Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current, August 17, 1994, Page 8, Image 8

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    A ugust 17, 1994 • T he P ortland O bserver
P age B?
Voters To Decide On MAX
Light Rail Expansion
V o te rs w ill d e c id e on a f u n d ­
ing m e a su re in N o v e m b e r to e x ­
pan d the M A X lig h t ra il n e tw o rk .
T ri-M e t B o a rd o f D ire c to rs
fo llo w e d th e u n a n im o u s r e c o m ­
m e n d a tio n o f th e m e tro p o lita n
a re a c o u n tie s an d c itie s to seek
v o te r a p p ro v a l. If a p p ro v e d by
v o te rs, the in itia tiv e w o u ld se ll
b o n d s to h e lp fu n d c o n s tru c tio n
o f th e n e x t se g m e n t o f th e M A X
sy ste m . T h e S o u th /N o rth M A X
lin e w o u ld ru n b e tw e e n C la c k a ­
m a s C o u n ty a n d V a n c o u v e r ,
W a sh in g to n .
If a p p ro v e d by v o te rs , each
d o lla r fro m the p ro p o s e d $ 4 7 5 -
m illio n g e n e ra l o b lig a tio n m e a ­
su re w o u ld c o m b in e w ith u p to
fiv e d o lla rs from fe d e ra l, S ta te o f
O re g o n , an d S ta te o f W a sh in g to n
so u rc e s. T h e d e c isio n fo llo w e d
th re e p u b lic h e a r in g s d ra w in g
la rg e ly p o sitiv e su p p o rt fo r M A X
e x p a n sio n a n d th e fu n d in g m e a ­
su re .
“ S o u th /N o rth M A X is a b o u t
sta y in g ah e a d o f th e g ro w th c u rv e ,
--------------------------------------------- >
Washington
State Lottery
Wednesday, August 10,1994
04-17-19-20-23-42
Saturday, August 13,1994
20-22-31-39-44-47
\
/
p re se rv in g n e ig h b o rh o o d s, a v o id ­
ing g rid lo c k and k e e p in g th e a ir
c le a n ,” sa id T om W a lsh , T ri-M e t
G e n e ra l M a n a g e r, d e s c rib in g the
d e c isio n as the “ m o st im p o rta n t”
e v e r fa c in g T ri-M e t.
“ If w e a c t n o w , w e can lo o k
fo r the fed eral g o v e rn m e n t to c o n ­
trib u te 50 p e rc e n t o f the c o st to
b u ild the p r o je c t,” he a d d e d . “ If
we a c t n o w , the S ta te o f W a s h ­
in g to n and C la rk C o u n ty a re p r e ­
p a re d to ask th e ir v o te rs fo r a
sim ila r sh a re . B ut if w e fa il to
a c t, th e re is a v ery re a l c h a n c e
th a t th e o p p o rtu n ity to re c e iv e
fe d e ra l help fo r th is p ro je c t w ill
be lo st fo r a d e c a d e o r m o re .”
In Ju ly , tr a n s p o rta tio n o ffi-
Senior Health Benefit
Advisors Have Answers
S e n io rs w ith q u e stio n s a b o u t
M e d ic a re an d in s u ra n c e c o v e r ­
ag e , c a n g e t free a n s w e rs from
the sta te -w id e S e n io r H e a lth B e n ­
e fit A d v iso rs (S H IB A ) p ro g ra m .
S H IB A is a n e tw o rk o f tra in e d
v o lu n te e rs w ho a s s is t se n io rs w ith
q u e stio n s a b o u t h e a lth in su ra n c e ,
lo n g -te rm c a re , M e d ic a re s u p p le ­
m e n ts, m e d ic a l b illin g an d e m ­
p lo y e r g ro u p -re tire m e n t b e n e fits.
SHIBA volunteers are available
every Tuesday, 1 to 4pm Luepke Se­
nior C enter at 1009 E. M cLoughlin
Blvd. N o appointm ent is needed at
this location.
Vantech Buys The
Building
Sales A greem ent W ith C lark
County G overnm ent Paves W ay To
Hire More W orkers W ith D evelop­
m ental Disabilities
Vantech has alw ays been serious
about its work. C onsider these facts:
This V ancouver non-profit firm that
em ploys persons with developmental
disabilities does work for 55 com pa­
nies in the Portland/V ancouver m et­
ropolitan area. Vantech em ployees
assem ble dental equipm ent, sort and
bag coffee beans and even m ake gar­
bage disposal bags for the United
States Navy.
Now Vantech is solidifying its
position in the local business com m u­
nity even more by purchasing its build­
ing from Clark County. C ost o f the
facility was $590,000. The county,
however, gave Vantech an $80,000
price break which reduced the sale
price to $510,000. T he purchase
agreem ent will be celebrated during a
ceremony and open house on A ugust
18 at Vantech E nterprises, 6511 E.
18th Street in V ancouver. M embers
of the public are invited to the open
c ia ls from M u ltn o m a h , C la c k a ­
m as a n d W a sh in g to n c o u n tie s, the
C ity o f P o r tla n d a n d o th e r s ,
u n a n im o u sly a g re e d th a t T ri-M e t
sh o u ld seek v o te r a p p ro v a l th is
N o v e m b e r to c o n stru c t th e n e x t
M A X lig h t ra il se g m e n t.
P o p u la tio n in the P o rtla n d
m e tro p o lita n re g io n is e x p e c te d
to g row by 5 0 0 ,0 0 0 o v e r the n e x t
20 y e a rs. T o resp o n d to g ro w th
p re s s u re s , the re g io n has e s ta b ­
lish e d a tra n s p o rta tio n p la n c a ll­
ing fo r the c o n s tru c tio n o f M A X
lig h t ra il to re d u c e c o n g e s tio n
an d k e e p the a ir c le a n . T h e p la n
in c lu d e s tra n sp o rta tio n o p tio n s as
a w ay to p re se rv e the r e g io n ’s
q u a lity o f life.
house which will be from noon to
3pm. A cerem ony recognizing the
building’s new ow ners will begin at
1:30pm.
Since beginning its operation in
1981, the company has rented space
from the county, which over the years
upgraded and expanded V antech to
make it a model facility in the Pacific
Northwest for persons with develop­
mental disabilities. By assuming ow n­
ership o f the facility, Vantech is now
Assuming greater control o f its co r­
porate operations. O w nership will ac -
tually reduce Vantech operating ex ­
penses and allow the com pany to hire
additional workers wit disabilities.
“Vantech is one o f the best-kept
business secrets in the com m unity,”
said John Magnano, chair o f the Board
o f C lark C ounty C om m issioners.
“The county has long been supportive
of persons with disabilities in the
w orkplace and this is a logical next
move for Vantech, the com m unity
that it provides em ploym ent to and
the broaderC lark County com m unity
as w ell.”
Starting in Septem ber, volun­
teers will be at Southw est W ashing­
ton Medical Center, a t400 NE Mother
Joseph Pl. on Tuesdays from l-3pm .
They will help people with m edical
billing questions only. A ppointm ents
are necessary. Call the Retired Senior
and V olunteer Program for an ap­
pointm ent at (206) 696-8221.
Volunteers are trained by the
W a s h in g to n
S ta te
In s u r a n c e
C om m issioner’s Office. They have
no affiliation with any insurance com ­
pany or product. The program is spon­
sored by Retired Senior and V olun­
teer Program.
City Fills
Teen
Coordinator
Post
The Vancouver Parks and Recre­
ation Departmentannounces the selec­
tion of Johnny Tucker as its new teen
recreation programming coordinator.
Tucker will organize and coordi­
nate teen activities with emphasis on
Friday and Saturday night programs.
He will act as staff liaison to the Teen
Council which is made up o f 10-15
teens representing local schools. He
will organize trips and teen-oriented
classes.
He is also assigned the task of
developing a full-service teen center
w ith recreation and social services in
line with the City o f V ancouver’s
high priority on offering positive al­
ternatives teens.
Tucker was previously the youth
program coordinator for the C om m u­
nity Drug and Alcohol C enter for the
past six years. He can be reached at
Bagley Community Center beginning
Sept. 1. His supervisor is Dave Weese.
Flemming Is Medal Of Freedom Recipient
Arthur S. Flem m ing, president
emeritus of the University o f O regon
was among nine distinguished A m eri­
cans receiving the Presidential M edal
o f Freedom Aug. 8 from President
Bill C linton during a cerem ony in the
E ast Room o f the W hite H ouse.
Flemming, 89, was honored with the
country’s highest civilian honor for
his lifetime o f outstanding achieve­
m ent in education, civil and hum an
rights, and governm ent service.
“ I’m personally thrilled that Dr.
Flemming, who has been a forceful
civil rights leader, advocate for aging
Americans and influential voice for
higher education, is receiving this sig­
nal recognition for his many decades of
distinguished service to the American
people,” said Dave Frohnmayer, the
university’s president.
*
Besides Flem m ing, other medal
recipients honored Thursday were the
political cartoonist Herbert Block, the
late form w o rk er a c tiv ist C esar
Chavez, U N ICEF executive director
Jam es G rant, civil rights activist
Dorothy Height, form er U.S. Rep.
Barbara Jordan o f Texas, labor leader
L ane K irkland, H ouse M in o rity
Leader Rep. Bob Michel o f Illinois
and form er Peace C orps director R.
Sargent Shriver.
Flemming, who also received the
Medal o f Freedom in 1957 from Presi­
dent Eisenhower, has had a distin­
guished career that has included ser­
vice both in the academic and political
arenas. He has been president o f three
higher education institutions: Ohio
Wesleyan University, the University of
Oregon, and McAlester College in St.
Paul, Minn. He also chaired the Ameri­
can Council on Education.
Flem m ing’s governm ent career
has spanned adm inistrations from
Franklin D. R oosevelt to Ronald
Reagan. Included is service on the
U.S. Civil Service Com m ission, on
the first and second Hoover Comm is-
sions on organization o f the Execu­
tive Branch, and as secretary o f health,
education and welfare.
Flem m ing chaired the W hite
House C onference on A ging and
served as U.S. C om m issioner on
Aging. He headed the U.S. C om m is­
sion on Civil Rights until he was
removed by President Reagan, m o­
ments before Flem m ing made public
a report criticizing the R eag an ’s
adm inistration’s policies on school
desegregation.
Honored - Booker Rice (second from right), vice president and field diversity officer for The Prudential,
presents a painting to Anita Marina (far left), outgoing president of the Urban League Guild, the
fundraising arm of the National Urban League, during the NUL Conference in Indianapolis, Ind. Also
pictured are Marilyn Price (far right), wife of newly elected Urban League President Hugh Price, and
Sandra McClelland, incoming president of the Guild. The painting, titled “Women Carrying Water," is the
work of Otto Raymond, an artist who resides in Prudential’s headquarters city, Newark N.J. It depicts a
scene from a traditional Brazilian Village.
,C
lif
Clark County Issues
Housing-Fund Challenge
Calling All Lenders: Have We Got A Challenge For You
T he B o a rd o f C la rk C o u n ty
C o m m issio n e rs has issu e d a c h a l­
le n g e to th e p riv a te se c to r: jo in us
in h e lp in g p e o p le buy and r e n o ­
v a te h o m es in o u r c o m m u n ity
T h e c h a lle n g e w as issu e d in
the form o f $ 1 0 ,0 0 0 a p p ro v e d by
th e C o m m is s io n e rs to p ro v id e
p a r tia l fu n d in g to o p e ra te a new
n o t-fo r-p ro fit C o m m u n ity H o u s ­
ing R e s o u rc e C e n te r. A n a d d i­
tio n a l $ 5 0 ,0 0 0 is n e e d e d to o p e r ­
a te th e c e n te r fo r th e re m a in d e r
o f 1994 a n d fo r 1995.
A nd i t ’s th a t a d d itio n a l
$ 5 0 ,0 0 0 th a t w ill m a k e C la rk
C o u n ty ’s c o n trib u tio n “ r e a l,” b e ­
c a u se th e $ 1 0 ,0 0 0 is c o n tin g e n t
upon th e c o m m u n ity ’s m e e tin g
C la rk C o u n ty ’s c h a lle n g e . F o r
e v e ry $ 5 ,0 0 0 c o n trib u te d by the
p riv a te s e c to r o r n o t-fo r-p ro fit
se c to r, C la rk C o u n ty w ill c o n ­
trib u te $ 1 ,0 0 0 , w ith the c o u n ty ’s
to ta l n o t to e x c e e d the $ 1 0 ,0 0 0
a p p ro v e d by th e C o m m issio n e rs.
A b o a rd o f d ire c to rs fo r the
C o m m u n ity H o u s in g R e s o u rc e
C e n te r is c u rre n tly in th e p ro c e ss
o f h ir in g an in te r im d ir e c to r ,
lo o k in g fo r o ffic e sp a c e , a n d so ­
lic itin g fu n d s fo r the c e n te r. O n ce
it is o p e r a tio n a l, th e c e n te r w ill
p ro v id e a ssista n c e , e d u c a tio n , and
in fo rm a tio n to p e o p le p u rsu in g
h o m e o w n e rs h ip an d re n ta l o p ­
p o r tu n itie s in C la rk C o u n ty .
T h is in c lu d e s p e r s o n a liz e d
h e lp in u n d e rs ta n d in g w h a t is
n e e d e d to buy o r re n o v a te a hom e
a s w ell as h e lp in p r e -q u a lify in g ,
b u d g e tin g , a n d u n d e r s ta n d in g
a g re e m e n ts . T h e c e n te r w ill a lso
c o n n e c t p e o p le w ith sp e c ia l h o u s ­
ing need s w ith p ro v id e rs o f sh ared
h o u sin g , a c c e s s ib le u n its , e tc . In
a d d itio n , it w ill se rv e as a c e n tra l
in fo rm a tio n p o in t -- a n e u tra l sp o t
w ith no p re s s u re — on p ro g ra m s
o f f e r e d by le n d e rs a n d p u b lic
fu n d in g a g e n c ie s.
In o ffe rin g th e se se rv ic e s to
c itiz e n s , th e c e n te r a lso b e n e fits
th e d e v e lo p m e n t c o m m u n ity and
le n d e rs by p ro v id in g a g re a te r
n u m b e r o f e d u c a te d b u y e rs w ho
a re e a s ie r to w ork w ith a n d b e tte r
p re p a re d fo r h o m e o w n e rs h ip .
A nd fo r th e c o m m u n ity o v e ra ll,
th e c e n te r s ta b iliz e s n e i g h b o r ^
h o o d s th ro u g h a g re a te r n u m b e r
o f h o m e o w n e rs a n d re n te rs w ho
a re b e tte r p re p a re d fo r th e ir r e ­
sp o n s ib ilitie s .
The center is a public, not-for-
profit, private partnership. The in­
tent has been for governm ent funds
to be used for start-up, after which
the private and not-for-profit sectors
would provide the necessary finan­
cial support. In addition to Clark
County, contributors to the center
thus far include the City o f V ancou­
ver, the V ancouver H ousing A uthor­
ity, First Interstate Bank, N orthw est
N ational Bank, the C lark C ounty
Board o f Realtors, and Realvest.
F o r m o re in fo rm a tio n a b o u t
the C om m u n ity H ousing R eso u rce
C e n te r — o r, b e tte r s till, to p r o ­
v id e f u n d in g to m e e t C la r k
C o u n ty ’s c h a lle n g e -- c a ll B ob
D y er, F irs t In te rs ta te B a n k , at
9 4 4 -0 4 1 6 .
Partnership To Tackle
MacArthur Median
A n e w ly -fo rg e d p a rtn e rs h ip
b e tw e e n B u rg e rv ille U SA R e sta u ­
ra n ts and the C ity o f V a n c o u v e r
w ill fo c u s on e n h a n c in g the m e ­
d ia n d itc h a lo n g M a c A rth u r B o u ­
le v a rd .
B u rg e rv ille e m p lo y e e s from
the r e s ta u r a n t a t 7401 E. M ill
P la in B lvd. h a v e c o m e fo rw a rd
a n d h a v e v o lu n te e re d to o r c h e s ­
tra te a w o rk p a rty to c le a n up the
m e d ia n . T h e C ity w ill p ro v id e
d u m p tru c k s , an d o th e r v o lu n te e r
g r o u p s w ill p a r tic ip a te in the
c le a n -u p . It is sc h e d u le d from 8
to 11am on S a tu rd a y , A u g . 20.
P at K lin g e r, a B u r g e r v ille o f -
fic ia l, sa y s h is c o m p a n y is in te r ­
e ste d in w o rk in g w ith the c ity for
se v e ra l y e a rs to in su re th a t th is
u n iq u e n a tiv e - p la n t la n d s c a p e
p ro je c t is a su c c e ss. T he c o m p a n y
h a s p le d g e d to fe e d the v o lu n ­
te e rs at the s p ru c e -u p e v e n t.
D e sp ite a 1 0 ,0 0 0 -g a llo n -a -
w cek c ity w a te rin g p ro g ra m , r e ­
c e n t b lis te rin g -h o t w e a th e r k ille d
a b o u t h a lf o f 7 0 0 h a rd y tre e s
p la n te d in the m e d ia n th is sp rin g .
T h o se tre e s and a c ro p o f w eeds
n eed to be rem o v e d to m ake w ay
fo r re p la c e m e n t p la n ts.
M acA rthur Landscape
Project:
T h e M a c A rth u r L a n d s c a p e
B o u le v a rd m e d ia n la n d s c a p in g
p ilo t p ro je c t is th e f irs t su c h u n ­
d e r ta k in g in th e c ity w ith o u t a
c o s tly irr ig a tio n o r d ra in a g e s y s ­
te m . It w a s fu n d e d by a $ 2 1 ,5 0 0
s ta te g ra n t an d m a tc h e d by the
c ity fu n d s fo r in itia l m a in te ­
nance.
T he g ra v e l d ra in a g e d itc h e x ­
te n d s fo r o n e a n d o n e - h a lf m iles
from L ic se r R o ad to M ill P la in
B o u le v a rd . A t the u rg in g o f lo cal
n e ig h b o rh o o d a s s o c ia tio n s , th e
strip w as p la n te d la st sp rin g w ith
n a tiv e tr e e s w h ic h a r c b o th
d r o u g h t - t o l e r a n t a n d a b le to
th riv e in s ta n d in g w a te r.
A fte r e s ta b lis h m e n t, the m e ­
dian la n d s c a p in g w ill tra n sfo rm
the u n a ttra c tiv e d ra in a g e d itc h
in to a s e lf - s u p p o r tin g n a tu ra l
w o o d la n d /w c lla n d e n v iro n m e n t.
T h e n , p u b lic d o lla r s w o n ’t be
n e e d e d to w a te r o r m a in ta in the
n a tu ra liz e d p la n tin g s . O n ly th e
s tu rd ic s p la n ts w ill s u rv iv e and
m u ltip ly .
D ead p la n ts a rc b e in g r e ­
p la c e d u n d e r g u a ra n te e from the
v en d o r n u rse ry .