Community

Area Briefs: Golf tourny to honor coach; Timeline extended for safety project; ‘State of the Air’: Wildfires a factor; and more

Golf tournament to honor coach, raise money

■ The second annual Craig Howard Memorial Golf Tournament, presented by Pac West Academy, will be held on June 25 at the beautiful Oakway Golf Course in Eugene. The event will honor Southern Oregon University head football coach Craig Howard. All proceeds will benefit the student athletes that Pac West Academy serves. A donation will also be made to a nonprofit youth organization, Creeks Football League, on behalf of the Howard Family. Anyone can sign up, no matter your skill level. More info and to register: craig-howard-memorial-golf-tournament.perfectgolfevent.com

Holiday Farm survivors: Rebuilding session slated

■ A drop-in session for Holiday Farm Fire survivors will be held on Saturday, May 7, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the McKenzie Community School New Gym, 51187 Blue River Drive. The topic is rebuilding. “We know from talking with survivors that many are still deciding whether to rebuild or how to rebuild,” said Lane County permit navigator Marianne Nolte. “It can be a complicated process and our planners and building officials want to sit down with people to help them understand what they need for their specific properties.” People will be able to get help with:

• Understanding what forms are required

• Locating what records already exist for a property

• Checking permit status

• Understanding sanitation requirements

• Determining required setbacks

• Understanding building permits and inspections

 Representatives from McKenzie Locals Helping Locals, McKenzie Valley Long Term Recovery Group, and disaster case managers will also be on-hand to help connect fire survivors to resources and help. For survivors unable to attend Saturday’s drop-in session, Nolte continues to be available on Tuesdays at the McKenzie School New Gym from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and at the Leaburg Annex (42870 McKenzie Highway (milepost 20) on Thursdays from 9:30 a.m.-noon. More info: mckenzierebuilds.org. 

 

Timeline extended for Main St. safety project

■ The City of Springfield is extending the timeline for the planning phase of the Main Street Safety Project. Springfield mayor Sean VanGordon provided this direction after considering the amount of public comment and the sheer size of the Draft Main Street Facility Plan. Draft Main Street Safety Facility Plan work sessions will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Mondays, June 6, 13, 20 and 27.

‘State of the Air’ report: Wildfires a factor

■ The 2022 “State of the Air” report, released by the American Lung Association, finds that Oregon’s rankings were mixed for some of the most harmful and widespread types of air pollution: particle pollution and ozone. Particle pollution remains the prominent pollutant, largely due to seasonal severe wildfires and woodsmoke. The “State of the Air” report is the Lung Association’s annual air quality “report card” that tracks and grades Americans’ exposure to unhealthy levels of ground-level ozone air pollution (also known as smog), annual particle pollution (also known as soot), and short-term spikes in particle pollution, over a three-year period. This year’s report covers 2018-20. See the full report at Lung.org/sota. The report tracked short-term spikes in particle pollution, which can be extremely dangerous and even lethal. Eugene-Springfield (15), Portland-Vancouver-Salem (19) and Medford-Grants Pass (21) all made the top 25 list for short-term particle pollution. Three cities also appeared on the most polluted annual particles – Medford-Grants Pass (6), Bend-Prineville (15) and Eugene-Springfield (18). The addition of 2020 data to the 2022 “State of the Air” report gives a first look at air quality trends during the COVID-19 pandemic. Regardless of the shutdowns in early 2020, there was no obvious improvement.

 

LTD seeking input

Lane Transit District is asking residents, including LTD’s private-sector partners, to sign up for project updates and learn more about transportation by visiting: ltd.org/mobility-management. Community members can respond to a survey that will be posted on the project webpage later next month.

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