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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 19, 2014)
February 19, 2014 The Portland Observer IN S ID E TheWeek Review Black History Month This page Sponsored by: Page 3 Fred Meyer What's on your list today?. page 2 B lack H istory •Jr . •< '•. » M W ' ** ; ■ - J Kiwi, T v ;,/' v ; ' * > »■ ‘ »*,.'• risrí; The future site o f Thomas Cully Park in northeast Portland looking north toward Columbia Boulevard. Cully Park Closer to Reality Northeast site gets $1.25 million for construction C alendar C lassifieds page 16 2014 pages 18-19 i /-S L ’ /s ' * ‘ 1 I t • 1 The future building o f Thomas Cully Park in northeast Portland is moving ahead thanks to new $ 1.25 million investment by the city of Portland. Parks Commissioner Amanda Fritz announced last week that the funding comes from System Devel opment Charges - money raised from construction development, rather than general fund tax dollars. The support comes a week after Fritz earmarked a significant invest ment for two other new parks in east Portland; Beech Park, a 16-acre site adjacent to Shaver Elementary in the Argay neighborhood; and Gate way Park and Plaza, a4-acre park for the Gateway neighborhood to be built in partnership with the Port land Development Commission. Cully Park is envisioned as a 25- acre park at Northeast 72nd Av enue, between Killingsworth Street and Columbia Boulevard. The parks bureau contribution will go towards the first construction phase, and will address the lack of parks and natural areas in the Cully neighbor hood. “The Cully neighborhood is unique; it is one of the most diverse neighborhoods in Portland, perhaps the state,” Fritz said. “And, perhaps because of this diversity, Cully is home to some of the most dedicated and motivated community advo cates in the City. I am proud to work towards our shared goal of complet ing Thomas Cully Park.” In June, the Portland City Coun cil approved an agreement between the nonprofit group Verde and Port land Parks & Recreation for devel oping the park. “Investment in Thomas Cully Park will produce multiple benefits for low-income people and people Teacher Strike Averted The bargaining teams for Port land Public Schools and the Port land Association of Teacher’s re spective camps were able to reach a conceptual agreement on a new contract on Tuesday, effectively diverting a planned strike by the teachers union for just a couple of days later. A walkout would have marked the first-ever teacher strike for the Portland Public Schools, the largest school district in Oregon. After a 23 hour bargaining ses sion, both teams mutually agreed to break and convene later Tuesday to of color,” says Alan Hipólito, Verde executive director. “This new park in a park-deprived neighborhood shows a deep commitment to hun dreds of our neighbors.” Verde has successfully raised over $2.4 million thus far to imple ment Phase I o f the Thom as Cully M aster Plan. The property was a sand and gravel mine, then a con struction landfill before starting the process o f becom ing a park. The city purchased the property in 2002. A com m unity garden ad jacent to the site was installed last year. The remaining improvements planned by Let Us Build Cully Park! include pathways, dog off-leash area, playgrounds and picnic areas, tribal gathering area, youth soccer field, basketball court, parking lot, continued on page 5 put the agreement in writing in the form of a Tentative Agreement that will require a vote of union members. School is now set to begin at the regular time on Wednesday, Feb. 19, and release two-and-a-half hours early. Until teachers approve the con tract, details of the agreement are remaining concealed.
