July 26, 2000
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Family
City takes first step toward
new cable/intemet/phone
choices _ _ _
for T he
Looking for a home
Willie and Dominique
Services to Children and
Families are looking fo r
an adoptive fam ily fo r
these two children. I f
you are interested in
adopting Willie and
Dom inique or any other
child fo r the State O ff
ice fo r Services to
Children & Families.
Please call 503/731-
3147, ext. 2247.
P ortland O bserver
• Will provide Portlanders with first ever
choices fo r local phone, cable and high
speed Internet service
On Wednesday, July 19'h the Portland City Council considered granting
temporary permits for as many as three new companies (RCN, Western
Integrated Networks and Open Access Broadband) seeking permission to
build and extend new, state-of-the-art wired communications networks to
Portland residents. These networks represent the first new “wired” choices to
be built to Portland residence since the telephone system was built at the turn
o f the last century, and the cable system was extended to Portland homes in
the early 1980’s. Each o f the companies plans to “overbuild” the existing
telephone and cable networks, and deliver an array o f advanced, competitive
“broadband” services to City residents, including local and long distance
phone services (RCN), advanced cable television, video, and high-speed
Internet services (all o f the companies).
“The prospect o f having real competition at last in residential phone and cable
markets is exciting. The opportunity to have real choice in high speed Internet
services is a thrill, particularly after Portland’s long fight for choice and ’open
access.' Competition should lead to better service and prices for phone and
cable services in Portland,” City Commissioner Erik Sten said.
The cost to “overbuild” a new wireline communications network to each home
in the Portland area is estimated to be in the range o f half a billion dollars. Each
o f the “overbuilders” seeking permits from the City plan to start construction
this year. The citizen Mt. Hood Cable Regulatory Commission (MHCRC)
recommended that the Portland City Council approve franchises for two (RCN
and W estern Integrated N etw orks) o f the com panies. O pen A ccess
Broadband’s permit is outside the scope o f the MHCRC’s authority and will
go directly to the City Council.
The companies have made it clear that their interest in Portland is not just
fortuitous. The City ‘went to market’ last year to determine the level ofm arket
interest in a competitive residential communications network here. Partly due
to escalating demand for ‘broadband’ Internet access, and in response to
A T& T’s refusal to roll out its high speed Internet service because o f its dispute
with the city over the open access issue, Portland sought interest in new
telecommunications providers by issuing a Request for Qualifications (RFQ)
in the fall o f 1999. Eleven companies formally responded to the request.
Amusement rides must meet safety standards
CPNTRIBITEPSTQKY
So you’re at the county fair, where
your twelve-year-old has just eaten a
meal o f popcorn, cotton candy and
orange soda and now really wants to
ride a huge machine that looks like a
cross between a medieval catapult, a
construction crane and a blender.
You know it’s a recipe for motion
sickness, but aside from that, how do
you know if the thing is actually safe?
Oregon law requires an annual
inspection and permit process before
amusement rides in this state can be
operated at amusement parks, county
fairs and the state fair, and other
summer festivals and similar events.
Perm its are issued by the state
Building Codes Division, which also
keeps permit records and inspection
reports. BCD issues the permits when
the ride operator provides proof o f
insurance and proof o f inspection by
an amusement ride inspector, who is
typically an independent contractor
authorized by the insurer.
The inspection process for these
rides is complicated, because the
in sp e c to r m u st have a b ro ad
understanding o f many different
codes and areas oftechnical expertise.
Computer, electrical, mechanical,
boiler, plumbing and even medical
knowledge may be required in order
to evaluate a ride’s condition and
ability to operate safely. In addition.
CarSharing Portland
expands north into Irvington
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In late July, CarSharing Portland will
place Saturn sedan at the N ature’s
shopping center at 15th Avenue and
Fremont Street. The car will be
sta tio n e d n e a r the W ash w o rld
parking lot on NE 14th, and will provide
a second CarSharing alternative for
neighborhood residents. There has
been a car location at NE 10th Avenue
and Schuyler Street since February
ofl999.
“Our membership is increasing all
over the city, and Irving is no
exception,” says CarSharing Portland
president David Brook. “This new
Fremont location will be useful for the
many people in the neighborhood
who don’t need to drive every day
and who want a convenient and
e c o n o m ic a l a lte rn a tiv e to car
ownership.”
which launched in March o f 1998, is
the oldest o f several car sharing
o rg a n iz a tio n n a tio n w id e . The
com pany currently m aintains 19
vehicles at 17 locations throughout
th e c lo se -in n eig h b o rh o o d s o f
Portland. Nearly 300 members enjoy
24-hour access to its fleet o f compact
sedans, a pickup truck, and a gas-
electric hybrid coupe. U sage is
charged by the hour and by the mile,
and the fees include full insurance
coverage or visit the company ’ s Web
site atwww.carsharing-pdx.com.
The bottom line: Before boarding any
amusement ride or allowing children
to do so, check to see that the ride has
a current permit posted. Anyone who
sees a ride operating without a proper
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SA FEW A Y
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SAFEWAY
W a s h in g to n
FOOD & DRUG
County Fair & get
Look For Your
a free ride home
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in the Portland Metro Area
...and save more by shopping
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Visit Safewa/s Web site at
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1
Sun 11 Mon
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save up to 60<
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permit or has questions or complaints
about a ride should call the Oregon
Building Codes Division at 503-378-
4133. Oh, and maybe have the kids
skip the orange soda!
FOR THE
FIRST TIME EVER:
$20,000 CASH BONUS
PLUS $50,000
FOR COLLEGE.
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Ride Tri-Met to
Ride Tri-M et to the W ashington
County Fair & Rodeo and get a free
ride home.
It’s easy to reach the August 1-6
event by MAX light rail train, which
runs every 10-15 minutes daily. Just
ride it to the Fair Complex/Hillsboro
Airport Station.
Bus line 48-Com ell also serves the
W ashington C ounty Fairgrounds
from, Hillsboro, Tanasboume Town
Center and W illow Creek Transit
Center. W eekday service is every 30
minutes hourly on weekends.
In order to get a free ride home tickets,
just take your Tri-Met receipt toGuest
in fo rm a tio n S e rv ic e s n e a r the
Amphitheater. The offer is limited to
one tickets per customer per day,
while quantities last.
For trip-planning information try Tri-
Met’« website at www.tri-met.org or
call (5O3)238-RIDEbetween 7:30 AM
and 5:30 PM weekdays, TTY (503)
239-5811,
the inspector m ust consider the
specific design stress limitations o f
the ride and the physical stress
limitations o f the riders.
Ride owners must maintain detailed
maintenance records for their rides,
for review by the inspector. This
allows inspectors to examine any
major repairs or component failures
that may have occurred between
inspections to verify that any work
done meets code provisions. The
in sp e c to r then issues a rep o rt
detailing any needed repairs. The
report specifies whether the repairs
must be completed before the ride
can be operated or if they can wait
until the ride is out o f service during
the winter season. If a ride is found to
be hazardous or unsafe, the inspector
can issue a stop order requiring
corrections and a re-inspection before
the ride is put back into service.
How can the public tell if a ride has
been properly inspected? BCD won’t
issue an operating permit until the
inspection report for that ride confirms
that no defects considered dangerous
to health or safety exist. The ride
operator must then attach the permit
to the ride in a location accessible and
clearly visible to anyone wishing to
see it. Permits must list the permit
number, expiration date, name of ride,
and model/serial number o f the ride.
In addition, permit colors change each
year. For the 2000-2001 ride season,
the permits are blue and gold.
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