Page 6
February 24, 2021
I-5 Scar of Displacement Revisited
C ontinued from f ront
received,” she said. “We want to acknowl-
edge the harm that was done to the Black
community.”
Channell said ODOT has done focus
groups with members of the African Ameri-
can community and wants to make changes
to reflect those public statements and the
ideas of Albina Vision Trust.
“We would welcome them back to the ta-
ble,” she said. “Their voices are important.”
In response to Albina Vision, Channell
said ODOT has hired an independent con-
sultant to look at the best use for highway
covers through a community process.
“Everything is on the table,” Channell
said. “We are focused on working with the
community on the design and will produce
development scenarios with the board, and
then it will go up to the executive steering
committee.”
But before any decisions are made, com-
munity input will again be invited, Channell
said, and the steering committee will direct
workshops, starting soon, with the hope that
a decision will be made by July about just
what will go on the highway covers.
ODOT is already reaching out to com-
munity-based organizations about the work-
shops for “a targeted outreach to maximize
historic Albina voices through online tac-
tics,” Channell said. Information will be
available on the ODOT website, Oregon.
gov/ODOT, in about two weeks, she added.
“This is truly a shift in the way ODOT
does business,” she said. “It’s not our typi-
cal way of operating, but this is an opportu-
nity, a catalyst as an agency as well.”
In addition to construction, ODOT also
wants to encourage long-term economic
development, Channell said, especially for
small and minority-owned contractors.
“Our goal is to set up job opportunities in
a way that helps build a pipeline for wealth
generation,” she said. “In partnership with
community organizations, ODOT wants
to bring jobs to minority communities, but
also create apprenticeship opportunities and
mentorships, so jobs become careers for fu-
ture economic growth.”
To help implement these goals, ODOT
has hired Hamilton Funds as a consultant
and is working with Gramor Construction
“with specific focus and dedication” to ex-
panding participation of minority contrac-
tors and women.
ODOT’s overall plan is not just construc-
tion, Channell said.
“So we’re not just building a project, but
developing a pipeline for the future and re-
quirements for a workforce we want to see
that requires a high level utilization of mi-
norities and women to build the project,”
she said.
Channell said ODOT also has established
a community oversight committee that will
have a direct role in helping shape require-
ments for contractor.
“The possibility is on the table for high-
way covers,” Channell said. “The original
design assumed more open space, but we
heard from the community and some of our
partners that we need a different community
vision, so we hired an independent contrac-
tor, but this will be a community effort.”
Interstate 5 was built in the 1960s and has
seen no improvements since then. Channell
said ODOT now sees the project as a “gen-
erational opportunity” by looking 50 years
into the future as far as impacts on the com-
munity, which will play an increased role
now in the design.
“We at ODOT obviously contribute a lot,
but we cannot do it alone and we are excited
about community partners,” she said.
Street Team
C ontinued from P age 3
consultation, and construction: we’re
ready. For community members living on
the streets, this program could not come
soon enough. People caught in the trap
of a criminal justice system that ensnares
them for simply trying to survive demand
change, neighbors and family members de-
mand change, and the first responders who
need to be focused on high-level calls for
service demand change. This first step to-
ward change is here.”
According to Fire Chief Sara Boone,
who is the first Black woman to lead the
department, the fire service has had to be
nimble over the years to respond to the ev-
er-changing needs of the community.
“Portland Fire & Rescue is proud to
help launch Portland Street Response and
we’re thankful for the hard work put in by
our staff on this vanguard program,” she
said. “We’re excited to learn more from
this pilot period and see how this much
needed service can serve the whole city.
This latest chapter of the first response
story is historic, and we thank all of our
partners who joined together to make this
moment happen.”
The Street Response Team initially will
be available in Lents, Monday through
Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. After six
months, a second team will be added to
cover the same area and to expand services
to nights and weekend. By 2022, the pro-
gram will ramp up to include more teams
and coverage to locations across the city.