(o m m itte d to C u ltura l l) i\ v is iti
Volume \ \ l \ . \ umber 20
(Thi? ^ o rtla n h (Observer
SECTION
B
■ ■■
(IT n m in u n i t y
v-Ut I c n ù a r
Summer Volunteer
Training
Bradley-Angle House is pleased to
innounce our Summer Volunteer Î rain-
ng. We need volunteers to do direct
ervice work: answer our 24-hour crisis
ine, staff our emergency shelter and
ransitional houses, work with children’s
roups, or serve on our Board o f Direc-
ors. We are also in need o f volunteers to
Io administrative and maintenance work.
)ur next training will begin Thursday,
une 10lh Call 282-9940.
Car Wash
CWAC Alternative School is having
i car wash at Yam Yam’s Restaurant
»arking lot at 112 NF. Killingsworth. It
vill be held on Saturday, May 22 from
11AM until 3 PM. Donations will be
iccepted to go towards the development
if a computer lab for their students.
Oregon Tradeswomen
The next meeting o f the Oregon
iradeswomen Network is scheduled for
rhursday, May 20 at 6 PM at the State
Dffice Building, 800 NE Oregon St.,
Room 120. The topic o f this month’s
meeting is “Preventing Sexual Harass­
ment.” The Oregon Tradeswomen Net­
work is a non-profit group dedicated to
promoting success for women in the
trades through education, leadership and
mentorship. Call 503/943-2228.
Book Drive
The Friends o f the Multnomah C ounty
Library are in need of thousands o f used
books in good shape for the annual
county-wide Book Drive on May 8-22 at
the Central Library (522 SW Fifth).
Please no old textbooks. Reader’s Di­
gest Condensed Books or magazines.
And especially no tom, ragged or moldy
books. We also appreciate CDs, audio
and video tapes, LPs and sheet music.
Call 503/224-9176.
Draw Wildlife
The Portland Fine Arts Guild is hav­
ing a workshop on drawing wildlife in
colored penc il with Judy Jamison on June
14,21 & 28 from 10A M until2PM at the
R ussellville G range (at 12105 NE
Prescott). The cost is $4 for members and
$5 fornon-members. Call 503/252-9937.
Soul Food Classes
Neighborhood Health Clinics (NHC)
will hold a series o f two-day Soul Food
Modification Workshops and Hands-on
Cooking Classes. Workshop participants
and asked to bring a favorite soul food
recipe, a friend and enjoy an evening of
learning, fun and food. There will be no
food for the classes. NHC will sponsor
three classes on Wednesday evenings at
Self Enhancement Incorporated, 3920
North Kerby Avenue in Portland. The
sessions will take place on June 16 and
23, and September 22 and 29. All classes
will be held from 6-8 PM. Call 503/288-
Foundation Offices Will Locate in
New MLK Building
Bv L ee P erleman
ousingOurFamilies’new Alberta
Simmons building at Northeast
Martin Luther King Jr. Boule
vard and Dekum Street is not
only bringing business to the area, it’s bring­
ing money too.
The McKenzie River Gathering, an Or­
egon-based foundation, will have its admin­
istrative offices on the ground floor of the
new four-story structure, HOF acting execu­
tive director Joan Miggins told the Observer.
“It’s exciting to have such a foundation in
this community, Miggins says. “The kind of
things they support are the kind o f things
w e’re interested in as well.”
The Gathering is equally excited about
moving to the space, director Susan Remmers
says. Currently they rent office space at 3558
S.E. Hawthorne Blvd. “W e’re looking for­
ward to moving into an area where a lot ofthe
activities we fund are located,” she says.
M c K e n z ie R iv e r G a th e rin g w as
founded in 1976 by a group o f Eugene-
Our Families’ new Alberta Simmons building a t Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Dekum Street
area individuals who w anted to donate
m oney to progressive causes. Their grants
lems at the Betty Campbell and Maya
sions that Boise representatives had called for:
and rent for $295 a month. Tenants will also
office is still in Eugene.
Angelou. Boise succeeded in convincing the
an agreement that HOF develop no more
have a common meeting space and a laundry
Their current work plan targets projects in
city to put a hold on its funding for the Fargo
rental housing in Boise, and a Boise represen­
facility. The building will have nine parking
rural areas, and also urban projects that ben­
project. HOF later pulled out of the project,
tative on their board. Boise leaders contend
spaces in a surface lot for residents, and 28
efit or are led by women or racial minorities,
and entered into mediation with Boise.
that their neighborhood already has a dispro­
spaces in a garage for commercial tenants.
Remmers says. Within the past two years
Miggins says the process, although diffi­
portionate share o f low-income housing.
H ousing O ur Fam ilies, a non-profit
they have given grants to SPIRIT, an organi­
cult, was useful and necessary. “Some ofthe
Instead,
the
agreement
includes
a
state­
agency, expects to complete the Alberta
zation o f school-age transit
things (Boise) said we were doing poorly we
ment that the two organizations “acknowl­
Simmons building by mid-July.
riders; Oregon Action, a grass roots com­
were not doing poorly, but some o f their
edge
that
there
are
and
will
be
land
use
issues
In a related development. Housing Our
munity organizaing project; Community Al­
criticisms were right on the money." she told
upon which they do not agree.” The agree­
Families has negotiated a Good Neighbor
liance ofTenants; Workers Organizing Com­
the Observer. “We were too busy growing to
ment
also
notes
that
HOF
meetings
are
pub­
A greement with the Boise Neighborhood
mittee, which works with migrant and third
stay in touch with the community. I don’t
lic,
and
that
Boise
residents
can
attend
“if
Association.
world workers; Portland Taiko, which gives
want us ever to lose track o f our roots again"
they wish.”
The draft agreement calls for, among other
traditional Japanese percussion perfor­
Boise co-chair Todd Lundy is also upbeat
The Boise Association approved the agree­
things, appointment of a designated HOF
mances; and the LesbianCommumty Project.
about
the process’s end results. HOF “has
ment last week. The HOF board is expected
observer to attend Boise meetings and pro­
Another ground floor tenant will be Ace
added
some new board members and made
to do so on May 25.
vide them with regular updates about devel­
Cash Express, which will offer check cash­
some
positive
changes,” he says.
Miggins and HOF development director
opment activity; creation o f tenant councils
ing, faxing and shipping services, Miggins
Co-chair
Chris
Brown is more reserved
Chris Cross say they have no plans for new
at the Betty Campbell and Maya Angelou
says. Two other commercial spaces are still
but
says,
“This
has
sucked
a lot of energy out
projects in Boise at this time.
apartments; timely property maintenance and
available, she says.
ofthe neighborhood. Hopefully, we can put
Last
year
Boise
opposed
a
proposed
HOF
proactive crime prevention activity at all
Above the ground floor the building will
it behind us and devote ourselves to more
10-unit townhouse project on North Fargo
HOF properties.
have 74 one-bedroom apartments for low-
positive things.”
Street, based on long-standing crime prob­
The agreement does not contain two provi­
income seniors. Each will be 560 square feet,
H
UPS Employee Honored
for 20 Years Of Service
oward C. W illiam son
H
was recently honored
by United Parcel Service
for completing 20 years o f
service with the company.
W illiam son, w ho is a
delivery driver, was cited
for his loyal contributions
to UPS.
W illiam so n has p ro ­
vided delivery service to
Northwest and Southeast
Portland during his 20-year
career. He works out o f the
SpringFest '99
Portland State University is celebrat-
the official opening of its new com-
nity recreation field by holding the
t-everSpringFest. SpringFest '99, co-
nsored by PSU, NIKE and Jammin
5, it is an all-day event for the Port-
d community. The event features free
•eshments, sports games and activi-
,, and much more. The event is on
urday, May 22, from 10 AM until 4
[ at PSU’s Community Recreation
Id ( 10"1 & SW Hall). The event is free
1 open to the public. Call 503/725-
UPS facility at 6707 N.
Basin Ave and presently
p ro v id e s
s e r v ic e
to
Portland’s Brooklyn neigh­
borhood.
“ U PS now p ro v id e s
more services to custom ers
than when 1 started w ork­
ing," says W illiam son. “ I
perform more tasks, but
service to the customers has
always been num ber one."
W illia m so n liv e s in
Portland’s Boise neighbor­
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( ilt nd.ii m in i in .ilim i " ill l»i U ¡\i n
pi ini i l\ il (lu ll'd I " ” " i i l ' s
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hood and has two children:
M atthew and M arocka.
Hales Proposes
City Council
Meet At Night
Portland City C om m issioner Charlie
Hales will introduce legislation tom orrow
to begin holding evening City Council
meeting. Hales first proposed the chance
in a speech to the Portland City Club in
February.
“ It is high time the citizens o f Portland
had better access to their public officials
especially when they are conducting the
people’s business,” said Hales. “ Right
now, only paid lobbyists, the m edia and
bureaucrats can easily attend our meeting.
We need to open the doors o f City Hall to
the public after 5 p.m .”
H a le s p ro p o s e s s h if tin g the
C ouncil’s regular, 2 p.m., and W ednesday
session to 6 p.m. the same day once each
month beginning in July. Hales proposes
to test this arrangem ent for six m onths so
the Council can determ ine the public’s
reaction to night and assess w hether one
evening m eeting a month is sufficient.
“ I expect they will be very popular,"
said H ales, who predicted that the C oun­
cil might have to hold everything m eet­
ings more often than once a month. “ I
believe once a month will not be frequent
enough.”
The evening m eeting - which would be
held on the third W ednesday night each
m onth - will usually focus on land cases
and liquor licenses approvals. Hales urged
his fellow Council m em bers to try and
place m atters o f public interest on the
Portland City Commissioner
Charlie Hales
month evening agenda.
“W orking citizens deserve the same
access to their City Council as the profes­
sional lobbyists and bureaucrats, said
Hales. “We m ust lose the distinction o f
being the only city in the state o f O regon
that conducts its business before m ost citi­
zens get o ff o f w ork.”