8 • The Southwest Portland Post
NEWS
November 2012
Naturopathic college opens new downtown research facility, laboratory
By Lee Perlman
The Southwest Portland Post
Fresh on the heels of completing
their new master plan, the National
College of Naturopathic Medicine
opened their new Helfgott Research
Institute in downtown Portland. It
was a special day for college support-
ers, Ashcreek neighborhood activist
Dorothy Gage in particular.
The 19,200 square foot building at
2220 SW First Ave was an NCNM com-
munity clinic until 2009, when those
services were moved to their Lair Hill
main campus.
Renovation of the building cost $1.5
million, paid for from a variety of
sources including the Meyer Memorial
Trust and Don Helfgott, for whom the
facility is named.
NCNM president David Schleich
said that natural medicine as practiced
in the United States, “after being a
secret for 55 years is attracting atten-
Design Commission approves new pump
station for Willamette Park
By Lee Perlman
The Southwest Portland Post
The Portland Design Commission last
month approved the design of a pro-
posed new Fulton Pump Station, due to
be built in Willamette Park. The design
had no opposition and several public
endorsements, including some from
people who said they would prefer the
facility not be built in the park at all.
Alan Armstrong of the Portland Wa-
ter Bureau said the pump would serve
16,000 people. It will be located on the
site of an existing restroom facility, and
will include restrooms of its own.
In response to community input the
structure’s design was shortened by
eight feet from the original, and it will
be painted a dark green “in an attempt
to make it disappear into the landscap-
ing,” Armstrong said.
“We had a lot of input, and based on
that we incorporated a lot of changes
while keeping true to our core objective
of being an asset to the community,”
he said.
Mike Dowd, architect and Miles
Place resident, said he could see the
site clearly from his kitchen window.
“We really didn’t want this in the park
at all, we hate to lose park space, but
there were compelling reasons for put-
ting it there.”
According to Dowd, “Every time we
met with staff the building improved.
The architects avoided the temptation
to make this an attention-getting build-
ing.”
A proposed new multi-use trail, ex-
pected to bring a substantial increase
in bicycle and pedestrian traffic, will
“change the character of the park,”
Dowd said. Under the circumstances,
the pump station design is “appropri-
ate,” he said.
South Portland neighborhood activ-
ist Jeanne Galick said planning for the
pump station had produced “a lively
group discussion. This is a beloved
park, and we were aghast that this facil-
ity would be placed here. The impulse
was to make this disappear – to make it
smaller, with dark colors and reduced
lighting.”
The design also features “bird-friend-
ly” windows, designed to make clear
to birds that the windows are a bar-
rier rather than an open space, and
discouraging them from trying to fly
through. Candace Lawson of the Port-
land Audubon Society complemented
the architects for these efforts.
The Commission voted five to zero
to approve the design. Commission
member Ben Kaiser said, “I’m swayed
by Mike Dowd. He’ll be living with this
more than us. Since he’s in support of
this, so am I.”
tion as another
w a y t o a s s u re
good health long-
term.”
NCNM now
works collabora-
tively with the Or-
egon Health and
Sciences Univer-
sity and Portland
State University.
It also offers a
Master of Science
in Integrative
Medical Research,
the only such de-
gree in the United Dignitaries including Charleee and Bob Moore (center) and
States.
Dorothy Gage (right) use a giant scissors to cut a ribbon at
D r. H e a t h e r the National College of Naturopathic Medicine’s Helfgott
Swickey, NCNM Center in October. (Post photo by Lee Perlman)
dean of research,
said that when she first started, “Stu-
the owners of Bob’s Red Mill Natural
dents did research on their own. They
Foods, who have contributed a total of
did fabulous work and received no
$1.35 million.
credit for it.”
Other major donors were sisters
Among other things, the institute
Dorothy and the late Marjorie Gage,
looks at the positive and negative
both of whom received treatment for
effects of various foods and the way
cancers at NCNM. The college is nam-
it is prepared on individuals and the
ing a laboratory at the new facility for
population as a whole.
Marjorie.
Kim Thomas of Meyer Memorial
Sometimes in tears, Dorothy Gage
Trust said, “The case for interactive
said of her sister, “Almost everyone
medicine is so strong it can’t be de-
who took care of her became part of
nied,” and work on food diets and
our family. Marge was totally dedi-
preparation is especially important
cated to naturopathic medicine. She
“for people without a lot of resources.”
was an interesting mix of things. She
To further this work, the building
was quiet, and didn’t want to be the
contains a food preparation area called
center of attention except on her terms.
Charlee’s Kitchen. This is in honor of
She would be overwhelmed if she were
major donors Bob and Charlee Moore,
here today, as am I.”
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