JAN. 6, 1999
Page A5
(Ehr JJortlanò (ßhseruer
Feat O f Oregon
Presents Autism
Treatment Conference
Fam ilies for Early A utism T reat­
m ent (FEA T) o f O regon is proud to
present the Innovative and E ffec­
tive Interventions for A utism con­
ference, January 28-30, 1999.
T o b e h e ld a t th e P o rtla n d
M arriott, the conference features
leading autism researchers includ­
ing Dr. Patricia K rantz, executive
director o f the P rinceton C hild D e­
velopm ent Institute; Dr. T ristram
S m ith, research d ire c to r o f th e
U C L A M u lti-S ite R e p lic a tio n
stu d y , an d D r. M a rie B risto l-
Pow er, o f the N ational Institute o f
Health, w ho coordinates the new ly
form ed International A utism C o l­
laborative N etw ork o n neurobiol­
ogy and genetics.
A t this conference, parents and
education and m edical com m unity
w ill be able to learn m ore about
practical interventions for autism
from expert researchers and prac­
titioners. These interventions tar­
get sp ecific prob lem s and skill
deficits experienced by alm ost all
children w ith autism.
A fundraising evening. “D ining
w ith the D octors,” w ill take place
on Friday, Jan. 29, 1999 at 7 PM.
H e ld d u rin g N a tio n a l A u tism
A w areness M onth, this event will
raise m oney for the C hild D evel­
opm ent School o f Oregon. The con­
ference will also raise m oney for
Level II therapists for the N orth­
w est Y oung A utism P ro ject in
V ancouver, W ash.
T he C hild D evelopm ent School
o f O regon is the first intensive
A pplied B ehavior A nalysis (ABA )
based school for children w ith au­
tism in O regon. A B A is the only
treatm ent that has been scientifi­
cally proven effective, and is the
on ly autism intervention recog­
nized by the N ational Institute o f
H ealth. T he school’s m ission is to
optim ize th e p o ten tial for each
student’s participation in all as­
pects o f com m unity life, from di­
agnosis throughout their lifespan.
Services include center-based in­
struction, outreach to hom e-based
program s and schools, and univer­
sity-affiliated graduate program s
for s ta ff w hich w ill include on-site
practicum s.
FEA T o f O regon is a nonprofit
organization established by a sm all
group o f parents dedicated to pro­
m oting intensive early intervention
services for children w ith autism
and to providing a supportive net­
w ork for their families.
Albina Branch
Library To Close
For Construction
M u ltn o m a h
C o u n ty
L ib r a r y ’s A lb in a B ra n c h L i­
b r a r y , l o c a t e d a t 3 6 0 5 N E 15 ,h
S t. w ill c l o s e f o r c o n s t r u c t i o n
a t 5 P M o n S u n d a y , J a n . 10.
T h e b r a n c h li b r a r y c u r r e n t l y
o c c u p i e s r e n t e d s p a c e in a
b u i l d i n g a t 1 5 th a n d F r e m o n t
s tr e e ts th a t h a s b e e n p u r ­
c h a s e d b y N a t u r e ’s N o r t h w e s t,
w h ic h is r e n o v a t i n g th e s i t e
fo r a n e w s to re a n d s h o p p in g
c e n t e r . B o th th e o p e n i n g o f
th e s h o p p in g c e n t e r a n d th e r e ­
o p e n in g o f th e A lb in a B ra n c h
L i b r a r y a r e s c h e d u l e d f o r l a te
M ay .
W h e n th e 3 ,5 0 0 s q u a r e -
fo o t A lb in a B ra n c h L ib ra ry
r e o p e n s , lib r a r y p a tr o n s w ill
fin d u p d a te d s h e lv in g th a t
m e e ts n e w s e is m ic s ta n ­
d a rd s , u p g ra d e d re s tro o m s
th a t m e e t c o d e s s e t b y th e
A m e r i c a n s W i th D i s a b i l i t i e s
A c t , 12 n e w c o m p u t e r s t a ­
tio n s w ith I n te r n e t c o n n e c ­
tiv ity , n ew fu rn itu re and
re c o n fig u re d in f o rm a tio n /
c irc u la tio n d e s k s fo r b e tte r
V o te r s a p p r o v e d g e n e r a l o b ­
l i g a t i o n b o n d f u n d i n g to f i ­
n a n c e M u tn o m a h C o u n ty
L ib r a r y ’s b ra n c h re n o v a tio n
p r o j e c t i n 1 9 9 6 , r e s p o n d i n g to
p r jb le m s c a u se d b y lo n g -d e ­
fe rre d m a in te n a n c e , n e w s e is ­
m ic c o d e s , n e w A m e r i c a n s
W ith D i s a b i l i t i e s A c t ( A D A )
s t a n d a r d s a n d th e n e e d f o r
e l e c t r o n i c i n f r a s t r u c t u r e to
s u p p o rt n ew te c h n o lo g y . T h e
m u lti-y e a r p ro je c t, e x p e c te d
to b e c o m p l e t e d in 2 0 0 2 , i n ­
c l u d e s i m p r o v e m e n t s to n in e
lib r a r ie s . C e n tra l lib r a ry ,
w h ic h o p e n e d in A p r i l 1 9 9 7
a fte r an e x te n s iv e re n o v a tio n ,
a n d th e M i d l a n d R e g io n a l L i ­
b r a r y , w h i c h o p e n e d in S e p ­
te m b e r 1 9 9 6 , a re n o t p a rt o f
th e p r o j e c t .
A lb in a B r a n c h L i b r a r y p a ­
t r o n s a n d o t h e r s w h o w o u ld
l i k e to r e c e i v e o n g o i n g i n f o r ­
m a t i o n a l m a i l i n g s a b o u t th e
p ro je c t m a y re g is te r at an y
b r a n c h o f th e M u ltn o m a h
c o u n ty L ib ra ry o r b y c a llin g
t r a f f ic flo w .
W h i l e th e b r a n c h l i b r a r y is
c lo s e d , lib r a r y u s e rs w ill b e
u r g e d to u s e th e H o l l y w o o d
B ra n c h L ib ra ry a t 3 9 3 u N E .
2 4 8 -5 4 0 2 .
O n g o in g in f o rm a tio n a b o u t
th e p r o j e c t is a l s o a v a i l a b l e
v ia h o m e , o f f i c e o r i n - l i b r a r y
c o m p u t e r o n th e l i b r a r y ’ s w e b
s ite
(httfllZ Z .W W Jk .
H ancock.
Multnomah.lib.or.us/lib/).
Children’s Museum Celebrates 50
Years of Making Learning Fun!
Birthday Bash Set for February 27
You m ight spot Elvis and other
‘stars” o f 1949 at the C hildren’s
M useum ’ s big 50Ih birthday bash, on
Saturday, February 27, 1999. The
free com m unity party, from 11 AM-
3 PM, will be held at the future
hom e o f the M useum, the old OM SI
building at W ashington Park.
Children can bring their bikes and
trikes to decorate and “test drive” on
an indoor raceway. Paint a giant
mural or design a sculpture out o f
blocks. Plunge back into the “good
old days” with a visit to out time
capsule w here youngsters can play
with toys that delighted their par­
ents and grandparents.
T h ere’ll also be free refresh ­
ments, m usical entertainm ent, pup­
peteers and lots o f surprises - plus
a chance to see w hat w e’re planning
for our new, $9.9 m illion hom e when
we m ove to W ashington Park in late
2000/early 2001. The anniversary
celebration is presented by Volvo
Cars o f N orth A m erica, Jim Fisher
Volvo and H erzog-M eier Volvo, as
well as m ajor spsonsor The O rego­
nian, and m edia sponsors Portland
P aren t, K IN K fm l0 2 an d TC I
Cablevision.
T he C h ild re n ’s M useum w as
founded as a “dow ntow n west side
play area” b y legendary Portland
Parks D irector D orothea Lensch.
O riginally located in the stately
Jacob Kamm H ouse - w here Lin­
coln High School now stands - it
offered everything from a pet lend-
A “pet lending library' was one of the features of the Children's
Museum when it opened in 1949. The Museum will celebrate its
5(yh party at a free community party on Saturday, February 27, from
11 AM till 3 PM at the future home of the Children's Museum (the
old OMSI building at Washington Park).
ing library to classes in w oodw ork­
ing and rowing. Called the Junior
Museum and Adventure House, it
was one o f only seven children’s
museums in the country; today, there
are more than 150! O ver the years,
the Portland Children ’ s Museum has
delighted millions o f children who
now bring their children and grand­
children here to play, cook up a
make-believe lunch in the Bistro or
experiment with pumps in H2Oh!
Some of the treasures w e’ve col­
lected over the last 50 years will be
the focus o f a new exhibit - “ W acky,
W ild and W oolly” opening January
30, at our current facility in SW
Portland’s Lair Hill neighborhood.
Kids can marvel at a real dinosaur
egg, shudder at a shark’s jaw , and
explore a giant birthday cake unlike
any they’ve seen before! The exhibit
is sponsored by K ey Bank.
To help us celebrate our birthday,
w e’re inviting everyone to send us
copies (non-returnable) o f their best
birthday photos. W e’ll display them
all at our February 27tl'birthday bash
and w e’ll pick our favorites for spe­
cial prizes! Send your photos, with
name, address and phone num ber to
the attention o f R honda, at the
Children’s Museum, 3037 SW Sec
ond Ave., Portland, OR 97201.
The Museum, located just off SW
BarburBlvd.,isopensevendaysaweek
from 9 AM-5 PM. Admission is $4 for
everyone age one and older. For more
information, call 503/823-2227.
Half of the Pacific Northwest’s Job Openings
Don’t Pay A Living Wage
The Northwest Policy Center and
Oregon Action just released the North­
west Job Gap Study that confirms specu­
lation that the majority o f job openings
in the Pacific Northwest don’t pay
enough to support a family.
Forty to fifty percent o f job open­
ings pay less than what a single adult
must earn to meet basic needs and plan
ahead. About 70 to 80 percent o f job
openings don’t meet the needs o f a
single parent with two children.
“This study shows what working
people have known for awhile, that a
job is not necessarily a living today,”
said Brian Hoop, political director o f
Oregon Action. “W e need jobs that
support our families and our commu­
nities."
Each o f the Northwest states showed
strong economic growth in the 1990s,
mostly due to population increases and
development o f high tech industries.
Despite the growth, there were indica­
tions that the benefits were not reach­
ing all communities.
The Northwest Job Gap Study, con­
ducted by the Northwest Policy Center
at the University o f W ashington’s
Graduate School o f Public Affairs and
the Northwest Federation o f Commu­
nity Organizations, is the first to docu­
ment the job gap for families in Idaho,
Montana, Oregon and Washington.
“The Job Gap project is the first to
thoroughly and systematically docu­
ment the extent to which there is a gap
within the Northwest region,’’ said Bob
Watrus. policy analyst for the North-
westPolicyCenter. “The Job Gap Study
provides a valuable tool for those work­
ing to create and sustain living wage
jobs for the region’s families.”
A living wage allows families to
budget for basic necessities such as
housing, child care and savings while
paying their feir share o f local, state
and federal taxes. For a single parent
with two children, living wages range
from $ 14.42 an hour in Idaho to $ 16.86
an hour in Washington.
Using 1996 statistics on job open­
ings. wages and employment, research­
ers found that despite strong growth in
the regional economy, the Northwest
is not keeping pace with the need for
living wage jobs.
In Oregon, for example, there are
approximately 253.000 more working
age households than there are jobs pay­
ing a living wage for a single adult. For
each job opening in Idaho that pays at
least the living wage for a single adult
with two children, there are on average
14 job seekers.
"The job gap is real and policy mak­
eis must dedicate themselves to clos­
ing it,” Hoop said. “Living wage jobs
provide underpinnings for a strong com­
munity.”
The N orthw est Job G ap Study
brought together individual state steer­
ing committees drawn from business,
community groups, labor, state and
local government to help shape the
research and the outreach efforts.
Water Supply Status
The C ity o f Portland Bureau o f
W ater W orks com pleted shutting
dow n the Bull Run conduits at 3:40
AM on Tuesday due to high turbid­
ity in the C ity ’s prim ary reser­
voirs.
“ Essentially, everything is w ork­
ing as it should," according to W ater
B u rea u C h ie f E n g in e e r, M o rt
A noushiravani. “T he w ellfield ex­
ists to provide a back-up supply o f
clean drinking w ater during p eri­
ods ofhigh seasonal dem and, em er­
gencies, o r situations such as this.
W e have plenty o f w ater but the
recent heavy rains follow ing the
freeze have created perfect condi­
m illio n g allo n s a d ay from the
Clackam as R iver system to supple­
m ent the wells. We expect to have
enough w ater to m eet dem and, but
w e w ould also appreciate our cus­
to m e rs’ atten tio n to u sin g w ater
w is e ly th r o u g h th is p e r io d ."
The W ater Bureau started adding
well w ater to the system M onday
a fte r­
e n tir e ly
“The City experienced a similar noon.
o n w e ll
The
w ater for
situation during the 1996flooding"
W
a
te r
se v e ra l
_________
B
u
r
e
au
d a y s
routinely
notifies
large
custom
ers
w hile the turbid w ater m oved through
and users know n to be sensitive to
the Bull Run system. D uring this
changes in w ater chem istry (photo
event, w e will also blend about 4.5
tions for high turbidity in the reser­
voirs. W e need to let that pass
through the reservoirs before turn­
ing the conduits back on. O ur cur­
rent estim ate is three to five days.”
“ W e are fortunate to have the
w ells," noted Anoushiravani. “The
C ity experienced a sim ilar situation
during the 1996 flooding , relying
processing labs, dialysis centers,
etc.). Because in-tow n reservoirs
are full, m ost custom ers will not
notice any change in the w ater for
at least a day. At that tim e, custom ­
ers m ay note a difference in tem ­
perature (Bull Run is colder) and
hardness. Bull Run is particularly
soft and custom ers m ay notice that
soaps aren ’t as sudsy w ith well
water.
T h e B u r e a u c o n t in u e s to
m o n ito r all w ate r q u a lity p a ­
ra m e te rs to a ssu re th a t w a te r in
th e sy stem m e ets o r s u rp a ss e s
sta te an d fe d e ra l d rin k in g w a te r
sta n d ard s.
Low-Cost-Electricity Goes To Market
The Bonneville Power Ad­
m inistration unveiled its
strategy for selling whole­
sale electricity in the 21st
century. It is designed to
hold electricity bills down
for millions o f Northwest
ratepayers.
BPA aims to maintain its
primary wholesale rate at or
about the 1996 level through
2 0 0 6 . T h e a g e n c y w ill p u t
m o r e th a n 6 , 0 0 0 a v e r a g e
m e g a w a t t s o n th e b lo c k -
e n o u g h p o w e r to s e r v e s ix
c i t i e s t h e s i z e o f S e a t t le .
B P A ’s c u s to m e r s m e ld th is
p o w e r w ith s u p p lie s th e y p u r­
c h a s e o n th e m a rk et, th e r e b y
r e d u c in g th e c o s t to t h e ir
c u sto m e rs.
B P A ’s s a le s
strategy'spreads t h e eco*
n o m ic b e n e f it a m o n g s m a ll
c o n s u m e r s r e g io n w id e .
“ W e w ill s e ll p o w e r at c o s t
and s u b s t a n t ia lly b e lo w m ar­
k e t, p r e s e r v in g th e lo w ra tes
h is to r ic a lly
e n jo y ed
by
N o r t h w e s t r e s id e n ts a n d b u s i­
n e s s e s , ” s a id B P A a d m in is ­
tra to r J u d i J o h n a n s e n . B P A
w i l l b e g in a r a t e - s e t t in g p ro -
cess early next year, tb
completed next October,
The sales w ill coajmence
in 2001. T h e !—
strategy is
an 18-moht
initiated by 1
Washington^,
and Montana
comprehensi
the Norths
% tam.