^Jortlanò (Observer___________________________ PaseA7
August26,2009
Pandemic!
Business ow ners were ad
pen.
The federal government has vised to develop a plan to keep
A key co m p o n en t o f the purchased the H1N1 vaccine afloat during the pandem ic,
state’s plan is the distribution and will distribute it through which might involve flex time
of a H 1N 1 flu vaccine that will local health departments. The or telecommuting.
Sandra M cDonough o f the
lik ely be ap p ro v ed by the state will monitor the vaccine
Portland B usiness A lliance,
FDA this fall. It will be dis for any side effects.
Throughout the summit, of citing figures from the Mexico
tributed to an unprecedented
City Cham ber of Com m erce,
said that the city lost $58 m il
lion dollars a day last spring
when it had to shut down over
fears of H1N1 virus spread
ing.
State Superintendent of Pub
lic Education Susan Castillo,
said that schools will also be a
-S ta te Superintendent of
place where the virus is spread,
Public Education Susan Castillo
and stressed that sick children
two million people through ficials stressed that people who should stay hom e, and that
out the state. It w ill targ et experience flu-like symptoms public schools would be work
pregnant women, people who should not come into work or ing closely with local health
departments.
live with or care for infants, school.
“Our schools have a vital role
Keeping sick people at home
h e a lth c a re w o rk e rs , and
in
helping prevent the spread
people betw een six m onths is considered one of the most
o
f
the d is e a s e ,” she said.
difficult
parts
of
preventing
the
through 64 years of age.
“That’s
where the kids are and
spread
of
the
virus
since
work
“T h is is u n p re c e d e n ted ,”
we
know
how good kids are at
ers
and
em
ployers
alike
will
said Paul Cieslak, medical direc
tor for the state’s immunization likely be reluctant to slow down spreading germs.”
The state’s biggest challenge
program. “We’ll really need all w ork d u rin g a stru g g lin g
may come in preparing the most
hands on deck to make it hap economy.
continued ^ ^ f r o m Front
Our schools have a vital role in
helping prevent the spread o f the
disease. That's where the kids are
and we know how good kids are at
Spreading germs.
PHOTO BY J a K e T h OMAS/T h E PORTLAND OBSERVER
Gov. Ted Kulongoski announces a statewide strategy to deal with the H1N1 virus to a
crowd o f health professionals from across the state. He holds a copy o f John M. Barry's
"The Great Influenza," a book about the 1918 flu pandemic that killed millions.
vulnerable and disadvantaged quired to meet the needs of
these populations.
for the pandemic.
At one point during the sum
A 2008 state report on pan
dem ic p re p a re d n e s s sta te s mit, officials were asked during
that people in group homes a question period about plans
and assisted-living facilities to help prepare the poor and
are at a greater risk, and addi m inorities. Kohn responded
tional planning might be re that most local health depart
ments would be handling this
issue.
But throughout the summit
officials stressed a simple, yet
effective, strategy in prevent
ing the spread of the virus:
wash your hands and cover
your mouth when you cough.
Fight for Equity
continued ¿ ^ f r o m Front
seven com m unity schools that will
serve 1,100 to 1,400 students in ad
dition to m agnet and alternative
program s. Course offerings will be
largely consistent at each n eig h
borhood school. The open transfer
policy will also become a thing of
the past.
A lso in clu d ed in the p lan are
three to six m agnet schools. Their
sizes will range from 300 to 1,000
students, and will be open to en
rollm ent from across the district.
"Some students really do truly
benefit from sm aller schools,” said
Singer o f why sm aller schools were
included as an option.
Carlin Ames also noted that the
redesign isn ’t aim ed solely at solv
ing the problem s of sm aller strug
gling schools, but also some o f the
inadequacies at better-perform ing
schools.
"The g rad u atio n rates are not
what they should be at any of our
high schools," she said.
As p ro p o se d , b etw een one to
three neighborhoods w ould have
its high school converted into m ag
nets or face closure, which will cer
tainly face com m unity backlash.
Carlin Ames is quick to point out
that sm aller schools that have dras
tically lost their student population
w on’t be the first on the cutting
block. Instead, a holistic set of fac-
tors will be taken into account,
like the school’s proximity to pub
lic transportation, and others that
are still being determ ined.
She also stressed that PPS will
be co n d u ctin g com m unity out-
reach to get a sense of what the
c o n v e rsio n o f a n eig h b o rh o o d
school to a m agnet m ight mean.
PPS h as y e t to h a m m e r out
many o f the details involved with
the redesign, like what the themes
o f each m agnet school will be,
how program s at existing schools
will be affected, and long range
planning for facilities. These is
sues will be resolved in the fall,
after soliciting public input, which
could cause some hiccups for the
process.
C arlin A m es adm its that PPS
h as h a s tily im p le m e n te d top-
down changes in the past, such
as the reconfiguration o f some
m iddle schools to K indergarten
through 8th Grade program s, and
those actions have bred com m u
nity distrust.
"There have been a lot o f things
done to the com m unity and not
done w ith the com m unity over
time," she said. "There is nothing
p e o p le c a re a b o u t m o re th an
schools."
!
1
]
I
photo by
M ark W ashington /T he P or i land O bserver
A $2.85 million renovation is coming to North Denver Avenue, the Kenton Neighborhood's historic Main Street.
Kenton Street to Get Makeover
A streetscape makeover is coming
to the Kenton Neighborhood of north
Portland as a full range of improve
ments begin on North Denver Av
enue, the historic community’s main
street.
Construction is expected to be
gin early next m onth on renovating
a 4.5-block stretch of D enver from
Interstate Avenue south to W atts
Street.
The improvements include wider
sidewalks, new street trees, storm
I
water planters, pedestrian lighting,
concrete street resurfacing, a granite
public art sculpture and seven carved
stone benches.
The $2.85 million North Denver
Avenue Streetscape Improvem ent
Project is funded by the Portland De
velopment Commission in coordina
tion with the Portland Bureau of
Transportation.
The city has been working with lo
cal businesses, community represen
tatives, and technical experts since
2006 to plan the right mix of attrac
tive, functional improvements.
The project exemplifies the vision
of 20-minute neighborhoods called
out as a key element of the city's new
economic development strategy.
Related revitalization projects in
clude Multnomah County’s remodel
ing of commercial space at 8226 N.
Denver for a new library branch; reno
vation o f the iconic Paul Bunyan
statue; and the opening of new busi
nesses in the neighborhood.