Page A4
March 27, 2002
81 O pinion
f l u r t l anft
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PCC Expansion Brings
Opportunity to Community
PCC Should Help Restore
Albina Christian Ministry
Goal to become a full-service campus has been a long time coming
Church faces horrendous task of moving, renovating new site
D r . M ildred O llee
In November 2000, the
citizens of the Portland
Community College district
passed PCC’s $144 mil
lion bond measure that
would, in part, greatly im
prove the educational of
ferings and facilities at the
Cascade Campus, Its pas
sage brings center stage
the dream of a full-service
campus for the residents
o f north and northeast
by
since.
In 1987, the PCC board
o f directors declared that
Cascade would become
fully comprehensive - stu
dents could obtain an
associate’s degree with
out the need for travel
across the city to another
site to complete a degree.
In the last four years,
the enrollm ent has ex
ploded at Cascade Cam
pus, growing by 55 per
cent. In 2001, the campus
Portland.
In v o te r p re c in c ts
served 17,000 full- and
Dr. Mildred Ollee
nearby the Cascade Cam
part-time students. In fact,
pus, approximately 74 per
Frankly, change can be one science lab served
1,500 general biology stu
cent approved the college’s difficult and challenging,
plans to expand - by any
dents last year. The cam
for the neighborhood and
pus sch ed u les classes
count, a landslide.
for the college. However, it
nights and weekends, but
The college, in partner
is gratifying to learn that a still can’t meet the grow
ship with the community,
is moving ahead to bring number of the residents and
ing need. The professional
several
businesses
that
have
upgraded and new facili
music and developmental
ties to the aging Cascade worked with our relocation
education programs hold
Campus, more classrooms experts are very satisfied
classes in portable trailers,
and laboratories to serve with their new homes or
barely meeting the city fire
students.
properties.
V marshal’s code for over
The goal to be a full-
crowding. Campus expan
service campus has been
sion is sorely needed. New
a long time coming. The dream began in 1969
facilities will allow the campus to enroll some
with the Model Cities program when PCC
5,000 full-time-equivalent students, or more
received money from HUD to purchase the
than 20,000 full- and part-time students.
former Cascade Bible College and open an
The college has w orked closely with the
educational center. In 1970,400 students en
neighborhood, particularly the Hum boldt
rolled. By next fall, the enrollment had doubled.
continued
on page 85
The campus has been steadily growing ever
by
B ishop S amuel M.
O n o u r ow n, we
opened negotiations with
the property owners of
I rving
The Albina Christian Life
Center, a cross-cultural
church in a low-income
area has been ministering
at its location for more than
30 years serving street
people, children, youth and
elderly of all races. It has
never been a high-budgeted
church.
When this ministry was
disrupted by the threat of
the Portland Community
College’s eminent domain
process 10 years ago, we
wondered where we could
relocate to continue this
ministry and its purpose.
We asked PCC to “find
another location,” and we
were told “We will relo
cate you and you will be as
well or better off than you
are now.”
Each time Avtrfound a
Bishop Samuel Irving
PCC made an offer on
our property o f $500,000
which represented $42 per
square foot - the very quote
of an appraisal they
promised not to negotiate
from. We were very
dissatisfied with the low
appraisal and we knew
our property was worth
more, based on the
comparative studies.
\
location, mostly out o f the
community, it was too ex
pensive. We finally found
an accommodative prop
erty that can keep us in the
community. It is located at 2149 N. Willamette
Blvd. One look at this property by the college,
and we were told it was larger than our current
church, and perhaps the college could find
another suitable property or build a church.
Neither option was given credence.
the Willamette Boulevard
site.
PCC asked to be per
mitted to appraise our cur
rent property for infor
mation only and said it
would not be a factor in
the negotiations. The ap
praisal came back at the
lowest possible finding of
$42 per square foot. Com
parative studies had like
properties going at an
average of $72 - $76 per
square foot. When final
negotiations began, we
requested of PCC not one
dollar beyond what it
would require to relocate
us and restore the minis
try, which was our only
purpose for existence.
PCC made an offer on
our property of $500,000
which represented $42
per square foot - the very
quote of an appraisal they
promised not to negotiate
from. We were very dis
satisfied with the low appraisal and we knew
our property was worth more, based on the
comparative studies. We were told that we
could accept the $500,000, or they could by
continued
on page B5
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