Reminder: Beaver Hunsaker Update Tuesday 6 pm – 8 PM

Posted on May 19, 2025 by Gary Haliski

Please join the City of Eugene to discuss the upcoming safety upgrades to Hunsaker Lane. Attendees will have the opportunity to:

  • Learn about the changes coming to Hunsaker Lane
  • Discuss specific impacts to properties on Hunsaker Lane

Hunsaker Lane Community Meeting
Tuesday May 20th, 2025
Drop-in between 6 P.M.-8 P.M.
North Eugene High School Cafeteria
250 Silver Lane, Eugene, OR 97404

This is a drop-in meeting. Come anytime between 6 and 8 pm and stay as long as you want until 8 pm.

The City of Eugene received grant funding to improve transportation safety on Hunsaker Lane from River Road to Ross Lane in accordance with Lane County’s Beaver Hunsaker Corridor Plan. Planned improvements to this portion of Hunsaker Lane include new sidewalks and buffered bike lanes, speed cushions, repaving and stormwater drainage improvements.

To make space for the additional safety features on Hunsaker, the City of Eugene will be asking for temporary construction easements from all property owners along the corridor and a smaller number of properties may be asked for permanent right-of-way easements. Both temporary and permanent easements would involve just compensation to the property owner. Construction is currently estimated for 2027, but City staff plan to begin processing easements in 2026.

If you’d like to schedule an individual appointment outside of the open house meeting time, please contact Reed Dunbar at rdunbar@eugene-or.gov or 541-682-5727

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Hunsaker Lane Project Update and Open House – May 20th

Posted on May 6, 2025 by Gary Haliski

Hunsaker Lane Improvements Open House
Tuesday, May 20th
6:00 – 8:00 PM
North Eugene High School Cafeteria
250 Silver Lane

The City is now at a point where they have 60% design drawings complete. They have an illustrative map of the design on their project webpage:  Hunsaker Lane Improvements | Eugene, OR Website. Look in the ‘Work’ section for the illustrative map.

A large focus of the Open House will be on talking to home owners about property impacts associated with the project, but that being said there will still be a lot of general information about the project at the event. 

Posted in Beaver-Hunsaker & Multi Use Path, Public Safety, Transportation | Leave a comment

Everyone Welcome lawn signs available at Wildflower Celebration this Saturday

Posted on May 1, 2025 by Gary Haliski

There will be a limited number of Everyone Welcome signs at the 14th Annual Wildflower Celebration this Saturday. Please drop by, pick one up and make Santa Clara an even more welcoming part of Eugene. The signs are FREE—one per person. There is a limited quantity of 20.

Everyone Welcome Spanish

14th Annual Wildflower Celebration
River Road and Spring Creek Drive
Saturday, May 3
11 am – 2 pm

We have added food trucks this year. Calle Steelo Taco truck will be serving up tacos and King Whippy has soft ice cream with a gazillion colors of sprinkles.

Don’t forget our most popular event, the Treasure Hunt. Take a guided tour or explore on your own with a self-guided tour. Bright yellow trail markers will lead you to many of the park’s native plants. If you find 12 of 15 plants, you can take home a native plant for your garden while supply lasts.

The bird walk is just a little after 11 am.

Posted in Diversity, Gardening, General Interest, Parks - Dog Parks | Leave a comment

Reminder – Update on a YMCA at the LTD property on Hunsaker -this Thursday’s SCCO meeting

Posted on April 29, 2025 by Gary Haliski

The YMCA is looking into building another facility in Eugene. The Y is now in talks to purchase a nearly five-acre property from the Lane Transit District.

There will be a shared presentation about plans for the rest of the old Santa Clara Elementary school site at Hunsaker and River Road. Jameson Auten, CEO of the Lane Transit District, and Brian Steffen, CEO of Eugene YMCA.

Thursday, May 1
7:00 PM
3280 River Road (Messiah Lutheran Church)

Google Meet joining info
Video call link: https://meet.google.com/ziv-aqxs-vee
Or dial: ‪(US) +1 570-599-8633‬ PIN: ‪129 374 121‬#

Posted in LTD Mass Transit, Parks - Dog Parks, SCCO Meetings | 2 Comments

Wildflower Celebration This Saturday – New this year: Birdwalk and Food Trucks

Posted on April 29, 2025 by Gary Haliski

The 14th Annual Awbrey Park Wildflower Celebration is this Saturday, May 3, from 11 am until 2 pm. Awbrey Park is located at the corner of River Road and Spring Creek Drive in Eugene.

Our most popular event is the Treasure Hunt. Take a guided tour or explore on your own with a self-guided tour. Bright yellow trail markers will lead you to many of the parks native plants. If you find 12 of 15 plants, you can take home a native plant for your garden.

We are adding a new event this year that may become even more popular than the Treasure Hunt. Katie McMinnis. a veterinarian at the Cascade Raptor Center, will be leading a birdwalk around 11 am. Katie knows her birds by ear, which is ideal for the forest in the back part of the park.

But wait, there’s more! We have added food trucks this year. Calle Steelo Taco truck will be serving up tacos and King Whippy has soft ice cream with a gazillion colors of sprinkles.

The Friends of Awbrey Park will be stationed throughout the park to help you find trillium, lupine, red Columbine, bleeding heart, violets, fairy bells, false Solomon’s Seal, Oregon myrtle, and much, much more. Other items to look forward to:

  • Live Music from Santa Clara musicians– Crowd favorite The Nostalgics will open and be followed by singer and songwriter Tim Foelker
  • Rock Painting with Darcy – Rocks and paint provided. You make up your design.
  • Kids games on the lawn plus three play areas for toddlers through age 12
  • Several groups that support us year round will be present including:
    The Santa Clara Community Organization – Find out the work that the SCCO does for the Santa Clara community.
    The Santa Clara Community Foundation – The SCCF is a 501(c)3 non-profit that supports several projects including renovating the old (1901) schoolhouse on River Loop 2
    Lane County Master Gardeners mobile plant clinic will be available to answer questions.
    Lane County Audubon Society and Habitat Haven – learn how to certify your back yard as friendly to birds and pollinators
    The Irving Grange will surprise you with all of the activities that they put on
    Boy Scout Troop 182 – Thank the young men who have helped chip our trails for many years and been responsible for the flourishing natives on ‘Boy Scout Bank’
    Learn about the River Road – Santa Clara Volunteer Library. They have over 13,000 items, including fiction and nonfiction for adults and children, audiobooks, and DVDs.
    Meet The Friends of Awbrey Park. The Friends just completed their 17th year of improving the park.

    If you haven’t been to the park since late 2015, it is time to visit the park again. The City put in a new bridge to replace a slippery log. The bridge makes it safe to walk to the small forest in the east part of the park.
Posted in Events, Gardening, Parks - Dog Parks | Leave a comment