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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 24, 2001)
October 24,2001_________________________ ^ o r t la n h ® b » e r u e r ____________________________________ Page B7 Class Helps Seniors Tackle Tech T he non-profit education or ganization O A SIS has new pro gram to help m ature adults use technology and the Internet to enrich their lives. “O A SIS C onnections” is apro- gram m aking Internet access and training available to seniors at the M u ltn o m a h C o u n ty L ib ra ry - N orth Portland Branch, the Police A ctivities L eague in dow ntow n B eaverton and the Legacy H ealth System in northw est Portland. A classed called Introduction to C om puters gives an overview o f the com puter, basic use o f the W indow s operating system , b a sic keyboarding and m ouse skills, term inology, and basic w ord p ro cessing. Introduction to the In tern et concentrates on how to use the Internet and e-mail to connect with fam ily friends heath inform ation and oth er resources on-line. A new course in 2002 w ill in clude Internet Im m ersion, explor ing the m ore advanced features o f the Internet, such as chat room s an d m essage boards. T he curriculum for each course is d esigned for m ature adults to ensure ease o f use and focus on topics o f interest to this audience. For m ore inform ation, call 503- 241-3059. Tentative contract agreem ent reached with city w orkers (A P ) — A tentative contract a g re em e n t w as rea ch ed early M onday betw een the city and about 1,800 union em ployees who w alked o f f the jo b for about 45 m inutes in the early m orning. “ I d on’t know ifw e ’re vying for the G uinness Book o f R ecords’ shortest strike in history,” said Y v o n n e M a rtin e z , a sp o k e s w om an for the D istrict Council o f T rade U nions. D etails o f the agreem ent are still in flux, she said. Both sides, how ever, agreed to create a jo in t com m ittee to review health care changes, a m ain sticking point in the negotiations. W orksite m eetings w ould be held in com ing days and results o f a ratification vote would be known in about three w eeks, M artinez said N egotiations broke dow n Fri day after 13 hours o f debate about a new health care plan. Y vonne Deckard, P ortland’s director o f hum an services, said she asked for a “ tim eout” to avoid w orking on delicate contract language late at night. Deckard said she offered to resum e talks Saturday, but the union declined. “W e w ant to get a deal that w e think is fair to our em ployees,” she said. “ But we also w ant a deal that is not on the backs o f the taxpayers.” A strike likely would have taken parking-m eter attendants o f f the streets and affected the c ity ’s ability to clean backed-up sew ers or pick up leaves. The threat o f a strike led P ort land police to issue an order to lim it arrests and bookings o f non violent suspects at the county jail, in case fingerprint technicians w alked o ff theirjobs. Local police precincts also w ould have shut dow n, but patrol officers and 911 operators w ould have continued to w ork. F acing increased h ealthcare costs and a shrinking general fund bu d g et, the city w an ted trade union w orkers to begin paying a portion o f their health care prem i um s. T he costs w ould be up to $600 a year for fam ily coverage. T he city also w anted a 25 per cent cut in costs for its m ost popu lar health plan, on top o f an 8 percent cut im plem ented July 1. T hat could m ean w orkers w ould face deductibles for the first tim e, perhaps $250 a year, and m any w ould pay 20 p ercent o f m edical costs instead o f 10 percent. A fte r d ecad es o f to p -n o tch b en e fits, th e c h a n g es are too m uch to take, u nion leaders said. “ W hen I cam e to w ork for the city, they prom ised m e th ey ’d take care o f m e, and now th e y ’ve dropped that b all,” said city em ployee John W ilson. Gresham Police Chief Seeks Sheriff G resham Police C h ief Bernie G iusto has entered the race for election as M ultnom ah County Sheriff. G iusto m ade the announce m ent last w eek in a new s confer ence listing key public safety is sues facing the s h e rif f s office and other police agencies in the Portland area over the next five years. He outlined a leadership initia tive to engage citizens in setting p o licy direction and priorities w ithin the M ultnom ah County C orrections System . H e also pro posed a set o f new priorities for the law enforcem ent operations for the s h e rif f s office. G iusto has led the G resham Police D epartm ent since A ugust Bernie Giusto 1996. Prior experience included a 22-year career w ith the O regon State Police w here he attained the rank o f lieutenant, serving in such roles as Special O perations, Se n ior Policy A dvisor to the S uper intendent o f State Police and P u bic Inform ation Officer. G iusto has a strong civic in volvem ent record. H e served three separate term s (1989-1995) as a m em ber o f the Gresham City Coun cil tw ice being elected Council President. H e is a past m em ber o f the M etropolitan H um an R ela tions (R ights) C om m ission and a charter m em ber o f the M ultnom ah C ounty C om m ission on C hildren and Families. G ov. John K itzhaber has tw ice appointed G iusto to the T ri-M et B oard o f D irectors. H e currently serves as the D irector for Tri- M et’s D istrict #6. Food Stam p Users Increase as Oregon Econom y Declines (A P ) - T he num ber o f O rego nians on food stamps jum ped more than 77,000 in S eptem ber com pared w ith S eptem ber o f last year a n o t h e r s ig n th a t th e s ta te econom y is in rough shape. T h e 32 p e r c e n t in c r e a s e pushed the num ber ofO regon food stam p users to 315,691, roughly 9 percent o f the population. S ta te e c o n o m is t Tom Potiow sky said th e re’s no q u es tion the rise is related to O reg o n ’s unem ploym ent rate, now at 6.4 percent. M any o f the recipients likely are minimum-wage workers, w ho are often the first to lose their jo b s in a recession and w ho d o n ’t have savings to tide them over, he said. Jim Neely, state food stam p coordinator, said it w as the big- gest y ear-to-year increase he has seen since 1974, w hen he started working in the assistance program. P eo p le o u t o f w o rk o r w hose h o u rs h av e b een c u t a c co u n t for m uch o f the increase, he said. B ut th e food stam p p ro g ra m has also strea m lin ed th e ap p lica tio n p ro ce ss an d is re a c h in g m o re O re g o n ia n s elig ib le fo r h elp , N ee ly said. Oregon to Become Breeding Site for Condors B iologists are hoping to breed endangered condors at P ortland’s O regon Zoo. The zoo will be the fourth breed ing site for the C alifornia condor, a bird w ith a 9 -foot w ingspan that once lived in the Pacific N orth w est but nearly vanished from the Earth 20 years ago. Federal biologists considered proposals from zoos in San Fran cisco and O klahom a but chose the Oregon Zoo because o f its dedica tion to w ildlife conservation. “ W hat the O regon Z oo did right is they really found out the details first," said Bruce Palm er, condor recovery coordinator for theU .S. Fish and W ildlife Service. “T hey visited the existing condor facilities and asked them selves the hard questions about w hat it w ould take to do it and how com m itted they w ere.” About lOOcaptivecondors live in breeding centers in Los A nge les, San D iego and Boise, Idaho. A dding the O regon Zoo to the list will boost the captive population and will produce m ore condor chicks for release into the wild, Palm er said. D epending on how soon the zoo builds structures such as vast flight pens, young condors that have not reached breeding age m ay arrive in Portland next s u m mer. Three or four breeding pairs o f condors would then follow and could produce eggs the follow ing year. Palm er said. B lair C suti, the O regon Z o o ’s conservation program director, said the zoo will house up to 16 condors. Officials immediately will begin raising funds for the co n struction, w hich they expect w ill boost the zo o ’s national role in w ildlife conservation. “ W e m ight be able to build the flight pen for next year for a h alf m illion dollars, b ut w e 'd need about $2 m illion to $3 m illion fora com plete facility," he said. C alifornia condors w ere once com m on in O regon. T hey w ere m entioned in the jo u rn als o f the Lew is and C lark expedition 200 years ago. B ut settlers hunted and poisoned them to near extinction. T he O reg o n Z o o ’s success in other anim al-conservation efforts helped it get the co n d o r project. The Multnomah County Health Department is currently recruit ing for the following position: PHARMACY TECHNICIAN COMMUNITY HEALTH NURSE Application m aterials and for mal jo b announcem ents are available at: w w w .C Q .m u ltn o m ah .Q r.u s/ jo b s /, in person or by mailing a self-addressed stam ped en velope requesting application form s to: M ultnom ah County Hum an R esources D ivision, 1 1 2 0 SW 5m Avenue, First Floor Lobby, PO Box 14700. Portland OR, 9 7 2 9 3 -0 7 0 0 . A s s is te d access to M ultnom ah County job inform ation and web site is available at Multnomah County Libraries. Multnomah County Health De partment is actively recruiting persons from various ethnic and cultural backgrounds to enhance service to our diverse communities. Bilingual/bicul- tural candidates are encour aged to apply. An Equal Oppor tunity Employer Notice To Contractors WWTP Digester Gas Moisture Removal System, CIP No. 309700 Sealed bids for the WWTP Digester Gas Moisture Removal System, CIP No. 3 0 9 7 0 0 will be received by the Office o f the D irector o f the D epartm ent o f Environm ental Services at Gresham City Hall, 1 3 3 3 N.W. Eastman Parkway, Gresham, Oregon 9 7 0 3 0 , until Friday, November 9, 2 0 0 1 , 9 :0 0 a.m. local time. The bids will be publicly opened at 1 :0 0 pm on November 9, 2 0 0 1 in the Springwater Trail Room, City Hail. The character o f the work is the installation o f a filtration sys tem to remove moisture from methane gas produced by anerobic digesters at the C ity's w astew ater treatm ent plant, which is used as fuel for the p la nt's Waukesha CoGeneration Engine. The m ajor q uantities involved are: Centrifugal Blower, Max 5 hp, 9 0 0 sefh Particulate Filter, 5 m icron, 9 0 0 sefh D igester Gas Chiller Piping Concrete Slab, approx. 8 ' x 3 2 ’ Questions concerning this project should be addressed to Clint M oshofsky, Project Manager, (50 3) 618 -2 63 7. Plans and specifications may be reviewed at the o ffice o f the Departm ent of Environmental Services at the Gresham City Hall. Copies may be obtained from the D epartm ent o f Environmen tal Services by paying a non-refundable fee o f $ 25 for each set o f plans and specifications requested. If ordered by mail, add a $5 processing and mailing charge. Prior to obtaining plans and specifications, contractors m ust have purchased the current City o f Gresham Public Works Standards 2 0 0 1 , as shown by the records o f the Departm ent o f Environmental Services. This project is fo r a public work and is subject to ORS 2 7 9 .3 4 8 to 2 7 9 .3 8 0 , the Oregon Prevailing Wage Law. CITY OF WEST LINN Job Opportunity Accounting Supervisor $ 3 4 0 2 -$ 4 3 4 1 /m o DOQ. Un der the direction o f the Finance Director, plans, organizes and directs the accounting function o f the City o f W est Linn. De signs, recommends and imple ments new accounting systems and internal control policies and procedures. Coordinates, trains and reviews the work o f the accounting s ta ff. Provides ad m inistrative and technical as sistance to the Finance Direc tor. Requires Bachelor's Degree in accounting; a m inimum of four years experience in audit, g e n e ra l a c c o u n tin g , re p o rt preparation and computerized s y s te m s e x p e rie n c e (IB M AS 400/H T E ); and tw o years experience in supervision. Gov ernmental accounting, work pro cessing and com puter spread sh e e t experience desira b le . S u c c e s s fu l c a n d id a te m u st p a s s p re -e m p lo y m e n t drug screen. Application packets are available at West Linn City Hall, 2 2 5 0 0 Salam o Road, W est Linn, OR 9 7 0 6 8 , or by calling (503) 722-3427 (voice mail) or (5 0 3 ) 6 5 6 -4 5 1 8 TDD. Com pleted inform ation m ust be re ceived by November 16, 2 00 1, 4 :0 0 p.m. EEO Clark County, Washington Job Opportunities We are seeking qualified candidates to be part o f our dynamic public service organization. SENIOR COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM SPECIALIST $ 3 ,8 0 2 -$ 5 ,3 7 4 /m o . DOQ SHERIFF'S SUPPORT SPECIALIST II $ 1 1 .4 7 -$ 1 4 .6 5 /h r. DOQ Job inform ation, applications, and benefits inform ation are available from: Clark County Human Re sources 1 0 1 3 Franklin St, Vancouver WA Job Hotline: (36 0 ) 3 9 7 -6 0 1 8 TDD: (36 0) 3 9 7 -6 0 3 2 www.co.clark.wa.us EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER All proposals m ust be subm itted on the form s furnished by the City o f Gresham, mailed or delivered to the Departm ent o f En vironm ental Services, City o f Gresham, in a sealed envelope plainly marked, “SEALED BID for the WWTP Digester Gas Mois ture Removal System, CIP No. 3 0 9 7 0 0 " , bearing the name and address o f the bidder. Each m ust be accompanied by a c e rtifie d check, ca shier's check or bid bond in an am ount not less than ten percent (10%) o f the total bid. BY ORDER OF CITY COUNCIL 1 3 3 3 N.W. Eastman parkway Gresham , Oregon 9 7 0 3 0 Request For Proposals MERC, a com m ission o f Metro Regional Government, Located at 7 77 M artin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Portland, OR 9 7 2 3 2 - 2 7 3 6 , is requesting proposals fo r Special In spection/T hird Party Testing and Inspection Services fo r Steel C onstruction fo r the Oregon Convention Center (OCC) Expansion Project. MERC requests a Testing Agency to provide se rvices neces sary to evaluate, Inspect, and provide te stin g fo r steel con struction fo r th e Expansion o f the Oregon Convention Center in accordance w ith Specification Section 0 1 4 0 0 prepared by Zim m er Gunsul Frasca Partnership (ZGF), project architect. P roposals w ill be due no la te r th an O ctober 3Q. 2 0 0 1 . 11:00A M in the Oregon Convention Center Expansion Project O ffice a t 8 3 4 NE M artin Luther King Jr., Blvd, Portland, OR 9 7 2 3 2 , located across the stree t from the Convention Cen ter. Postm ark dates w ill not be considered. A copy o f the com plete RFP may be obtained by contacting in w riting th e Oregon Convention Center Expansion O ffice via fax (5 0 3 -2 3 8 -0 6 4 7 ) or e-m ail (vickibaker@Qregoncc.QEg). Please provide in w riting the contact name, company name, phone num ber and fax num ber to which to send th e docu m ents. Copies will not be mailed. All requests will be answered w ithin one business day o f receipt. It is th e responsibility o f th e requesting party to verify receipt o f the RFP docum ents; please provide in w riting th e contact nam e, company nam e, phone num ber and fax num ber to which to send th e docu m ents. Copies will not be m ailed. All request will be answered w ithin one business day o f receipt. It is the responsibility o f th e requesting party to verify receipt o f the RFP docum ents; please contact the OCC Expansion O ffice at 5 03 -2 3 8 -0 6 0 7 if there is any problem or delay in receiving a requested copy. REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL W orksystem s inc. (WSI) is issuing an RFP for a design center developm ent plan in N /N E Portland. The RFP is available at h ttp ://w w w .w orksystems.org/CQrttEac- All funding o p p ortu nities are listed at www.worksystem s.o rg . under Contractor Inform ation. If you wish to be notified about fu tu r e fu n d in g o p p o r tu n itie s , p le a s e e m a il: lilianm ick@ worksystem s.org and ask to be added to the pro curem ent notification list. All notifications are done by em ail only. If you have additional questions regarding procurem ent, please call 5 03 -2 41 -4 6 00 . fr Come visit us on the web at www.portlandobserver.com yj