9
City studies Union development
PORTLAND
OBSERVER
V o lu m e 8 N o. 38 Thursday. S e p te m b e r 21,1978 10c per copy
The Union Avenue Redevelop
ment Plan, begun by Model Cities in
I973, is a step closer with the Arterial
Reconstruction Project due to go
before the City Council in the near
future.
Three plans are currently under
consideration. Left turns are now
prohibited except at five intersec
tions where there are left turn lanes.
The limiting o f left turn access puts
traffic onto side streets in an effort
to get to the desired destination. AU
three alternatives would provide left
turn lanes at ten intersections.
Plan I would place a continuous
raised median between major inter
sections. Left turn lanes would be
provided at ten major intersections.
This plan would prevent left turns
and force tra ffic in to the neigh
borhoods. It would provide safety
islands fo r pedestrians crossing
Union Avenue and would provide
landscaping and trees on the median.
Plan II has a continuous left turn
lane where needed and a raised
median in between. This plan would
allow le ft turns at most m ajor
streets, better access to businesses
and the advantages o f the median. It
would not require added side street
traffic. The median would restrict
tra ffic on smaller neighborhood
streets.
Plan III provides a continuous left
turn at all major intersections except
for two one-block areas (Prescott to
Skidm ore and K n o tt to Russell)
where le ft turns w ould not be
allowed. This plan would provide
direct access to nearly all streets and
to businesses with no need for traffic
to circulate in the neighborhoods.
A ll three plans require removal o f
on-street parking. A lte rn a tive
methods for providing parking will
be explored — development o f
parking areas and m arking side
streets for short term parking.
Union Avenue w ill remain a major
thorough fare, p ro vid in g concen
trated traffic movement as well as a
site fo r small businesses. Current
tra ffic volume is 13,000 to 19,200
vehicles per week day. Volume is ex
pected to peak in 1982, then decline
somewhat after the completion o f 1-
205.
A citizen advisory committee was
established last fa ll, representing
business and neighborhood interests.
A t a public hearing h-ld last week
in King Neighborhood Facility, the
majority o f those testifying suppor
ted Plan II on the basis that it would
assist tr a ffic flo w but is not as
restrictive o f left turn access as Plan
I. A few mesrehants preferred that
on-street parking remain.
Further inform ation can be ob
tained fro m the U nion Avenue
Project, 4008 N.E. Union Avenue.
Senior citizens asked to prioritize needs
Defcum Court tenant families and neighbors protest sale
of recreatio n and playg ro u nd area by the Housing
Authority of Portland. The property was sold, along with
adjoining land, for private development.
HAP tenants protest play area loss
••TM.
..... ... I- t.
“ This ¡<
is not a new struggle,
it is
part o f a long fight the Concordia
Neighborhood Association has had
with the Housing A u th o rity ,” A l
Batiste, Chairman o f the Concordia
Neighborhood Association told the
press at a tenant - neighborhood
demonstration Saturday. “ We had
to fight to get the landscaping to
keep the mud from running into the
street; we had to fight for the down
zoning; and now we arc here to fight
the removal o f the playground. ”
Tenants o f Dekum C o u rt, a
Housing Authority o f Portland low
cost housing project, and the Con
cordia Neighborhood Association
held a demonstration to publicize
their efforts to retain a suitable play
and recreation area for the forty unit
project.
HAP has sold property it owned
adjacent to the project for private
development, and in so doing drew
the property line so close behind the
housing units that only a steep bank
is left for a play area, and the pro
jects recreation facility will be sur
rounded on three sides by private
homes
In 1976 HAP sought to build fifty
units on the property but met op
position from the community. HAP
then announced that the property
would be sold for private develop
ment. Fearing a high density apart
ment development, the neigh
I 1
.
borhood association sought and
received from the C ity Council a
downzoning that restricts the pro
perty use to single family homes.
In A p ril, 1978, H A P sold the
property to J.W. Brayson, Inc. The
tenants became aware o f the boun
daries o f the land that had been sold
only when they saw survey stakes in
dicating that only the hillside would
be left. When the resident manager
complained that the tenants were
concerned about loss o f the
playground and the only flat space
that could be used for ball and other
games, as well as the only shade
trees, she was told the property had
been sold and nothing could be done.
Meeting with the new owner, CNA
determined that he was willing to sell
the property between the project and
Saratoga Street back to H AP and
would not develop that property un
til March 1979 to provide time for a
sale to be arranged.
In a June meeting with Lyndon
Musolf, executive director o f HAP,
Musolf indicated that H AP had no
interest in purchasing the property
but would not object to the tenants
or CNA attempting to find ways to
regain the property.
Musolf has now determined that
there is sufficient play space and in
fact is more space than provided at
four other projects — Iris Court,
Maple M a llo ry , Town House
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u a to r nan demon
strates equipment used at the Wind River tree nursery near
Caraon, Washington, to part of a group of Portland area
residents who attended an "Ecology and Career Excur
sion. The trip was held earlier this month to introduce
minorities to reforestation and to the Young Adult Conser-
“
Terrace and Fir Acres — and has
ordered that the play equipment be
moved from the property.
The CNA has applied to the city
fo r Housing and C om m unity
Development grant to purchase the
land, but the question remains as to
who w ill mow the grass and keep up
the property. H A P refuses to
become involved; the Park Bureau
considers the property too small for
it to become responsible; CNA has
no funds.
Accusing HAP o f failing to in
volve tenants in decisions that af
fect them, pressuring and trans
fe rrin g employees who have a t
tempted to assist the tenants, and
retaliating against the neighborhood
association that has fought its earlier
plans, the tenants organization and
the Neighborhood Association are
united in their efforts to oppose what
they consider H AP’ s callous feeling
toward the tenant’s welfare. HAP
explains the sale o f ail o f the pro
perty as an attempt to maximize the
sale price in order to build additional
housing units. “ . . . it is simply a
m atter o f setting p rio ritie s and
utilizing our limited resources in an
e ffo rt to meet our prim ary goal:
providing safe, decent and sanitary
housing for those who, for various
reasons, are unable to compete for
sim ilar housing on the open
market.” (M usolf — 8/16/78)
vation Corps program for young men and women aged 16
to 23 who are out of school and out of work. Pictured with
Hall are, left to right, Sally Marquis, Veronica Dinkins
David Belton, Michael Tate, Opaline Brown, James Belton
(behind Mrs. Brown), Ressice Blacknall, Jim Stewart and
Irene Tate.
Calling Measure 6 the best thing
to happen to our co u n try, Bob
Holdridge, director o f the City o f
Portland’ s aging programs, asked
senior citizens served by the Senior
A d u lt Service Center on U nion
Avenue to “ prioritize” their needs.
Holdridge expects the city program
to lose $1 million if Measure 6 passes
or about 1/2 m illio n dollars i f
Measure 11 passes. Decisions w ill
have to be made about how to cut up
the pie, he explained, and most o f
those decisions are p o litic a l and
made during a crisis.
The senior citizens present at a
meeting with Holdridge were asked
to mark form s, numbering their
needs in order o f top p rio rity ;
H ousing, Social C ontact, In fo r-
m ation/S ervice U tiliz a tio n , In-
Home Assistance, Protective/Legal,
N utrition, Health. Then they were
asked to assign a percentage o f
available funds to each category.
The senior citizens and community
persons present attempted to explain
that the categories were inter-depen-
dent and that it was not possible to
isolate and prioritize them.
Holdridge explained his opinion
that the mistake society has made is
to assume that people can’ t help
themselves and to do too much for
them. He said he “ could care less”
what the community wants, but he
needs to list what they want. He said
he isn’ t that interested in the city’ s
money — about $2., “ that can’ t even
be good seed money,” but wants to
set up a strategy to deal with the total
community so they can set things up
in the community.
The ‘ ‘ c ity ” money, which is
federal aging funds, is divided
among eight areas on a population
and need basis. The Northeast center
(Albina) gets approximately fifteen
percent. Holdridge explained that
the money goes to the contracting
agency, the Urban League, and tha
as long as the terms o f the contrac
are met, the city sets no lim it on ad
ministrative costs or amounts speni
or retained by the contracting agency.
The senior citizens complained
that their advisory board has no
power and has been ignored by the
Urban League. They also claim that
the contract is not being fulfilled.
The Senior Adult Service Center was
designed and operated by senior
citizens under the M odel C ities
Program, but after Model Cities was
phased out was taken under the city
and contracted to the Urban League
o f Portland.
H o ldridge is meeting w ith the
citizens in each o f the eight areas to
determine their needs so he can write
a county-wide plan. No plans have
been made to have the eight areas
meet together to assist with this plan.
Alexander hosts TV, radio soul programs
by Ulysses Tucker, Jr.
“ M y goal is to increase the
amount o f soul, jazz, and funk given
to the Portland comm unity,” said
A rt Alexander, the newest radio per
sonality in the city. His show is aired
every Saturday night from 10:00
p.m.-midnight, 91.5. Alexander, a
television production intern for the
Oregon Educational Public Broad
casting System, works in conjunction
with KOAP-10 where he won a two
year minority training grant from the
corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Alexander said that he decided to
give radio production a try because,
“ I ’ ve always had the desire to be on
the air and when the opportunity
came, I took it.
“ There’ s great freedom o f ex
pression in the field and I can gear
my music to the message that I want
to get across.” KOAP-FM is in the
process o f revamping its program
ming to reach more of the 18-26 year
old listening market.
He went on to say that, “ I want to
make people think and dance while
enlightening the masses to what is
happening around them.”
Alexander, a native of Brooklyn,
New York migrated to Oregon by
way o f the University o f Nebraska
where he graduated with a B.A. in
English and Political Science. He is
currently working on his Masters in
communications at the University o f
Portland.
“ My natural instincts led me out
this way,” he said. “ I grew up on the
urban East Coast and mellowed out
in Nebraska. Now I’ m in the ‘ City of
Roses’ to put what I ’ ve learned to
use,” he said.
Alexander said that, “ George
C lin to n , producer-composer o f
Paliment-Funkerdelic inspires me to
great heights. His attitudes and
musical concepts are amazing; he can
relate to people on many levels and
that’ s what I ’d like to do.”
Alexander also said that public
radio is an excellent alternative to
Art Alexander hosts KOAP-FM'a "Funk "N S tuff" Saturday nights
commercial stations because, “ What
gets on the air is more a matter o f
trying to enrich the community than
maintaining a profit margin.”
A lexander’ s advice to young
communications students is to “ Get
good technical training, know your
equipment and learn how to write.
Once you’ ve got your skills together.
jum p on any opportunity that con
fronts you.”
W ith the addition o f Alexander to
the airwaves, P o rtla n d now has
another brother to go along with tNu
positive vibrations o f KBOO. So, or
Saturday nights, remember that you
do have Soul from 8:00-12:00 (8:00-
10:00 KBOO 90.7 I'M and 10 00-
12:00 KOAP-FM stereo 91.5).
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