Ill,JJorthuib (!f)hseruer
October 09, 2002
MED Week
Page B3
Making
Connections
Interstate Max cements
lasting ties with minority
businesses and community
continued
from BI
“Tri-met has people working for
you,” Burrel explains, “but they
can’t make people hire you.”
But Watts is pleased with the
overall results the growing transit
company has accomplished on the
project.
“It’sheen a very unique experi
ence because Tri Met has walked
its talk," he says. “This is one of
the few projects where the commu
nity has had the opportunity to
participate from the very begin
ning.”
A continued willingness to work
with, not against community inter
ests, keeps the project moving
ahead of schedule. A revamping of
the original layout of the rail de
sign has produced no business or
home condemnations.
When plans were made to put in
a sub-station directly on the align
ment, neighbors protested. The
presence of the station, they ar
gued, would make it difficult to
develop the block for any other
purpose. In response, T ri-M et
looked long and hard before finally
securing a piece of Oregon Depart
ment of Transportation property
that the community felt worked
better.
“From the very beginning, we
were telling the community you’ re
going to be a partner in this,” Watts
said.
Though many of the businesses
located along Interstate Ave. agree
that construction of the light rail
line has significantly affected busi
ness, Tri-Met has taken notable
strides at working to offset losses.
“Nobody is saying construc
tion isn’t disruptive,” says Hansen.
"The question is. What can we do
to be able to mitigate it?”
James Dixon of D ixon’s Rib Pit
at 5804 N. Interstate Ave. says the
drop in business since construc
tion started has been significant.
Dixon’s seen traffic delays, lim
ited access, and dust and dirt all
drive away potential customers.
“Tri-M et couldn’t have antici
pated the impact this would have
on business,” says Dixon.
Still, Dixon admits that Tri- Met
has been a "cooperative partner”
providing signage, fliers, and even
a redesigned menu.
When parking became an issue
out front, Tri-Met cleared a space
behind his restaurant, paved it for
parking and then rented it from him
for several months.
All in all, the effort has helped
offset losses.
James Dixon o f Dixon's Rib Pit (left), meets with Tri-Met General Manager Fred Hansen, outside Dixon’s north Interstate restaurant.
Dixon calls Hansen and his transit agency a cooperative partner in helping make his business a success.
photo by D avid P lechi TT he P ortland O bserver
“I don’t want to bad-mouth Tri-
Met,” says Dixon. They did what
they could do...They did as much
for me as I asked.”
“We wanted to make sure the
community we went through would
benefit from construction as well,”
Hansen explains. “We focused on
individual businesses.”
One hairdresser along the Inter
state corridor was so small, she
didn’t even have a bank account.
Tominimizeimpact,Tri-M et work
crews scheduled all sidewalk work
on Monday, the one day a week
she was closed.
What all this outreach amounts
to is a transit system that fits with
the people it serves.
The model Tri-Met has created
is attracting a lot of attention.
Hansen says representatives from
transit systems across the country
are coming to Portland “every 10
days” just to see what Tri-Met is
doing right.
What has made this project dif
ferent? ForBruce W atts,itall goes
back to one reason: Fred Hansen.
Watts says Hansen recognized
that the community had been ig
nored or left out of other projects.
“Fred has demonstrated the will
to make Tri-Met a completely dif
ferent kind of transit agency," says
W atts.
In order to ensure the same com
mitment to community interests on
future projects, Hansen has as
signed Watts to a totally new
agency.
“W e’re going to make sure ev
erything we do is permeated with
this concept," explains Watts. "Are
we being equitable? Do we have all
of the community at the table?”
Will Interstate Max be the end
o f the line? "A bsolutely not,”
sa y s th e f o rw a rd th in k in g
Hansen.
Projected ridership numbers
estimate that by 2020,18,000 com
muters will use Interstate Max daily.
If the line reaches Vancouver, that
number is expected to double. It is
an incentive and a duty Hansen
just can’t ignore.
“When we go to Vancouver,”
he says, “it’s not a question of if.”
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