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i <br /> ! <br /> areas north of the butte. The open-air <br /> comfort station built for the car camp of the Also during this time, the remnants of <br /> 1920s was renamed Lamb Cottage in his buildings associated with metal forge used <br /> ~ honor. Also, around 1945, temporary by the NYA during the Camp Skinner days <br /> 'i housing was built in the area of Lincoln were converted to a park maintenance <br /> Street and Cheshire Avenue for veterans shop and headquarters near Lincoln Street <br /> ! returning from World War II. Some of these and First Avenue (an area known as <br /> i ~l structures were later converted into city "Lincoln Yard"). Other warehouse buildings <br /> ~ offices, and today house the City of Eugene were moved into the Lincoln Yard area from <br /> a ~ Facility Management Division. east of Lamb Cottage and elsewhere. <br /> Many improvements Today these buildings are still used as <br /> Year-round, citywide recreation activities storage and offices for a special unit of the N <br /> ! in Skinner Butte Park ~ <br /> were funded by began seriously in 1946 with the hiring of Eugene Police Department. Q <br /> Don January as the new full-time parks ~ <br /> ~ bond levies over superintendent. Through a cooperative In 1967, a citizen committee dubbed the ~ <br /> several decades effort with local and regional government "Metropolitan Civic Club" conducted a U <br /> and citizens groups, plans and major research and planning effort for <br /> __,i programming were developed for many Skinner Butte. This planning effort <br /> major parks in the city parks system, and stemmed from recent, dramatic changes <br /> were supported by an enthusiastic around the butte, and resulted in the largest <br /> ' I community through donations of time and public involvement effort that had been <br /> j ; <br /> materials. In 1948 a $2 million tax levy was undertaken up to that time. A host of grand <br /> passed by the voters for parks. This levy ideas were put forward at this time, in <br /> helped to fund, among other projects, the addition to a clear set of guidelines and <br /> ' ~ construction of an underground irrigation recommendations for the butte. This <br /> system, lawns, playground equipment and planning effort did not include the entire <br /> ± picnic facilities in Skinner Butte Park. park, but limited its focus to Skinner Butte <br /> I_ j itself. Although this effort probably <br /> Shortly thereafter, in 1951, another $1 catalyzed subsequent interest in the park, <br /> million dollar levy was passed. During the funding to implement the <br /> next decade, W. Riley (Tex) Matsler, the new recommendations visions never <br /> j ` ' parks superintendent, oversaw further materialized. <br /> improvements funded in part through this <br /> levy. Skinner Butte Park received two new An Environmental Awakening <br /> _ picnic areas, remodeling of Lamb Cottage, Around the 1970s, a shift in thinking began <br /> j reconstruction of roads and .sidewalks, to make its way into the planning and <br /> repair and new construction of zoo facilities, development of Skinner Butte Park. This <br /> parking areas and more lawn. The overlook shift had already begun in the late 1960s, <br /> on top of the butte was also reconstructed, and is evidenced by the guidelines and <br /> and remains much the same today. Also, recommendations ofthe Metropolitan Civic <br /> j ~ in 1955, reports also indicate that property Club planning effort that seem to show a <br /> was purchased to expand Skinner Butte community preference for values of natural <br /> Park in an area north of Cheshire Avenue beauty and passive recreation. An <br /> ~ ! and east of Lincoln Street. awakening environmental ethic and an <br /> ! awareness of dramatic changes in the park <br /> This trend of incremental improvements (e.g. invasive plant species, river health and <br /> was continued into the 1960s with the erosion) built on the earliest ideas of <br /> ~ . passage of yet another bond levy in 1961. Skinner Butte Park as a place of "natural <br /> In 1967, major improvements were beauty," and began to favor a more subtle <br /> ~ undertaken in the heart of the park near and restorative approach to park <br /> j Cheshire and Lincoln, including the development. <br /> development of a new playground, <br /> restroom and path system. This <br /> development remains largely unchanged <br /> today. <br /> <br /> ! _ <br /> I Skinner Butte Park • Master Plan 2001 33 <br /> <br />