www.portlandobserver.com
Committed to Cultural Diversity
M etro
Zoo Celebrates
Summer Concerts
Series kicks off with
Mary Chapin Carpenter
11,1 JJortlanb (©bserucr
C
lune 16. 2004
See story, Page B3
o m ni u n i t y
it I e n cl a r
Fireworks
Pack a picnic lunch and loved
ones for a Fourth of July celebra
tion o f music and fireworks at
Blue Lake Regional Park, be
tween Northeast Marine Drive
and Sandy Boulevard off 207th
Avenue. Live music begins at 4
p.m. and continues through 10
p.m. Parking is $7 per vehicle.
For m ore inform ation, visit
www.metro-region.org.
Donate for Life
L o cal ja z z g re a t N orm an
Sylvester and other local m usi
cians will headline the second
annual Juneteenth Blood Drive
on W ednesday, June 23 at the
Red Cross Portland. 1331 N.
Vancouver Ave. from noon to 6
p.m. For more information, call
503-284-1234.
Arts Scholarship Extended
The African American Visual
Arts Scholarship at Portland
State U niversity application
deadline has been extended to
July 31. The com mittee is seek
ing young A frican-A m erican
artists and offering to pay $3,(XX)
per year. For information, call
503-725-3397 or503-725-5560.
Ya Gotta Regatta
You gotta go to the 10'h annual
Columbia Slough Regatta small
crafts show and paddling event
from 9a.m .to 1 p.m. Sunday, July
26 at the lower Columbia Slough.
Birth Ready
W hether you need childbirth
preparation classes, or just a
refresher, Providence Health
Systems has a workshop for you.
Prepare for pain, take a weekend
seminar or prepare big sisters
and brothers-to -b e throughout
the su m m e r by v isitin g
www.providence.org/classes or
call 503-574-6595.
Canine 101
The Oregon Humane Society
explains problem pooches at
Canine 101 classes on Saturday,
June 19at 11 a.m. A$IOdonation
is suggested. For more informa
tion, call 503-285-7722 or visit
www.oregonhumane.org.
Women Speak
W omen have a voice at Women
in NAACP, a new w om en’s
group, meeting from 10:30 a.m.
to 1 p.m. the first Saturday of
each month at the American Red
C ro ss B u ild in g , 3131 N.
Vancouver. For questions, call
503-249-6263.
Interest in Adoption?
A free information meeting for
prospective adoptive parents is
held the third W ednesday of
every month from 7 to 8:30p.m .
at Belmont Public Library, 1038
S.E. 39"’ Ave. For more informa
tion, call 503-226-4870 or visit
www.openadopt.com.
A Healing Song
Sankofaa Health Institute offers a
free diabetes support group from
6 to 7:30 p.m. every third Thurs
day at Alberta Simmons Plaza,
6707 N.E. MLK Blvd. For more
information, call 503-285-2484.
Finds New Use
Upgrade wanted for
affordable housing
by J aymee R. C vti
T he P ortland O bserver
In its peak, the Ramada Inn in north Port
land hosted touring sports teams, playing at
Memorial Coliseum. Its next phase will allow
175 working area residents find affordable
housing.
Central City Concern, a nonprofit hous
ing agency, is planning to buy the hotel,
which was built in the 1960s, upgrade plumb
ing, electrical and safety features and call it
home for those earning between $7 and $9
per hour, housing that is a rare commodity
in the neighborhood.
“T here’s very little workforce housing in
the Lloyd District,” said Richard Harris, di
rector o f Central City Concern. “This is
designed for those who have just entered
the workforce so they can afford to have a
roof over their head when they’re getting
back on their feet.”
The hotel’s viability faded with the suc
cess o f the Rose Garden Arena in 1996. Its
profits dropped as the Coliseum was used
less frequently for athletic events and the
building o f other hotels in the area added to
photo by
the competition.
The purchase is slated for July 9, with
renovations taki ng about a year to complete.
The hotel would offer 175 studio apart
ments and single occupancy rooms at be
tween $350 and $500 per month.
According to Harris, the purchase of the
Ramada Inn is affordable, too.
Central City plans to purchase the property
from the owner. Pacific Roots Investments,
Ltd. for $4.9million,andsinkanother$3 million
into renovations. This breaks down to $45,000
per unit, compared to the cost o f construc
tion of a new building at $100,000 per unit.
The Portland Development Commission
will consider contributing to this project
with a low-interest loan at its July meeting.
Harris perceives this purchase as a boon
to the neighborhood.
“The Rose Quarter is going to get a refur
bished building that’s home to 175 occu
pants, with 24-houraday use of the area,” he
said. “I think of that as a very positive thing
to go on around there."
E x p a n d in g T r a n s it O p tio n s
RideAbout
shuttle offers
rides from
home
Lloyd C enter, Max stations,
Jantzen Beach and m any other
sp o ts.
RideA bout passengers can
call ahead for individual pick
ups or they can go on sched
uled group trips w ith an o n
board concierge to help rid-
From the desire to help se
niors and people w ith d isab ili
ties safely travel from their
hom es to the grocery store,
cam e a strong relationship b e
tw een Safew ay and the A fri
can A m erican C h a m b e r o f
C om m erce to im prove local
transportation services.
Now, the S afew ay Senior
S huttle has given way to the
N o rth /N o rth e ast R ideA bout
Shuttle, a new free service work-
ing in conjunction w ith TriM et
and operating every weekday
from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The door-to-door transpor
tation adds o p tio n s beyond
the Safew ay Food and Drug in
northeast Portland, meal sites
and m edical centers, to include
“ It’s a w onderful evolution
b u ild in g on the fo undation
th a t th e A frican A m erican
C ham ber and Safew ay built,”
s a id
B r id g e t F la n a g a n ,
Safew ay spokesperson.
O th er su p p o rters m aking
the transportation link p o s
sible include the American Red
Cross, The Urban League o f
P o rtlan d and M e tro p o lita n
Fam ily Services.
N o rth /N o rth e a s t
R id e A b o u t
s e rv e s
th e
K enton, A rbor Lodge, P ied
m o n t, W o o d la w n , K in g ,
H um boldt, O verlook, Boise,
E lliot, Irvington and Sabin
neig h b o rh o o d s.
To sign-up for a ride, call
5O3-226-O7OO.
photo by
M ark W ashington /T hf . P orti . and O bserver
North/Northeast RideAbout driver Cupid Alexander (from left) takes care o f his passengers James
Mack, Brownie Gooden, Daniel Riley and Hazel Littleton at the Multicultural Senior Center on Northeast
Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
iM M H H H H M M M M H M H n
Living Legends to Warm Hearts
NAACP Meetings
Benefit set for Multicultural Senior Center
The Portland Branch o f the
NAACP holds two monthly ex
ecutive committee meetings, on
the second T hursday o f the
month and the Thursday before
the fourth Saturday of the month.
General membership meetings
are held on the fourth Saturday
of each month. For more infor
mation, call 503-284-7722.
Area residents are invited to enjoy an evening o f old time jazz and blues when
local legends perform at the Northeast M ulticultural Senior Center’ s fundraising
event on Friday, June 25 from 6 to 8 p.m.
Sweet Baby’James and The Original Cats w ill headline the festivities at the
center on Martin Luther King Boulevard at Killingsw orth Street.
The event is as much about music, dancing and socializing for seniors and not-
so-senior citizens as it is drawing financial support. But this year, the senior center
Work For Change
Community Advocates invites
those interested in protecting
children from abuse to become
an event volunteer, event out
re a c h , te c h n o lo g y e x p e rt,
graphic artists or office support
team member. For more informa-
tion,call 503-280-1388.
M ark W ashington ZT he P ortland O bserver
Richard Harris, director of Central City Concern, points to his plans to turn the Ramada Inn, a hotel built during the 1960s
when Memorial Coliseum came to life, into affordable housing for area residents.
w ill add a new dimension to the celebration by honoring senior musicians who are
the foundation o f Portland's jazz roots.
“ The Original Cats thought it was the right time to publicly recognize the
contributions these entertainers have made to our craft,” said band musician James
Sweet Baby
James & the Original
Cats cut it up with jazz and blues.
IIKIIl)
<AM RTESY
of
S arah
S teinberg
Benton.
Admission is $4 to benefit the senior center. For more information, visit the Cats
online at www.originalcat.com.