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November 2 5 ,1992...The Portland Observer...Page 3
Ceremony Marks Dedication Of Final
Segment Of 4.3 Mile N.E. Airport Way
Paving The Way For Major New Jobs Center
A parade of vehicles, from a Silver
Eagle 18-wheeler and a fire truck to an
airport limo, representing businesses
in the Airport Way urban Renewal
Area rolled through a ceremonial rib
bon today officially dedicating the 4.3
mile length of N.E. Airport Way.
The event marked completion of
the second and final section of the five-
lane roadway. Completion of Airport
Way establishes a strategic link be
tween 1-84, 1-205 and the Portland
International Airport that opens the
way for development of a major new
employment center on the south shore
of the Columbia River.
An estimated 20,000 jobs would
be created in the 2,880-acre Airport
Way area in the next 20 years if its full
economic potential were realized, mak
ing it potentially the biggest new em
ployment center in the region. Future
development of the area is in jeopardy,
however, due to a recent decision by
the Oregon Supreme Court effectively
ending tax increment financing as a
tool for funding urban renewal.
Speaking at the opening ceremony
were City Commissioner Earl Blu
menauer, President of the Columbia
Corridor Association Craig Honeyman,
and Chairman of the Portland Devel
opment Commission (PDC) Douglas
McGregor.
C o m m issio n er B lum enauer
thanked area property owners and busi
nesses, the neighborhood and the Cor
ridor Association for their support in
completing Airport Way-anothcr piece
of a master transportation plan for the
region. “Northeast Airport Way will
help business and the community by
facilitating the movement of goods
within the region and overseas,” said
Blumenauer,. “It will also promote
other forms of transportation. A bike
lane and sidewalk in both directions
encourage biking, walking and run
ning.”
Public improvements in the Air
port Way Area have generally focused
on infrastructure that will benefit the
entire Area. More than $23 million in
federal and local funds were allocated
to widen Airport Way to five lanes
between 1-205 and 18th (Phase One),
and extend it an additional three miles
to 181st at Sandy Boulevard (Phase
Two). Water, sewer, electricity, cable
and telephone lines were installed with
the roadway. The City’s Bureau of
Transportation designed and con
structed the roadway.
Under a unique agreement with
adjacent property owners, PDC pro
vided landscaping in the medians and
along the street and property owners
have agreed to maintain it. The road
way features development standards
such as high-quality landscaping, lim
ited signage and limited outdoor stor
age adjacent to Airport Way to help
promote more attractive, higher value
land uses.
PDC, the City’s agency for urban
renewal, housing and economic devel
opment, used tax increment funds to
purchase the land required to build N.E.
Airport Way. The Airport Way Urban
Renewal Area was established by City
Council in 1986.
The Supreme Court decision al
ready has had an impact on Airport
Way. PDC Commissioners voted on
November 10th to suspend activities
within the Holman Redevelopment
Area, a 95-acre development parcel at
the west end of the Airport Way Urban
Renewal Area. PDC will commit re
maining resources instead to continu
ing infrastructure improvements and
technical assistance to property owners
in order to derive the fullest benefit
possible from the $30 million in public
investment already made in Airport
Way. Development of the urban re
newal area will make available sites for
existing Portland businesses to expand
their operations. It will keep vital Port
land businesses and jobs within the city,
and it will keep jobs close to workers.
Concentrating development within
the Airport Way Urban Renewal Area
will also keep development from spread
ing to outlying forest and farm lands.
The Tenth Time
Through
Join in and“Sing-Your-Own Mes
siah” with the Portland Youth Philhar
m onic, co nducted
by Jacob
Avshalomov.on December6at4 PM at
the Benson High School auditorium.
The Portland Youth Philharmonic is
offering this exuberant event, spon
sored by PACC Health Plans, as its gift
to Portland for the tenth time. The
program will feature four soloists:
Danita Banko, Soprano; Barbara Irvin,
Alto; David Maier, Tenor; Dennis L.
Montgomery, B ass-s well as three guest
conductors.
Free brush-up sessions are sched
uled to bring audience-participants up
to snuff. Vocal scores will be available
for your use at brush-up sessions and
the December 6 event. They will also be
available for purchase, or you might
even bring your own.
Tickets areavailable for $7.50 from
the Portland Youth Philharmonic of
fice, 1119 SW Park Ave., 223-5939, or
at Benson High School Auditorium on
December 6. Seating is general admis
sion, and participants are encouraged to
sit in their voice section.
The Coalition Of Black Men
Over the past few days we have
held several discussions with the corpo
rate presidentof Act III and have reached
an acceptable accord with Act III on
items of concern around future prac
tices and communication with the Afri
can-American Community.
Today we are announcing that we
are calling for the end to the boycott of
all Act HI theaters.
While we understand the commu
nity perception of Act Ill’s booking
policies and not booking Malcolm X in
the Northeast community are consid
ered to be racially motivated, we have
not found it to be the case in our dealing
with Act III, particularly Act HI Presi
dent Hal Gaba. Both sides would agree
that a greater level of sensitivity could
have been used, which would produce
much different results.
Act III agreed to the following
commitments:
Portland Lawyer Team To
Aid Haitian Refugees
Invoking a tradition that dates back
to the civil rights struggles of the 1960’s
in the deep south, a contingent of port-
land lawyers has gone to Miami to
provide legal assistance to Haitian refu
gees who seek asylum in the United
States.
“These refugees are people who
are clearly under threat of imprison
ment, torture or death if they are forced
to return to Haiti,” said Portland attor
ney Ray Thomas, coordinator of the
project. “Oregon attorneys are lending
their time and talents to this very impor
tant work and providing leadership in
this very critical area of law.”
The National Lawyers Guild, with
Sponsors Organized to Assist Refu
gees, (SOAR) are co-sponsoring the
project. SOAR is a program of Ecu
menical Ministries of Oregon.
A contingent of six Portland-area
attorneys and law students are making
Portland Saturday
Market Presents
Fallen Angel Choir
And Sponsors
Food Drive For
Salvation Army
Coming soon to Saturday Market-
-The Fallen Angel Choir! On Saturday,
December 5, at 12:00 noon, you can
enjoy Portland’s favorite “angels with
an attitude” and give to a good cause at
the same time.
In conjunction with the acapella
holiday harmonies of The Fallen Angel
Choir, Portland Saturday Market will
hold a food drive that day for its neigh
bor, the Salvation Army.
So bring a non-perishable food item
and enjoy a rare treat yourself-as you
listen to the outrageous comedy of The
Fallen Angel Choir at Portland Satur
day Market.
H
B ecause O nly B y
A
P P Y
■
THANKSGIVING
C elebrating culture
C an W e h ope to in spir e a rt .
Whether made with words, images or music, art resonates through
African-American life. Recording our experience, revealing our humanity,
depicting our soul. It can soothe or excite, enlighten or entertain, constantly
compelling us to look and listen.
At Kraft General Foods, we're proud to help bring the visions and
sounds of ethnic culture to the community. Not only helping people to
Establish a community advisory
committee, which will consult with ACT
III to ensure adherence to policy and to
serve as a sounding board regarding
sensitive movies and where they will be
played.
Increase or hire African-Ameri
cans in all levels of ACT III operation,
particularly in its management and de
cision making structures, and agree to
access community employment agen
cies when announcing positions.
Review corporate charitable giv
ing to ensure that the corporation is
giving to African American groups in
N/NE.
Ensure African American vendors/
contractors are being used in ACT III
theaters and include their input in fu
ture planning of vendor/contract usage.
Management, from the top down,
participate in diversity training to en
sure a sensitivity level to all clients.
the trip to Miami.
At present, there is a backlog of
several thousand Haitian refugees in
the Miami area, all needing legal help
with their applications for asylum in
this country. Many were literally forced
to flee in the m iddle of the night to avoid
capture or torture by a military that
overthrew Haiti’s first democratically
elected president. If their asylum re
quest is not granted, they may be forced
to return to Haiti.
Upon their return on November 25,
the group has scheduled a news confer
ence at Portland International Airport,
starting at 1pm., location TBA.
“This Miami project is a wonderful
Thanksgiving story of our legal com
munity extending a helping hand to
those who have fled extreme violence
in their homeland, “said Gary Gamer,
director of SOAR.
Seniors’ Free
Friday Month
Accents National
Geographic
Exhibit
Seniors age 62 and older will be
admitted free to the World Forestry
Center’s newest exhibit, “The National
Geographic Society: 100 years of Ad
venture and Discovery” on every Fri
day during the month of December.
The exhibit, which continues
through January 1993, is a stunning
photopanel display recounting the
Society ’ s first ccntuiy of exploring “the
world and all that is within it.”
Some 160 wall-size photos depict
the devastating forces of nature, the
search for human origins, and explora
tions beneath the seas and into space.
Free Seniors’ Friday in December
is sponsored by Camera World and
KOIN-TV Channel 6.
The World Forestry Center is lo
cated five minutes from downtown
Portland, west on Highway 26. Hours
are 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., seven days
weekly. For more information call the
World Forestry Center at (503) 228-
1367.
McMurphy's
Appliance Center
Washer fit Dryer *199°°
Refrigerators From 5129°°
Ranges From $129°°
experience the art of others, but inspiring the artists themselves.
Because only through the celebration of art can we begin to under
Open Mon. - Fri. 9:00am to 5:00pm
Saturday 10:00am to 2:00pm
stand what makes us human.
0^
Sunday Closed
KRAFT GENERAL FOODS
Velveeta.
K W H S
M ira c le
W hip.
■ «It - —
;
GOURMET
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4011 NG MIK
288-3235
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