A funny thing happened to me on the way to the Lane County Historical Society & Museum, I found the car John Belishi drove at the end of the movie ‘Animal House’. It is located inside a vintage warehouse located on Franklin Street a hundred yards from where a convention center is to be built. This building and about twelve homes were under the wrecking ball ten years ago when a company owned by Dubai royalty tried to buy up this property in order to build a hotel apartment complex. Five years ago I was introduced to Jim who owned a home on Brooklyn Street that Dubai and Sid Leiken wanted to buy – and tear down. Jim is an old Bohemian who along with his neighbors, asked a million dollars for his land. This nixed the deal with Dubai.
Now, the same plan is back under new names. There exist an extensive study made in 2006, paid for by the tax payers – that is being hidden. The Stakeholders were not summoned again to view the Son of Glenwood. I will be meeting with the archivest at the Lane Museum this morning. When I suggested she acquire Belushi’s car, she said there was no room for it. I told her this car would bring folks from all over the world to look at it, and thus, there would be visitors, verses, no visitors! The question I will be putting forth in my blogs for the next week, is.. Why build a convention/hotel complex using tax payers money, when there is nothing TO SEE when the out-of-towners get here, because our City Leaders keep tearing down, and throwing away, the NORMAL STUFF most folks want to city in other cities! My friend Kenny Reed appeared in a documentary about the making of Animal House, along with Izzy, a Merry Prankster.
What we got here is that classic movie where a town of Small People are being pushed around by a Big Developer who is backed by Oil Sheiks from Dubai who want to build a giant Crescent Moon with Star in the heart of Springtucky.
Bluto’s son is the King of the Belusihi Bohemians who live in Gypsy wagons camped down by the river, and is married to Esmerelda, the Dancing Goat Girl, who leads a band of merry campers against the Evil Axis of Apex, and the legal team put together by Bill Gate’s father who wins a legal battle to prevent Esmerelda’s goats from grazing on the grass by the river. When all seems lost, the Tea Party Stakeholders come riding to the rescue.
El Sid Laiken went to college with the royal brothers from Dubai whose names escape me. They have gone underground, and was on the team to bring Dubai royalty into our valley.
Consider this blog to be the movie script I will be sending out to some producers.
I am going to found a Bohemian Government in the Emerald Valley that will conduct the normal business Bohemians have been conducting for centuries. We’ll just pretend elected officials don’t exist. However, we will invite The Mayors to have lunch with us once a month in hope the cultural warfare being waged against Bohemians, will one day be over.
We will then rename the EMERALD Valley, ESMERALDA Valley, where it will be Country Fair time everyday!
Jon Presco
Copyright 2014
1961 Buick Electra 225 Convertible.
Click to access FranklinBoulevardStudy.pdf
751 East 11th Street, Eugene, Oregon, USA (Delta House) (demolished)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_House
http://www.kval.com/news/local/Harold-Ramis-Animal-House-Eugene-246923521.html
http://lostandfoundeugene.blogspot.com/2012/02/dr-pattersons-animal-house.html
The local development group, Glenwood H&CC LLC, announced the project April 2. The group said it has secured the money needed to build the 150-suite riverfront hotel behind the Ramsey Waite equipment dealership. They estimate the hotel would cost nearly $26 million.
Five days later, the Springfield City Council committed up to $2.5 million in public funds over the next decade to help build the adjacent conference center, estimated to cost $17.1 million. The council made the decision quickly and with no discussion.
Bohemianism is the practice of an unconventional lifestyle, often in the company of like-minded people, with few permanent ties, involving musical, artistic, or literary pursuits. In this context, Bohemians may be wanderers, adventurers, or vagabonds.
This use of the word bohemian first appeared in the English language in the nineteenth century[1] to describe the non-traditional lifestyles of marginalized and impoverished artists, writers, journalists, musicians, and actors in major European cities. Bohemians were associated with unorthodox or anti-establishment political or social viewpoints, which often were expressed through free love, frugality, and—in some cases—voluntary poverty. A wealthy and privileged, even aristocratic, bohemian circle is sometimes referred to as the haute bohème[2] (“high bohemians”).[3]
The term Bohemianism emerged in France in the early nineteenth century when artists and creators began to concentrate in the lower-rent, lower class, gypsy neighborhoods. Bohémien was a common term for the Romani people of France, who had reached Western Europe via Bohemia.[4]
Documentary crew returns to recount ‘Animal House’ filming
Posted: Wednesday, Feb 13th, 2013 By Jon Stinnett The Cottage Grove Sentinel
photo by Jon Stinnett James “Izzy” Whetstine, left, and drummer Kenny Reed take a break from filming a documentary on the making of ‘Animal House’ Friday. Whetstine played a janitor responsible for dealing with a dead horse in the movie.
Many longtime Cottage Grove residents can recall a raucous parade that occurred downtown on Main Street in 1978. Today, scenes from that day live on as the zany finale to the highest-grossing comedy film of all time, Warner Bros.’ Animal House, and last week, a documentary film crew returned to the scene of the action to recount the part Cottage Grove played in film history. The documentary, “Animal House of Blues,” started as a project for a group of students at the University of Oregon, according to its creator, Katherine Wilson. “The class covered films of interest from the 1970s,” she said. “But after the class ended, my students told me that they needed to be interns and get some experience, that they wanted to make a movie.” Wilson said her students wanted to help her complete “Animal House of Blues,” a project she’d sought to finish herself for over a decade. “I’d been trying for 10 years, and it was going to cost me $100,000,” she said. “But we got to work, and the kids had everything I didn’t. We shot a short film in five weeks, and the students graduated with honors. Then they started telling me that they wanted to make the whole thing (the entire film.)” Wilson knew she couldn’t afford the licensing from Warner Bros. necessary to include parts of ‘Animal House’ in her own film, but she and her students entered their documentary in the Eugene International Film Festival anyway. There, ‘Animal House of Blues’ received an award for best documentary, and soon after, Wilson was meeting with representatives from Lion’s Gate and ABC Video about preparing the film for worldwide distribution. She said the film is slated for release in May, and last week, she rounded up a cast of characters to film scenes reminiscent of those in the original ‘Animal House’ and the anniversary toga party that happened here in 2003, an event Wilson called “the most incredible thing any town has ever put on.” For the complete article see the 02-13-2013 issue.
Ken Kesey‘s brother Chuck, and Chuck’s wife Sue started the Springfield Creamery in 1960, and the business survives today based partly on sales of their flagship product, Nancy’s Yogurt, developed from recipes of Nancy Hamren. In the 1970s, the Creamery staved off bankruptcy with the help of the rock band the Grateful Dead, who over time held a series of 10 benefit concerts on behalf of the creamery.[citation needed]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Springfield,_Oregon
The project would be the third attempt at a major redevelopment project in Glenwood in about the past decade. In 2006, the city picked Apex Investment Group, an international development firm, to redevelop a 48-acre stretch of riverfront between Franklin Boulevard and the river. Apex later dropped out, saying market conditions were unfavorable. The city had rejected another development proposal from a local group that included Greg Vik, president of a local construction company who is now a member of Glenwood H&CC LLC. Vik and his partner then proposed building a hotel with a 50,000-square-foot convention center in Glenwood, but that project never got off the ground. Richard Boyles, president and co-founder of Springfield-based InnSight Hotel Management Group, which manages about a dozen hotels in Oregon and Washington, remains skeptical of the latest Glenwood project. Boyles said Vik approached him a year or two ago about joining the project. Boyles passed on the venture. Boyles questioned whether there is a enough conference business to make the project profitable. He also wondered whether conference bookers will be keen to hold events at that location when some attendees would have to stay elsewhere. “Its time will come,” Boyles said of Glenwood. “But to lead that redevelopment with a hotel I didn’t feel would be a successful venture.” Allen Lonstron, another member of the local development group, acknowledged that attendees would have to stay at other hotels in the area until Glenwood redevelops with more hotel rooms. But he said that’s typically the case with conference centers and doesn’t see it as a setback. Boyles is “partly right because we don’t have enough (full-service) hotel rooms,” Lonstron said. “That’s not going to keep us from having business.” Lonstron said the Eugene-Springfield area has fewer rooms and meeting space at full-service hotels, which include rooms, meeting space and in-house food service, than it did a decade ago. The area has three full-service hotels: the Hilton Eugene, the Valley River Inn and the Holiday Inn Eugene/Springfield. The Lane Events Center and Lane Community College have meeting space but no hotel rooms on site. They’re not alone The hotel and conference center proposal comes as developers increasingly focus on Glenwood. Next door to the proposed hotel site, two developers are scheduled to begin construction on a $22 million affordable-housing development next year that also will receive government subsidies. When completed, it would feature two or three buildings with 150 apartments, ground-floor commercial spaces and meeting rooms. “This is an important opportunity for the community to further develop Glenwood while providing much needed affordable housing,” said Richard Herman, executive director of the nonprofit Cornerstone Community Housing, one of the partners in the project.
http://special.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/web/business/23913758-46/story.csp
http://www.lanecountyhistoricalsociety.org/
http://www.lanecountyhistoricalsociety.org/research.html
http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2014/04/11/3051456/social-challenges-as-saudis-draw.html
http://yp.theemiratesnetwork.com/browse/construction_companies/united_arab_emirates-du-dubai/-/4/
http://www.seeapex.com/news_latest.asp
http://www.seeapex.com/news_display.asp?id=10
october 2 2007
Click to access 2006SEDAMinutes2006-11-06.pdf
Click to access 2007-10-08SEDAMinutes.pdf
Director Leiken asked if SEDA members were allowed to contact representatives of the
Portland Development Corporation about its experience with APEX. SEDA Attorney Joe
Leahy stated that since no decision regarding a contract with APEX would be made at the
current meeting, such contact was permitted.
Click to access 2006SEDAMinutes2006-10-09draft.pdf
Mr. Tamulonis reviewed previous consideration of a request from the Southwestern
Oregon Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) for matching funds for a
grant it had received to conduct an Urban Riverfront Corridor Study. He said he had
received support for the project from Apex representatives.
Mr. Tamulonis reported that Glenwood Society for Livable Communities, a committee
made up of area residents, had been formed and would be considered for official recognition
at a later date.
He explained that it would include a series of forums and charrettes bringing together
civic leaders and interested citizens to shape a vision for its future. He said the Franklin
Urban Riverfront Corridor Study was the only project funded in the state of Oregon.
Mr. Paz said the study would be the first comprehensive urban design analysis of the
main linkage between Eugene and Springfield and their shared riverfront. He noted
that the description of the project recognized that limited “piece-meal” studies that had
been conducted which were focused on commercial real estate development and corresponding
zoning issues. He emphasized the value of the partnership of the University
of Oregon in the project. He said the grant matching funds being requested from
SEDA and the City of Eugene would enable publication of the findings of the study.
Eric Gunderson stated that he also represented the Southwestern Oregon AIA Chapter.
He distributed copies of AIA Architecture, published by the chapter containing information
about the project, and a document entitled “Bridging Communities: Franklin
Corridor Study 2007 – It’s All Here.” He reviewed plans for workshops to be included.
He emphasized the comprehensive nature and significance of public involvement in it.
Director Ralston asked if the end-product of the study would have a practical use. Mr.
Paz replied that the study was more than an “educational exercise” and would be embedded
in the community. He said administrative staffs of Eugene, Springfield, and
University of Oregon supported the project, as did the Mayor of Eugene and Lane
Transit District (LTD). He said outcomes of the study would include recommendations
for streetscape designs and setback studies. He said it was not intended to develop
uniform standards for the entire corridor, but be based on conversations with interested
design professionals and citizens regarding each subsection. He said its main
value would be to provide a comprehensive view of the entire study area.
Director Lundberg said she believed the studies were a natural next step in the redevelopment
of Glenwood and would need to be done even without the involvement of
the APEX proposal. She said she was interested in the possibility of a quid pro quo
response from APEX.
Director Stewart said he had heard APEX representatives express the need for updated
market studies before it made a final decision to go forward with its redevelopment
proposal. He suggested that SEDA funding of the proposed studies was a “good
faith” gesture and that he did not believe SEDA was in a position to request that APEX
share the cost.
Director Pishioneri moved, seconded by Director Leiken, to request that the City
of Springfield contract with Leland Consulting Group for market and feasibility
studies of properties in the Glenwood Riverfront area; and to provide for SEDA
reimbursement to the City for the proposed services.
Legal Counsel Joe Leahy stated that SEDA did not have contracting policies in place
and the motion would facilitate establishing the needed legal arrangements for the
studies. He said he had received assurances from other Civil Attorneys that the arrangement
was appropriate and efficacious. He said if the motion was adopted, an
agreement for its implementation would be presented at the next SEDA meeting.
The motion was adopted unanimously, 8:0.
E. Outside Legal Counsel
Mr. Leahy referred to Agenda item support material regarding a proposal to engage
Preston Gates & Ellis, LLP as additional legal counsel for matters related to developing
SEDA agreements with APEX, determined to be the preferred developer for the Glenwood
Riverfront area. He explained how the proposed arrangement with Timothy Sercombe
of the Portland law firm would be cost effect and said he was well experienced
in the both the type of negotiations that would be involved and the Glenwood area. He
said the proposed arrangement would also avoid any possibility of conflict of interest
with his responsibilities as Springfield City Attorney.
Director Leiken said he concurred with the recommendation of Mr. Leahy, as he was
familiar with both the firm and attorney proposed
Paul Keane, circa January, 1986,
holding a brick
from the then recently demolished
Animal House
http://animalhouserip.blogspot.com/
Preston Gates & Ellis, LLP, also known as Preston Gates, was a law firm with offices in the United States, China and Taiwan. Its main office was in the IDX Tower in Seattle, Washington. Preston Gates was ranked among the top 100 law firms in the United States by both The American Lawyer magazine and the National Law Journal, and was traditionally considered, along with Perkins Coie, one of the two leading Seattle-based law and lobbying firms. The “Gates” in the firm’s name is William H. Gates, Sr., father of Microsoft founder Bill Gates.[1] Gates retired from the firm in 1998. In 2007 the firm ceased to exist, merging with Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Nicholson Graham to form K&L Gates.[2]
K&L Gates LLP is a US-based international law firm with offices in Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, South America, and the United States.[3] It is the 8th largest law firm in the United States [4] and the 11th largest among law firms worldwide.[5] The company has been described as “a lobbying firm that represents the hi-tech and energy sectors” and in the past has hired former legislators favorably inclined towards their clients.[6]
Rosamond Press 