City asked to preserve the services that make Eugene, Eugene

Presenter: The Budget Committee heard public comments May 14 asking that funding be preserved for the services that make Eugene, Eugene.

Penny Jo Salus: Hi, my name is Penny Joy Salus, and I’ve been in Eugene for almost 40 years. And I didn’t plan to speak when I came, but when I looked at that list, it’s a heartbreaking list, I just needed to come up and just speak on behalf of those services that are essential, standalone, irreplaceable services in this town, things that make Eugene, Eugene, essentially.

[00:00:34] So I really appreciated what the (Budget Committee) chair was saying at the beginning of the meeting. It felt like a very compassionate take on things, and I’m hoping that that can be used when you make your final choices and with a little sprinkling of creativity, that these really essential services can be saved. Thank you for your work. I know it’s not easy. And that’s all, thank you.

[00:01:01] Presenter: Brianna Rollo:

[00:01:02] Brianna Rollo: Hello, Eugene Budget Committee. My name is Brianna Rollo and I am a sixth-grade math teacher in the Bethel School District. I’m here to speak in support of our Library Recreation and Cultural Services, and in particular, Sheldon Community Center.

I worked at Sheldon Community Center for six years on and off and have enjoyed every time that I get to step foot inside that building. I started working in the after-school program after I graduated from U of O and I needed a job.

[00:01:29] I knew that I wanted to work with kids and kind of outside and but I didn’t know how. I jumped right into their programs and was amazed at how well they supported around 48 kids after school with tutoring, snacks, activities, and time for kids to be kids.

[00:01:46] When the pandemic hit, we tried to maintain community with online after school activities and during the 2020 -21 school year we ran a one -room schoolhouse, actually two of these programs, to provide child care to essential workers and support them in their Zoom learning. We had a special place where kids could play and be in community during such an isolated and stressful time.

[00:02:08] This was when I decided that I wanted to be a teacher, and the staff at Sheldon supported me 100%. They wrote letters of recommendation and cheered with me when I got into my teaching program.

[00:02:18] While I was sad to leave, I knew that I would never truly leave Sheldon Community Center. During my teaching program, I worked in the evenings of the front desk, while Zumba danced on, and I did my homework.

[00:02:29] Once I started in my teaching position in Bethel, I took my one summer off, and after that, I came back to summer camps. I couldn’t handle being home alone without my community.

[00:02:38] I’m speaking here today because community centers like Sheldon are incredibly special places that should not be the first, the second, or even the third thing to miss when we are going through stressful financial times. Community centers, libraries, and recreational areas are like the Amazon Pool, bringing people together in such special ways that they should be prioritized in our city budget. We live in such a digital age that kids struggle to form bonds, regulate themselves, and build friendships in person.

[00:03:07] As a teacher, I see this every day. Sheldon is one of those places where phones are kept away and kids play face-to-face. They play games, create art, go on adventures, they build social skills, resiliency, and are fun.

[00:03:18] Over the years at Sheldon, I have seen the resources dwindle. There are no longer adventure and artsy camps like we’ve had before. Field trips have been limited. Snacks aren’t quite what they used to be. But the staff works hard to create activities for the kids to remember forever where they keep wanting to go back to summer camp.

[00:03:33] Presenter: Elizabeth Steinhouse:

[00:03:35] Elizabeth Steinhouse: I guess I’m here to speak on behalf of people that can’t speak for themselves. Gandhi once famously stated, ‘The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.’ This quote highlights highlights his belief that a society’s compassion for the most vulnerable, including animals, is a reflection of its overall character and moral standing.

[00:04:00] I’m just here to speak about the services that are on the chopping block. Obviously everybody’s here to speak on behalf of that, getting rid of animal services, services alternative response services performed by CAHOOTS, closing the library two days a week, reducing funding for the River House, closing Amazon Pool and Sheldon Community Center.

[00:04:22] These are all necessary things in our community and I am outraged that we are considering getting rid of them or reducing the funding for them. Let’s talk about Amazon Pool. If you’ve been there recently, there’s a line out the door every single time. Why have we not considered increasing the amount that you pay to get into Amazon’s full pool so it can fund itself? That doesn’t make any sense to me. Our first choice is to just shut it down. We’re going to drive by a community pool during the summer when it’s 90 degrees and stare through the gate and go, ‘Why is this pool closed?’ That makes no sense.

[00:05:02] Now, Sheldon Community Center. My children have gone to that community center for summer camps. They’ve gone to that community center for childcare. And if those of you who don’t have children that are of school age or younger, you would not know that there is a great need in this community for child care. It is incredibly imperative that we continue to keep such a large situation where, you know, people, so many children need this service and use this service. Once again, as soon as those programs become available, they’re sold out within minutes. That’s what a great need we have in this community.

[00:05:46] Presenter: Heather Jones:

[00:05:47] Heather Jones: Just wanted to take a minute to share some of my concerns regarding the proposed budget cuts. Firstly, is the closure of the Sheldon Community Center. My daughter attends summer camp there. She has for the last few years. It’s one of the few affordable child care options that exist during the summer. I mean, pretty much any working parent knows what a nightmare it is to find child care when school’s out.

[00:06:08] And so in particular, those Sheldon summer camps fill up within generally two to three minutes of registration opening, and they’ll have wait lists of 100+ kids pretty much for every program.

[00:06:20] The city needs more and not less child care options. Those other programs that are through Amazon and Petersen Barn are equally as full. So it’s not like the kids right now that go to Sheldon can just be transferred or picked up by one of those programs. Closing this children rec center might mean more kids stay home when they shouldn’t or stay with friends or relatives that are not as safe or good of a care option.

[00:06:43] My next concern I wanted to express was around the impact of the closure of the library. Like, potentially, I heard two days a week. For a period of time, I was a teenager who was homeless in Eugene. I have a very vivid memory of sitting at the library on, I think it was like a Monday or Sunday night, and watching the time tick down until it closed, because that was one of the few safe places I had to be.

[00:07:10] Honestly, closing for even a few hours, let alone a few days of the week, have a massive impact to people in a similar situation as I, or in far worse, especially impactful during extreme weather. I know that’s not really the intent of the library, but it’s the reality of the service that it provides.

[00:07:30] And then finally, I just wanted to express some general frustration on how this is being managed. It seems like we are being presented this information at the end of April and it’s going into effect in July regardless.

[00:07:40] And I just wish there was maybe some more options around increasing the cost of the services or some other solutions being put on the table, because it feels like at this point, there’s no other option.

[00:07:50] Presenter: Public comments ask the city not to close Sheldon Community Center. The City Council and Budget Committee meet again Wednesday, May 21.

Image of youth at Sheldon Community Center courtesy city of Eugene.