October 2 8 ,1992...The Portland Observer...Page 7
City And Oregon Arena Corporation
Reach Development Agreement
Continued from page 1
ally, $800,000 in parking income and
o f the shuttle system, which will be
approximately $100,000 in other lease
financed entirely by O A C, will include
revenue direedy from the project, which
service to 4,500-5,000 parking spaces
it will use to finance the public e le ­
in the Lloyd District.
ments in the project. In addition, O A C
OAC will pay the City 10%of its
has projected that the City will receive
revenue from the public plaza derived
in excess o f $2 m illion annually (first-
from advertising, rent and net vendor
year estimate) in added property tax
revenues.
revenues, $450,000 in added hotel taxes
The agreem ents reached today are
and $250,000 in added business and
part o f a lengthy public that began in
utility taxes.
May 1991 when a 15-member Arena
Mayor J.E. Bud Clark said of the
Task Force of elected officials and pri­
agreements: “This isa significant m ile­
vate citizens was named by the Portland
stone. We still have a major challenge
City council and Metro Council to evalu­
to make sure the remaining documents
ate O A C ’s initial proposal and recom ­
and exhibits are completed and the final
mend public goals and objectives. The
cost estim ates are on target. But these
Task Force articulated those public
agreem ents represent a rem arkable
goals and objectives in its July 1991
achievement. The city ’s negotiating
Report. After a detailed review in Sep­
team, led by Larry Dully of the Portland
tember and O ctober 1991 by the Task
Development Commission, has success­
Force, including public hearings, the
fully threaded its way through a series
City, M etro and OAC agreed on an
o
f very difficult issues over the past
overall framework to guide the negotia­
year
and a half to get here.
tions. That stage o f the process culm i­
“This
is not going to be just an
nated in a M emorandum o f U nder­
Arena,
it’s
going
to be a major contribu­
standing on November 13,1991. Still to
Oregon at selected public libraries,
tion
to
the
revitalization
o f Portland’s
be com pleted is the final execution, or
Community Action Agencies, C om ­
east
side.
It’s
model
of
public/private
closing, on all agreem ents, including
m unity D evelopm ent C orporation
cooperation that othercities dream about
City approval of 50% construction draw­
(CDC) grant recipients, Council o f
but never quite pull off. W e appreciate
ings and a guaranteed maximum price
G overnm ent (COG) offices, public
Paul Allen’s responsiveness to the City ’ s
for the public improvements.
housing authorities, and local congres­
broader objectives. OAC has done this
Additional agreem ents remaining
sional offices. Public hearings to
right and I think the citizens o f Portland
to be negotiated will cover m anage­
recieve oral com m ent will be held in
will be pleased with the result. This is a
ment o f the City-ow ned parking facili­
Bend on Oct. 29 and in Salem on Nov.
great day for all Portlanders who w ant
ties; the Plaza Lease; an agreem ent
5. Additional hearings will be sched­
to see this City continue to grow and
with the Portland/Oregon Visitors As­
uled for LaGrande, Roseburg, Astoria,
prosper in a way that enhances its liv­
sociation for jo in t marketing of the
and Seaside. Your com m ents will help
ability.”
Arena, coliseum and convention C en­
make the CHAS an effective and use­
R obert R idgley, P resident and
ter; an agreement with Tri-M et cover­
Chief Executive Officer o f Northwest
ful tool.
ing modifications to the current C oli­
A final version o f the FY 1993
Natural Gas, who served as chairman o f
seum Transit Center; ongoing C ov­
CHAS Update will be published in late
the Arena Task Force, agreed: “These
enants, Conditions and Restrictions; and
November following the comment pe­
agreements more than meet the goals,
approval of the Transportation M an­
riod. For more information about the
objectives and original principles laid
agem ent Plan.
CHAS process, the draft document, or
down more than a year ago by the Arena
The Developm ent Agreem ent will
the public hearings, interested parties
Task Force. The com m itm ent to this
be executed immediately followingCity
should contact David B. Foster, HCS
region by Paul Allen and the Portland
Council approval. The other agreements
Community Housing Planner, at (503)
Trail Blazers that these agreements rep­
will be executed at closing, expected by
378-5959.
resent will give the Portland m etropoli­
February 1993. Immediately following
tan area a world-class venue for basket­
closing, utility work associated with
b all, hockey, m ajor en tertain m en t
the project is expected to commence.
events and large conventions that can
The City projects it will receive in
provide the Portland area with a pow er­
excessof $2.9 million in user fees annu­
Housing & Community Services
Department Updates Oregon’s
Affordable Housing Strategy
The Housing and Coumminty Ser­
vices D epartment (HCS) has completed
a d rafto fth eF Y 1993 Annual Update of
O reg o n ’s C om prehensive H ousing
Affordability Strategy (CHAS). The
N ational A ffo rd ab le H ousing A ct
(NAHA) o f 1990 requires every state to
update and evaluate its housing plan
annually to rem ain eligible for federal
housing funds.
Based on public com m ent and
analysis, O regon’s five-year strategy
developed in 1991 describes regional
priorities for populations with the most
serious needs and appropriate afford­
able housing activities. It addressed
areas o f public policy, program en­
hancement and development, financ­
ing, special needs housing, technical
assistance, and regulatroy reform. The
plan calls for greater coordination o f
programs and resources, requires fur­
ther analyses of unmet needs, and ad-
drcsscs the gap in affordable housing
for special needs groups.
The draft FY 93 CHAS Update
refines the five-year strategy to comply
with new federal rules on CHAS prepa­
ration that were issued early in Septem ­
ber. Priorities remain substantially un­
changed; however, the format in which
they are presented has been modified to
emphasize the p o p u latio n s and activi­
tie s w ith th e h ig h e s t p rio r ity .
Disscussion is provided for each popu­
lation to b e served, including inform a­
tion on resources to be invested, geo­
graphic distribution, and service deliv­
ery and m anagement. The new rules
also add sections on Fair Housing, Low
Income H ousingTax C redit,and Public
Housing Initiatives.
HCS will accept public com m ent
on the draft FY 1993 CHAS Update
through November 19, 1992. Copies
are available for review thorughout
Workshop to Address
African-American Diversity
“Preparing for Diversity: W ork­
ing with African-American Clients” is
the title o f a workshop to assist clini­
cians o f all ethnic backgrounds in un­
derstanding the variety characterizing
African-Americans. Co-sponsored by
the Multnomah County O ffice of Child
and A dolescent Mental Health Ser­
vices and the Pacific University Psy­
chological Service Center, the w ork­
shop will be held Tuesday, November
3 from 2:30 to 5:15 p.m. at the M ult­
nomah County Southeast Health Clinic-
-3653 SE 34th in Portland.
The workshop is designed for psy­
chologist, professional counselors, mar­
riage and family therapists, clinical
social w orkers, other mental health
workers, adm inistrators, and students.
Participants will have the opportunity
to learn m ore about African American
social values, norms, and behaviors;
the diversity within the African-Ameri­
can population; establishing rapport
and credibility with African-American
clients; and recent research and litera-
ture focusing on African-American is­
sues.
Keynote speaker during the work­
shop will be James L. Mason, Research
Manager of the Regional Research In­
stitute at Portland State University and
doctoral candidate in the School o f
Urban and Public Affairs at Portland
State University. He has conducted
numerous workshops and has provided
consultation regarding the develop­
ment o f culturally appropriate mental
health and related human services.
Continuing education certification
will be available for workshop partici­
pants. Cost for the workshop is as
follows: Students-S10 if registered by
October 27 and $15 after October 27;
Professionals-$40 if registered by O c­
tober 27 and $45 after O ctober 27.
Special rates are available for provid­
ers and staff o f M ultnomah County and
Pacific University. For registration and
more inform ation, Please call the P a­
cific University Psychological Service
Center, 220-0390.
November Is
National
Adoption
Month
ful economic boost.
“This project m eans more visitors,
more jobs and more investm ents here
that can lighten for everyone the burden
of taxes needed to pay for vital public
services. And it m axim izes the public’s
existing investment in the Oregon co n ­
vention Center and the Coliseum, and
outdated facility that without the blaz­
ers and these agreem ents would have
become a major drain on the taxpayers.
The new complex will enhance our
ability to attract large national and re ­
gional conventions which, in turn, will
attract the notice around the country
that helps spur econom ic development.
We have here a win-win proposition for
everyone involved.”
C ity
C o m m is s io n e r
M ik e
Lindberg, who was a m ember of the
Arena Task Force, said: “It’s im portant
to stress that w hat w e’re really co n ­
structing here is a unique partnership in
which everybody com es out a winner.
OAC will get to put up a stat-of-the-art
Arena for the Trail Blazers on a conve­
nient, centrally-located site so the team
can make the most o f its franchise. The
City will be able to finance public im ­
provements on the site from direct rev­
enues generated by the project. In addi­
tion, the City will get in excess o f $2
million a year in added property tax
revenues to pay for vital services
throughout the community, and the City
will share ticket revenues and other
income generated by the project to pay
for City capital costs. The region as a
whole will get a big shot in the arm, in
terms of new economic activity and
jobs. And-not least-Blazers fans will
get an iron-clad com m itm ent that the
team w :,.l be playing in Portland for at
least 30 years. I endorse these agree­
ments and will urge my colleagues on
City Council to do the sam e.”
The public may com m ent by ap ­
pearing at City Council on October
29th, at 3;00 p.m. when the proposed
agreements will be considered, or by
writing the Portland DevelopmentCom-
mission or Portland City council m em ­
bers.
November is National Adoption
Month and One Church, One Child is
inviting you to do your part to help
African American children who wait to
e adopted. Come to the One Church,
One Child Open House on Saturday,
November 14th from 1-4 pm in the
meeting annex at 5736 N. Albina.
Com e by and look at our photo
book and videos o f children. One
Church, One Child representatives and
adoptive parents will be available to
answer your questions.
There are no fees, training is o f­
fered, and financial assistance is avail­
able. Cal the office today: 285-7634.
Lee Owen Stone: A Cooperative
Pre-School Program
Pre-school education has proven to
be a very im portant aspect of healthy
child developm ent. Headstart has far
and away dem onstrated its impact of
helping a variety o f youngsters get a
jum p-start on their educational careers.
This becom es obvious if you consider
that working parents maintain an in­
come, m anage a household, and also
find the tim e and the methods to inspire
their child toward positive academic
careers. Unfortunately many programs
are costly, not close to the child’s home,
or simply is unavailable because of the
lim ited public resources. Strangely
enough, right here in inner Northeast
Portland there exists a small pre-school
program that tries to enroll a culturally
and socially diverse student body. Be­
lieve it or not, this program is diagonal
from the renown and newly remodeled
Matt Dishman Recreational Facility.
The program is housed in the m e­
dium-sized but S l Phillips Episcopal
Church at the com er of Knott St. and
Cleveland Ave. The program is called
the Lee Owen Stone Cooperative Pre-
School and is run by a private parent
m embership who: set policy, assist in
the classroom , help with fundraising,
serve on boards, and serve in other
capacities. There is alw ays a parent in
the classroom and often parents be­
comes friends on field trips and various
school activities. The school has a tra­
dition o f attracting students from vari­
ous cultural backgrounds and from dif­
ferent parts o f the metro area.
But pre-school education is a lim ­
ited resource as m entioned earlier. And
even Lee Owen Stone parents must pay
tuition, however, this tuition is kept
reasonable as a result o f parent partici­
pation and the generosity o f the host
Church. Partial scholarships are avail­
able so that children from modest house­
hold income can attend. Thus, although
limited, some children who might ben­
efit from this type o f pre-school envi­
ronment arc able to attend.
Lee Owen Stone has also proven
invaluable for parents who work part-or
on flex-time and those who attend school
and needs a part-time permanent a r­
rangement. The classroom is creatively
laid out with areas designated for books
and reading, clim bing, art, dramatic
play, and there are also manipulative
toys for developing fine motor skills.
Preparation for school is a primary ac­
tivity at the school. There arc field trips
that may familiarize urban youth with
the rural areas or which may help chil­
dren learn bus routes and the City.
T his pre-school program is a
sleeper program that ex ists on the spirit
ofparentandcom m unity involvement.
It is supported by many local busi­
nesses who offer services needed by
the program or that donate items for its
annual auction. A sa m o d c l.th isty p e o f
program can be supported in other
parts o f the community and with lim ­
ited governm ent support could be rep­
licated throughout the greater Portland
community. Inner Northeast Portland
has one more program that chugs along
in obscurity while greater headline are
paid to the crim es or other social ills in
thiseconom ically and socially stressed
community. The sad part of the story is
that the program has only a limited
num ber of openings and parents are
urged to get on the waiting lists quick
or by good fortune, obtain one o f the
rare slots. Fortunately the few who arc
admitted, with the proven dedication
of both the Sl. Phillips Episcopal Church
leadership, Lee Owen Stone staff and
parents, business and individual do­
nors this little-known program will
continue to represent the community
well.
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