HomeMy WebLinkAbout02/02/2009 Work Session
City of Springfield
Work Session Meeting
MINUTES OF THE WORK SESSION MEETING OF
THE SPRINGFIELD CITY COUNCIL HELD
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2009
The City of Springfield Council met in a work session in the Library Meeting Room, 225 Fifth
Street, Springfield, Oregon, on Monday, February 2, 2009 at 6:00 p.m., with Mayor Leiken
presiding.
ATTENDANCE
Present were Mayor Leiken and Councilors Lundberg, Leezer, Wylie, Ralston, Woodrow and
Pishioneri. Also present were City Manager Gino Grimaldi, Assistant City Manager Jeff Towery,
City Attorney Joe Leahy, City Attorney Matt Cox, City Recorder Amy Sowa and members of the
staff.
Mayor Leiken noted that it was City Attorney Joe Leahy's birthday.
Council wished him a Happy Birthday.
1. President Frohnmaver.
Mayor Leiken acknowledged Greg Rickoff and Karen Hyatt from the University of Oregon. He
thanked staff for extending the invitation to President Frohnmayer. He said he found Mr.
Frohnmayer to be very accessible in the many years he had known him.
President Frohnmayer said he and his staff considered this an honor to come before the Mayor,
Council and senior staff. He hoped this could be a dialogue between members of the Council and
himself. He noted that the center of this city was as close to the UofD as the center of Eugene,
and they regarded their identity as being part of the Eugene/Springfield area. He noted the size of
the University of Oregon, a community within a set of communities. The University shared many
of the same issues and responsibilities as the cities. The University educated about thirty percent
of the Baccalaureate degrees in Oregon annually. The University was the largest in terms of full
time employees in the State and had a presence regionally, nationally and internationally. More of
the budget was received from the Federal Government and tuition than from the State of Oregon.
President Frohnmayer said the UofD was a member ofthe\Association of American Universities,
an association by invitation only. There were only 62 universities in this association in North
America, and included Harvard, Yale, Stanford, MIT, and Cal Tech. Seven of the ten of the Pac-
10 were included, but only 2 in the Pacific Northwest - the UofD and University of Washington.
Being part of the AAU was a responsibility and aspiration for new knowledge. The UofO had two
interconnected missions: undergraduate education and graduate/research. The UofD had their
largest enrollment ever this year, and noted that the increase was from people going back to get
their education during this recession.
President Frohnmayer explained the handout that was distributed to the Mayor and Council.
Inside the folder was a three page document outlining current partnerships with Springfield. He
explained some of those partnerships. Another fact sheet in the folder provided information
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Council Work Session Minutes
February 2,2009
Page 2
regarding degrees, enrollment, large funds generated, student enrollment, UoID employees and
wages, organizational chart, and a Pathway Oregon Brochure.
President Frohnmayer referred to the brochure, "Powering the State's Economy 2009". He noted
that each year the UoID contributed $1.5B into the economy for the region. The majority of their
money came from out of state, and the majority of their money was spent in state. They had an
approximate twenty to one return on the state tax dollar. He referred to the flyer entitled "College
of Education - Building Beyond Walls Report" and noted that the College of Education at the
UoID was often nationally recognized and received more grant funding than Harvard o~ Stanford.
He referred to the Oregon Quarterly which was also located in the folder.
Councilor Wylie said this was a lot of great information and thanked President Frohnmayer for
bringing it for the CounciL
President Frohnmayer said they tried to prepare these documents for busy, but sophisticated
people. He referred to the three page document showing the connection between the UoID and
Springfield and spoke regarding several of those partnerships. The University had at least three
opportunities for continuing engagement. The ftrst was that PeaceHealth, UoID, Oregon Health
and Sciences University (OHSU) and the City of Springfield had the potential to partner in the
development of a regional medical center for medical education. The UoID had been working
with OHSU on regionalizing medical education. Oregon would be running short of physicians in
this area, and there was not enough capacity at OHSU. The UoID would be part of that along with
Oregon State University (OSU). It was not quite a project, but was being discussed. The second
was development of the Glenwood area. In any urban renewal effort, revitalizing the area was of
interest to the UoID as neighbors and in terms oftechnical assistance. The third was the UoID's
Research Park, which was at full capacity for the current building. He noted the close proximity
from the Research Park to Glenwood, and there could be opportunities for expansion or
continuation of research related efforts that might have some part in the City's overall planning.
The UoID generated more from intellectual property than any other Oregon university institution,
more than $5M into the UoID's bottom line last year from the licensing of technology, spinoffs of
corporations, etc. He explained that the university funds were spent in a decentralized way. There
were many ways the university was engaged in the community. He discussed their contracting
system. The university did business and liked to have local providers engaged.
Mayor Leiken thanked President Frohnmayer for bringing up those points. During his State of the
City address, the Mayor had discussed the opportunity for health care clusters. He had met with
leadership from both hospitals. He would like all parties to come together and talk about it more,
including someone from the State. Springfield had a solid track record of coming up with ideas
that came to fruition and he would like to see this become a reality. The Mayor said he was also
pleased to hear President Frohnmayer's interest in Glenwood. Springfield had plans and engaging
a partnership with the UoID could present a special opportunity throughout Glenwood. The fact
the President brought this up was encouraging, and he was interested in continuing that
conversation and taking it to the next steps in developing some opportunities and plans.
Springfield was ready.
President Frohnmayer said their architectural and planning classes often drew up plans for certain
areas as a project. They worked with leading architects. It was a way to work collaboratively with
one of the fmest architectural schools in the country. It could be a preliminary way to engage the
University and its students and faculty.
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Council Work Session Minutes
February 2, 2009
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Mayor Leiken agreed. He noted that the Apollo program was started by young engineers.
Councilor Lundberg said she had a great deal of personal interest in the UoID as she had two
children there, and a third that had applied. She was interested how they promoted the medical
education, as it could be a huge cornerstone of our economic development. She was very
supportive of anything they could do regarding medication education. She discussed Glenwood
and the transportation issues, and noted the potential to get a lot done collaboratively. Some UoID
students did some type of planning exercise with Glenwood several years ago and were very
creative. There were many areas in Springfield that could use that exercise. She was very proud to
have the university here.
President Frohnmayer said Springfield's bet on healthcare was a wise one with the aging
demographic. It was foresighted of Springfield to make it part of their strategy. He noted people
in other areas, such as public policy, that could be of assistance. The UoID had an excellent
department of human physiology, people that studied rehabilitation, human motion, fall
prevention for the elderly, etc. The UoID from an academic standpoint could have ramifications
in making life better in a practical way.
Councilor Woodrow said hearing the university's interest in Glenwood was encouraging and
could provide a catalyst in Glenwood. He asked if the UoID had a program that partnered with
graduates coming out of Lane Community College in the technical trades to take them to the next
level. .
President Frohnmayer said they didn't fill that gap very easily. He gave an example of how
quickly LCC had been able to provide an educational turnaround for displaced workers. The
UoID had more ofthe medical, sciences and technologies at the higher graduate levels.
Councilor Pishioneri said his daughter also attended the UoID. The prospect oflooking into the
Glenwood area or the core of Springfield for some type of auxiliary operations was great. He
discussed security for the University and asked if there were plans for change in that area in the
future. There seemed to be a high security concern on campus.
President Frohnmayer said the increase in the number of students at the Chase Gardens area had
caused them to reconsider and reconfigure security. Lane Transit District (LID) had assisted with
bus patterns more frequently. They had always been concerned about campus security and had
worked on campus lighting, installed alarm boxes at regular intervals, student drivers, buddy
systems, education and self-education about safety issues. They had a formal contract with the
Eugene Police Department. As a point of reference, the Oregon State Police provided policing
services to OSU, but that didn't work for the UoID. The public safety officer, Kevin Williams,
brought a high degree of sophistication to the policing business.
Councilor Pishioneri asked about certification levels for those working in the public safety sector.
President Frohnmayer said that issue had come up periodically, but there were significant expense
issues associated with that as well as promotional opportunities for the people they had now. The
issue was whether or not the promotional opportunities would be there. The legislature tried to
solve that issue as 'one size fits all', but it didn't work for all organizations. He said there was a
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Council Work Session Minutes
February 2,2009
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white paper on public safety options for the University. He said his staff could provide a copy of
that document to Councilor Pishioneri.
Councilor Pishioneri asked about outreach to the schools. His daughter had put out a survey to
Thurston High School seniors regarding their interest in the School of Business at the UoID. He
asked if enough energy was placed on mentoring students that were coming in to the university
from all different areas, not just those with fmancial need. He asked about internships at the
public schools.
President Frohnmayer referred to the handout in the folder. He explained some of the outreach to
the public schools. Business literacy was very important for students bombarded with credit
cards, cell phone contracts, and tuition. Most eighteen year olds had no exposure to fmancial
management. Student leaders he met with had outlined a program they wanted to design for
greater mentoring in that area. More education was needed in that area with the current economic
situation.
Councilor Pishioneri said many students hadn't heard from the people out there what was
available as far as the schools and universities.
Councilor Wylie said she and her husband had graduate degrees from the UoID, as well as a son
and granddaughter attending. She discussed the difficulty in getting into the nursing program and
asked if anything was being done about the nursing shortage.
President Frohnmayer said the best place to start was Lane Community College (LCC). They
were currently trying to upgrade. The demand far exceeded capacity, but nursing instructors were
difficult to find. In his experience, he had learned that skilled nursing care was the front line of
defense in acute situations. He said it would be useful for the Council to have a conversation with
Mary Spilde, President of LCC, who could explain the difficulties in maintaining the nursing
program. The UofQ did not have a four year degree for nursing. One of the benefits of working
with the hospitals and OHSU could be a spinoff ofthe nursing component.
Councilor Leezer asked how the increased enrollment during the decline in the economy affected
the university.
President Frohnmayer said they were not expecting enrollment to drop and so far the winter term
enrollment had held. However, one year did not tell the whole story. Across the country,
endowments had been slashed, and there were difficult times at other schools. He noted some of
the steps other universities had taken. They expected to get their next revenue forecast by about
February 23, at about the same time as the federal stimulus would be announced. The June
forecast would most likely be down. There were a lot of unknowns at this time. They had not cut
staff and this year, they had temporarily hired additional staff due to the increase in enrollment. It
was a matter of timing and available resources.
Councilor Ralston said his daughter graduated as a pre-med student and had been working for
OHSU for the past two years trying to get into the physicians program, which was very
competitive. He was interested in knowing what opportunities the UoID might have partnering
with RiverBend for those types of programs.
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Council Work Session Minutes
February 2,2009
Page 5
President Frohnmayer said the UofD was ready to do that with OHSU in Eugene and Corvallis,
but were unable to proceed due to funding issues. The current budget made it even more difficult.
If they could partner, they could nearly double enrollment opportunities. Whether or not they
could proceed was dependent 'on appropriations from OHSU. All the mechanics for getting it
done were understood, and the UofD was very excited. It would be a win all around, but they
needed seed money.
Councilor. Ralston said that was unfortunate because of the shortage of physicians in the near
. future.
Mayor Leiken asked if they could keep Springfield in the loop about that partnership, especially
as it went through the State Ways and Means Committee. Representative Nancy Nathanson was
the Vice Chair of that committee. Springfield would like to be included if there were ways
Springfield could provide leverage.
Mr. Rickoffnoted that UofD Day was scheduled for February 25.
Mayor Leiken asked about nanotechnology, and said it seemed like it was a great opportunity.
President Frohnmayer said it was a big area of concentration for the university in the sciences. He
suggested the Council take a tour of the underground laboratory (Mr. Rickoff or Ms. Wyatt could
get that scheduled). It was regarded as a high technology extension service. The university owned
the equipment, and the facility was only used for collaboration. Much of the instrumentation had
been donated to the university. He noted the value ofthat instrumentation. The lab was built into
seismic bedrock so the conditions were nearly perfect. This lab included collaboration with OSU,
Portland State University (PSU), and the Northwest National Laboratories in Washington, but
was opened to collaboration with anyone in the world. This could be done distantly because the
instruments could be controlled over the internet. This collaboration brought nearly 100 scientists
to this laboratory. The university had dedicated space for the Integrated Sciences Building #2
adjacent to the laboratory, construction of which would begin in about a year. This facility would
house nanoscience and neuroscience. It was a big investment in facilities, equaled by an
investment in personnel and federal funding. He noted the connection between chemists and solar
power.
Mayor Leiken said he had held conversations with local hospital administrators who were very
excited about the potential for nanoscience in the medical field. He congratulated the UofD for
being a player in this. Ifwe continued to work toward this health care cluster, opportunities like
this would be key. .
President Frohnmayer said the UofD and OSU were scientifically and technically complementary
and tremendous assets in our region. He noted that those, such as himself and City Manager
Grimaldi, that represented public entities held regular meetings quarterly to share information.
Those meetings included the represen~tives from the utility companies, cities, county and
schools. He wanted to assure the Council that they tried to keep those lines of communication
open. He commended the Council on what they had done on the local level.
Mayor Leiken thanked President Frohnmayer for his time.
ADJOURNMENT
City of Springfield
Council Work Session Minutes
February 2, 2009
Page 6
The meeting was adjourned 6:59 pm.
Minutes Recorder - Amy Sowa
Attest:
.~~
Amy So '
City Recorder