Public to give input

on cell tower placement
A public hearing will be held at 7 p.m. tonight at Harris Hall, 125 E. Eighth Ave., to give the community a chance to comment on new ordinances for cell phone tower placement. The hearing is a follow-up to a community meeting held last month.
The Lane County Planning Commission is developing new ordinances for the placement of cell phone towers for the county. Several companies are attempting to site more towers in the Eugene area; one possible site is close to the University at East 15th Avenue and Villard Street.
Civic officials will be at the hearing, as will representatives from the group Citizens for Responsible Placement of Cell Phone Towers. County Commissioners will make a final decision on the ordinances in early January. For more information, call 682-3734.

— Brook Reinhard

Eugene drivers

take the Challenge
Sixty-five teams are competing in this week’s Eugene Commute Challenge, which is sponsored by the City Transportation department. Besides driving alone in a car to work, teams can use any method of transportation to participate in the week-long event, which will climax Wednesday with a one-day contest.
“We promote the whole week to get people thinking that if they commute one day a week, they can make a huge difference,” said Diane Bishop, the bicycle coordinator for Eugene. “But Wednesday is the day we actually count.”
This is the second year of the Commute Challenge. Bishop said she targets businesses for the event because it has more impact than just approaching individuals.
“The camaraderie of work — that idea of everyone working together — helps,” she said.
The businesses are a mix of public and private agencies. Two University teams have entered the competition: One team is from the Knight Library and the other is from the planning, public policy and management department.

— Sue Ryan