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Eugene YMCA announces new facility name, open house in December
The Eugene Family YMCA will welcome the public to its new facility − the Don Stathos campus − with an open house and ribbon cutting on Dec. 16.
The 75,000-square-foot facility, located at 600 E 24th Ave., will provide new programming and spaces for families, youth, young adults and seniors.
Through a decade of planning and a year-and-a-half of construction, the facility will have cost about $48 million by completion, making it one of the most expensive YMCAs in the country. Salem’s new 51,000-square-foot YMCA, which opened last fall, cost about $30.5 million.
Along with the announcement of the opening date, the Eugene Family YMCA introduced the new facility as the Don Stathos campus.
“The naming of our new campus location was inspired by a significant anonymous donor who was excited to celebrate a true Oregon legend, the late state Representative Don Stathos,” said Eugene Family YMCA CEO Brian Steffen.
“Representative Stathos embodied values held deeply by the Y: innovation, sustainability, vision and compassion to meet the health and social needs of the community … Stathos held to his authentic, principled approach to enact legislation that he knew would endure for generations—the Bike Bill, which supports active transportation infrastructure.”
The Bike Bill, passed in 1971, continues the vision of inspiring healthy habits, safe family activities and reduction of vehicle carbon emissions by directing one percent of highway fund dollars to active transportation infrastructure, such as multi-use paths.
The new Y is located along the Amazon Bike Path.
There will be a ribbon cutting at 10 a.m. and an open house until 3 p.m. on Dec 16, both of which are open to the public. The Y’s first day of operations is Monday, Dec. 18, from 7 a.m.- 7 p.m.
The Y is still pushing for final funds to support murals by local artists, expanded technology in youth spaces and financial assistance for future members. Those interested in donating can visit www.eugeneymca.org/donate.
The Eugene Symphony appoints new executive director
The Eugene Symphony Association Board of Directors has appointed Dave Moss, former president and CEO of the Hawai’i Symphony Orchestra, as Eugene Symphony’s next executive director after a months-long, global search.
“Dave has an exceptional background in fundraising, budget development and management, organizational growth and sustainability, collective bargaining, and strategic planning,” said Deb Carver, president of the ESA Board of Directors. “His skills, experience, and positive vision are a perfect match for our organization at this moment in time.”
As executive director, Moss will be the administrative lead of the organization, facilitating community and patron relationships. He also will work in collaboration with ESA music director and conductor Francesco Lecce-Chong to support ESA’s artistic direction and creative vision for the orchestra.
Moss began leading the Hawai’i Symphony Orchestra in March of 2020 as the COVID pandemic began and the orchestra faced extreme financial challenges and audience decline. He is credited with strengthening HSO’s finances and community support. He was recently named one of Hawai’i’s Most Admired Leaders by Pacific Business News and has been recognized by Pacific Edge Magazine with their Publishers Choice Award.
“I am extremely honored to have been selected to serve as the Eugene Symphony Association’s next Executive Director,” said Dave Moss. “I look forward to sharing my passion for the symphonic experience and building partnerships and community through music for Eugene.”
Moss will be moving with his family to Eugene in the coming months, starting in full-time capacity on Jan. 2.
EWEB offering smart thermostat rebate
The Eugene Water & Electric Board is offering rebates for customers to install smart thermostats for $0 to $119 depending on the model they select. Comparable models on Amazon sell for $100 to $250.
To be eligible, customers must get their primary heating from an electric forced-air furnace or a heat pump. The promotion comes from a partnership with General Pacific, Inc., one of EWEB’s suppliers, based in Fairview. Customers wanting a smart thermostat can order online at eweb.gpfulfillment.com and General Pacific will ship to the customer’s address.
EWEB said in a press release that the thermostats could help customers conserve energy because smart thermostats are easier to program than traditional thermostats and they can detect when people aren’t home and switch to an energy-saving mode then. More information is available at eweb.org/smartthermostat
Springfield awarded excellence award from insurance provider
CIS Oregon has awarded the city of Springfield an Excellence in Best Practice Award for 2023 in the category of safety for substantially reducing the city’s risk and liability exposure.
The city started working with CIS in mid-2020 to ensure its coverage would not be dropped.
City Manager Nancy Newton authorized an additional position in the Development and Public Works Department’s operations division to hire a safety and training coordinator.
And the city instituted a body-worn camera program for police and a software program that tracks use of force and other metrics. A crime analyst also was hired to create metrics for police to use.
“The city executive team and staff has embraced this new culture of how we can drastically improve safety as a city and keep our exposure low and our employees and community safe,” Newton said in a prepared statement. “I’m proud of the effort to date and the results. Winning this award from CIS is a testament of that effort.”
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