Councilors tell Bush their thoughts on war.

Byline: City Beat / Eugene by Joe Mosley The Register-Guard

STEP ASIDE, joint chiefs of staff. Look beyond your national security adviser, President Bush.

How about some input on Iraq from street-level elected officials? Care for the opinions of politicians who most directly represent your nation's people - or at least those who happen to live in Eugene, Oregon?

Two letters signed by Eugene city councilors - one a slightly understated version of the other - are about to be sent to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., serving notice to the White House that Eugene's officeholders are "deeply and gravely concerned" about their country being perched on the brink of war with Iraq.

Both urge the president "in the strongest possible terms" to avoid engaging the United States in any "unilateral military action against Iraq."

Six councilors have signed the more strongly worded of the two letters - Scott Meisner, David Kelly, Betty Taylor, Bonny Bettman, Gary Rayor and Nancy Nathanson. Rayor and Nathanson also signed the second letter, along with Councilor Gary Pape.

Mayor Jim Torrey will be sending his own letter, which he says characterizes war as "absolutely the last thing we want," but pledges his support if the president determines that there is "no other recourse."

Councilors reluctantly took up the matter last week after a group of University of Oregon professors and students, Vietnam-era peace movement veterans and other anti-war activists showed up at an earlier meeting and asked the council to adopt a peace resolution that could be sent to the president and to Oregon's congressional delegation.

The idea of a resolution was rejected, with a majority of councilors saying it isn't the city's place to take official stands on national - or international - policy issues. But the councilors agreed to sign unofficial letters stating their personal opposition to war.

The original letter, which essentially incorporates the concerns of those who raised the issue two weeks ago, urges U.S. leaders to follow the lead of the United Nations Security Council, to show restraint and to strengthen foreign partnerships by avoiding "unilateral war."

It also touches on the potential monetary and human costs of such a war, and on Oregon's inability to divert money from already-strapped schools and human service programs.

The alternate letter, drafted at Pape's direction, includes all passages from the first except the reference to Oregon's economic downturn.

It also inserts a statement not included in the first: "We acknowledge that United States forces, in concert with other nations, may be committed if the U.N. determines as a last resort that it is necessary to employ military force to disarm Iraq of weapons of mass destruction."

Both letters are written under a Eugene City Council letterhead.

After a back-and-forth debate about which should be sent to the president and Oregon's elected federal officials, councilors decided last week to send both.

"If I signed my name to something, it is my expectation we would send both," said Nathanson, who saw merits in each version.

Interchange information

Councilors will get a short course Monday night in cloverleafs, flyover ramps, sound walls and a whole lot more big-dollar highway construction concepts when a state traffic engineer shows up for a briefing on the planned interchange makeover at Interstate 5 and Belt Line Road.

The $122 million reconstruction project was approved earlier this month by a committee of officials from Eugene, Springfield, Lane County, the state Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration.

No action by the city is required for the project to go forward, but the council is being updated on the massive interchange overhaul as a courtesy by state officials, city transportation engineer Dave Reinhard said.

The interchange upgrade still must gain final federal approval, but construction is considered likely to begin in 2006. Revenue bonds sold under the Oregon Transportation Investment Act will provide $18 million in first-phase funding, and more than $100 million more is expected to be raised through state and federal transportation programs, along with private contributions.

The new interchange is expected to include cloverleaf on- and off-ramps serving all four directions at I-5 and Belt Line, as well as a "flyover" ramp connecting northbound I-5 to westbound Belt Line.

A redesign of the Belt Line-Gateway Street intersection also is in the works, and a sound wall is planned to lessen freeway noise near Harlow Road.

Parking lot sale

Have a high-concept idea for development of a chunk of land near the city's core? And maybe a thick wad of cash to get the deal done?

The city is looking for bidders on a 37,373-square-foot parking lot on the east side of Olive Street, just south of 13th Avenue.

It's across the street from the old, soon-to-be-replaced Eugene Public Library.

Only developers whose ideas include "exemplary design and high density" need apply, according to a city announcement of its request for proposals. Zoning on the property is a mix of commercial and high-density residential.

"Although a portion of this site could accommodate commercial development, this site appears to have significant potential for multiunit housing development," said Mike Sullivan, manager of the city's Neighborhood, Housing and Community Development Division.

Money from the sale of the parking lot - along with that from sales of the old library itself and the former Sears Building at Charnelton Street and West 10th Avenue - will help offset $34 million in construction costs for the city's new library.

Balzhiser & Hubbard Engineers have agreed to purchase the old library after the new library opens on Dec. 26, and the city is entertaining proposals for the Sears property.

The deadline for submitting proposals for the parking lot property is Jan. 10. For more information, call Denny Braud of the city's Planning & Development Department at 682-5536 or by e-mail at [e-mail].

Reporter Joe Mosley can be reached at 338-2384 or by e-mail at [e-mail]