Neighbors hope association revives.

Byline: Greg Bolt The Register-Guard

Residents of the busy and sometimes turbulent blocks west of the University of Oregon hope to revive their dormant neighborhood association tonight, one of several steps aimed at restoring a sense of community there.

The West University Neighborhood Association will meet at 7 p.m. At least 20 residents must attend to have a quorum and elect officers.

Once the association has a board and executive officers, it will begin tackling some of the many issues facing the neighborhood. Those include better street lighting, alley improvements and whether to reopen or move West University Park.

The association has been inactive for at least seven years, having died out as resident owners moved out of the neighborhood and homes were converted into rentals snapped up by students. The neighborhood - roughly west of campus to Willamette, south to 19th Avenue and north to East Broadway - now is the densest in Eugene, has the fewest number of resident owners and has the youngest residents in the city.

That combination has turned the roughly 50-block neighborhood into party central for young people and has fueled a number of riots. After one such melee in September 2002, Mayor Jim Torrey and UO President Dave Frohnmayer formed a task force to brainstorm ideas for making the neighborhood calmer and more livable.

Reviving the neighborhood association was one of many recommendations to come out of the task force effort. The association can provide a forum for residents to discuss problems and solutions and lobby city officials for assistance.

"A number of folks there are very excited about the potential for a neighborhood association to really provide focused work and focused cooperation with the city on some of the big issues," said David Kelly, a Eugene city councilor who recently moved into the neighborhood. He has been nominated to serve on the association's board.

Besides Kelly, people nominated to serve on the board include Sarah Donelson, Mary Sue Keating, Clark Cox, Ron Lewis and Shayne Tracy. Those nominated as officers are Drix Rixmann, chairman; Steve Baker, vice chairman; and Deborah Healey, secretary.

One of the biggest challenges for the group will be getting the neighborhood's most populous group - renters - to take part. Census figures show that 98 percent of the neighborhood is renters and that fewer than 50 owner-occupied homes remain.

Few of the renters have a long-term interest in the neighborhood, as most of them move frequently. But Kelly said the fact that many residents move often doesn't mean they don't keep ties to the neighborhood.

"Even though a student may move each year, they often move within the neighborhood and may end up spending three of their four undergraduate years here, and they can make a big difference in those years," he said. "My wish is that as the association gets established and starts working on projects, we'll get a great deal of involvement from students."

Another issue for the revived group will be whether to grant membership to property owners who don't live in the neighborhood. Such rules vary among neighborhood associations and it's not uncommon for non-resident owners to have membership status, although they are sometimes not allowed to vote.

About a third of the properties in the neighborhood are owned by people who don't live in Eugene and even more by people who don't live in the neighborhood. Kelly said one concern that has been expressed is the possibility that non-resident owners could dominate the association board.

But he's confident that the group can improve the neighborhood. He noted that already, as a result of the task force effort, street lights are being improved and the UO is helping fund a city police officer to patrol the neighborhood.

"I think there's a real chance to build a groundswell here," Kelly said. "If the neighbors can speak as a group and take on the responsibility for being the advocates for positive change, then I think we can get the city staff and city officials and business owners to follow along."

NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING

What: The West University Neighborhood Association will elect officers if the quorum of 20 is met.

Where: Central Presbyterian Church, in Room 121, 555 East 15th Ave.

When: 7 p.m.