Mayor Adams and Donny Adair with Black History Month Proclamation

City of Portland Black History Month Events for the Week of February 8-February 12

As part of National Black History Month, the City of Portland is proud to celebrate with a full calendar of lectures, films, performances, a college and career fair, the City Hall Celebration on February 19 and the “Taste of Soul” market and lunch-time event on February 26. Check back for the events of each week!

 The Speech: Race and Barack Obama’s “A More Perfect Union” Is this a Post Race Society?

February 8 and February 11

Noon to 1 p.m.

Portland Building Ponderosa/Lodgepole Conference Room

NE Passage / Gentrification in NE Portland 

February 8 

11 a.m. to Noon

 Columbia Blvd. Waste Water Treatment Plant Mt Hood Conf. Rooms

500 Years Later 

February 11

11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Water Pollution Control Lab Smith Lake Conference Room

Presented by

The City of Portland Black History Month Committee

The Bicycle Plan for 2030 will be coming back to City Council for a vote this Thursday, February 11 at 3:00 p.m.

At a packed council meeting on Thursday, February 4, City Council had the opportunity to hear different perspectives on the Bicycle Plan for 2030. The vote was held over so staff could address several technical and funding questions.

Thanks to every one who testified last week.  Council looks forward to a quick affirmative vote on Thursday.

Mayor Sam Adams

Feb. 5, 2010

Good afternoon Portlanders, City Club of Portland, members of the Portland City Council, honored guests, and the radio listeners and TV viewers on Oregon Public Broadcasting and community access media.  

As mayor I interact with Portlanders of every perspective every day. It’s one of the great joys of this job. I truly relish the chance to mix with so many different people on so many different issues.

Despite the rich diversity of outlooks of our city, this year has been unique for its singularity. For the first time in my public service career, everybody shares the same primary concern.

Jobs.

It’s about your job. If you have one, you’ve been telling me you’re concerned about how long your employer can keep you. If you’ve been laid off or reduced to part-time you’re concerned about getting back up to full employment. If you’ve been on unemployment, you’re getting anxious about finding the next opportunity.
These are real-life realities I hear every day as mayor.

Like Jean, a mother with a long face and two infants in matching red sweaters, who sat next to me on the light rail MAX one evening. She told me how she had to walk away from her home and into foreclosure because she couldn’t make the mortgage payments after being furloughed.

Or Mike, a short, stout man wearing a baseball cap who knocked on my front door in Kenton selling tamales to make ends meet.

We are being battered by a hundred-year global economic storm. Not since the ‘Great Depression’ have Jean, Mike, their families and neighbors seen it so tough.

You may not know Jean or Mike. But you know people just like them. They’re your brother, your sister, friend, or neighbor.

Today I will articulate what the City of Portland has done – and will do – to ensure that the good times of yesterday are dwarfed by the opportunities of tomorrow, that the Jeans and the Mikes we all know will never again face this level of joblessness.

And knowing all that Portlanders are capable of, as I report on the state of our city, I am confident of this: we will recover.

And, more than just recover, we will come out of this recession more resilient. For Portland, being resilient is about being more self-sufficient, smarter and creative, beautiful in its design, less wasteful, more equitable; at once a stronger and more nimble city.

We are proud of our city, and appropriately so. We make a lot of ‘top 10’ lists. That should encourage us. But also we must also acknowledge that we have serious civic issues to address. Now.

This 100-year economic storm scraped off a veneer of prosperity and revealed vulnerabilities in our economy, schools and sustainability.

Your City Council has worked to immediately address those in greatest need: a 4% across-the-board cut was required to balance the city budget, 60% of that coming from administration. But we also delivered 30% increases for housing, homeless and small business-support programs. Still, we on City Council are the first to say there is much work left to be done.

We will need to invest more in the success of Portland-based businesses. And we will focus on where we can earn a competitive advantage in an economy that has gone global.

With great firms here like Iberdrola Renewables, Vestas, Glumac, Benson and Solarworld, we are emerging world leader in sustainable industries and clean technology practices in all industries. There isn’t any reason why Portland can’t become the nation’s new hub for clean technology – a means to create electricity and fuels with a smaller environmental footprint. And we should be exporting all these goods and services all around the globe.

Of course, Houston, Chicago, San Jose and others also vie for that clean tech hub title. That’s why this recession compels us to work from an economic strategy and give it everything we’ve got. Remember, Jean and Mike don’t have to work in the clean tech sector to enjoy its benefits.

Now, if Jean chooses not to pursue a job in clean tech, Jean’s children might. But today Portland’s educational system may not prepare her kids for tomorrow’s jobs. Just 63% of our eighth graders are graduating from high school in four years.

Personally, I find that unconscionable. But even if you don’t see it like I do, the fact is Jean’s children today are the workforce of tomorrow. Educational performance is not a partisan issue; it is a cornerstone in the foundation of a healthy local economy. We will do whatever it takes – working across jurisdictional lines in partnership - to cut the drop out rate in half so that about 80% of students graduate on-time and more go on to college or to additional skills training.

The third and final revelation from this brutal economic storm is that we remain overly reliant on yesterday’s energy production models.

Unsustainable fossil fuels power too much of our quality of life. In Portland, that also means coal: 43% of all the energy we consume in Portland comes from the bowels of Wyoming – railroaded to Boardman and beyond and burned into the blue skies of Eastern Oregon and the Rocky Mountains, and outside the reach of the Clean Air  Act.

Folks, we do such a good job at home – from bicycling to recycling and more. But we need to kick our coal habit. Portland General Electric, Portland’s principal energy provider and owner of the Boardman plant, is headed in that direction. I applaud their plans to phase out the Boardman coal plant.

But remember it’s about a lot more than just the right thing to do. The so-called “right thing to do” tends to resonate more with those who have the luxury of alternatives that are often more expensive. Mike, who’s concerned about his next tamale sale, shouldn’t be expected to think about clean energy power. Mike needs a living-wage job.

So, here’s the best part about our approach: Because we have growing wind and solar industries right here; kicking our coal habit means growing jobs right here at home. There’s no way I’m going to let us miss this opportunity.

These three pieces of Portland – our economy, our schools and our sustainability – need even more of our collective focus. Let’s be really clear; these are deep structural civic issues. Easy, “wave the magic wand” fixes don’t exist. Fixing them will be hard, but that economic storm we’ve faced compels us to recalibrate in recovery in service to a more resilient Portland.

My job is to look the Jeans’ and Mikes’ straight in the eye and say, “I’ve got your back.” I understand the fear you feel, the issues you face, and the source of the problem. And as your mayor with this City Council, we’re on it.

Now, you know it’s not a Sam Adams speech unless we cover at least a few details. But I will try and make the specifics at least be mildly entertaining.

Last month, Senator Jeff Merkley, State Representative Jules Bailey, State Sen. Chip Shields, State Rep. Lew Frederick and I stood at a home in Northeast Portland to launch Senator Merkley’s federal legislation that would broadcast nationally an idea born and raised here, Clean Energy Works Portland.

Clean Energy Works Portland creates a first-in-the-nation program to enable on-bill financing for home energy retrofits. Now, I know, “on-bill financing,” is not exactly a t-shirt slogan, but check out this video that Green for All, our national nonprofit partner put together about Clean Energy Works Portland:

SHOW CLEAN ENERGY WORKS VIDEO
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8aDuGbmiz4

Ladies and gentlemen, say “hello” to the great local contractor and star of that video, Bernice Lopez-Dorsey.

We know how Bernice benefits from the Clean Energy Works program, but how about the Jeans’ and Mikes’? Well, they benefit in a whole web of ways.

To the construction industry, where one in three Portlanders is currently out of work, it means a growing retrofit and remodeling industry for our skilled workers.

For our children, it means a house that is warmer in the winter, cooler in the summer, and greener year-round.

For the home-owner, it means more energy saved and more cash in hand.

For Portland’s economy, it means we continue to lead the nation on sustainability while we build the energy efficiency industry of tomorrow.

Jobs, education, sustainability – what used to be separate actions now partnered together into a single effort, for a more prosperous and resilient city.

But Clean Energy Works Portland isn’t alone. There’s much more. In 2009 we recruited clean tech companies like Swiss rechargeable battery-maker ReVOLT. And we got the federal government to spend $75 million to build the eastside streetcar loop.

The loop will, for the first time, bring modern streetcar across the river. We anticipate 1,300 jobs created from our eastside streetcar project. Every one is a living wage opportunity for a Portlander.

And you know we’re just getting started. Portland was a streetcar city and it shall return to being a streetcar city. And by “city,” I mean citywide.

Anybody know what we’re looking at right now?

This is SE 92^nd & Foster Boulevard, the heart of Lents.

Watch this:

And best of all, the streetcars are built right here by Oregon Iron Works – on sale to the rest of the country. The only streetcar that meets the Buy America requirements for federal dollars. Congressman Blumenauer – you helped make both possible and on behalf of a grateful city: Thank you.

Clean Energy Works, the ReVOLT headquarters, and streetcars are three examples of our new Economic Development Strategy in action. Last year city council and the Portland Development Commission agreed on a five-year action plan to create 10,000 new jobs. Maybe you heard about it, maybe you didn’t it. It’s the boldest, most focused, most strategic economic development plan Portland has ever seen, developed – not insignificantly – in conjunction with City/County Climate Action Plan. Economic prosperity and environmental progress have never been more in synch.

And all of this ties right into the Portland Plan. Launched last fall, the Portland Plan when completed will bring the Economic Development Plan, the Climate Action Plan, and all of our neighborhood plans into one home, articulating who and how we want to be over the next 25 years.

Portland plans better than any city in the country. But let me state the obvious: plans without action are irrelevant.

Now, I’ve never met a business owner that wanted to lay off her employees. It’s a heart-wrenching decision with repercussions that are painful beyond the bottom line. Business owners want to hire back their people, but in today’s environment they can’t access enough affordable capital to regain their footing.

Access to working capital is a problem of international magnitude, and I sure hope all those important people in Davos, Switzerland act immediately on a set of great ideas. Here at home, city government cannot solve the global financial problems but we can help here at home.

Today, through smart use of federal stimulus resources, we’re announcing the formation of the Sustainable Development Fund. The Sustainable Development Fund is a best-in-the-nation green financing fund with up to $33 million in resources, which will help bring Clean Energy Works to our commercial and industrial sectors.

And in conjunction with the Sustainable Development Fund, we’re also launching the creation of the Portland Small Business Seed Fund. In today’s frozen fiscal environment, the seeds of inspiration can’t germinate because enough private capital hasn’t thawed.

And this is particularly painful for the most modest of investment opportunities, typically in the $10-20,000 range. We’re starting with $500,000.

And I challenge all those banks and financial firms, with their feel-good, “we-have-money-to-lend-small-businesses,” ads to match Portland’s upfront investment in the Portland Small Business Seed Fund.

You know, the nation is being polarized in a way I’ve never seen it. And for citizens, objective information is extremely hard to come by as the 24-hour news cycle prioritizes speed over substance. President Obama has a tough job; he’s tackling big issues and getting stuck in partisan congressional gridlock.

On a rainy afternoon last week, I experienced gridlock of a different kind. I got snarled in the on streetcar construction on Martin Luther King Jr Blvd. Looking around I was amazed at how Portlanders were remarkably calm in light of the circumstances.

Annoyed, of course but most Portlanders understand the near-term construction jobs we so desperately need, the chance for this important east side commercial corridor to finally bloom but also that our niche is and will be our relentless urban innovation.

And as we navigated the MLK bottleneck, my thoughts turned across the river to next urban innovation: the Oregon Sustainability Center.

The Oregon Sustainability Center will be the largest ecologically “living” building on Earth. The governor and I, along with higher education, a scrappy group of non-profits, the Portland Development Commission, and our ever-resourceful federal delegation, are pushing to build this Center on the campus of Portland State University.

But while the building itself will be a beacon of our sustainable industries prowess, its most lasting attribute will be as a place to get new green building designs, services and products to market.

And from the downtown tower to the neighborhood home, we’re innovating. Maybe you heard the recent news about curbside composting coming soon to Portland’s neighborhoods.

Okay, when I first started on the compost issues I didn’t know that as much as 30% of our waste stream is food or compostable materials. Getting those materials out of our waste stream – a liability - and into compost stream – an asset – makes all kinds of sense. We’re going to pilot curbside composting in four neighborhoods this year, and expand in 2011. Gardeners – rejoice!

The same goes for our brand new bicycle plan, which elevates our aspirations to one in four trips in Portland to be made on bicycle. It’s the most ambitious, most comprehensive plan of its kind in the country. By building it out, we will be on par with the great bike cities of Northern Europe.

There’s been some chatter out there about cost, and that’s fine.

But folks, here’s the bottom line: we can’t afford not to build it. Think about the cost of any given trip made on bicycle versus private automobile. There’s no such thing as a pothole caused by bikes. No noise and no emissions. And you’re getting exercise, which, frankly, some of us – including yours truly – could use.

Even if you never plan to set foot on a bicycle, you benefit tremendously. Fewer vehicles, less congestion, reduced pollution.

We’re Portland and we lead the nation in bicycling, because that’s how we roll.      

And if I’m talking innovation and greater resilience through transportation, I gotta talk about sidewalks. You may remember that the state legislature passed a modest increase in the gas tax last year. I want to put $16 million into sidewalk development in East Portland, North/NE Portland, and SW Portland – the areas of town annexed into the city that have never had sidewalks.

There is a caveat. Anti-tax types from elsewhere have submitted an initiative to the state to repeal that source of funding. When you see one of those signature gatherers on the streets I want you to think about Jean and her two infants. Jean can’t afford a car; she relies on transit. Can we really expect her to safely get to her MAX stop – with her stroller in tow – without a sidewalk? Is that fair? Is that Portland? I say no.

When we talk about Portland, our values and our destiny, we need to talk about everybody. Access to a quality education that can prepare today’s children for tomorrow growth sector jobs. And the day-to-day realities of getting to and from school or to and from that job safely and easily. When we talk about everybody we’re talking about equity.

As recently as the 1950s, Portland was deeply divided along racial lines. Since then, we’ve made incredibly important strides in liberating ourselves from the evil burden of hate, but equality of opportunity still isn’t our reality.

This 100-year global economic storm battering all of us is a relatively recent phenomenon for many of us. But tragically our communities of color have faced the vicious winds poverty and underemployment and disparity of opportunity for decades.

Look at this:

[show moving graph]

Our success as a city should be measured by the success of those who have the least. Equality of opportunity doesn’t happen overnight, and I certainly don’t pretend to have all the answers.

I do know it begins with partnership. To this end, City Council is building on the work done over the past decade by organizations like the Urban League of Portland, Southeast Asian Health Center, IRCO, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and NAYA to address these disparities:

-         I am pushing forward the Community Benefit Agreement to ensure our clean tech strategies benefit all Portlanders.

-         Commissioner Nick Fish is taking the lead on a disparity study that will help Portland address inequities in purchasing and business development.

-         Commissioner Randy Leonard took the lead on reforms to make contractors of color have represented on procurement selection committees.

-         Commissioner Amanda Fritz is getting the City’s Human Relation Commission off the ground; and,

-         Commissioner Dan Saltzman, with Police Chief Rosie Sizer, are taking a very hard look at how to meaningfully address racial profiling.

But above all, equality of opportunity begins at home and in the classroom. There is no substitute for a good education. That’s not just a rallying cry, that’s a fact.

For Portland to be truly resilient, every student - regardless of income, background, or neighborhood – must have access to a good education.

I mentioned earlier that just 63% of our 8^th graders were graduating from high school in four years. Along with Multnomah County Chair Ted Wheeler we’ve gone right to the source of the problem.

Last summer more than 1,300 students identified as most at-risk of dropping out were enrolled in the Summer Youth Connect Program. The vast majority of those students were youth of color. They took summer courses to catch up in school; worked and earned money in summer jobs; toured work sites, apprenticeship programs, and college campuses.

You all get the point of the program. It’s all about giving our students a window seat to look out onto the range of opportunity they can enjoy if they perform and earn their diplomas.

And as part of a related effort, the City is a proud investor in The Right Brain Initiative, a comprehensive, integrated arts education system that works to ensure every K-8 student in the region has access to high-quality arts learning experiences.  2009 marked Right Brain's pilot year, and this Fall we are engaging nearly 11,000 students in the creative processes of music, dance, art, and theater and connecting this learning to other core subjects such as reading, writing, social studies, math, and science.  Research tells us that the arts are often the final link between a school and the youth who are at risk of dropping out. Boosting self-confidence, motivating, changing have to into want to, the arts are a critical connection in our children's and OUR learning.  Significant, sustainable investment is needed in the arts if we are to continue to reach a future that meets the full measure of our thinking.

These efforts are about helping students see a bigger picture. I’ve told my own story along these lines countless times. I’m damn fortunate to have graduated from high school because if I hadn’t been needled by a teacher, I probably wouldn’t have made it.

We call it “Summer Youth Connect” because it’s about connecting the dots between academic education and workplace success.  Our thanks to the more than 75 companies and organizations opened their doors and sponsored site visits.

And the innovation across jurisdictions in service to our youth includes YouthPass, a program that made TriMet passes available to 13,000 high school students free of charge. Thanks to the Multnomah Youth Commissioners, who played a leadership role in making that happen.

Today I’m pleased to announce another incentive to get our youth on track in high school and on to the next opportunity. That next opportunity, if they choose to engage it, is free tuition at the Mt. Hood or Portland Community college campus of their choice.

That’s right; when it is at full strength, the city council and our community colleges will partner to offer up to $2 million annually in scholarships to cover the cost of tuition for as many Summer Youth Connect students as possible. Getting an associate’s degree, and landing a living-wage job, just became A LOT easier.

Even in the midst of this brutal 100-year storm, I want Portlanders in 2030 to look back at us say with admiration that during this time – our time – that we not only took care of the Jeans’ and Mikes’ but that we tackled our toughest civic challenges.

That in these times we showed an unparalleled level of focus and commitment. That Portland became a much more self-sufficient, smarter and creative, more sustainable, more equitable, stronger and more nimble city.

That Portland never again faced today’s level of economic pain. That Portland more than just recovered, we moved far ahead; and we became a truly resilient city.

Thank you.

Information on Clean Energy Works Portland:

Clean Energy Works: A report from Green For All

Clean Energy Works Fact Sheet 

My support for recording and publishing after-the-fact grand jury proceedings regarding law enforcement use of lethal force dates back to 2007 legislative session, a bill I testified in support of, to increase transparency for our community.

This was a tragic incident but I reserve judgment of anyone’s action regarding this incident until we have all of the facts.”

In this February meeting, we heard from CAN Board Chair and Portland Center Stage Artistic Director Chris Coleman, Broadway Rose Theater's Executive Director Brisa Trinchero, Andrew Edwards from Lakewood Center and Brian Ferriso of the Portland Art Museum. Each presented a compelling image of both the implications of the current low local public funding levels and the long-term missed opportunities for future generations in their respective counties. Importantly, each presenter also reminded us of the critical role the arts provides in boosting kids confidence, motivating, changing have to into want to, and growing our next generation of innovators.

Coleman cited a New York study that underscored how schools that offer arts programming also have the highest graduation rates and yet in Portland, there are only 34 arts specialists for 22,000 students. He also reminded us of the value people in this region place on arts experiences for them and their families and that in 2009, the NEA ranked Oregon second highest per capita for performing arts attendance in country. All the while, we are more than 2 to 4 times behind the local public funding support than you'll find in places like Seattle or Denver.

It's a seemingly thriving cultural scene in Portland and yet only 43 arts organizations got general support grants from RACC, and an additional 53 got program grants, but over 300 applied. Without a dedicated, sustainable fund, we are missing an opportunity to make a measureable impact on our entire arts ecology and return arts education to our childrens' lives as well. Importantly, the voters are ahead of us in thinking that an investment is necessary to truly thrive and our public opinion research shows that 70% of metro-area voters would support paying a $1 more/month for increased arts access and arts education for our region's children.

We also heard more on research from political strategist Patricia McCaig. Patricia helped us digest the knowledge our research has revealed thus far and emphasized the need for continued momentum coming from the arts organizations, artists themselves, arts patrons and audience members.

The meeting was co-chaired by Mayor Adams, Metro Councilor Carlotta Collette and Washington County Commissioner Dick Schouten, and hosted by Portland State University President Wim Wiewel and the Creative Advocacy Network.

Click here for the leadership list.
Click here for the Oregonian's recent coverage: After Measures 66 and 67, arts funding movement gets agressive

Today, I am pleased to see the Portland Bicycle Plan for 2030 come to Council for approval.

As Transportation Commissioner, I always consider Portland’s transportation system in service to our larger city goals: prosperity, sustainability, and human health and well-being. Bikes are not the whole answer. But they are an important piece of achieving those values.

Since the first Bicycle Master Plan was adopted in 1996, bicycling has become part of Portland’s fabric and our identity. Ridership has grown exponentially, businesses are lining up for bike corrals, and people tell us they moved here because they can ride their bike to work and their kids can walk or ride to school. 

Today we take the next steps. The Bicycle Plan for 2030, by focusing first on bike boulevards, will make it easier and safer for all types of people to experience their neighborhood by bike. We will build what we can afford now, and gather support and resources for the harder and more expensive projects to come. We will position Portland to be ready for future state and federal funding opportunities.

There has been some commentary that “we can’t afford to do this.” I believe we can’t afford not to do it. As the manager of our multi-billion dollar transportation system during a time of declining funding, it’s my job to make efficient use of what we already have. The most cost-effective way to do that is to shift trips from driving alone to walking, bicycling, and transit. Dollar for dollar, investing in bike infrastructure makes economic sense. For less than 2% of our transportation budget since 1996, we have seen bicycle use grow from 1% to more than 6% of commute trips in the city. That’s a good return on investment.

Yes, some of the plan’s elements are expensive. But their benefits extend far beyond bicycling. For example:

• The Gibbs Street Pedestrian Bridge ($11 million, already funded) provides critical neighborhood and pedestrian access between the SW Portland hills and the Willamette River.
• Bike Boulevards cost about $250,000 per mile, much of which is for signals and diverters. One traffic signal costs about $250,000. But those signals provide safe crossing for resident families and visitors to neighborhood commercial districts. Swales and raised traffic diverters cost more than paint. But they don’t just make neighborhood streets calmer and safer for the people who live and travel there – they also filter runoff, lowering Portland’s stormwater treatment costs.
• The proposed North Portland Greenway ($35.6 million for a 9.8 mile trail) and Sullivan’s Gulch ($28 million for 7.6 miles) multi-use trails are even more expensive – and further out in the future. But when complete, they will provide safe places to walk and bike for North and NE Portland residents, including kids and senior citizens. These are the type of asset that neighborhoods around the country are clamoring for.

Finally, this is not a plan that will sit on a shelf and gather dust. We are taking several actions to ensure that it gets built. Today’s resolution establishes a finance task force with a 9-month deadline to report back to Council. It also requires benchmarking and a progress report back to Council in a year.

If we are successful with this plan, Portland will be cleaner and healthier. It will attract more tourists and businesses, and will keep more of our money circulating through our local economy. We will have freedom of movement and freedom from traffic congestion. People will be able to meet their daily transportation needs more efficiently. Portland will remain a national model of how to make modern North American cities work.

Mayor Sam Adams

Worksystems Inc., in partnership with the City of Forest Grove and the Oregon Employment Department, is excited to announce the opening of the WorkSource Portland Metro Express Center at 2010 Main Street in Forest Grove. The WorkSource Express Center hosted an Open House and Ribbon cutting event Wednesday, February 3rd at 10 a.m. Event attendees and speakers included Lois Hornberger (Pacific University and Vice Chair, Forest Grove Economic Development Commission), Pete Truax (Mayor of Forest Grove), Andrew McGough (Worksystems, Inc.), deDrae Cottrell (Oregon Employment Department), Ken Dodge (WorkSource Portland Metro).

Worksystems' Executive Director, Andrew McGough believes that the Forest Grove Express Center, in addition to the recently opened Beaverton/Hillsboro Center on PCC’s Willow Creek Campus, will significantly increase access to the employment services for Washington County residents.

The express center will offer a broad array of workforce development and related services, including job search tools, resume writing assistance, interview coaching, and access to adult education, including GED, English as a Second Language (ESL) and basic computer courses. Staff will be available to assist with identifying work strengths, provide training options to increase job skills, and to help focus on one’s job search in high growth occupations for career advancement.

 “The WorkSource Express Center has all the resources needed to help residents build their skills, advance their careers and find a meaningful job” says Pete Truax, Mayor of Forest Grove. “It’s a very important asset for our community.”

Worksystems Inc. (WSI) is a nonprofit organization serving the City of Portland, Multnomah and Washington counties. The mission of the organization is to coordinate a regional workforce system that supports individual prosperity and business competitiveness. For more information please visit www.worksystem.org.

City of Portland Black History Month
Events for the Week of February 1st-February 5th

As part of National Black History Month, the City of Portland is proud to celebrate with a month of lectures, films, performances, a college and career fair, the City Hall Celebration on February 19th and the "Taste of Soul" market and lunch-time event on February 26th. Check back for the events of each week!

The Darrell Grant Quartet, with Devin Phillips, Alan Jones and Tom Wakeling

February 3   

12 p.m. to 1 p.m.

Portland Building 2nd Floor Auditorium

  Beatrice Morrow Cannady – Leading African American Civil Rights Activist in Portland, Early 20th Century 

February 4 

11 a.m. to Noon

Columbia Blvd. Waste Water Treatment Plant  in the Mt Hood Conference Rooms

 With All Deliberate Speed - History and Legacy of the Brown vs. Board of Education Decision

 February 4  

11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Water Pollution Control Lab in the Smith Lake Conference Room

From Union Avenue to Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.: The Clash of Race, Politics, and Space in Portland, Oregon, Speaker: Felicia L. Williams, Project Coordinator, PDX Civil Rights Project, Portland State University

February 5  

12 p.m. to 1 p.m.

Portland Building in the Ponderosa/Lodgepole Conference Room

Presented by and special thanks to:

The City of Portland Black History Month Committee

My name is Peter Koonce and I am the new manager of the Signals and Street Lighting Division of the Portland Bureau of Transportation. It is my job to keep the traffic signals going green, yellow, red (in that order) and the street lights brightening your commute. As a native of Portland and graduate of Benson Tech, I am excited about contributing to our community by serving the City of Portland in this new role. I am fortunate to find myself with the opportunity to help transform the transportation system into a smarter, more efficient system that reflects the needs of the most sustainable city in the country. Our emphasis will be on building a 21st century transportation system that recognizes the need to move people and goods safely and efficiently.

I joined PBOT after serving the City and other public agencies across the country in private practice with Kittelson & Associates, Inc. My experiences have made me appreciate the uniqueness of our community and the leadership Portland provides for the country. I am especially interested in responding to the challenge of prioritizing our investments and implementing strategies consistent with local policies that address the issues of effective mobility, community development, climate change and expansion of our transportation choices. As a regular bike commuter and long-time bus rider, I am committed to improving transportation for these important customers as well.

During my first month at the bureau, I have experienced small successes I look forward to building on in the coming years. By working closely with our regional partners and advocacy groups – such as TriMet, Metro, Portland State University, the Oregon Department of Transportation, the Bicycle Transportation Alliance and the Willamette Pedestrian Coalition – to improve our community, the Portland Bureau of Transportation and I will work diligently to make Portland a model city for livability.

Sincerely,

Peter Koonce

My attitude toward the project remains the same today. Governor Kulongoski has recently appointed several talented people to help the CRC resolve inevitable inter-jurisdictional differences regarding the project’s impacts. I look forward to continuing to work with them.

But in recent months, the proposed CRC project has run into a wall of opposition. It is clear that in its current form, the project may not ever get built.

Meanwhile, my own concerns about the project staff’s responsiveness have grown. I have posed questions about the size, cost, and impacts of the project as it is currently configured. The answers I received were cursory at first. Even subsequent, more in-depth answers have not satisfied my sense that what’s needed is to dig into the core assumptions about the project and see if there is a different – cheaper, more environmentally sensitive – way to achieve the CRC’s important objectives.

Frustrated with the lack of “out of the box” thinking about options and assumptions, last month I directed Portland to undertake our own analysis of CRC options. I asked for data from the CRC, and was surprised by the alarmed staff response our request has received.

Last week, I joined with Vancouver Mayor Tim Leavitt, Clark County Commissioner Steve Stuart, and Metro President David Bragdon to ask the governors of Oregon and Washington to authorize an outside analysis of the CRC project. While the four of us do not agree on all elements or criticisms of the project, we do share a belief that looking at additional options will create a stronger project.

As the work requested by the four local elected leaders moves forward, I have directed City staff to suspend our independent analysis, and participate instead in the shared work we described in our January 22 letter to Governors Gregoire and Kulongoski.  

I look forward to sharing the insights and solutions we discover with the CRC project staff and with the public. I believe that more knowledge is a good thing. We need it to actually move us toward a project that can be built.

WHAT: "Holding Hands for Haiti" video shoot

WHEN: Thursday, January 28
If you'd like to help organize, arrive at 8:30 a.m.
If you'd like to be in the video, arrive at 9:45 a.m.

WHERE: If you're helping to organize, meet at Skidmore Fountain
If you'd like to be in the video, meet under Burnside Bridge

CONTACT: Maria Pomeroy, (503) 292-9862 or at energymovermaria@yahoo.com

From the "Holding Hands for Haiti" news release:

Hope will take human form this Thursday morning when Portlanders of every stripe appear en masse for a video shoot. Actor Daniel Baldwin will take his place among scores of other locals to create a hand-in-hand chain along the seawall. The video will anchor a major fundraising effort in support of Mercy Corps’ relief team in Haiti.

Holding Hands for Haiti is the brainchild of the Portland women’s group known as GLU, or Girls Like Us. The GLU Girls’ idea is to post the resulting video on You Tube, thus broadening the fundraiser’s reach well beyond the City of Roses.

Photo credit: Petite Planet Blog

Nick Welch (@bunengine), a conscientious Portlander, contacted Mayor Adams through Twitter last week to ask a simple question: "what if I don't want these annual deliveries of massive phone books at my doorstep?"

I called the nice people at Dex (there's an office in Beaverton, which can be reached at 971.732.1589), and learned that opting out of this delivery is real simple. I just did it! Details below:

1. go to www.dexknows.com

2. click on the link at the very bottom that says "select your dex"

3. enter your zip code

4. read through your Dex options and click through to your personal options page

5. enter your information and make your selection for personal delivery (you can receive between 0 and 3 of each kind of phone book at your house).

6. you're done!

Dex makes it really easy to opt-in or opt-out of delivery, so you can change your mind in the future. Still, with their online resources, it seems like many Portland households could easily do without the household delivery. If you want to opt-out, get started here.

Thanks, Nick!

***************

Also OPT OUT of Verizon Phone Books!

Thanks to Heather Andrews who commented on the blog and made me realize that DEX is not the only company that delivers phone directories in Portland. Some of us also receive Verizon Yellowpages at our doorstep. The opt-out process for Verizon is similar:

Idearc is the Verizon company that produces and delivers their Yellowpages (call them at 1.800.888.8448 or 503.643.8000). To opt out of this delivery services:

1. go to http://www.supermedia.com/

2. click on the "Directory Opt Out" link at the very bottom of the page

3. enter your information

4. success!

Thanks, Heather!

You can also go to the Paperless Petition website and sign their petition to be removed from yellow pages delivery and help the paperless cause. Thanks in advance!

In case you were going to ask, AT&T and YellowPages (a company of AT&T) do not deliver directories in Oregon. Let me know if you receive any others!

The Portland region has work to do on arts funding. Seattle invests $7.52 per capita and Denver $15.62. Portland? Just $3.11 per capita. 

We’re hiring an Arts and Culture Policy Coordinator. The Coordinator will report to the Arts and Culture Director and will be primarily responsible for the team’s communications, constituent relationships, and administrative needs in support of the policies and initiatives that promote the full integration of arts and culture into the lives of Portlanders.

The Policy Coordinator’s work will be guided by Act for Art: A Creative Action Plan for the Portland Metropolitan Region. This plan sets in motion steps that will significantly increase Portland’s creative capacity.  

Qualified applicants will have a graduate level degree in a relevant field, or analogous workplace experience, as well as demonstrated interest in local or regional arts and culture policy. Strong writing, organizational, project management, research, and interpersonal skills are essential, along with a demonstrated ability to solve problems and prioritize work.   Event management and volunteer coordination experience are a plus. A familiarity with the regional system for arts and culture policy development and advocacy as well as the Regional Arts and Culture Council, the Creative Advocacy Network, Business for Culture and the Arts, and local arts and culture or working artist organizational affiliations and community partners is desired. Our office is an exciting place to work and it demands flexibility, adaptability, and humor.

Responsibilities include communication through speech writing, blogs and letters (30%), aide in strategic planning and task completion for regional dedicated funding effort (20%), constituent interaction and outreach (20%), execution of general logistical and administrative support (20%), and research and coordination concerning programs and policies covering broad and diverse subject areas (10%). The position pays a maximum $45,000 (DOE) + generous benefits package.

To apply, please submit one electronic application and one hard copy application. Each should include a maximum one-page cover letter, resume, minimum three references, and maximum three-page writing sample. Send the electronic application to: sierra.stringfield@ci.portland.or.us with the subject line: ‘Arts and Culture Policy Coordinator Application’. Send the hard copy application to:

Tom Miller
Chief of Staff
Re: Arts and Culture Policy Coordinator Application Office of Mayor Sam Adams
1221 SW 4th Avenue, Room 340
Portland, OR 97204

Applications due by close of business Friday, February 12, 5:00pm

Due to the high volume of applications, please no in-person, phone, or email inquiries. The Office of Mayor Sam Adams is an equal opportunity employer.

Congratulations to Carole Zoom and Zoomtopia for its "official" opening this week. This effort is an innovative studio/event space whose mission is: "Offering Portland Artists and Nonprofits a Home of their Own." The Mayor will be on-hand to help dedicate this exciting new art space at their Grand Opening.

Zoomtopia Opening Reception:

6 PM Thursday, January 28, 2010

810 SE Belmont

From the Zoomtopia Web site:
"Zoomtopia is a new creative space at 810 SE Belmont in the vibrant inner SE industrial district in Portland, Oregon. This project is intended to offer artists, dancers, creatives and nonprofits the chance to create community and participate in an affordable, communal building that they will have the option to own in the near term.

Zoomtopia is based on the premise that it is better for the community to foster opportunities for artists, nonprofits and creatives to become a longterm part of a neighborhood as owners where they stay and flourish, rather than encouraging them to gentrify a neighborhood and then forcing them to leave when the rents get too high!
 
Project Objectives
Zoomtopia has four primary aims:

• Provide space designed to meet the specific needs of artists and nonprofits
• Through affordable pricing and lease-to-own terms, enable artists and nonprofit organizations to move from uncertain tenancy to stability and self-determination
• Give artists and nonprofit organizations the opportunity to build equity
• Provide the highest level of accessibility for tenants with disabilities and guests of the building

The Space
-Six work suites (250-1,090 sq ft)
-Dance rehearsal studio (2,200 sq ft)
-Lobby with shared commons and kitchenette
-Fully accessible/ADA-compliant
-Furnishings by local artists

LEASING information at Zoomtopia.com

Click for the Oregonian's coverage of Zoomtopia

Click for the Daily Journal of Commerce coverage of Zoomtopia

Click for the KATU coverage of Zoomtopia

Green For All has teamed up with the City of Portland and local stakeholders to help implement a cutting-edge green jobs program. Clean Energy Works Portland is a home retrofit effort that will, create jobs, reduce pollution, lower energy bills, and expand business opportunities. Watch our new video on Clean Energy Works Portland!

And click here to check out Green For All's new report on CEW: Portland. 

January 26, 6 to 8 p.m.

SOUK (322 NW 6th Avenue)

FREE (registration required)

Your first big, green opportunity of the year has arrived! Richard Brenne was writing about climate change years before "An Inconvenient Truth" was a twinkle in Vice President Gore's eyes. And he will be the keynote speaker for the first EcoTuesday of 2010, right here in Portland. Network and have candid discussion with one of our nation's leading green experts. It's completely free--just make sure you sign up!

From EcoTuesday's Web site:

About Richard Brenne
Richard Brenne is an award-winning screenwriter last produced by Discovery Channel, HBO and Warner Bros. He first wrote about climate change in 1988. Richard will be discussing the real issues of climate change and what it means for us today. He's eager to discuss the calls to action that can include you, your career, business and industry - and to have fun doing it! 

About EcoTuesday
EcoTuesday is a structured networking event for sustainable business leaders that takes place on the fourth Tuesday of each month in cities across the country.

January 14 marked the official launch of the Portland Main Street program. In partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the City of Portland secured funding for a city-wide program to revitalize neighborhood business districts. The Main Street Four-Point Approach® uses a community-driven, comprehensive methodology focused on revitalizing older, traditional business districts located outside of Urban Renewal Areas. Financial assistance has been approved for up to four designated Main Street Districts, each to be selected through a competitive application process. To learn more about the Main Street Approach, click here.

Earlier this evening, Mayor Adams, Portland Development Commission (PDC) Chair Scott Andrews, State of Oregon Main Street Coordinator, Sherri Stewart, and Claudia Plaza, the City of Portland’s Main Street Coordinator, addressed a crowd of 100+ Portlanders who turned out for a Main Street Town Hall event at Friendship Masonic Center on Sandy Boulevard.  Town Hall attendees had the opportunity to more about the City’s new Main Street Program, and hear about Main Street program success stories from around the nation.   

In order to qualify your district for participation in the 2010 Main Street Program, at least two representatives from your district must attend at least one of the following workshops:

Application Workshop 1
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Oregon Assoc. of Minority Entrepreneurs
Main Conference Room
4134 North Vancouver Avenu(Map)
1:00 PM - 8:30 PM

Application Workshop 2
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Oregon Assoc. of Minority Entrepreneurs
Main Conference Room
4134 North Vancouver Avenue (Map)
9:00 AM - 4:30 PM

Application Workshops are open to anyone working on or wanting to improve their commercial district, whether inside or outside an Urban Renewal Area. The first half of the workshop will focus on training in the Main Street Four Point Approach: Promotion, Organization, Design and Economic Restructuring with an emphasis on fundraising. Districts that are not yet ready to apply can benefit from the Main Street training by learning what it takes to be prepared for the next application opportunity.

Main Street Program Timeline

Main Street Kick-Off: Jan. 14, 2010
Application Workshop: Feb. 2-3, 2010 
Application Due Date: May 2010
Participants Announced: June 2010
Local Programs Launch: July 2010

To learn more, please contact:

Claudia Plaza
Main Street Coordinator
Portland Development Commission
503.823.3234; plazac@pdc.us

Additional Resources:

To learn more about the Portland Main Street Program: www.pdc.us/mainstreet

To learn more about the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Main Street Center: www.mainstreet.org

A walk through Mayor Adams' office is like a regional art journey articulated through vintage Neon signs! These evocative pieces tell the not so distant story of the "bright" spots in our City. A special thanks to  Marla Schroeder-Swade for showing her lovely Giclees Prints and original works.

From Marla's website:

" I delight in capturing and preserving the unique essence of vintage signs through the images you will find in my NEON collage paintings. This series is a joy. It has allowed me to incorporate in my paintings, skies that cannot be captured on camera, and my vision of the landmarks. Saving the signage of our past is a race against time.  These unique vintage signs are irreplaceable.  My personal goal is to visually save as many of these landmarks as possible with my iconuc, historic collage paintings..." Marla   

Open edition Art prints and signed and numbered limited edition Giclees on canvas or paper can be ordered for all pieces and some original paintings are available.       

To view the entire collection go to www.artbymarla.com                          

President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden met with US Mayors today. In his opening remarks, President Obama emphasized the need for the largest regional economy in each state to be working in order for statewide economies to work. The old notion of an urban, suburban and rural divide, he said, was outdated, asserting that each area needs to work together.

The President then excused the press and held an unscripted question and answer session, which lasted nearly an hour. President Obama is very good on his feet. He has a command of the issues and answered questions honestly and directly.

A quick, partial summary of some of the issues we discussed:

Banks and Lending

• One mayor said that three major banks in his city had made contact with 94 to 99 percent of residential mortgage holders, but only seven to 14 percent still owned their homes.

• The President responded, saying he had met with the banks to make clear his message that banks needed to get going on lending, but that he had to respect the separate regulatory oversight process

Jobs

Vice President Biden summarized the jobs created and saved with the federal stimulus efforts.

• President Obama said he would soon be making announcements of energy block grant programs. Portland has a request in for Clean Energy Works: Portland that will create jobs immediately.

• The President also said they would be strengthening funding for the Small Business Administration to help business startups. I made a similar request to the U.S. Senate leaders at the Mayor’s meeting with them the day before.

• The President noted that China and Europe would win the clean technology innovation competition if we did not step up our efforts. He noted frankly that we must not sit by and watch another U.S. auto industry-type failure occur within the clean technology industry. The President said that export assistance would be part of his efforts next year:

“Small firms can compete overseas, but not if they have to pay to open an office in Beijing.” He wants to offer more tangible help overseas to small and medium businesses. This is great news for our efforts to get more Portland-based products and services sold around the globe.

Federal Stimulus

• Mayors requested that more of the federal stimulus dollars go directly to cities and avoid the red-tape and creaming of the dollars by state governments (similar theme raised at the mayor’s meeting with the democratic leaders of the U.S. Senate).

• On this issue, to fix the problem, one mayor said it was often frustrating that congressional leaders say “Talk to the White House,” and the White House says “Talk to Congress.” The President told us we are right and that direct aid to cities needs congressional authorization.

Healthcare

The President said he is not sure about the future path for healthcare reform. He noted:

• People with pre-existing conditions are often shut out of access to healthcare

• Waiting will not solve the problem of escalating healthcare costs nor make it less expensive to fix.

• The irony of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce opposing the healthcare bill given that many small businesses are seeing 30 percent increases in annual premiums

• The fact that Massachusetts Senator-elect Smith had voted for state healthcare reform that included many elements of the U.S. House package, Medicare reform

• The President said staff is looking at whether or not healthcare reform can be broken up and considered on an incremental basis.

• He is looking forward to working with Maine Senator Snow and other Republican moderates on the healthcare issue.

Federal Deficit

One mayor asked for more stimulus funding for cities. Another mayor said he was concerned about the ballooning federal government deficit. President Obama joked that the two mayors needed to get together and work on a unified message.

The President said:

• Most people think that if you eliminate earmarks and foreign aid we could balance the federal government. Earmarks make up one percent each portion of the federal budget.

• He is committed to bringing the deficit down but it cannot be done this year without risking the economic recovery

• Tough federal budget cutting decisions are ahead.

Neighborhoods

It was great to hear a President and a federal Administration actually talk about the need for quality neighborhoods. He basically laid out another description of our 20-minute complete neighborhood concept that is a key organizing principle of our emerging Portland Plan. The President mentioned federal initiative called Race to the Top, Promise Neighborhoods and Choice Neighborhoods.

In summary, I left our meeting with the President remarkably impressed with his poise in the face of daunting national issues and his grasp of the important role cities like Portland can and must play in returning America to national prosperity. I'm glad Barack Obama is my president.

The City today reached a final agreement with Peregrine, LLC to bring a Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise to Portland and renovate PGE Park. This effort will bring immediate construction jobs to Portland and continuing revenue, visitors and vital spending to Portland’s central city in the long term. 

I’m confident that this agreement will serve Portlanders now and for years to come. We will put construction workers back to work right away, and in the long-term, MLS represents a smart investment in Portland’s future success. Building on the Northwest’s long-standing soccer heritage, we can bring Portlanders together around another great sports team.

The public-private partnership exemplifies the City’s commitment to supporting entrepreneurship in the business community, while better shielding its residents from financial risk. The City Council worked to ensure the terms are aligned with Portland’s values and that Portlanders would be solidly protected from any downside risk: 

·        No impact to the City’s General Fund
·        No impact to the City’s ability to provide basic services
·        No Urban Renewal funding 

The City’s contribution to the multi-use, LEED Silver certified stadium will be financed primarily through private investment by the Paulsons and by revenues from sports spectators, as recommended by the Major League Soccer Task Force. The City’s liability is limited through numerous personal guarantees from the Paulson family, which ensure that the City will receive projected revenue even if the new MLS franchise or the league fails. Specifically, the Paulsons have made personal guarantees of operating revenue for 25 years and that the team will stay in the city for at least 25 years.    

The newly renovated stadium will also be used by Portland State University’s football program and the general public for community events. Additionally, Paulson has pledged an annual contribution to the Portland Parks Foundation to improve community soccer fields as part of his commitment to the public. The $31 million deal goes to City Council for approval on January 27. I am eager to build the public-private partnership and will continue to work with Paulson to find a new home for AAA baseball. 

For details on the terms of the agreement, follow this link.

Sincerely,  

Mayor Sam Adams

10 days

Over a DOZEN World Premieres

More than 50 Portland Art Events of New Work

…and growing

Tomorrow morning, the Governor will receive a national arts advocacy award called Public Leadership in the Arts. This award is presented during the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Washington, D.C. by national advocacy organization Americans for the Arts. Specifically, the award "recognizes elected officials who have helped boost the profile of arts and art education in their communities."

From the Oregonian: "In a press release announcing the award, Christine D'Arcy, executive director of the Oregon Arts Commission, which nominated Kulongoski for the award, said "Governor Kulongoski has made more significant contributions in support of arts and culture than any other governor in the 150 year history of the state.'"

Thank you, Governor! 

AskMen.com has named Portland the 6^th most bicycle friendly city in the world. Though the top spots were awarded to the usual suspects, to Portland’s credit, we're the only U.S. city to make the list. Montreal was the only other North American city in the top 10. 

Amsterdam snagged the #1 spot based on the fact that 40 percent of all of trips are taken by bicycle. Copenhagen came in at #2, boasting 32 percent of all work commutes taken by bicycle.  

The 3^rd most bike friendly city is Bogota, Colombia. For those who don’t know, Portland borrowed Bogota’s concept of shutting down streets to inform our Sunday Parkway program. Lucky for them, they get to do it every week – this was the reason cited for the bike friendly ranking – where as Portland only runs the program in the summer!

To view all the results, click here.

E-bike is short hand for electric bike, which, along with all the other electric vehicle (EV) talk these days, is getting more air time in the U.S.

So what exactly is an electric bike? An electric bicycle is a regular pedal driven bike that has a battery powered motor in case you need a boost.

The concept of electric bicycles has been around for a while. The older electric bicycles usually had heavy steel frames and lead acid batteries (Yes, the same kind used in your car.) making the entire contraption fantastically heavy. Additionally, the electric bikes of the 1990s went about 15 miles on a single charge. 

Well, hello 21^st century! The current e-bikes have a lithium-ion battery, allowing the e-bikes to be a lot lighter and go a lot further on a single charge than in the past. Sanyo’s Eneloop weighs only 50 pounds and can go 46 miles before it needs to be plugged in. Trek’s e-bike can go 30 to 45 miles, depending on how much assistance is needed, before being recharged. Schwinn’s e-bike is similar, allowing one to travel 25 to 30 miles on one charge.  

The price of these fancy bikes range from $500 for the Ezip Trailz by Currie Technologies to $2,500 for e-bikes produced by Pi Mobility, though there are option in between. Sanyo’s Eneloop, EcoBike USA (3 different models), Trek (5 models) and Schwinn (4 models) have been working with Toshiba to make e-bikes, providing more options.

The thought behind the e-bike is that you get most of the benefits of biking without the sweat. Would an e-bike get you out of your car and on to your bicycle? Keep in mind that half of all trips in Portland are three miles or less. If sweat free, short trips wouldn’t get you on your bike, what would?

I’d love to hear your thoughts on e-bikes--comment below!