£h October 4, 2006 1 ^1 n v 11 a n b Of) b s c r D e r PageA5 Sun Powers New Rosa Parks School Also functions as learning resource The solar arrays are each rated to produce l .l k ilo w a tts ( k W ) o f e le c tric ity and w ill each o ffse t about 1.400 pounds o f carbon d io x id e annually. A l . l kW sys­ tem ty p ic a lly costs $ 10.000 in the P ortland area before federal and state tax credits and Energy Trust incentives are applied. A fte r tax c r e d its and in c e n tiv e s , a h om eow ner's cost co u ld be as little as $2.225. The Habitat fo r H um anity house built for the Salazar fam ily is the first Habitat dwell mg in Portland to have a solar array installed. The Salazars have tw o children: a 3-year-old daughter and a 6-year-old son. The solar electric system on the house w ill generate about one-third o f the fa m ily's yearly electricity usage. Rosa Parks Elementary School opened on Sept. 6, and serves grades K-6. The school is p a rtici­ T h e sun is h e lp in g p o w e r P o rtla n d 's new est e le m e n ta ry school and a Habitat fo r H um anity House in the New C olum bia neigh­ borhood thanks to a public and private partnership. Rosa Parks Elementary School. 8960 N. Woolsey Ave., and the recently completed Salazar fa m ily Habitat to r Humanity house at 8908 N. D w ight Ave., haveeach received solar panel arrays funded by a part- nershipof Portland General Electric (P G E ), Energy Trust o f Oregon and The B o n n e v ille E n viro n m e n ta l Foundation (BEE). The new homeowners in the Habitat house have a son w ho just started first grade at Rosa Parks. “ I th in k all o f the partners in ­ volved are excited by the opportu­ nity to be part o f this effort, both to support the com m unity and dem­ onstrate the value and benefits o f renewable e n e rg y," said Bruce Barney. P( ¡E project manager for customer energy resources. "PG E customers lead the nation in e n ro ll­ ment in renewable power programs, anuthis is one way we can reinforce the importance o f theircom m itm ent to protecting the environm ent and building a sustainable energy fu ­ ture fo r ou r region." pating in the Solar4R Schools pro­ gram, which prov ides students w ith a "hands-on" education about the features and benefits o f solar en­ ergy. There is no cost to the school fo r the solar panels or fo r the ac­ companying Solar4R Schoolsedu- cational materials. PHOTO BY V E R N Uv ETAKE Bryce Smith o f the Bonneville Environmental Foundation (left) and Bruce Barney o f Portland General Electric help Rose Parks Elemen­ tary students and visitors learn about the school's solar power generation. The information kiosk behind them provides real-time power generation data as well as information about past performance. A Web-based curriculum pack­ age provides real-time data on the panels' electrical output under vary­ ing exposure to the sun. An interac­ tive kiosk in the school's lobby a llo w s students and visito rs to m onitor and learn about the project. Student Who Broke Color Barrier Cast in Bronze state today because o f James M eredith, and this is a much better university," said Freeman, a M is ­ sissippi resident. "Thank you, Mr. M eredith." Eewis brought the crowd to its feet by recounting his childhood and his time as a national organizer o f c iv il rights activities, including the historic March on Washington in 1963. I .ew is, who was beaten by a mob in A la b a m a in 1961, praised Meredith and university leaders for fostering acceptance and access. equal "T h is is a m onum ent to the pow er o f peace to overcom e v io ­ lence," he said. "A n d it is a m onu- continued yf on page 4 7 0D 0T LAUNCHES SMALL BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY Record levels of highway and bridge construction in Oregon are creating more opportunities for Oregon businesses. James Meredith (right) and his son, Dr. Joseph Meredith, flank a bronze statue likeness o f the elder Meredith, at Sunday's dedication o f a civil rights memorial. Civil Rights monument at Ole Miss ( A P ) — The U n iv e rs ity o f M is ­ sissippi marked the 44th a n n iv e r­ sary o f its in te g ra tio n Sunday by d e d icatin g a c iv il rig h ts m o n u ­ ment at a cerem ony attended by p o litic ia n s , actor M organ Free­ man and the student, now 73. w h o started it a ll. The monument features a life- size bronze likeness o f James Meredith, the first black student adm itted Io the university. The statue is posed as i f it is striding towarda 17-lool-tall limestone por­ tal lopped w ith the words "cour­ age." "perseverance,” "o p p o rtu ­ n ity " and "knowledge." "T his is a day to rejoice." said U.S. Rep. John Eewis. a Georgia Democrat, who delivered the key­ note address to about 1.500 people who attended. "W ith the unveiling o f this monument, we free ourselves from the chains o f a d iffic u lt past. Today we can celebrate a new day, a new beginning, the birth o f a new South and a new Am erica that is more free, more fa ir and more just than ever before." Meredith, who lives in Jackson, attended the ceremony but w as not a speaker. " M i s s i s s i p p i is a much better The Oregon Department of Transportation’s Small Business Initiative is an ongoing series of activities to increase economic opportunities for Oregon’s small businesses. As part of that effort, ODOT is launching a Small Contracting Pilot Program to increase the number of small professional and technical services firms that are awarded ODOT contracts. A simplified process will pre-qualify firms to participate in the pilot program and have the opportunity to be selected as prime contractors for ODOT contracts valued at $75,000 or less. Beginning Oct. 2, a Request for Qualifications to participate in the pilot program will be posted on ORPIN, the Oregon Procurement Information Network web site. Access the RFQ http://orpin.oregon.gov or call (503) 731-3254 Need more information? www.oregon.gov\0D0T Visit the ODOT Procurement Office www.oregon.gov\0D0T\contracting.shtml or call (503) 986-2710 r- Oregon D e p a rtm e n t o f T ra n sp o rtatio n Age Discrimination The U.S. Equal Em ploym ent O pportunity Commission has filed a federal age discrim ination suit against Gresham Nissan. The federal agency claims that Gresham Nissan harassed Jeffrey Goetz, a form er used car sales man­ ager, based on his age, and failed to take any remedial action to slop the harassment. EEO C also claim s the em ployer retaliated against G oetz a fte r he com plained by dem oting h im to a n o n-supervisory p o sitio n w hich had more onerous jo b duties and w h ich w o u ld have paid h im sub­ s ta n tia lly less. These actions caused G oetz’s "co n structive d is ­ charge," meaning that he fe lt he had nochoice but to resign. EEOC o ffic ia ls said. A c c o rd in g to W illia m R. Tamayo. Regional Attorney fo r the EFT X '. "Companies that permit the kind o f age harassment that oc­ curred in this case w ithout taking prompt remedial action to stop it v iolate (he law. This case is espe­ c ia lly troubling because o f the ap­ parent retaliation the company en­ gaged in after the older employee exercised his federally protected right to complain about the unlaw ­ ful harassment." Native American Culture Celebrated The th ird annual K anaw ak- sooma (Q uiet Thunder) Celebra­ tion is com ing to the M t. Hood p.m. Com m unity Col lege Gresham gym ­ nasium on Saturday. Oct. 7. Sponsored by the sch o o l's N a­ tive A m e rica n C lu b and Bow & A rro w C u ltu re C lub, this free 12- hour p o w -w o w o ffe rs authentic m usic, dance, crafts, food and entertainm ent fo r the w hole fa m ­ Harold Paul w ill perform the em­ cee duties and the Rainy Creek Sing­ ers from Warm Springs w ill be the host drum. This year the C ircle o f Hope organization for surviving Native American cancer patients stepped up to assist Chako Kum - T ux w ith free salmon. ily . The grant entry cerem onies w ill be conducted from I p .in .to 7 IT S P O R E S ! W e ’re in the heart of m ushroom season and th e re ’s a real bounty available. Some hearty souls are trom ping through the coast range w ith their id e n tifica tio n books searching for those little treasures. An alternative for less adventurous (or busier) mushroom lovers, is to visit us this weekend. Explore N orthw est favorites like Shiitake, C rim ini, A garicus (also know as W hite B uttons), P ortabella, W ild Lobster and C hanterelle. If those do n 't fill you up, round out your ‘shroom experience w ith organic Black Oyster, Alba C lam shell and Trumpet mushrooms. O ur dem o team w ill be show ing o ff w hat a ve rsa tile in g re d ie n t m ushroom s can be in many savory a p p lica tio n s. And if you like w hat you ta ste w e ’ll give you p re p a ratio n tip s and send you home w ith your fa vo rite recipes. Take a ta ste S aturday and S unday betw een 1 1 :00am and 5 :0 0 p m . ARBO R LODGE N I n t e r s t a t e A v e & P o r t l a n d B lv d P o r t l a n d O R 9 7 2 1 7 5 0 3 4 6 7 4 7 7 7 C O N C O R D IA : N E 3 3 r d & K illin g s w o r t h P o r tla n d O R 9 7 2 1 1 5 0 3 2 8 8 3 8 3 8 a n d s ix o t h e r P o r t la n d a r e a lo c a t io n s V is it u s o n lin e a t w w w . n e w s e a s o n 9 m a r k e t . c o m