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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 8, 1977)
I I PORTLAND Commission favors down-zoning OBSER/ER ! I ■ \o lu m e 7 N*. 50 Thursday, December 8, 1077 10c par espy 1— — — — Si— — — McLaurin named State Omsbudsman PHILIP Mr LAURIN Philip McLaurin has been named to the post of Omsbudsman for the State of Oregon by Governor Bob Straub. Mclaurin most recently was director of the manpower and training program (CETA) for the City of Portland. Mclaurin graduated from Portland State University in 1967 with a bachelors degree in Politcal Science. He attended Crozier Theological Seminary and earned a Masters in Social Change at the Martin Luther King School for Social Change in Chester, Pennsylvania. McLaurin headed the Black Studies Center at Portland State University from 1969 to 1971. After leaving PSU he was an Assistant Professor of Afro-American Studies at Smith College in Massachus etts. He served as executive assistant to Mayor Neil Goldschmidt from 1972 to 1976. Mclaurin replaces Mrs. Gladys McCoy who resigned effective December 19th. McLaurin is a member of the State Board of Higher Education. He has been active in community service - one of his more recent projects being voter regis tration in the Albina area. Ixiuis Alvarez, a native ot Cuba, was named Assistant Omsbudsman. Alvarez is chairman of the Committee of Spanish Speaking People of Oregon. He replaces Jim McDonald, who also resigned. The office of Ombudsman was created by gubernatorial directive in 1969. The Omsbudsman has the authority to in vestigate, on his own initiative or as the result of a citizen's complaint, adminis trative action of state agencies. The Ombudsman reports to the Governor and • is to indicate the need for revision of law, regulations or policies. The overall function is to make state government more responsive to the needs of individuals. The Portland Planning Commission voted unanimously to recommend to the City Council the down-zoning of property owned by the Housing Authority of Portland at 27th and Dekum to R5L for single duelling development. The deci sion was made at the request of the Concordia Neighborhood Association. The decision followed a long and often heated hearing in which attorneys for HAP questioned the legality of the pending decision and accused the Con cordia Neighborhood Association of slan derous accusations against HAP, HAP Chairman Fred Rozenbaum appealed for the 10.000 disadvantaged persons need ing low-coet housing; and Concordia residents accused HAP of threats and intimidations. HAP opposed the down zoning on the basis that it needs to sell the property to purchase other sites and that multiple dwelling developments would bring from $50,000 to $60,000 more than potential development for single family homes. /r i® FRED ROSENBAUM í f e á Priestley not advocating Adams closure Wally Priestley, school board member and state legislator from Northeast Port land, denied that he had advocated the closure of John Adams High School. "I made myself very clear, explained my position again after the meeting, and to take no chances, issued a press release. I don't know why a responsible news paper would so blatently misconstrue my statement.“ !*riestley reported that during the school board's retreat to Salishan, he had suggested that with the shortage of funds asd the declining school enrollment, at k t two high schools should be closed. “It ' absolutely mandatory for both progr. n and economic reasons, but mostly for reasons of providing a fully comprehensive high school program, that severalhigh schools be closed. A compre hensive high school program needs to have 1,500 to 1,800 students. With our present number of students we would be better off with ten, no more than eleven, high schools rather than the thirteen." “I was asked if I would support closing Adams, since it is in my legislative district and my political base, and I replied that if Adams were selected I would accept the decision. Actually I had in mind closing at least one school on the west side and one on the east side, or closing the schools on the outer borders of the district and drawing students toward the center. “Then 1 read in the Oregon Journal tlfct 1 had proposed closing Adams." Priestley said that although the board was advised that the financial picture will be even dimmer next year, the board decided to prospone financial and organ izational decisions. Bus drivers express complaints School bus drivers have joined in the complaints against Oregon Bus Services, which holds the contract to provide transportation for Portland's school chil dren. Complaints from parents -- late buses, no buses, wrong buses - resulted in the Portland Public Schools removing five lines from OBS and alloting routes to United Buses, Inc., the district's previous contractor. Bus drivers, who hav caught much of the flack from paraents, are now uniting to present their greviences to the com any. Complaints include low pay. mis behavior of students, lack of proper routing, lack of proper equipment and materials. Oregon Bus Company has had an extremely high rate of turnover, some drivers lasting only a few days. Due to the turnover, the company has not only had to use drivers who were not familiar with the routes but also has insufficient back up drivers. Spokesmen for the com pany blame turnover largely on the type of people seeking employment. Usually bus drivers tend to be unemployed housewives and others who want a permanent part time job. In Portland, people hired are often persons seeking full time employment who take this job until they can find something better. Others are collge students who can have changes of classes which prevent them from continuing. “I can’t figure it out. Three very important issues await action: adequate financing, integration, and closure of several high schools. Each needs com munity support and participation. Each effects the other but best be dealt with separately. "It is as though some Fairy Godfather' has asked that decisions be postponed because the controversy of 'problem solving' needs to be stilled - until next summer or at least until after the 1978 Primary Election in May of 1978." “With the integration question appro priately waiting for the recomendations of the Community Coalition for School Integration, I believe the Superintendent and a majority of the Board is making a mistake in postponing the problems of increased funding to the 1979-80 school year and postponing the needed high school reoganization needs to later still.” company Drivers believe the problem is mainly one of economics. Drivers are employed for four hours a day - a split shift - at $3.65 per hour. They report that their profit from working - after child care, transportation and other expenses - is hardly worth the difficulties they face on the job. The drivers' frist action will be to request a raise. PPS drivers earn $5.19 per hour and bus drivers in the metro politan area receive $4.50 or more. Oregon Bus Service obtained the PPS contract with a bid $500,000 less than United. The district expects to spend another $299.205 to meet additional ex penses due to OSB's unreliable service. Party honors senior citizens JK Mrs. Santa CI mis ? Ne' It's Mary Parker giving away tree I (hrislmaH gill to the .»ublir. V tickets - Tri-Mels The Nineth Annual Senior and Dis abled Citizens Christmas Party will take place on December 23rd from 12:00 to 2:00 p.m. at St. Andrew's Catholic Church in Kernan Hall, 4940 N.E. 8th, just off Alberta. Each year the Senior and Disabled Citizens of the greater Albina Area have looked forward to this very special Christmas celebration. Each year this event attracts more individuals, becom ing for many who attend their Central Celebration of Christmas. The working committee planning this event consists of persons from the Com munity and community agencies and churches who are concerned with the needs of the elderly and disabled in the greater Albina Area. Many of these senior and disabled persons live alone and this party is the only highlight of the Holiday Season. The committee provides dinner, gifts, entertainment and some transportation. In previous years the Christmas Party for the senior and disabled citizens of the greater Albina Area was held at the Matt Dishman Center on N.E. Knott. This year the Christmas Party will be held at 4940 N.E. 8th, just off Alberta in St. Andrew's Parish Hall. The move to new quarters was necessary for convenience of cooking and serving the food. The greater Albina Area covers the area bounded on the North by Iximbard, West Minnesota Freeway, South Broadway and East by 42nd Avenue. Each year more and more seniors have been able to attend the annual Christmas party for Albina Area resi dents. Entertaiment is provided but would like to have some of the Senior Citizens perform at the party. Any seniors who have a talent and wish to share at the Christmas party, please call Josephine Franklin at 280 6777. Myron Katz said he was offended by “the implicit threat that if we fail to maintain A2 zoning we may jeopardize projects for which HAP is eligible.” Commissioner Cook said the important concern should be maintaining the resi dential character of the neighborhood. Since people who own property move less frequently, stability would be increased by the introduction of single family dwellings that would be purchased rather than low-income rental units. He pointed out that the area seemed to have been zoned for apartments as an expediency since when it was zoned it was occupied by temporary war housing. Commissioner Katz said that there is a need for the Commission to prove a need for the zone change, but “I have no trouble in seeing that need. The truth is it was zoned capriciously. In 1959 there were multi-dwelling units. Now we have the opportunity to go back.” He said there is a clear need to restore the area to single dwelling zoning - "This is not only the best way but the only way." PAUL COOK The HAP legal counsel informed the Planning Commission that they could not rezone the property unless it had either been improperly zoned before or that there had been a change justifying rezoning, but that the burden of proof was on the Planning Commission and the Concordia Community Association. The site was mentioned in city records as early as 1936 as a propsed park area. In 1941 the property was turned over to the federal government for $1. for war housing. In 1955 the title was transferred to HAP with the condition that it be used for public housing for 40 years. Discus sion of use of a portion of the area for a park or play area continued and several residents claim that when they purchased thier homes they were assured that this would become a park. Community residents, who were polled by the Community Association, continue to desire a park but since the city is not now interested in its acquisition, asked that the property be zoned for single family homes. The surrounding neigh borhood is made up of family homes except for the public housing complex and several apartment buildings on Col umbia Boulevard. HAP had earlier planned to build additional low-income housing units on the land, which is adjacent to Dekum ~ irt. As a result of neighborhood protest, HAP decided not to build and obtained permission to sell the property which had been purchased for war hous ing at the charge of one dollar. A1 Batiste, Chairman of CCA told the Planning Commission that the idea of selling the property originated as a threat. “They said if the community organization did not agree to fifty units (of HAP low-income units) they would sell it for 200 units. Apparently they kept their word.” E.P. Webber, President of Concordia College, said “bear in mind that the $50,000 to $60,000 difference in value of the land is approximately what they are paying for consultants.” The HAP case had been presented in part by the agency’s attorney and two consultants. HAP proposed that if the property were retained at A2-5L, which allows for multiple family units, it would sell with a deed restriction limiting the number of units to be built. Claudia Fisher remind ed the audience that a HAP spokesman had told CCA, “You don’t kick in the fender of a car you want to sell." In response to HAP's protest over lack of timely notice for a previous meeting, she indicated that HAP had written to the Planning Commission requesting two meetings, without mentioning inviting CCA to participate. The meetings were not held. Clair Mershon, a resident, said the issue comes down to financial gain for HAP as opposed to maintaining a neigh borhood. Concordia is a neighborhood in transition and the addition of more multiple dwellings would speed the pro cess. The city, she said, has a responsi bility to stabilize the community. Carol Domond expressed her anger, “The means justify the end - $50,000 to $60,000. A measly end for the sacrifice of a neighborhood.” Randy Reddik, a Dekum Court ten nant, pointed out that if the land is developed, there will be no place for the Dekum Court children to play. A letter from Daryl Maybe, local director of HUD, was read into the record at Rosenbaum's request. After reading the letter, which asked the Commission not to make any decision that would jeopardize Portland eligibility for future low-cost housing funds, PPC Chairman MS. JEANNE JACKSON The Commission voted unanimously to recommend down-zoning to the City Council. After two years of conflict, one neigh borhood resident predicted that the fight has just begun. “Next comes the City Council - and then probably a court battle.” MS. CLAUDIA FISHER » it ERNEST HARTZOG Hartzog loads alliance of Black Educators Dr. Ernest Hartzog, assistant superin tendent, Portland Public Schools, has been elected national President-elect of the Alliance of Black School Educators. Hartzog’s election came at the fifth National Conference of the Alliance held this month in Chicago. He assumes the office of the fifth president of NABSE in 1979. NABSE has 3,000 members from throughout the nation. Hartzog is in charge of community relations and staff development in the Portland School system. The national alliance has several major goals: • To eliminate racism in the schools: • Strive to build positive self image concepts among Black students; • Provide an avenue for recruiting qua lified Black personnel; • To develop Black professionals to as sume leadership positions in the field of education. The organization was founded in 1970 as an association of Black school Superin tendents. In 1973 NABSE was reorga nized to include Black educators at all levels. Seven commissions operate as part of the NABSE. These include commissions of Superintendents, general administrators, local school administra tors, higher education, supervisors, di rectors and teachers.
