Trainsong Neighbors to city: How can we help?

Presenter: The Trainsong neighborhood reactivates and looks for ways to help. With public comment at the Eugene City Council Jan. 27, Skip Waddell:

Skip Waddell: I’m here today to urge the council to implement the public health overlay zone to ensure neighborhoods are not vulnerable to industrial pollution. Thank you again for your time and willingness to explore innovative solutions that make our city better for everyone. I’m confident that with your support we can take this critical step towards a healthier, stronger community.

[00:00:30] Erin Frank: My name is Erin Frank and I live in the Trainsong neighborhood and I would like to take the opportunity to thank the city, members of council, and everybody else involved for revoking the USD Clean Fuels zoning verification for the transfer station.

[00:00:44] I know Trainsong is a small and easy-to-miss neighborhood, but we greatly appreciate being kept in mind as decisions that will affect our health are being made, even if you’re unsure where our neighborhood is. So thank you for that decision change.

[00:00:55] With that said, I do feel like our neighborhood is still subject to further decisions by the city that will have a negative impact on our health and community. Trainsong would like to see the public health overlay zone that has previously been discussed by our city council members and previous mayor finally come to fruition and I’m urging Mayor Knudson to take that seriously and make that a priority.

[00:01:12] I would also like to strongly urge the city to oppose the lease of the Union Pacific rail yard to CORP. Right now, we need all the protection from the city that we can get to protect us from these unsafe and heavy polluting companies.

[00:01:25] Trainsong is one of the last affordable neighborhoods in Eugene. We’re talking about subsidized and affordable housing for folks, but where are we going to put them when they’re able to move on? If we only have high-end houses and low-end houses, seems like a big loss. So keep that in mind when you’re making your decisions about the city and in our neighborhood.

[00:01:47] Michele Messere Legg: Hi, my name is Michele, and I just bought a house in the Trainsong neighborhood, about two years ago now. And I would not have guessed I would be as involved in the neighborhood association as I have become now.

[00:02:00] And I wanted to come down and thank you all for the support that you showed for us with the USD Clean Fuels. It renewed my belief that coming together and unifying, we can really change things.

[00:02:12] And with that being said, I think now I’m going to be paying more attention to this public health development standard that Beyond Toxics has provided a lot of background on it. Since 2023, I read that our last mayor put that as one of the four public health concerns moving forward—and that one’s not taken care of.

[00:02:35] And I know that it’s a big animal. And so instead of saying, ‘What are you doing about it?’ I wanted to ask you all, ‘What can I do to help?’ And perhaps maybe go and do some research on other cities and provide feedback about what’s helped for other cities and what hasn’t helped and rally some of the other association members.

[00:02:52] We could all kind of split up some things you know, if there’s any kind of things that you think that we could do to help forward, we certainly would do that for you.

[00:03:00] And just wanted to introduce ourselves and let you know that we’re here for you and we’d like to have some, at least some scheduled days this year that you all would put some work towards that for us.

[00:03:13] Joel Vaughan: My name is Joel Vaughan. I’m a member of the newly activated Trainsong Neighbors Association. I stand before you today as a concerned citizen deeply troubled by the deteriorating conditions of our neighborhood.

[00:03:24] For too long, we have witnessed a decline in essential services and growing disregard for the well-being of our community.

[00:03:32] Our streets become riddled with potholes, posing a significant safety hazard to drivers, cyclists, pedestrians, and numerous pets. The lack of timely road maintenance is not only inconvenient but also a danger to public safety.

[00:03:44] The sidewalks, or lack thereof, are unlit, uneven, often obstructed by illegal dumping, with only one sidewalk down Bethel. This makes it difficult and even dangerous for people with disabilities, elderly, and families with small children to navigate the neighborhood.

[00:03:59] Trainsong Park has been neglected for years. Part of the park has been closed off with no solution and a lack of regular maintenance. These spaces are vital for the physical and mental health of our community and its current state is unacceptable.

[00:04:13] There’s a significant lack of communication between the city and the residents regarding ongoing projects, maintenance schedules, and community concerns. These issues not only diminish the quality of life but also negatively impact property values and discourage community engagement.

[00:04:28] Criminal activity has gone unnoticed or disregarded. Six months ago, I had an emergency that the police responded to with a phone call 11 hours after I had called 911, resulting in the perp escaping with my property—even after finding the name of the individual with video surveillance as my tool and communicating this to the authorities, the problem was never addressed.

[00:04:51] I urge the City Council to prioritize the allocation of resources for the maintenance and improvement of our neighborhood infrastructure. I would like to see my taxes support the community that I reside in, establish a more transparent and responsive communication channel between the city and residents, extend the urban growth boundary to accommodate our residents, preventing further issues that arise such as USD fuels and JH Baxter. I believe that working together we can create a thriving and vibrant community for all residents. Thank you for your time and your attention.

[00:05:23] Willie Friendman: Hi, everyone. My name is Willie, and I live in Trainsong neighborhood. I’d like to start just by thanking anyone here who had a hand in revoking the permit for the USD Clean Fuels transfer station. Thanks so much, but unfortunately that’s just the start of the fight.

[00:05:38] As you’ve already heard, Union Pacific plans on leasing their yard over to the Central Oregon Pacific Railroad, which will result in less-skilled workers and less liability. And on top of that, there’s going to be the new fuel transfer station still in Trainsong, just on the north end.

[00:05:56] So after all that, it’s clear that the railroad is not acting in the city’s best interest and I implore anyone here who has the ability to, to kind of push back in any way that they can on both of those action items.

[00:06:08] On top of that, it’s been in the works for a while to develop the public health industrial development standards that could help prevent these projects from starting from the get-go. We need some sort of way to just not have these happen at all, especially in residential neighborhoods.

[00:06:25] I’d also like to see that there’s more transparency throughout these industrial projects, especially in residential areas, some sort of early warning system for neighbors. It’s kind of insane and unacceptable to learn about these projects in the 11th hour and have to scramble to try and prevent them.

[00:06:42] Mick Hornbreck: Hi, my name is Mick Hornbreck. I’m a member of the Trainsong community. We appreciate that you took the time to discuss one of the difficulties we were facing, and it was a potential public health and safety disaster. We also appreciate the folks down at the Planning Department for finding the justification for denying the zoning verification. We’ve all rejoiced in this regard, albeit cautiously.

[00:07:06] Over the course of the last few months it’s become, it was kind of obvious that many didn’t know exactly where our neighborhood was located. So we’re hoping that by now everyone has an idea that we’re over in West Eugene.

[00:07:21] The Trainsong neighborhood is west of the rail yard, where industry sings its name; west of the Opportunity Village, where the housing-insecure found solace; east of the Bethel community, and the Parole’s office on Highway 99, where panhandling is an issue; north of the South Hills, which feels like another world away; and a 10-minute bike ride from the Whiteaker neighborhood; in all directions, arguably one of the last vestiges of affordable neighborhoods in our city.

[00:07:51] We’re hardworking, mostly blue-collar people. We don’t ask for much from our city, but I assure you we can offer more than being just a dumping ground for industry and the disenfranchised.

[00:08:02] But it does often leave me wondering if the city just lacks the imagination for the area that we live in: Will it perpetuate the problems, put our neighbors at risk of extinction by way of shouldering the brunt of the city’s issues? Or will you open the dialogue with us regarding the city’s plan that will affect our lives, so that we can help out?

[00:08:26] We’re now facing another major fuel facility in our community. Now that we’re all oriented, we request that your next work session offer some insights in how we might help fight back effectively.

[00:08:38] Wednesday night, we vote in our first election to reactivate our neighborhood association. We’re excited and motivated for this next chapter.

[00:08:48] Lin Woodrich: My name is Lin Woodrich. I’m speaking for the Active Bethel Community board. Thank you for reversing the zone verification decision for USD Biofuels transloading facility and thank you for moving along the public health standards. Closing the gaps in policies to protect people should help to remove any questions about companies locating in inappropriate places like the following. Here we go again. This must be stopped before approval.

[00:09:12] The H&S Energy Group, a limited liability company that has been in business for only three months, is asking for an I-3 Heavy Industrial zone verification, dated Dec. 31, to put a bulk plant for motor fuels known as a tank farm on Kintyre Street in the Trainsong neighborhood between Highway 99 and Northwest Expressway.

It would be a distribution and storage center for gasoline, diesel, and other fuel-related products. It would consist of several large, above and or below ground storage tanks, as well as warehousing related products. The fuel for the tanks would be supplied by rail, pipeline, or truck and would be delivered to destinations by truck. This has similar concerns as USD Biofuels with limited liability and must be stopped.

Speaking of limited liability, the threat of unsafe railroads remains. The trains already transport many dangerous chemicals through these yards every day. If Union Pacific leases the rail yard to CORP, less experienced non-union employees would be responsible for maintaining and operating the yard and all the hazardous materials traveling through it. Union Pacific wants to cut corners and cut costs at the risk of safety.

[00:10:19] We have until this Friday, Jan. 31, to send letters to the Surface Transportation Board to stop this. Go to Justice for Trainsong to sign the petition.

[00:10:30] Bethel needs a police substation on Highway 99 now. It doesn’t need to be fancy. The city hired a downtown incident commander in 2023 to focus on public safety and cleanliness, ensuring appropriate police presence, and coordinating resources from across the organization in a rapid response team. Bethel needs this. The community safety payroll tax needs to support Bethel too.

[00:10:52] Lisa Arkin: Hello, for the record, my name is Lisa Arkin. I live in Ward 1 and I am the director of Beyond Toxics. And I wanted to thank Councilor (Matt) Keating for sharing memories of his mother and also say these comments in acknowledgement of her touching poem and her repeated question, ‘What could go wrong?’

[00:11:15] First on behalf of many community members and Beyond Toxics members, I want to express my gratitude and relief that the city’s Planning Department reached a conclusion to deny the green light to the Texas-based USD Clean Fuels company. Thank you to staff for reviewing the original decision.

[00:11:33] Trainsong and River Road neighborhoods face a new threat involving a fossil fuel corporation. The zoning verification application was recently received by the city and filed by H & S Fuels to build a tank farm for both aboveground and belowground fuel tanks in the Trainsong neighborhood.

[00:11:52] Picture the fuel tank infrastructure at Kinder Morgan off Prairie Road, but on a slightly smaller scale. We now hope the city manager will ask planning staff about this new request and identify the correct legal tools to nip this in the bud.

[00:12:09] Yesterday, Beyond Toxics and the three rail-impacted neighborhoods held a community meeting in partnership with two unions representing Union Pacific Railroad workers. Union Pacific, a Class I railroad company, is attempting to turn over their responsibilities and financial liability for all operations at the Eugene rail yard to a Class III rail company known as Central Oregon and Pacific Railroad.

[00:12:38] This is a very serious issue that needs your attention, but it’s too complex for public comment. Congresswoman Val Hoyle and Rep. Nancy Nathanson are taking steps to help. What our community needs and wants is a letter from the city of Eugene to appropriate federal agencies objecting to this lease agreement.

[00:12:58] Although you are a local government, you can take a stand for this city. It puts our community at risk for the large volume of hazardous chemicals that pass through our neighborhoods. And I want to thank Councilor (Jennifer) Yeh and Councilor (Greg) Evans for attending the community meeting and thank you to Councilor Evans for sharing his knowledge of railroad activities.

[00:13:20] Presenter: Trainsong reactivates, thanks the city for its help, and asks what the neighborhood can do.