June 2011 NEWS Portland voters defeat $548 million bond measure to repair school buildings By Lee Perlman The Southwest Portland Post Last month Portland voters de- feated a proposed $548 million bond measure intended to repair and replace Portland Public Schools’ ag- ing buildings. The voters passed a companion $250 million tax levy that will partially, but not entirely, offset budget cutbacks. What will be the effect of all this on Southwest schools? According to Will Fuller, chair of Southwest Neigh- borhoods, Inc.’s Schools Committee, the effect of the bond defeat will be “long-term and indirect.” In con- trast the budget shortfall, cushioned though it is by the Levy success, will be “immediate and direct.” The bond defeat “means that we won’t be able to replace Markham School, and that is disappointing,” Fuller said. The District had deter- mined that this building had passed its useful life, and should be replaced. For other southwest buildings, the proposed improvements “tend to be not so major,” Fuller said. There are some safety-related things, some classrooms, repairs to NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS South Waterfront Jail roofs.” The buildings will continue to deteriorate and the cost of repairs will grow, but they will not affect this year’s operations, he said. The budget shortfalls are another matter. Here, Fuller said, the District will have to cut “core staff,” such as librarians and counselors. There will be a chance to offset some of these things through the use of contributions to local school foun- dations, Fuller said, but this method is “uncertain and inequitable.” Ste- phenson School, for instance, can count on generating more funds than Markham, given their relative demographics. The District receives a certain por- tion of such funds, and redistributes them according to need – which, Full- er says, typically means “the money flows from southwest to northeast.” At best, Fuller said, such funding is a stopgap. What each parent would contribute to a Foundation project “is a fraction of what it would cost to send your kids to a private school,” he said. “But there is a tipping point where you go from adding extras to an already good school, and where the problems are so major the contri- butions are money down a rat hole.” Advertise in our Business Card Directory Just $59/month for a year! Call Don or Harry at 503-244-6933 The Southwest Portland Post • 7 (Continued from Page 3) (ICE) program at 4310 S.W. Macadam Ave., according to City planner Douglas Hardy. The hearing will begin at 9 a.m. July 6 at 1900 S.W. Fourth Ave. An application for the permit by property owners Lindquist Develop- ment LLC was deemed complete on May 9, Hardy told The Post. He will make a recommendation on the request to a City Hearings Officer who will decide the case. Hardy will accept public input on the issue through June 13. He can be reached at 503-823-7816, by mail at Suite 5000, 1900 S.W. Fourth Ave., Portland Ore. 97201, or by e-mail at douglas. hardy@portlandoregon.gov. The public can also testify at the hear- ing but, Hardy said, the Hearings Offi- cer has already imposed a three-minute time limit on such testimony. Earlier this year the Portland City Council, on an appeal by the South Portland Neighborhood Association, affirmed design approval for a building expansion at the site. However, Council also found that 4,000 square feet of the expanded 65,000 square foot building constituted a detention facility, and as such required a Conditional Use permit with a new review process. Under the Type III procedure in this case, either party could appeal the Hearings Officer ’s decision to City Council. A recognized neighborhood association such as South Portland can bring such an appeal without paying a fee. Naturopathic college to dedicate herb garden The National College of Naturopathic Medicine will officially dedicate its new Zidel Healing Garden at 10 a.m. June 24, according to College spokesperson Marilyn Considine. The garden, an 11,000 square foot plot at Southwest Water Avenue and Woods Street, is named for the Zidel family, who contributed $150,000 towards its development. It contains herbs that contribute to natural healing practices, a labyrinth in the shape of a feng shui mystic knot, and a teahouse contributed by the So- kenbicha Tea Company. The teahouse is “important to our Chinese students, and to the staff of our Chinese medicine division,” Considine said. It is used for tea ceremonies, which are “a formal way of celebrating with friends and neighbors. It’s a resource not just for us but for the entire city.” Patrick Quinton, Executive Director of the Portland Development Commis- sion, will be the keynote speaker at the dedication, Considine said. Citizenship Ceremony (Continued from Page 1) ecutive officer of Otak, a Lake Oswego architectural and engineering firm. Othman and his family immigrated to the United States from Baghdad, Iraq. He described himself as an example of the opportunity America offers new immigrants. “I came here 54 years ago when I was one year old,” he said. “I’m honored to be here. I’m passionate about America. I’m a student of Ameri- can history, inclusion, and diversity.” After the ceremony, the Portland Guadalajara Sister City Association sponsored a reception of lemonade and large cakes decked out with red, white and blue stars and stripes. The Faces of America video played in the background as the new citizens and their friends waved American flags. 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