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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (May 14, 1997)
; v ; / í .<• « ■ « ,«*. fi/«. A « ' r» t • '. ; iS»*-* V '., ■ *» *.’’ • ,J * M ay . - ■■ •• • 14, 1997 • T he P ori la n d O bserver Who should interpret America’s Neighborhoods? BV P k o h s m ik . M i K i m Eli B i h i It is all very well to say that such inquiries should be made by those most qualified to make such assess ments But isn’t that quite like try ing to justify the exploitation and enslavement o f much o f mankind by invoking that old expression o f Dar win, “The Survival o f the Fittest”? Thoughts like these arise when you ge, rewarding responses from articles like last weeks, “ How Do You Measure Our Quality o f Life?" C ertain ly , there was agreem ent across the board that “The quality of life (in a neighborhood) cannot be extrapolated from the U.S. Census or any marketing surveys. It lies in the reality and goodness o f the people.” But inspired to move on to the next step, detailing how these pro- gressive citizens consistently are able to maintain a decent and rewarding way o f life in spite o f urban trauma and duress, I found m yself reaching for a meaningful context for ex pressing neighborhood realities as opposed to the standards and models by which the establishment demands we interpret our lives. Most immediately, I am reminded o f a situation at Portland State Uni versity when a black female student in a class o f mine approached me with deep, wrenching sobs that would have, moved the hardest heart-ex- cept one. It seems that her sociology professor, a man driven and pos sessed by the inner-city three times— demanding a spin that would enable him to make the ethnic interpreta tions he wished his book the point is these circumstances are not uncom mon across the land So it was this week that I was going to follow on that ’quality assessment o f the neighborhood citi zens with a definite analysis o f just how so many are able to achieve against the odds. My approach was to be (and will be) to develop an innovative model which would indicate that those who are aware realize that there are more kinds o f “capital” and resources available than the purely financial; there is social capital, education capi tal, and information capital, all o f which can be put to productive use right here in the neighborhoods. Because o f spacial limitations, we may have to begin this phase next week. That is not all bad for I would further emphasize that there are two fundamentally different approaches to the analysis and assessment of A m erica’s Urban environs the rural areas as well, but here we are interested in the establishm ent’s evaluation structure o f the so-called ghettoes and boroughs. Let me be gin by citing a book, “ Interesting E n v iro n m e n ts" by R o b ert Musgeraver. If ever you suspected that there were two Americas, this book will validate your judgement Readers may remember my 4- part series on "Light Rail" that got attention beyond Portland. Some of my research involved the Urban Studies School o f the Massachusetts Institute o f Technology and a corre spondent there cited this book which details the actual philosophical and spiritual concepts that underwrote the colonialization o f A m erica. “Throughout the 15th and 16th cen tury people believed that the time had come to renew the Christian World . America was to be the scene where the church would complete its work and Christ’s second coming would occur.” Neither the Indian, the buffalo, or the harsh but profitable institution o f African slavery was to be allowed to impede the development o f this {agrarian paradise with its theologi cally informed economy and poli tics” . As George Washington wrote to Lafayette about bringing in more Europeans, “ Increase and multiply... we have opened the fertile plains of the Ohio to the poor, the needy and the oppressed o f the earth, any one"( ?) But already by the middle o f the 19th century men like the renowned u rb a n o lo g is t, F re d e ric k Law Olmstead who "... belonged to a group o f liberal Protestant leaders who were in the forefront of the movement from formal religion to secular doctrine...urban reform. These were the new urban planners, "the landscape no longer recalls God through his creation". The very unspiritual process of Urban Renewal is close at hand, an urban hierarchy is developing the structure for control o f a powerless metropolitan mass. “American na ture is seen .. in the context o f ' Mani fest Destiny’”, o f Europeans. Portland roses in bloom City residents have ’say’ on budget cuts Spring sunshine brings tourists Io Rose City Hearings give opportunity for comments May is a splendid time to visit Portland’s favorite tourist destina tions. _ F rom Forest Park to The Grotto, from Lake Oswego to the Colum bia River, the city is ablaze with bloom. Y ou’ll see some o f the m ost outstanding public gar dens in the Northwest as well as hundreds o f well-tended residen tial gardens. D on’t forget the camera. Be gin your sightseeing with a drive through Portland’s finest residen tial neighborhoods that sprawl across the slopes west o f dow n town. Handsome old homes with mature landscaping perch on wind ing streets that wrap around the hillsides. In addition to seeing masses o f rhododendrons and azaleas, y ou’ll have commanding views of the city below, the W illam ette River and snow -capped M ount Hood to the east. Once you get the overall pic ture, focus on some o f the city’s public parks. W ashington Park on Southwest Canyon Drive is the home o f the zoo (known for its large breeding herd o f Asian el ephants), W orld Forestry Center and two o f the city’s finest public floral displays — the International Rose Test and Japanese gardens. Rose Gardens Dating to 1917, the Rose Test Garden — with more than 10,000 plants spread out over four acres o f terraced hillside — is one o f 23 All-America Rose Selection Test ing Grounds. There are two smaller gardens — one honoring the Rose Festival’s Royal Rosarians, the other containing roses o f particu lar merit selected by the gardens. Along Q ueen’s Walk are the names o f annual Rose Festival queens dating back to 1907, the first year o f what has become the city’s big gest annual event. This year’s dates are May 29 to June 22. Directly above the rose gardens is the Japa nese Garden, a masterpiece o f tra ditional Japanese landscaping. Exquisite sculptures o f sand, rock and water, plantings reflected in still ponds, arched bridges and pagodalike structures delight the eye wherever you turn. The garden is really five gar dens in one; each has its own theme and mood. There’s a flat garden, a sand and stone garden, a strolling pond garden replete with waterfalls and pools, a natural garden, and a tea garden with tile-roofed teahouse. With the slightest breeze, the sound ofwindbells accompanies your stroll. At Hoyt Arboretum, which joins Washington Park with Forest Park, 10 miles o f trails wind through the 175-acre preserve. Magnolias, flow ering trees and native wildflowers put on a show through June. At the south end o f the arboretum is the Vietnam Veter ans Living M e morial, where a spiral walk leads up a hill past a b la c k g ra n ite m o n u m e n t in scribed with the names o f those who died or are m issing in ac tion. C ry s ta l Springs Rhodo dendron Garden on S o u th e a st 2 8 th A v e n u e , a c ro ss from Reed College, is ra n k e d am ong the finest in the country. Within the seven-acre site are m ore th an 2 ,5 0 0 rhododendrons, both species and hybrids. Y ou’ 11 also see firs, flowering cherries, Japanese maples, magnolias and weeping dog wood. A bridge across the spring-fed lake leads to the Island Garden, where a cool-house building protects the more delicate species. Y ou’re apt to see recently hatched ducklings at the waterside feeding stations. Crystal Springs is a good place to get some ideas for landscaping. Take along a notebook to write down the names o f those varieties whose color and stature you like best. Two other Portland area parks are worth a look. Lilacs will be at their best this month at Duniway Park at Southwest Sixth and South west Sheridan streets. Peninsula Park The six-acre sunken rose gar den at Peninsula Park, at North Albina Avenue and North Portland Boule vard, is the city’s largest, with 14,000 bushes. Perched above the garden is a V ic to ria n b a n d sta n d w ith balustraded brick stairways. The Grotto at Northeast 85th Avenue and Sandy Boulevard is a 62-acre religious sanctuary in a tran quil forested setting open to the pub lic. Centerpiece is Our Lady’s Grotto, carved in 1925 from basalt in a 1 10 -fo o t c lif f wall. A bove the altar is a white marble replica of M ic h e la n g e lo ’s Pieta. An eleva tor takes you to the top o f the bluff for g re a t p a n o ra m ic view s. F lo w e r-lin e d p a th w a y s lead th ro u g h the wooded grounds p a st re fle c tin g ponds and more than a hundred sta tu e s and sh rin e s. R ose b e d s fro n t the handsome sand stone monastery b u ilt in 1936. Guided tours o f the grounds are avail able on request. We like to stay in downtown Portland because it’s a pedestrian- friendly area with a wide variety of activities. This time o f year, the Willamette River, which borders the area on the east, is a lively place. Tom McCall W aterfront Park, a grassy expanse that stretches for two miles along the river, is a magnet for walkers, joggers, strollers and in line skaters all day long. Dragon boats are practicing for the big races that attract about 10,000 people and 70 teams and are a highlight of next m onth’s Rose Festival. The 40-foot boats are built in Taiwan. Fred Meyer grows with acquisition G eneral m erchandise retailer Fred M eyer Inc says it expects its proposed $720 million acquisition o f Sm ith’s Food & Drug Centers In will earn between $3.12 and $3.14 per share in 1998. Fred Meyer chief administra tive officer Ken Thrasher, also said the company will realize the m ajor ity o f the $65 million in savings it anticipates from the deal during 1998. “We expect about $40 million in operational savings next year,” he said. The savings will come mostly from the consolidation o f adm inis trative operations, he added. P o rtlan d -b ased Fred M eyer, which sells food, jew elry, clothing and other items, said Monday it would buy superm arket chain Sm ith's in a stock deal that values Sm ith’s shares at about $44 each and gives the com bined com pany 265 stores in 11 states. Fred Meyer said it will exchange 1.5 shares o f its common stock for each Sm ith’s share in the deal. It also said it would acquire about $ 1.3 bil lion in Sm ith’s debt, bringing its to tal debt after the deal to $ 1.5 billion, according to Thrasher. Fred Meyer expects to take an annual $27.0 million pro forma pre tax charge for about $1.0 billion of Sm ith’s goodwill, Thrasher said. He also said that after the deal, Fred M eyer’s annual tax rate will rise to between 42.0 and 42.5 percent from its current level o f about 38.0 percent annually. Robert Miller, Fred M eyer’s chair man, said the company plans to upgrade Sm ith’s non-food offering after it completes the transaction. He also said the company has no immediate plans to close or change the names o f any Sm ith’s stores. Both companies will continue to advertise separately in markets where they overlap, said Ronald Burkle, chief executive o f Sm ith’s and chairman o f the new company Those markets include Salt Lake City and Idaho, he said “Fred Meyer stores will con tinue to run their ads, Sm ith’s will run their ads,” Burkle said. “We re ally don’t see any issues here.” According to Burkle, the com panies do not foresee any problems obtaining regulatory approval for the transaction, which is expected to close in 90 days. Both companies have said their boards have already approved the deal. Arbitrage traders, however, said that much could happen in 90 days to thwart the transaction, such as the em ergence o f a hig h er bid for Sm ith’s. That pessimism has sent Fred M eyer’s shares down 3/8 in early afternoon trading to 41-1/2. Smith ’ s shares, meanwhile, were up 2-5/8 at 42-5/8. According to Thrasher, the com panies will disclose in a forthcoming proxy statement to Sm ith’s share holders the value o f a break-up fee should the deal not be completed. Excursion boats ply the river. Choose from lunch, brunch and dinner cruises on the Portland Spirit or a trip aboard one o f the Cascade stemwheelers or the Rose. The old stemwheeler Steamer Portland, a steam-powered tugboat tied up on the waterfront, houses an interpretive center. The boat is part o f the Oregon Maritime Center and Museum situated across Naito Park way (formerly Front Avenue) from the steamer. On display at the cen ter are several dozen intricately detailed models o f paddlewheel steamers, sailing ships and others. Jet Boats New this year are Willamette Jetboat Excursions, two-hour trips which will depart from the subma rine dock at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (O M SI) across the river on the east bank. Also departing from OMSI is the open-air Samtrak Excursion Train, which carries passengers along the W illamette and through a scenic w ildlife refuge Tuesday through Sunday. We have a new addition to our favorite Portland restaurants Paley’s Place at 1204 N.W. 21st Ave. Paley is the talented husband- and-wife team o f Kimberly and Vitaly Paley. This is an intimate place just 32 guests enjoy their exquisite cuisine at one time. Entrees in clude confit o f duckling with roasted sweet potato and warm fruit chutney, roasted Alaskan halibut with focaccia, sun-dried tomato and organic basil salad, and hanger steak with potato puree and green peppercorn brandy sauce. Be pre pared to be impressed. Prices range from $ 14 to $ 19. A pre-theater din n e r m enu a v a ila b le T u e sd a y through Friday from 5:30 to 6:45 p.m. is $15. Reservations a must: 503-243-2403. Speaking o f theater, Tygres Heart Shakespeare C o.’s current production o f “The Comedy of Errors” is a winner. It’s playing W ed n esd ay th ro u g h S u n d ay , through June 1, at the Dolores W inningstad Theatre at the Port land Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets are $8 to $30. E ditor’s note: See related story on fron t page. M ayor V era K atz and city c o m m is s io n e r s a re p r o v id in g c itiz e n s a fo ru m to o ffe r fe e d back on the m a y o r’s p ro p o se d budget. C ity C o u n c il h e a rin g s on T h u rsd ay at 7 p.m . at P o rtla n d B u ild in g ,1 1 2 0 S.W . F ifth , and S atu rd ay at 10 a.m . at the K ing N e ig h b o r h o o d F a c ility , 4 8 1 5 N.F.. S ev en th , w ill give re sid e n ts the o p p o rtu n ity to speak to the en tire co u n cil. K atz re le a se d her p ro p o se d b u d g e t last w eek in re sp o n se to the need for c u tb a c k s a fte r the passag e o f the p ro p e rty tax lim its im posed by B allot M easure47. Us » And The Keys Are Yours Qivorce • 1st Time Buyer • Credit Problems Bankruptcy • Liens • Judgements > * ' " • 5-minute Approval • 24 Hour Financing Service • 24 Hour Easy Credit Hot Line ► ► ► ► F REBUILD YOUR CREDIT! We report your paym ents to the credit bureau • Over 2000 Vehicles Available • Free Vehicle Locator Service • One Stop Auto Shopping ' Service After Sale. 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