November 20, 2019
Page 5
Saved for Albina
Head Start
C ontinued From p age 3
But thanks to the help of Owen Blank of
Tonkon Torp, the Albina Head Start’s long-
time pro bono law firm, Albina was able
to secure some off-cycle grants from lo-
cal community foundations in a short time
frame. And the firm quickly helped Albina
Head Start sign a Letter of Intent that in-
cluded a “no-shop” clause, which ended
the active marketing of the property.
Finally, a below-market purchase price
was agreed upon this summer and the sale
recently closed, according to a news re-
lease from Tonkon.
Although fundraising is not a typical
role for the Tonkon attorney, Blank initi-
ated successful conversations within his
own network of contacts which, along
with Albina’s efforts, helped pave the way
for Albina to raise more than the minimum
required down payment from several Or-
egon-based foundations, Tonkon officials
said.
Herndon said the work of Blank and his
firm was indispensible but also reliant on
community support, for which he is grate-
ful.
“I think this is a major victory for the
community,” he said. “With everything
that’s happening with gentrification, this
means that building will be able to con-
tinue to serve literally hundreds of low in-
come children. Were it not for community
support, we could not have accomplished
this.”
An artist’s rendering shows the bicycle and pedestrian bridge coming to I-84 at Northeast Seventh Avenue providing a new
connection between neighborhoods by crossing seven lanes of traffic, two railroad lines and Sullivan Gultch.
I-84 Bridge to Connect Neighbors
Neighborhood advocates, community
members, and officials with the Portland
Bureau of Transportation, joined U.S. Rep.
Earl Blumenauer and Portland Commis-
sioner Chloe Eudaly this month to break
ground on the future Blumenauer Bicycle
and Pedestrian Bridge over I-84 at North-
east Seventh Avenue.
The new bridge will be 475-feet long
and 24-feet wide, spanning over seven
lanes of I-84 traffic, two active railroad
lines and Sullivan’s Gulch.
Originally called “Sullivan’s Crossing”
during its design and development, the
bridge was named the Congressman Earl
Blumenauer Bicycle and Pedestrian Bridge
by Transportation Commissioner Eudaly in
May to honor the Congressman’s steadfast,
decades-long advocacy for cycling and pe-
destrian issues in Portland and across the
country.
The new bridge will also be seismical-
ly resilient and serve as a backup route for
emergency vehicles over I-84 in the event
of an earthquake. In addition, the project in-
cludes two new public plazas and landings
on the north and south sides of the bridge.