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Committed to Cultural Diversity
Volume X X IX , Num ber 41
ww ».port landobserver.net
October 13, 1999
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S e c c ió n en
E sp a ñ o l
TUE
I HE in
REVIEW
Wilt Chamberlain Dies
Mayor Katz Co-Chairs Evaluation of
Progress of Albina Community Plan
-F iv e y e a rs h a v e p a s se d
s in c e th e a d o p t i o n o f th e
A lb in a C o m m u n ity P la n . N o w ,
M a y o r V e ra K a tz a n d C ity
P l a n n e r s w a n t to e v a l u a t e how
th e P l a n ’ s c h a ll e n g e s h a v e
b e e n m e t a n d to r e c o g n i z e th e
p r o g r e s s le d b y r e s i d e n t s a n d
c o m m u n it y a n d c i v i c l e a d e r s .
O n O c t o b e r 1 1 , th e p u b l i c ,
a lo n g w ith c o m m u n ity a n d p r i ­
v a te s e c to r o r g a n iz a tio n s and
a g e n c i e s i d e n t i f i e d to i m p l e ­
m e n t th e P l a n , r e v i e w e d how
t h e P l a n ’ s o r i g i n a l 1993 v i ­
s io n , g o a ls , p o lic ie s , and
s tr a te g ie s fo r r e v ita liz a tio n
o f th is in n e r c ity a re a h av e
at 63
LOS ANGELES - Wilt Chamberlain,
the 7-foot-l center who dominated the
NBA in the 1960s, died at the age of 63.
Chamberlain’s body was found by au­
thorities who were called to his Bel-Air
home shortly after noon PDT, said the
Los Angeles Lakers. A fire department
spokesman said there were signs that
Chamberlain might have had a heart at­
tack. Chamberlain played from 1959 to
1973 for the Philadelphia (later the San
Francisco) Warriors, the Philadelphia
76ers and the Lakers.
Pakistani Coup
1SLAMBAD, PAKISTAN - Pakistani
troops staged a coup against the demo­
cratically elected government, seizing
state-run media and confining the prime
minister to his home in a move that
raised tensions in the world’s newest
nuclear region. In a TV address, Army
Chief Gen. Pervaiz Musharraf accused
the government of “systematically de­
stroying” state institutions and driving
the economy toward collapse.
Pinochet Ruling
LONDON - Mary Robinson, U.N. high
commissioner for human rights, re­
cently caalled a ruling that Chile’s Gen.
Augusto Pinochet should stand trial on
charges of torture, “a signal of hope to
those fighting for justice for victims of
human rights violations.” A London
magistrate ruled that the former dicta­
tor should be extradited to Spain to
stand trial on charges he ordered the
torture of political opponents during
his 17-year rule.
London Crash
LONDON - The crash of two packed
commuter trains that killed at least 30
people could have been prevented by a
warning system that would have stopped
one train from passing through a red
signal, explained recently in an official
report. Authorities confirmed the iden­
tities of 11 victims, but remained far
from determining how many people died
in Britain’s worst train crash in a decade
or more.
Helping the World’s Poor
WASHINGTON - President Clinton
says the world’s nations must work
harder to erase the grinding poverty in
which many people spend their lives.
He was responding to estimates by the
United Nations that the world’s popula­
tion hit the 6 billion mark. “We must
refuse to accept the future in which one
part of humanity lives on the cutting
edge of a new economy, while another
part lives on the edge of survival,
Clinton said.
U.S. Has $1 Billion
Suplus
WASHINGTON - The federal gov­
ernment ran a $ 1 billion surplus exclud­
ing Social Security in the last fiscal
year, the Congressional Budget Office
had estimated. It would be the first such
surplus since 1960. The fiscal 1999
surplus would have been larger had con
gressional Republicans and President
Clinton not agreed to $21 billion in
“emergency" spending for defense and
domestic programs, including $15 bil­
lion for Kosovo and aid to U.S. farmers.
b e e n m e t. T h e m e e t i n g s w i l l
a ls o id e n tif y o p p o r tu n itie s
fo r fu tu re a tte n tio n and a p p li­
c a tio n o f r e s o u r c e s fo r im ­
p r o v e d p u b l ic s a f e t y , b u s i n e s s
g ro w th , and e d u c a tio n .
M a y o r V e r a K a tz c o - h o s t e d
t h e m e e t i n g o n O c t o b e r 11
w ith th e p u b lic a n d c o m m u n ity
l e a d e r s fro m th e N o r t h / N o r t h ­
e a s t E c o n o m ic D e v e l o p m e n t
A llia n c e , P o r tla n d P u b lic
S c h o o l s , M u lt n o m a h C o u n t y ,
an d c iv ic o r g a n iz a tio n s .
T he A llia n c e r e c e n tly c o m ­
p l e t e d a p r e l i m i n a r y r e v ie w o f
th e p e r f o r m a n c e o f th e A lb in a
C o m m u n ity P la n a n d its a c tio n
c h a r t s . T h i s r e p o r t is a v a i l ­
a b le by c a l l i n g P o r t l a n d 's B u ­
re a u o f P la n n in g at 8 2 3 -7 7 0 0
o r th e A l l i a n c e a t 2 4 9 - 7 7 4 4 .
T he N o rth / N o rth e a s t E c o ­
n o m ic D e v e l o p m e n t A l l i a n c e
w a s o n e o f th e c r i t i c a l c o m ­
m uni t y - b a s e d 1 o rig in a to rs ,
d r a f t e r s , a n d i m p l e m e n te r s f o r
th e A l b i n a C o m m u n ity P la n .
O t h e r p a r t n e r s i n c l u d e d th e
A u d u b o n S o c ie ty , P o rtla n d
C o m m u n ity C o l l e g e , T r i - M e t ,
th e P o rt o f P o r tl a n d , a n d H a b i­
ta t f o r H u m a n ity . T h e in n e r
n o rth and n o r th e a s t n e ig h b o r ­
h o o d a n d b u s in e s s a s s o c i a t i o n s
w e r e a ls o k e y m e m b e r s in th e
d r a f tin g o f d o c u m e n ts and a c ­
tio n s and id e n tif y in g a c tio n
i m p l e m e n t e r s f o r th e p l a n s .
Help Available for Humboldt
Property Owners
to an a rc h i­
T here is governm ent help a v a il­
w ho
te c t
ab le for new and w ou ld -b e b u s i­
th
em
t
e
l
l
s
nesses in n orth-northeast P o rtla n d ’s
h
e
’ ll
th
a
t
H um boldt n e ig h b o rh o o d , and m ore
c h a rg e $80
is on the way Such help is av ailab le
an h o u r, and
th rough the H um boldt T arget Area
often th a t’s
program .
w h e re
it
The program is a p a rtn e rsh ip b e ­
ends.
tw een the H um boldt N eighborhood
To
A sso c ia tio n , the N o rth east C o a li­
q u a lify fo r
tion o f N eig h b o rh o o d s and the B u­
a ssi t a n c e ,
reau o f H ousing and C om m unity D e­
p ro p e rty
velopm ent.
ow ners m ust
It is a v a ila b le to b u sin e sse s and
state in w rit­
p ro p e rty ow ners along N orth and
ing what sort
N o rth ea st K illin g sw o rth S treet b e ­
of
a s sis ­
tw een N orth Rodney A venue and the
ta n c e th e y
1-5 F reew ay, and N orth A lbina A v­
w ant and to
e n u e b e tw e e n S k id m o r e an d
w hat p u r­
A in sw o rth s tre e ts, plus p ro p e rtie s
pose.
w ith in tw o b locks o f e ith e r c o rr i­
The le tte r
dor.
need not be
One aid a v a ila b le to the targ et
a
fo rm a l
area, through the P ortland D ev elo p ­
docum ent; it
m ent C om m ission, are D evelopm ent
can be a
A ssistan ce S trateg y g ran ts. T hese
sim p le one
are m atching funds, w ith PDC p ic k ­
s e n te n c e
ing up 75 p ercen t o f the tab , to help
d e c la ra tio n
businesses and property ow ners pre­
B o s w e ll
pare for developm ent or re d e v e lo p ­
said. It is as
m ent. They can co v er so ils te sts,
m uch to ensure that the ap p lican t
a rc h ite c ts ’ or c o n s u lta n ts ’ fees, or
gets the a ssistan ce he was prom ised
city p re-a p p lic atio n c o n fe re n ce s.
as a n y th in g else, he said
Often such costs can prevent prop­
The ap p lic an t need not follow
erty ow ners from p ro ced in g w ith or
through w ith a com pleted project to
even m aking plans to u tiliz e th eir
q u a lify , he said. “T his is what we
p ro p ertie s, D om onic B osw ell o f the
c a ll dream m oney," he said. “ S u p ­
P ortland O ffice o f T ra n sp o rta tio n
pose a fte r looking into th is he says,
told a recent g a th e rin g o f p ro p erty
’T his is n ’t going to w ork, I'm not
ow ners called by the H um boldt T a r­
going
to m ake any m oney out ot this,
gel Area program .
I
d
o
n
’t
w ant to do i t .’ W ell, he can
“ People assum e that property ow n­
pull
o
u
t,
no questions asked.
ers have a lot o f m oney, and that
A
nother
form o f help is the S to re ­
isn ’t alw ays the c a se ,” Bosw ell said.
fro
n
t
Im
p
ro
v e m e n t P ro g ra m , in
“ People m ay have in h e rite d p ro p ­
w
hich
PDC
makes
50 percent m atch­
erty , or bought it when it was cheap.
ing g ran ts to im prove the sides o f
Now that p ro p erty v a lu e s are r is ­
b u ild in g s facing public streets.
ing, they m ay d ecide i t ’s tim e to do
PDC w ill provide up to $5,000 to
som ething with it. Then they m ay go
b u sin e ss ow ners, or up to $15,000
to b u ild in g ow ners, PD C ’s Dana
DeKlyen said. Business owners who ap­
ply must have cither a long-term lease
or a long-term presence at the location,
she said there are other requirem ents
and lim itations to both programs. In
both cases, the applicant must secure
the m oney, the matching portion of
which PDC will later pay. It is not avail­
able to land uses that are religious or
wholely residential in nature, although
m ixed-use projects may apply, or to
businesses such as taverns that do not
admit minors.
A third source of help, for public
im provem ents, may soon be available
through the proposed Interstate Urban
Renewal District.
In urban renewal districts, “tax in­
crement funds,” property taxes from
the area in excess of those collected at
the time the district was created, are
reserved for public improvements in
the area. The city is considering creat­
ing such a district to help pay for the
proposed Interstate MAX light rail
project. According to PDC’s Michael
McElwee, the district may be designed
to collect additional revenues to pay
for additional projects, and could ex­
tend east of 1-5 into the Humboldt d is­
trict.
For more inform ation about these
programs, or about the -Humboldt T ar­
get Area, call Carl Flipper at 282-4780.