D ecem ber 15, 1999
Portiani* (IXwruer
Timber towns turning to other industries
Did Not Fall: The Pacific Northwest’s Response to Logging
A w n riA T tn P ress
The Pacific Northwest’s economy is evolving, and Bend
is exhibit A.
Once home to two o f the world’s largest pine sawmills, it
now has none yet is among the fastest-growing places in
the region, The Bulletin reported in the final installment of
a series o f reports on Oregon forests. The soft hum ofhigh
technology has replaced the screeching whine o f the
saws.
And Bend is just one example.
In Klamath Falls, a high-tech telephone support center was
built Compact discs are rolling off conveyors in Springfield
A foreign trade zone is being established in Medford and
a factory in Eugene is producing semiconductors.
Before the 1994 Northwest Forest Plan was enacted,
President Clinton said the region would need to diversify
and established an aid package to help retrain workers and
help communities attract new employers.
The overall economy has grown, but many say the Clinton
plan played only a minor role.
“It may have helped some folks, certainly, but it did little
to help the transition o f the economy on a larger scale,
said Ernie Niemi, an economist with Eugene-based
ECONorthwest and co-author o f a study called “The Sky
Reductions.”
Rather, the growth can be traced to high demand in the
high tech and aerospace industries along the Interstate 5
corridor plus a recession in California that sent a surge of
migrants north, said John Mitchell, a U. S. Bank economist
in Portland who tracks regional trends.
"I don’t think the Northwest Forest Plan had much effect
on Boeing or Microsoft, he said. Even in Springfield,
where the Clinton dollars helped lure a Sony compact disc
plant, officials don’t see the forest plan as a key to their
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evolving economy.
“It didn’t play a huge part. If that money hadn’t have been
there we would have found it someplace else, said Lee
Beyer, director o f the E ugene-Springfield M etro
* 1st Time Home Buyers
Partnership.
High-tech jobs now outnumber timber industry jobs in
Refinance:
Oregon.
Before the forest plan, lawmakers and timber industry
lobbyists predicted w idespread layoffs across the
spectrum of Pacific Northwest businesses.
“People were scared and they thought the economy was
just going to go to hell," Niemi said. But the notion of
timber as the base o f the economy turned out to be just flat
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O regon reopens food stam p rolls,
offers self- sufficiency services
fob T hf . P ortl and O bserver
One o f Oregon’s key food stamp
guidelines is being revised in hopes
that single employable adults without
children w ill sign up for state-
sponsored job services along with
food stamp benefits.
Under the new Oregon Department
o f Human service guidelines, the
sc h e d u le u n d e r w hich these
employable adults’ ages 18-49 may
receive benefits w ithout a work
requirement - three months out of
every 36 - started December 1
This means that estimated 700-800
employable Oregon adults who may
have exhausted their food-stamp
eligibility will qualify again. AFS will
substitute a fixed 1999-2002 three-
year“clock” for all employable adults
receiving food stamp rather than
using a ro llin g clo ck for each
individual as it has the past.
“By inviting these people to sign up
for food stamps we are hoping they
will also take advantage o f our self-
sufficiency services,” said J im Neely,
deputy administrator o f the DHS
Adult and Family Services Division.
He noted that oualifvinp adults with
children as well as adults with mental
orphysical disabilities are not affected
by federal food stamp time limits.
Among the job services available,
Neely said, are help with resume
writing, workplace expectations job
search and related skills. However, to
qualify for food stamps, an able-
bodied adult without children can
participate in these services for only
30 days, after which the individual
must volunteer five hours a week at a
workfare site to continue eligibility.
AFS contracts with public and non
profit agencies to provide workfare
opportunities. This work- such as
sto c k in g fo o d -b an k sh elv es,
d o in g c le ric a l w o rk for a
com m unity action agency or
helping out at a veteran's home,
for example- permits people to gam
valuable w ork skills and job
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references that may help them become
more employable, Neely said.
As an alternative, people may instead
p a rtic ip a te in v o c a tio n a l or
educational training for at least 20
hours a week to maintain food-stamp
eligibility.
Neely said Oregonians who believe
they qualify should contact an AFS
or Senior and Disabled Services
* Every Type of Credit Grade
* Every Type of Loan Program
Division Food stamp office. The
limitation o f three months o f food-
stam p in a three-year period is
contained in federal welfare reform,
known as the Personal Responsibility
and
W ork
O p p o rtu n ity
Reconciliation Act o f 1996. About
105,00 Oregon families receive food-
stam p a ssista n c e each m onth
averaging $ 150 per household.
Contact:
Otus Denson
Otus Denson
201-0225
AIM 3990 SW Collins Way Lake Oswego, OR 97035
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Are you interested in a FUTRE in Piping Trades?
U.A. Local 290 will be accepting applications for Metal Trade
Pipefitters Apprentices (MA#1043)
This is a notice to establish a pool o f eligible.
If you are in need of this type of service, contact:
Dad’s Oil Inc., 104 N.E. Russell, Portland, OR
97212 PH: (503)282-5111
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When:
Monday, January 17 through F riday, January 28,200,9am- 4pm
weekdays
Where:
Apply in person:U.A. Local 290 Training Center, 20220 SW Teton
Avenue, Tualatin, Oregon 97062; 691-1997 contact Robert Kimes.
Age:
Must be at least 18 years old (proof required -non- - returnable
copy of birth certificate or current driver’s license)
Requirements:
High school graduate with C average or better OR GED with
minimum 255 total score; A N P C or better in one year high school
algebra. Official transcripts are required and much is mailed
directly from the institution to local 290 Training Center before
January 28,2000
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The United Association Local 290 Apprenticeship and Journeymen Training Trust
Fund admits students of any gender, race, color, national and ethnic origin to all
rights, privi leges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to
apprentices at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of gender, race,
color national and ethnic origin in administration of its apprenticeship policies,
admission policies and other Trust- administered programs.
Matt Waters, Business Manager