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Portland General Gains National Laurels For Efforts On Customers Behalf
Portland General Electric (PGE)
Company is one o f the winners o f a
prestigious Edison Electric Institute
1996 Common Goals Award for its
dedication to energy efficiency, the
environment and quality o f life in the
Portland area. E E I’s Common Goals
program honors the best in partner­
ships between electric compan ies and
their customers. PGE was lauded in
the Common Goals Energy Efficien­
cy Partnership category for its Earth
Smart C ity Life Housing Develop­
ment.
‘Portland General Electric Com­
pany has clearly demonstrated the
importance o f going the extra mile to
create exceptional value for their
customers and communities,” said
EEI President Tom Kuhn. “ They v iv ­
idly illustrate the point that Am eri­
ca’ s investor-owned electric compa­
nies are leaders in an increasingly
competitive and environmentally-
conscious world.” "W e congratulate
them and all o f those companies who
took part in the 1996 Common Goals
Awards program.”
City Life is part o f PGE’ s long­
term goal o f goal o f assisting the
tached row house, courtyard and
duplex housing. Units ranged in size
from 700 to 1,300 square feet. With
prices ranging from $66,000 to
$ 125.000, the homes were designed
to be affordable to families earning
80 percent o f Portland’s median in­
come, or $33,850
Architectural plans for C ity Life
came from a design-and-build com­
petition sponsored by the American
Institute o f
Architects/Portland
Chapter. I he project’s centerpiece
was a duplex built to PGE's Earth
Smart standards, which exceeds the
Portland area to deal with growth
without compromising quality o f life.
PGE partnered with a diverse array
o f community o f leaders to create the
City Life housing development: a
one-of-a-kind demonstration project,
borrowing the best in architectural
design, affordable housing financing
and PGE Earth Smart resource-effi­
ciency measures. Located in south­
east Portland's Brooklyn neighbor­
hood, the project was completed in
October, 1995.
City Life comprises 18 homes
within one city block, combining at-
Find Hidden Storage Areas In Your House
You might think that finding us­
able storage space in your house is as
unlikely as discovering a winning
lottery ticket. It’ s just not going to
happen.
W orldly fortunes aside, most hous­
es have overlooked space where you
can squirrel away your stuff. Take a
detect ive’ s-eye tour around the house
and you’ ll be amazed at its hidden
storage potential.
W e’ ve put together 10 hot-spots,
areas in a typical house that are often
overlooked for stowaways.
I . Under stair space is often sealed
o ff and unused. This wedge-shaped
area can be opened for storage. Ifthe
stairs open into a room, why not
make the storage part o f the room?
Open the space under the stairs and
finish it o ff as a library alcove or
built-in shelving unit.
Enclose the space beneath a base­
ment stairway and use it for basic
storage needs by installing brackets
and plywood shelving and either slid­
ing or hinged doors. For conve­
nience sake tuck away seldom-used
items like Christmas decorations in
the far reaches o f the low wedged
comers.
2. Even in the tiniest bathroom the
wall area over a toilet offers storage
potential. Simple enclosed shelfunits
are sold that install easily with spring
loaded tension poles that run from
the floor to the ceiling.
3. Many kitchen have soffits to
enclose the space between the top o f
the cabinet and the ceiling. Look at
your kitchen cabinets, i f they are
hung on a soffit you can open the
soffit and reclaim this space i f it is
free o f pipes and heating ducts. In­
stall sliding doors for access, then
use this space for specialty dishware
and bulky cookware.
4. Underthe bed is that very place
that’ s just waiting to be used, but in
an orderly fashion. You can buy low
profile zippered plastic bags or par­
ticle board drawers w ith wheels.
PDC Approves Major
Housing Loans
The Portland Development Com­
mission (PDC) approved three hous­
ing loans today at its regular monthly
meeting resulting in 160 new units o f
affordable housing in the city.
Approved at the meeting were
loans fo r the follow ing projects:
• $871,720 in financial assistance
for construction o f Ankeny Woods
Apartments, located at 11930 S.E.
Ankeny Street. The project w ill con­
sist o f 42 units o f affordable housing
targeting residents earning 50 and 60
percent o f median income. Thirteen
o f the units w ill be three and four
large fam ily bedroom units and the
remaining w ill be 16 one-bedroom
units and 13 two-bedroom units. Total
project cost is estimated at $3.83
m illion. Developer is Human Solu­
tions, General Partner o f Ankeny
landscaping incorporated native veg­
etation that requires little water or
chemicals to thrive.
“ We need to find ways to house
the half-m illion people expected to
move to Portland by 2001,” says
PGE Earth Smart Program Manager
Don Nuttbrock. “ City Life was a
successful experiment. The project's
partners challenged themselves to
envision urban housing for the 2 1 st
century, when land and natural re­
sources are going to be a, a premium.
Together, we demonstrated that this
kind o f housing is practical today.”
Century 21 Isreal Deal
tween floor joists to store lumber,
snow skis, anything that’s long and
lightweight. Make simple braces o f
I x4 lumber to hold items safely in
place.
8. An unfinished attic is another
bonus for storing stuff. Even though
you can't stand in the low wedge-
shaped area under the ro o f rafters
around the perimeter o f the attic, it’ s
good for storage. Built in tility shelv­
ing made o f 2x4 braces and particle
board shelving. Also mount closet
poles between rafters for hanging
garment bags.
9. In many u tility rooms storm
windows and screens fit snugly be­
hind a hot water heater but what
about the unused space above it?
10. Just cleaning out the garage
unearths amazing storage potential.
The best way to keep it organized is
to make it easy to put things away.
Better yet, make your own for free
using cardboard boxes.
5. I f you’ re lucky enough to have
a bay window with wall space below
it take advantage o f that space by
building in a window seat. It gives a
room architectural interest as well as
concealed storage space that you can
access either from cabinet doors be­
low the seat or from a hinged lift-top
seat.
6. Get optimum use o f cabinets
and closets using various plastic-coat­
ed wire rack systems and space-sav­
er items designed for these interior
spaces. A visit to a local home center
or browsing through specialty cata­
logs boggles the mind and imagina­
tion.
7. While it’s not the most attrac­
tive thing to look at, an unfinished
basement ceilings is good for some­
thing. Use the deep long space be­
state’ s energy-code standards by 40
percent. Compact fluorescent light­
ing was complemented by extensive
day lighting for extra energy savings.
And instead o f traditional frame con­
struction, the walls were made from
foam-core structural panels, which
minimize air leakage and reduced
the amount o f wood used in the struc­
ture by 75 percent.
Inside, the Earth Smart duplex
featured formaldehyde-free carpets
made from recycled plastic pop bot­
tles, and low -toxicity paints and fin­
ishes were used throughout. Outside,
Robert W. Pittman, Managing
Partner and C hief Executive O ffic ­
er o f Century 21 Real Estate Corp.,
announced today the signing o f a
master franchise agreement for the
development o fC E N T U R Y 2 1(R)
real estate offices in Israel.
P ittnian, together w ith Gabi Ben-
Ami, President, C EN TU RY 21 Is­
rael Ltd., said that, under the terms
o f the agreement, Ben-Ami w ill
become Regional Director and w ill
hold master franchise rights for the
entire nation. Pittman said, “ The
agreement is the beginning o f a
new era in the way real estate is
bought and sold in Israel.”
Pittman reported that Ben-Ami,
who has a thorough understanding
o f the CENTURY 21 system, ex­
pects to have 15 C ENTURY 21
offices open and staffed within the
next 18 months in Tel Aviv, Jerus-
alem and other cities throughout
Israel. Long-range plans envision
the establishment o f at least 45
offices by the end o f 1999. "There
is strong demand on the part o f
independent real estate brokers and
sales associates in Israel to become
part o f the international CENTU­
RY 21 system,” Pittman said.
He added, “ The real estate mar­
ket in Israel is tied very closely with
the American economy. For exam­
ple, a significant number o f Amer­
ican families emigrate to Israel ev
ery year, and families from the
United States who visit Israel often
explore the possibility o f owning a
second home there. They want the
familiar, reassuring presence o f
quality and service that comes with
a truly national brand, theCENTU
RY21 brand. We expect a dramatic
increase in home sales.”
Even if you haven’t
SAVED A LOT
Arms Lim ited Partnership.
• $1.4 m illion in financial assis­
tance for construction o f the Pine
Street Apartments, located at 222
S.W. Pine Street. The project w ill
consist o f 113 units o f low income
housing targeted to entry leveldown-
town workers and low-income c iti­
zens earning less that 50 percent o f
median income. The new low-income
units w ill be comprised o f 100 studio
units and 13 one-bedroom units.
• The existing Pine Street Build­
ing was built in 1943 and was for­
merly occupied by the C ity o f Port­
land Police Bureau. It was designed
and built to accommodate expansion
with up to six additional stories. It
has been vacant since 1985 except
for a commercial parking garage in
the basement.
for a home,
you’ve probably saved
ENOUGH.
Wallpapering Tips
To negotiate wallpaper around an
inside corner, measure the distance
from the nearest drop to the corner
and add 2 inches. Then cut the next
drop to that width. Save the cu toff
piece. Hang the drop working it into
corner the with a smoothing brush.
Then measure the width o f the cu toff
piece and snap a plumb line this
distance from the corner on the ad­
jo in in g wall. Align the cu to ff piece
with the plumb line and continue
with ful I width drops around the room.
Follow this sequence when hang­
ing and mitering corners o f a border.
Use a double cut to make a mitered
' J
corner with a horizontal and vertical
border meeting a, a right angle. Hang
the horizontal border and overlap the
end a few inches, then hold the bor­
der vertically and match the pattern
over it at the corner. Here’ s where the
double cut is involved: place a straight
edge on a diagonal line from oppo­
site corners and cut through both
layers o f the border with a razor
cutter. Then lift up the vertical bor­
der and remove the triangular cut
away piece o f the horizontal border.
Reinstall the vertical drop so both
pieces form a perfect miter and press
firm ly in place.
I
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Guidelines For Air Conditioning
A Room With A Window Unit
In southern and southwestern parts
o f the country, central air condition­
ing is standard equipment in new
homes. But in the m ajority o f exist­
ing homes a high efficiency room air
conditioner is the best way to take the
sizzle out o f hot summer weather.
This type o f unit is self-contained
and easy to install in any structurally
sound window. It allows you to
selectively cool only the lived-in ar­
eas o f your house.
A window air conditioner trans­
fers heat from inside the room to the
outside The unit seems complicated
but the process is rather simple. An
electric compressor circulates a liq ­
uid refrigerant through the closed
system. The refrigerant absorbs heat
as it expands into a gas in the evapo­
rator coil inside the room and then
releases the heat as it turns back into
a I iquid in the outside condenser coil.
The change from liquid to gas con­
tinues as long as the compressor pump
runs. A fan inside the unit circulates
the warm room air through the cold
evaporator coil where it is cooled
and dehumidified and then blows it
back into the room.
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