why this funding <br />was appropriate. He underscored the benefits. of the urban forest, as one mature tree could take as much as <br />4,000 gallons of stormwater runoff in one year. He said that in addition to adding to the livability of the <br />City, trees also reduced energy costs and reduced ultraviolet damage to pavement. He noted the current <br />tree maintenance backlog.. <br />Mr. Corey discussed fund forecast key assumptions. He said while the City currently forecasted that the <br />County/City Road partnership would continue to provide $1.2 million, more recent conversations at the <br />County had suggested that sustaining that level could be problematic. <br />.MINUTES-Eugene Budget Committee February 7, 2005 Page 8 <br />