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SECTION
Many Residents Stressed By Relocation
o ni ni u n ii y
¿1 I e i l d n r
Night Out
Sisters group raises
concerns about
Columbia Villa plans
N eighbors come together on
front porches, in the streets and
in parks, to get to know each
other better and be more active
about fig h tin g crime in their
neighborhoods. Tuesday, Aug
5 is N ational N ig h t Out, and
neighbors are invited to Oregon
Park, at the corner o f NE 30lh
Ave. and Oregon St. from 6 to 9
p.m. fo r a free dinner from
B urgerville, live entertainment,
displays from area businesses
and a fabulous raffle.
b y J a y m e e R. C vti
T he P ortland O bserver
Sisters in Action is demanding a one-for-one
replacement o f public housing units at Columbia
V illa and a legally binding contract, guaranteeing
reentry for all residents that wish to move back after
renovations are complete.
A t a meeting w ith the Portland Housing A uthor
ity last week, the youth-led organization expressed
numerous concerns for Columbia V illa residents,
who are currently being displaced because o f a
large-scale renovation to the housing project.
Since September 2001, the Housing A uthority
has been transforming the north Portland site into
a community to be called “ New Colum bia" w ith the
h e lp ofa $35 m illio n federal Hope V I grant.
Despite outreach efforts on the part o f the V illa
staff, many residents still feel out o f the loop, not
trusting that they w ill be permitted to return to New
Columbia when the project is complete in 2005. And
Sisters in Action is concerned about tearing down
462 units o f public housing, meeting the needs o f
the poorest populations, and only replacing it with
370 units on that site.
“ We hear a lot ofpositive things about the Hope
V I grant, but we don’t heara lot about the stressful
realities o f relocation from residents,” said Adara
Perez, director o f Sisters in Action, a group geared
toward getting low-income girls and girls o f color
involved w ith their community.
O fficials at the Housing A uthority identified
relocation as their biggest challenge with the project
and appointed Jacob Fox as the project’s relocation
manager.
Fox said housing officials are not using reloca
tion as a chance to weed out bad tenants and that
anyone wanting to return w ill be readmitted to New
Columbia.
The most recent polls indicate that 70 peicent o f
Columbia V illa residents wish to return after reno
vations are complete.
Steve Rudman, executivedirectorofthe Portland
Housing Authority, refused to sign the contracts
that Sisters in Action proposed.
“ We never even saw the legal document, but we
made commitments that are binding, some with
H UD , some w ith the Portland C ity Council, and
some issues, we can't do,” Rudman said. “ The one-
for-one replacement ( o f public housing) at C olum
bia V illa , for example, is a violation o f the Hope V I
grant.”
“ M y one regret is that Sister in Action wasn’ t
Patriots
Congressman Earl Blumenauer
and panelists discuss the US I
Patriot A ct and its impact on
m inorities at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 6 at
P o rtla n d State U n iv e rs ity ’ s
Smith Center B allroom , second
, flo o r o f Sm ith Center (south
west Broadway between M o n t
gom ery and H arrison). Dona- |
tions are appreciated.
Art Reception
W omanTree G allery hosts an I
opening reception from 6 to 9:30
p.m. Thursday, July 31 fo r artist |
M artha Irene W a llu lis and spe
c ia l m u sica l guest A n d re w I
G om y. 2641 NE Alberta St. For
m o re
in fo r m a tio n ,
v is it !
www.womantree.com.
Sausage Fest
Sausage enthusiasts can’ t w a it I
fo r the 32nd Annual Vancouver |
Sausage Fest on Friday, Sept. 5
through Sunday, Sept. 7 at St.
Joseph School, 6500 H ighland |
D rive , Vancouver. The festival
features music, arts and crafts,
rides and food, o f course. $5 in |
advance or $7 at the door.
Karaoke with a Cause
Join O re g o n A ctio n fo r th e ir I
karaoke fundraising event from
8 to 11 p.m. Wednesday, July
30, at Bookies Sports Bar, 736
N. Lom bard. A $5 donation is
suggested, plus bid on karaoke
performance by local performer |
D arcelle and many more com
m u n ity leaders. For more infor-1
mation, call 503-282-6588.
photo by
M ark W ashington /T he P ortland O bserver
Columbia Villa resident Monica Keymolen is unhappy with her scheduled relocation to housing
in Aloha, miles from her north Portland neighborhood.
Ik We hear a lot o f positive
things about the Hope VI
grant, but we don’t hear a lot
about the stressful realities o f
relocation from residents.
-Adara Perez, director of Sister* In Action
■
involved sooner," Rudman added. "In hearing a lot
o f the residents’ concerns, there are some things
that we clearly needed to do a better jo b w ith and
we want to work with Sisters to help in communica
tion to demystify it."
Residents shared stories about some o f the
obstacles involved with their relocations, includ
ing being moved to remote parts o f the city, as far
out as Gresham and Aloha.
Rudman said w hile it ’s impossible to replace all
the public housing units at the New Columbia site,
they w ill be replaced in other parts o f the city.
“ I would understand the concern because there
has not been a one-for-one replacement nationally,
but we vowed early on that we w ould do this Hope
continued
on page B4
Better Than Goldfish
200 pets are lo o kin g fo r love at
the Oregon Humane S ociety’ s
A d o p t-A -P e t Fair on Aug. 16
and 17 at 1067 N.E. C olum bia |
Back to
School
Jam
B lv d .
V is it
www.
oregonhumanesociety.com fo r
details.
United Voices
Radical Women w ill host an open I
mic community discussion about
pol ice violence and Kendra James
at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 13 at
the Bread and Roses Center, 819
N. Killings worth. Asoupandsalad
buffet is at 6 p.m. for $6. For more |
infoimation, call 503-240-4462.
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Mystery Cats
The Oregon Humane Society I
wants you to communicate with
your kitty more affectively by
taking a “ Finicky Feline” classat
1 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 10. $ 10.1067
N.E. Columbia Blvd. For more |
information, call 503-285-7722.
Goldie Oredlocks
Enjoy a marionette performance |
o f the classic story o f the three
bears w ith a Jamaican tw ist at 2
p.m. Friday, Aug. 8. F airview
C o m m u n ity C e n te r, 3 0 0 1
H arrison St.
African Beats at Fairview
Enjoy marimba music inspired by I
the rhythms o f southern and
western A frica from 11:30 a m. to
12:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 1 at
Fairview Park, 152ON.E Village |
St. For more information, call 503-
988-5655.
photo by
M ark W ashington / T he P ortland O bserver
A grant from the Environmental Protection Agency could decontaminate land at the Grant Warehouse on northeast Martin Luther King,
Jr. Boulevard.
Polluted Sites Targeted for Cleanup
Decontamination
grant hinges on city
securing property
b y J a y m e e R.
C vti
A piece o f prime property in northeast Port
land may lose its decontamination grant i f the
Portland Development Commission loses the
property in federal court.
The city o f Portland, PDC and Multnomah
County were awarded competitive Brow nfield
Cleanup Grants totaling $725,000 to clean up
I
polluted property that has been abandoned or
idle.
Portland was selected to receive two assess
ment grants totaling $325,000. One o f those
grants w ould begin clean-up efforts on proper
ties in north and northeast Portland.
Portland became an Environmental Protec
tion Agency B row nfield Showcase Community
a few years ago, to compete with other cities for
cleanup grants. The city has more than 500
brownfields, w ith 113 in north and northeast
Portland.
“ T hecity is interested in brownfield cleanups
because o f Portland’ s focus on density, rede
veloping land to use over instead o f expanding
in the suburbs and becoming bigger and bigger,"
said Howard Cutler, from the bureau o f housing
and comm unity development.
Portland residents have been actively involved
in the c ity ’ s brow nfield decontamination effort
since 1998, according to a spokesman for the
mayor. A t that time, members in the community
led an effort to refocus the c ity ’ s Showcase
Community program from large projects in the
downtown area to small projects in the low-
income areas o f north and northeast Portland.
continued
on page B6
The Safe Place, a faith-
based nonprofit organi
zation, is sponsoring the
third annual Back to
School Sum m er Jam
from noon to 5 p.m. Sat
urday, Aug. 9 at the
V ern o n E le m e n ta ry
S ch o o l P la y g ro u n d ,
2044N.E. Killingsworth.
This free event features
activities including a
school supply giveaway,
health screenings, games,
arts and crafts, live m u
sic, a basketball tourna
ment and a free barbe
cue.
L ast y e a r ’s ev en t
hosted m ore than 500
families and participation
is expected todouble this
year.
Formorc information,
contact Steven Holt at
503-249-3900.
V