School annexing decision delayed.

Byline: Jim Feehan The Register-Guard

Lacking the required number of members on hand to vote on the annexation of three Santa Clara area elementary schools into the City of Eugene, the Lane County Local Government Boundary Commission Thursday night postponed action on the matter until later this month or mid-July.

The Eugene School District requested that Awbrey Park, Spring Creek and River Road/El Camino del Rio elementary schools be annexed into the city, so the schools can receive city services, such as the Safer Schools program offered by the Eugene Police Department.

The city has proposed annexing parts of county streets near the schools into the city as well. Those streets included parts of Spring Creek Drive, Irvington Drive, Crocker Road, Blackfoot Avenue, West Hilliard Lane and Marion Lane.

About 70 people attended the boundary commission meeting at the Eugene City Council chamber for the vote. Council members moved the item to the end of the agenda to allow boundary commission member Clay Myers to arrive. When he failed to, the seven-member commission lacked the required four members to take action. Commission member Van Heeter, who was present at Thursday's meeting, did not attend the April 6 public comment period on the school district's annexation request, barring him from voting on it.

Many people spoke against the street annexations because they are worried that once the streets are within the city, that will leave their homes surrounded by city property. The concern comes from a provision in state law that says if county property is surrounded by city property, such as streets, the city can initiate annexation of the so-called "island" properties.

"The only way to create areas of annexation is to create islands, and for that reason we oppose it," said Jerry Ritter of the River Road/Santa Clara Property Owners Association.

Clinton Rushing, who lives on McClure Drive, said the added city services would be negligible if annexed.

"I don't feel like there is much of an upside," Rushing said. "Yeah, I believe in street sweeping, but I have a broom."

Another request for annexation provided fewer sparks.

St. Vincent de Paul asked that half an acre it owns near East Hillcrest Drive to be annexed so it can build low-income housing . "This furthers our goal of providing low-income housing to the community," Richard Dannemiller of St. Vincent de Paul said.

Several people who spoke in opposition to the St. Vincent de Paul annexation said they had no qualms with the organization, but opposed the city's request to annex nearby streets from McClure Drive to East Hillcrest Drive.

The boundary commission voted 4-0 to approve St. Vincent de Paul's request along with a private land owner, Ron and Bess Blacquiere, who live across the street from the St. Vincent dePaul site on Hillcrest Drive.

The boundary commission did not take up the city's request to annex nearby streets.