HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020 State of the City Address_writtenPage 1
Springfield State of the City Address 2020
Springfield is ready for the future. A future that is based on Springfield’s
reputation for getting things done.
Tonight, I want to build on that reputation and frame our work and our
future in three words: vision, guts and gravitas.
Vision
I want to emphasize that the city, our partners and the community will have
every opportunity to help shape our vision and define our future going
forward.
Guts
I want to emphasize we will have to take risks and be bold to get where we
want to go. We are on the cusp of taking our city to new heights. Making
full use of our rich diversity of community members and the grit that is a
hallmark of Springfield to set a plan in place and see it through. It won’t
always be easy, but it will be exciting as we create the city we dream about.
Gravitas
I want to emphasize we are serious and understand how far we’ve come and
how important our decisions will be for our future and for who we will
become.
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Respecting our community strength and accomplishments in today’s city
will help guide us to the city our children, grandchildren and new residents
will come to love and want to call home.
Recognition and thank you to those in attendance
To the Council
To our community Partners
Springfield School District
SUB
Willamalane
Lane County
LTD
City of Eugene
Springfield Chamber of Commerce
State and federal partners
I want to thank City Staff
For showing up with professionalism and a work ethic second to none.
For continually putting our citizens first in all the work you do.
And, for embracing the "we can figure this out" can do spirit that is
responsive and respectful to everyone.
Before we start the Address, I want to invite you all to the City
Manager Candidate Meet & Greet this Thursday from 5-7 here
at City Hall.
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Selecting a new City Manager to guide Springfield into the future is among
the most important responsibilities for the Council and myself. We take this
responsibility to heart and I hope you will join us this Thursday, meet the
candidates, and provide us with your feedback.
So, let’s talk about our 2019 highlights and what is coming up
across the city.
Eugene Springfield Fire
The American Red Cross Sound the Alarm campaign came to Springfield in
May. Eugene Springfield Fire and the American Red Cross chapters
partnered with local volunteers to canvas at-risk neighborhoods, installing
free smoke alarms and providing fire safety and emergency preparedness
information. Over 450 smoke alarms were installed in 150 homes during
this outreach.
This year’s fire prevention month theme was “Not Every Hero Wears a
Cape. Plan and Practice Your Escape.” Eugene Springfield Fire visited over
75 2nd grade classrooms in Eugene and Springfield which is about 2,650
students, sharing the importance of working smoke alarms and home fire
escape plans.
Springfield Police Department
Knowing how important mental health issues are, Springfield Police
Department instructors led Mental Health First Aid training for City
employees. The training was a successful collaboration of Springfield Police
Department and Human Resources Department.
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The Police Department accomplished key equipment replacement
initiatives. The initiatives are key to providing efficient, effective and safe
services including mobile and portable radios and the providing the
Springfield Justice Center and Municipal Jail with a new security camera
system.
Our Library
To better serve east Springfield, the Library opened two new remote book
drops with help from Willamalane, the City’s Development & Public Works
department and Eugene Springfield Fire. Library patrons are using them
well and often comment how convenient it is to have this service closer to
where they live.
The Library launched the Get on Board pilot program which was funded by
the Mills Davis Foundation. It helped build on the LTD free bus pass
program for school age kids by providing bus passes to parents so they can
bring their kids to the library. Over 150 children and their parents
participated, learned about the Library and got free books!
Participation in our Library’s Spanish Language Programming continues to
increase. Our Children’s Day (Día de los Niños) celebration in April had
over 850 attendees. At this celebration of literacy and Latinx culture, we
gave away over 300 books and featured musical and dance performances.
Our annual Día de los Muertos Celebration in October was the largest yet
with over 450 attendees, musical performances and a book giveaway.
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Through the City Link pilot program, Springfield built a team of community
liaisons made up from underrepresented/minority community members.
Participants received information and tools to better connect their
neighbors with local government officials and services.
The pilot program worked to eliminate some of the fear and confusion
which often exists between local government and our minority community.
Our Springfield Museum has undergone a major visioning and is on its way
to be a legacy of our future. Envisioning a stronger bond and relevance with
the community, the Springfield Museum has made our collection of
artifacts more accessible and created a permanent historical exhibit.
Front Gallery updates include an interactive children’s area, an accessible
research library and a gift shop featuring Springfield-specific gifts and
locally made items.
Future updates will include adding display cases for smaller artifacts,
moving the permanent exhibits from upstairs to downstairs and creating
room upstairs for artifact storage and workspace.
An event that benefitted the Museum this year as well as the Emerald Arts
Center, was the inaugural Mayor’s Gala. The theme, “It’s a wonderful life in
Springfield,” was a sell-out event and we’re already planning next year’s. A
big thank you to the volunteers that put the event together. We’re looking
forward to the second annual gala!
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Environmental Services
City of Springfield staff, in coordination with the MWMC and the City of
Eugene held Clean Water University at the wastewater treatment plant.
Over 600 5th grade students from Springfield and Eugene attended. The
students learned about treating wastewater, stormwater and drinking
water, and how we keep our rivers and streams clean.
Environmental Services staff held the 4th annual Upstream Art event this
past summer. Five new pieces of stormwater related art were added at the
Booth Kelly trailhead of the Mill Race path.
MWMC’s comprehensive resiliency planning effort for all our regionally
owned wastewater treatment facilities will help identify needed
improvements to becoming more resilient if a major event such as a
Cascadia zone earthquake or major flood were to occur.
Downtown Success
• More than 15 new businesses opened their doors in Downtown
Springfield in 2019.
• We held our First Annual Block Party.
• Springfield was voted "Best Downtown" by Eugene Weekly's annual
"Best of..."
• Lane Arts Council and the City partnered to do a 20-mural Downtown
Springfield art tour.
• Using the Springfield Economic Development Agency Downtown
Matching Loan Program, Swallowtail Spirits completed their
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expansion into Downtown to continue manufacturing national and
internationally awarded craft distillery products.
• The City began partnering with A3 for bi-annual Earth Day & Back-
to-School Downtown Springfield clean-up events.
What’s coming up across the city as part of the Council-
approved 5-year public art plan?
• Decorative Crosswalks in Downtown Springfield. The sites and
designs have been selected. We anticipate installation in late Spring
or early Summer of 2020.
• There will be an East Springfield entryway sign created by our very
own Urban Lumber Company.
• A Welcome to Downtown Springfield Mural will be installed on the
Fry and Rankin Building (where Simply Cycle is located).
• Additional plans include art to honor our timber heritage, another
veterans’ installation and the development of an art plan for the
Glenwood area of Springfield.
A lot has happened with transportation
Our transportation system is critical to the safety and success of the city.
How and what we fund with our transportation dollars shows our
commitment to a vision that supports all types of transportation choices.
Our recently passed road bond maintains our existing transportation
infrastructure.
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Some of those bond projects were constructed in 2019:
• An overlay on a portion of 14th Street
• and an overlay on a portion of Commercial Street
Additional Capital Bond Projects planned for construction in 2020 include
overlay improvements to portions of:
• Olympic Street
• Mohawk Boulevard
• 42nd Street
• Centennial Boulevard
In addition to the bond projects
Operations completed about 4.5 miles of crack sealing on streets in
residential areas.
And Bike and Pedestrian Improvements were completed
Two new flashing yellow light crossings were installed:
At Thurston Middle School, AND Agnes Stewart Middle School
A raised pedestrian crossing was installed at Riverbend Elementary on 51st
Street.
Bike wayfinding and safety improvements were put in Glenwood and along
the EWEB path.
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The South 54th Street bike path was completed. It provides pedestrian and
bicycle access between Main Street and Daisy Street.
Construction is nearly complete on a Main Street Pedestrian Safety
Crossing at 66th and Main streets. The crossing connects the
neighborhoods to the south of Main Street in east Thurston with the
schools, parks and transit services located on the north side of Main Street.
This crossing was endorsed by our Team Springfield members and is highly
anticipated by area residents.
2020
This year, additional school crosswalk improvements will be installed at
three different locations. These three projects will help ensure children and
all community members can walk safely from one place to another. The
new locations include:
• ‘G’ Street/Two Rivers/Dos Rios school
• 21st Street and ‘H’ Street
• And at 5th Street and ‘M’ Street
At this point I want to talk about a very important project
coming up in 2020.
Our Mission, Vision, Values, and Branding Project.
Many of you might remember our Springfield Tomorrow project.
Springfield Tomorrow was a project that helped City leaders check in with
the community to identify values and priorities. We used the information
that came out of the process to help set goals and projects that moved
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Springfield forward and reflected the community’s hopes such as
investments in parks and recreation, Glenwood redevelopment, and
downtown revitalization.
It’s been several years since the Springfield Tomorrow effort. Now that we
have the foundation in good form, it’s time to go higher. As Mayor and City
Councilors, it’s our assignment to lead this charge and ensure it reflects the
community.
As part of this effort, the City will be rolling out a community survey to
check in with residents. This process will help formalize the words we use
to form the City’s identity and lay the foundation for future strategic
planning efforts. It will also help us as we update Springfield’s visual
representation, its logo and other communications elements.
We will also be inviting community members to join in mission and vision
sessions with us. When we’re done, everyone will have had an opportunity
to participate, to share opinions, and help us define our future.
We’re rolling out a ‘soft launch’ of this effort tonight. When you’re out
mixing and mingling in the lobby after this Address, take a moment to
answer one of the questions that’s waiting for you at the tabletops. This will
give you a chance to think creatively and offer us your insights about
Springfield.
This year, I want to highlight our agency partners who
together make up Team Springfield
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First Willamalane Park and Recreation District
Willamalane Bond Measure Projects have come to completion
• This past fall, the final project of the $20 million bond that was
passed in 2012 was completed.
• The final project took place at Dorris Ranch. It included flushing
toilets, a patio seating area, and a grand new entryway that was
selected by Willamalane patrons using voting on social media.
• Willamalane was able to leverage this bond to gain an additional $3.4
million in funds through donated lands, agreements, collaborating
with organizations, and securing another $964,000 in grants.
• Best of all, Willamalane received more than 2,000 hours of volunteer
labor to help Springfield improve 16 parks and facilities throughout
the District and add 10 miles of new trails to name just a couple
examples.
2019 marked an important year in the history of Willamalane, celebrating
the 75th Anniversary as the first park and recreation district in the state of
Oregon. The event drew more than 6,500 people which made it the largest
event in Willamalane’s history.
In November, Willamalane secured a grant for approximately $240,000
which allows them to begin the next phase of the Thurston Hills Natural
Area project.
This project will further develop the southwest side of Thurston Hills.
Preliminary plans for this second phase of development include an
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additional five miles of trail that will have segments for beginner,
intermediate, and advanced mountain biking, as well as shared-use trails
for hiking.
Our utility board
Springfield Utility Board invested in our local students by contributing
$150,000 toward the Water and Electric Learning Lab grant, which helps
train the next generation of scientists.
Through Springfield InfiNet, a newly launched telecommunications
initiative, SUB is working with Internet Service Providers to expand access
to broadband internet to Springfield residents and businesses.
Emergency planning is a priority for SUB. The utility is reviewing, and
where necessary, reshaping its emergency operations to ensure
compatibility and consistency with City, County, and State plans.
And, our Springfield Public School District
In 2019, the Springfield School District turned a chapter and selected Mr.
Todd Hamilton as the permanent superintendent.
2019 also saw the district continuing to expand our existing partnerships
with mental and behavioral health providers including CAHOOTS,
Ophelia’s Place, Looking Glass and Direction Services to name a few.
Looking forward:
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SPS, stands at the cusp of a historic reinvestment in K-12 education and
support for historically underserved students.
This coming year will be an exciting year of collaboration and community
building as the district works to strategically invest these new funds to
maximize student success.
Work to align and create avenues for our community to join alongside the
district continues and is particularly evident in the generous community
donation of a turf field recently installed at Maple elementary; and the
increase of food supports for our vulnerable populations by the Assistance
League of Lane County.
In speaking of the achievements of our core partners, this year I
want to highlight the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce as
our premiere business organization.
The Chamber launched two new signature events in 2019 bringing together
hundreds of business, civic, and public sector leaders and influencers
around current topics of regional economic and community development:
The State of Business Breakfast in May and The Leadership Summit in
September.
The Chamber expanded on small business education programs like
Business Boot Camp and launched a digital news platform.
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WorkReady has also provided funding to important Career and Technical
Education programs: the 2019-2020 Health Science Medical Assistant
program will be introduced at Springfield High School this year.
Students completing the program will be able to sit for the Medical
Assistant certification, giving them a leg-up in good paying jobs at living
wages in our local community. It will be the FIRST high school program of
its kind in the state.
WorkReady has become a model program inspiring scale-to-fit initiatives
and programs in peer communities across the state; WorkReady business
and community partner leaders are advising four of these communities on
how to plan, design, and implement their own WorkReady programs.
The Chamber has developed a resource toolkit for communities statewide
interested in launching their own WorkReady program.
To date more than 350 businesses have offered their expertise, knowledge,
and resources to strengthening our Springfield students’ educational path
to successful careers; nearly 3,800 students have participated in
WorkReady.
These efforts are under the guidance of Chamber President and CEO
Vonnie Mikkelsen.
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In recognition of the WorkReady initiative and leadership, Vonnie was
awarded Oregon Workforce Champion 2019 by the national organization
ACT College and Career Readiness.
Vonnie represents us on the Oregon State Chamber of Commerce Board of
Directors and was elected to Chair the board in 2020.
She is a true champion for business success in Springfield which is why I’ve
selected Vonnie as this year’s Spirit of Springfield Leadership Award
recipient.
Many of you likely know Vonnie, but I want to show you a bit more about
what makes her a true Springfield leader.
(Video & Award Presentation)
At this point, I want to talk about two of our highest priorities
These priorities give us the most opportunity to demonstrate our vision,
guts, and gravitas.
First, we will continue to find ways to address our housing needs with
vision and imagination.
Second, we will continue to focus energy on economic development that
brings living wage jobs to Springfield. We will need to have the guts to take
some calculated risks if we are to ever see our city reach the potential that is
well within our grasp.
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Housing and Community Services
In 2019 we made significant strides in tackling our housing shortage. We
clearly understand the seriousness of providing adequate housing,
particularly for those that can ill afford to spend 50 percent or more of their
income on housing.
We have been strategic. We have made investments and will continue to
find ways to address housing at all levels so everyone wishing to live in
Springfield has that opportunity.
We have focused on market rate and workforce housing.
I’m very happy to announce Marcola Meadows Phase 1 is in process. I have
been asked many times what is going with the property on Marcola Road.
I’m happy to say that the City rolled up our sleeves, modified our master
plan for Marcola Meadows and can now announce the first phase of a 170
residential home subdivision that will begin construction this year.
An additional, 205 residential lots across the city are in the pipeline and
due for construction in 2020.
Bruce Wiechert Custom Homes added 20 apartments to our housing stock.
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The Fifth Street Project LLC completed its second phase of multi-family
housing this past year, adding 60 more apartments off 3rd Street.
Beginning in 2018 and extending through 2019, the City has offered
Systems Development Charge payments on behalf of developers building
the newly permitted Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs).
To support this goal, planning staff worked tirelessly with the community
and City Council to revise and amend the Springfield Development Code to
make it easier to build ADUs within the City. In 2019, the City began
receiving applications for ADUs. Since April 2019 we have 4 completed
ADUs and another 23 underway.
And, we are not only revising current development code to address pressing
housing needs, we are in the process of updating the entire development
code.
We started the process with updating the housing code portion, but with
the passage of HB 2001 the Council decided to slow the work down to
incorporate the changes for higher density housing the bill envisions.
As usual, Springfield sees the opportunities and possibilities to embrace
change to make our city better. We will truly be a city that is an example of
what innovative, future focused housing could and should look like.
We have focused on affordable housing
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Hayden Bridge Meadows on 5th Street is 70-unit apartment complex being
developed by Homes for Good. Construction is anticipated this year.
With the passage of state HB 2896, the City realized its top priority for the
2019 session and secured $3 million in funding for the development of a
new manufactured dwelling park in Springfield. The bill passed largely due
to the leadership and efforts of Rep. John Lively and Senator Lee Beyer. We
have partnered with SVDP to find a site for the new manufactured home
park using the $3 million in state funds for this important pilot project.
Using our federal Community Development Block Grant funds, the City
assisted 75 very-low-income homeowners with repairs and improvements
to keep their homes safe and accessible and to be able to stay in their
homes.
At the most basic level, City staff helped secure a Springfield site for this
season’s Egan Warming Center.
And, coming soon a project both Chief Lewis and I have worked
on over the past few months is the Serbu Pod project.
Some organizations exist to help chronically homeless youth. Some focus
on the ever-increasing number of kids on the verge of living on the
street. The problem is obvious. Existing programs lack the capacity to help
these kids to avoid chronic homelessness. With that in mind, Grace Serbu
reached out to develop a new place and program.
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Lane County DYS has a building at the Serbu Center available to become a
32-bed temporary shelter and navigation center for these kids.
A place for temporary shelter and a navigation center with established
resources to connect each youth with long term “wrap around” social
services, shelter, school resources and drug treatment to guide them back to
stability in their community.
These kids are not yet lost. Many are still in school. Most are not yet in
trouble with the criminal justice system. A percentage of these kids are
from Springfield. They are in many cases, currently hanging out in
downtown Eugene.
They don’t need to be locked up. They need help. Research shows that early
and comprehensive intervention can succeed in redirecting these kids’ lives.
Lane ESD has been granted a contract with Lane County to provide services
and progress towards deciding on the most appropriate POD to use should
come as soon as possible.
Economic Development
If there is one area that vision, guts and gravitas need to help steer our
decisions, it is in economic development. We have so many potential
opportunities, so many projects in the works and so many partners – the
sky is the limit.
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I fully believe that we can accomplish anything, if we can agree on where we
want to be. So far, we have been able to focus our attention on important
milestones. Downtown development, Gateway expansion and Glenwood
revitalization have been priorities and should continue to be priorities.
And, our business community has been making significant
investments in Springfield
Tonight, I want to recognize a favorite local eating spot – the Busy Bee Cafe
– with the Spirit of Springfield Small Business Award as it is the epitome of
a Springfield business. They have been working on behalf of the Springfield
community for years. They have invested in this community’s well-being.
The Busy Bee team truly exemplifies what Springfield is about. They make
sure everyone feels at home here. In fact, the Busy Bee staff has been
providing a free Thanksgiving meal for the community for 14 years AND
this past fall held a raffle to raise money in support of the Guy Lee Food
Pantry. Their dedication to serving the community is truly humbling.
Here’s a video that gives you a glimpse of what’s so special about the Busy
Bee team.
(Video & Award Presentation)
Other businesses that have made significant investments in our
city include …
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McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center
The McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center, in the Mohawk District,
completed construction of their major additions and renovations to the
hospital.
The $115 million expansion project created private patient rooms for all
patients, added private exam and trauma rooms in the Emergency Room,
constructed a new NICU, expanded surgical and cardiovascular units and
beds for medical and surgical patients. The cardiovascular program and
chest pain center doubled in size.
Pacific Source Health Plans
In 2019, locally owned and operated Pacific Source Health Plans acquired
555 International Way. Substantial renovations of the building are
underway, and the site is planned as the future Pacific Source regional
headquarter. The project is anticipated for completion this year and will
allow the company to grow by an estimated 200 employees, bringing total
regional employment to over 600 people.
Wayfair
In 2019, Wayfair opened their first west coast customer service center in
Springfield. The firm, also located in 555 International Way, is a tenant to
Pacific Source Health Plans, and has been a key employer in retaining local
talent previously employed by Symantec. The company began early hiring
in late 2019 and is anticipated to reach over 400 employees by early 2020.
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Wayfair’s commitment to Springfield and the region is already making a
positive difference, which is why I am recognizing them this evening with
the Spirit of Springfield Large Business Award.
Thanks for making us your first west coast customer service center home
and helping grow a strong Springfield.
I want to show you just how quickly Wayfair has made Springfield their
home.
(Video & Award Presentation)
Glenwood Tru Hotel
There are still more businesses making investments in the Glenwood area
of Springfield. Following the Candlewood Suites and the Fairfield Inn
Suites, Alko Investments began construction of a third hotel, Tru by Hilton.
The Tru Hotel will add an additional 86 rooms to the site, bringing the total
rooms available to 175 rooms. We are looking forward to the new hotel
opening in 2020.
Speaking of development in Glenwood …
Our most ambitious project, our number one project, embodying our
vision, guts and gravitas approach is the indoor track and event facility.
A nonprofit was formed to oversee the project and hand it off to the
community at the appropriate time. The nonprofit, Springfield Community
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Development Corporation board meets weekly and is made up a venerable
group of community leaders.
We are grateful to our community partner, Chambers Construction who has
partnered with SCDC to build the facility. An architect has been chosen and
designs are underway. Marketing firms have also partnered to make our
vision a reality.
A site will soon be determined, and an owner/operator identified. Already
there has been a lot of interest by property owners, investors and
developers. The facility will serve as an accelerator for continued growth in
the hospitality and service industries that traditionally support successful
multi-purpose venues.
Much of the legacy around TrackTown USA is tied to Springfield. Bill
Bowerman lived in Springfield, which means Barbara’s waffle iron was
here, too. Bill Dellinger grew up in Springfield. Steve Prefontaine lived in
Glenwood. Even today, Nick Symmonds calls Springfield home.
A unique indoor track and multi-use event space is a perfect match for
Springfield and for Glenwood.
The evolution of the project to a community-based development has many
positives that align with our vision for how the building will be used. A
place to participate in a wide of sports. A place to promote healthy
lifestyles. A community gathering event space in a beautiful setting.
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The goal is to have, at the very least, a groundbreaking before the 2021
World Championships come to town. We want to use this occasion to
showoff Glenwood and all of Springfield and put our name on the map
worldwide.
Conclusion
We have accomplished a lot this past year. We will accomplish a lot in
2020. We have the vision, guts and gravitas to reach our goals. We will
engage the community to help us define where we want to go and who we
want to be in the future.
We will build on our current vision and we will build a new vision with the
help of everyone in the community.
We will be bold and have the guts to see our vision come to reality. We
won’t shy away from challenges.
We will move into the future with eyes wide open and with a sense of
purpose. We are Springfield. We understand who we are. We know how to
get things done. Our gravitas is grounded in our pragmatism.
This is an exciting time. Be part of the future of Springfield. Everyone is
welcome.
Thank you.