Public comment: City pools, library serve all ages

Presenter: Eugene’s Budget Committee heard public comment May 14 asking that funding be preserved for the library and city pools.

Aimee Code: Hello, my name is Aimee Code. And I want to thank all the people who came out to speak this evening. I don’t have any numbers, but my kids were raised here. My daughter learned to swim in Amazon Pool. We spent hours in the library. You know, just, I love that building.

[00:00:24] When I worked downtown, I can’t tell you how many times I saw CAHOOTS work their magic and help somebody through a difficult time. These are vital services. They need long-term sustainable funding, not some short-term fix and twisting things around. We need these services here.

[00:00:42] I love this city. I love what it has. My daughter lives in Claremont, California now. She’s so amazed by CAHOOTS, she’s trying to get it established down there. Please figure it out. Thank you for what you’re doing.

[00:00:56] Aisha Ruzicka: My name is Aisha Ruzicka. I’m here today to talk about Amazon Pool and a large part of our community that’s often ignored is the disabled community. I’m a proud member of that, it’s really cool. And I’ve used Echo Hollow Pool growing up and now I go to Amazon Pool. And the people that I see there, the amount of disabled people that utilize the services provided, whether it’s aqua jogging or water aerobics or just swimming laps, that is essential for quality of life.

[00:01:29] And those pools, whether it’s Amazon, Sheldon, or Echo Hollow, they are full. There is a line for all of them. Those laps are full, like, the lanes, everything. People are using it within our community: disabled people, the elderly, families. Living here my whole life, especially growing up in West Eugene, I grew up very poor and those pools were affordable.

[00:01:54] And they kept kids cool during the summer and they’re, like, we could go in the Willamette River where people die because it’s dangerous or Fern Ridge where it’s dirty, like, the pools are essential. And I’m very sad that you guys are considering closing Amazon when it’s so important for so many people.

[00:02:14] And there’s so many things that you’re cutting that are so important for so many people. Living here my whole life, I’ve seen what Eugene has become and I feel like it’s kind of lacking. And I feel like we cater often to the University of Oregon out-of-state students or people that live here nine months out of the year. And I think we need to focus on the community, the residents that live here, the working class, the disabled, everyone, like, that’s here.

[00:02:41] Raghuveer Parthasarathy: I’m Raghuveer Parthasarathy. I live in Eugene. There are clearly a lot of very deep concerns with the proposed budget and I share lots of the views that have been put forth very eloquently already. And I wanted to comment specifically on the proposed quite drastic cuts to the public library, specifically leading to its closure, complete closure on Sundays, of the downtown library on Sundays and Mondays.

[00:03:02] So the Sunday before last, in fact, I was at the library, which I often am, and near me in the adjacent aisle were two teenage girls who were browsing for books and chatting, which normally I wouldn’t have given any thought to, but this was, in fact, the day that I had read this news about the proposed city budget.

[00:03:17] And so I was deeply sad about this, and in fact, just wandered around the library for several minutes thinking that, you know, not long from now, these doors would be closed to them for a large fraction of the week.

[00:03:28] And the library isn’t just a repository of knowledge and culture. It’s a place where families bring small children and it’s a place where teens learn to be independent. It’s a place where the community meets. And perhaps most importantly, it’s a free and non-commercial space for all of these things to happen, and these kinds of spaces are increasingly vanishing from our society.

[00:03:49] And I would furthermore say that it’s things like this that are the reason for cities to exist: things like the public library, the community centers, the pools, and so on. It’s what makes us more than just a collection of homes and businesses.

[00:04:01] Finally, it pains me, actually, that all of this is happening also at a time where books are increasingly being banned and literacy itself seems undervalued in large parts of the country. And for good reason, I think, we look down on this.

[00:04:14] But decisions like this (or proposed decisions like this) make me ask which actually has a bigger impact on culture and literacy: Banning some books or blocking access to all books for half of the weekend, the most accessible time for working people and families with children.

[00:04:30] Winnie Kerner: My name is Winnie Kerner. I’m here to talk about the pool, Amazon Pool. I’ve lived here for 30 years. I raised my kids here, took them swimming, had picnics at the pool, went to the library, did all these things, and I now will go to that Amazon Pool almost every day of the entire summer.

[00:04:51] So I want to tell you, my observations are that it serves a very wide range of people of different ages. There are parents with babies and toddlers playing in this splash pool, a small pool for very young children to start swim lessons, all kinds of school-age children learning to swim.

[00:05:17] Think about what it might mean if your child didn’t learn to swim. You know, it’s a life skill that is essential. And then we get on to the swim team and some of the sports and adults getting exercise.

[00:05:32] And I want to speak about the seniors, like myself, who use the pool. Many people have knee replacements, hip replacements, arthritis, injuries, all kinds of conditions where they can’t gain mobility and exercise just walking or running around. They need the water. They need the pool.

[00:05:58] So this is serving an age range from babies to older adults, from many walks of life. And I think it’s shortsighted to close a place like Amazon to save a small amount of money when the total budget deficit for the community is so big. This is only a small part but serves a large number of people. And it’s also a waste to leave that facility unused, which is so useful for everyone and also brings in some revenue.

[00:06:36] Linda Ague: My name is Linda Ague. I’ve spoken many times in the City Council about my concerns about the services being cut, and particularly about the library. I feel it’s important to ask this question in public, it is in reference to the current budget proposal, and the question is: Why is the library being asked to cut such a disproportionate amount out of its budget? Particularly since the cuts made in the last round of budgeting were also disproportionately large.

[00:07:03] If the numbers I am using are incorrect, I hope to receive the correct numbers in my response, and I’ll be glad to come back and correct myself (and hopefully say ‘Thank you’). If they are correct, then I understand the city is being asked to cut 1.8% from the general fund, but the library cuts represent 8% of its general fund portion. Why?

[00:07:24] Of course, I could be asking a much bigger question about this whole budget process, but that’s a question, I guess, for the Chamber of Commerce and its challenge to the City Council vote. Feel free to fix that as well.

[00:07:37] The various news sources have already made clear that with the budget as it stands, the downtown library will close two days and so far seven staff positions will be cut. If seven sounds like a small number, it is 27% of all the staffing cuts proposed across the city and it’s a huge number for those seven individuals.

[00:07:59] According to the statistics from the Oregon State Library, the Eugene Public Library was visited double the per capita rate of any other large library system. And in case some of you are wanting to attribute this negatively to the number of people who are using the library primarily as a safe and inclusive space, that statistic includes Multnomah as well.

[00:08:19] There are no good places to cut in this budget, but the library is a resource that rises to the same level of essential as areas that are, for some reason, being more protected from cuts. I ask that the Budget Committee spend some time in the library and then reconsider what is essential to making Eugene a vibrant, welcoming place. In the meantime, I look forward to your answer.

[00:08:41] Presenter: Daniel Berg:

[00:08:42] Daniel Berg: I would normally be at the Echo Hollow Community Pool, swimming right now, but I’m taking time out to be able to come and talk to you. I’m here to provide public comment in support of a group of senior citizens that goes and uses the Amazon Pool, the downtown branch of the Public Library, and the Greenhill Humane Society on weekly and frequent basis.

[00:09:02] We want to urge the City Council to avoid fundamental cuts to these services. Amazon Pool is not underutilized as it’s been reported in the news media. It is actually used at such a level that they have to turn people away during the summer.

[00:09:21] Increased hot weather and hot weather spells during the summer makes this not just an amenity but rather a necessity for students and young kids to be able to access and old people to access every day of the week during the summer.

[00:09:38] Amazon Pool also provides access to swim lessons for young kids. We live in an area that has a huge number of waterways. It’s an essential safety concern that we provide those services.

[00:09:50] I also want to advocate for the library. My mom is a former librarian. She would be very mad with me if I did not. But the city of Eugene Library provides a second space for people to go to and be able to be away from their work and away from home. It provides access to increased learning opportunities and reading opportunities for young kids. The price for this particular thing for this fee is only, it’s less than two cups of coffee per month. So please continue to fund these services.

[00:10:23] Presenter: Public comments at the Budget Committee ask the city to preserve funding for the library and pools.

Image of the Amazon Pool play area courtesy Eugene Recreation.