August 16, 2023
Page 3
ocaL N ews
INSIDE L
Grant Bowl Closed to Permitted
Practices and Games
Arts &
Facility
Remains Open
for Public Use
ENTERTAINMENT
page 7-8
c Lassified /B ids
pages 10
Established 1970
USPS 959 680
4747 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.,
Portland, OR 97211
The Portland Observer welcomes freelance submissions.
Manuscripts and photographs should be clearly labeled and
will be returned if accompanied by a self addressed envelope.
All created design display ads become the sole property of
the newspaper and cannot be used in other publications or
personal usage without the written consent of the general
manager, unless the client has purchased the composition
of such ad. © 2008 THE PORTLAND OBSERVER. ALL
RIGHTS RESERVED, REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR
IN PART WITHOUT PERMISSION IS PROHIBITED.
The Portland Observer--Oregon’s Oldest Multicultural
Publication--is a member of the National Newspaper
Association--Founded in 1885, and The National Advertising
Representative Amalgamated Publishers, Inc, New York, NY,
and The West Coast Black Publishers Association
PO QR code
Publisher: Mark Washington, Sr.
Editor: Shawntell Washington
Office Mngr/Clasfds : Lucinda Baldwin
Admin Coord : Quayuana Washington
Creative Director: Kenya Anderson
Web Editor: Zoe Holman-Kragero
CALL 503-288-0033 • FAX 503-288-0015• news@portlandobserver.com
ads@portlandobserver.com• subscription@portlandobserver.com
Postmaster: Send address changes to Portland Observer, PO Box 3137, Portland, OR 97208
Grant Bowl (multipurpose syn-
thetic athletic field) is a treasured
community space, although it has
reached a point where it is no
longer safe for athletics. Because
safety is a key priority of Portland
Parks & Recreation (PP&R), this
means permits cannot be issued
for the space. PP&R will work
with Portland Public Schools
(PPS) to find alternative practice
and competition spaces for Grant
High School’s student athletes.
The field remains open to the pub-
lic (as an outside contractor failed
the field for organized sport use).
The turf at Grant Bowl was in-
stalled in September 2013. It had
an 8-10 year expected lifespan
and came with a three-year war-
ranty. After the field failed its first
test in November 2022, PP&R
followed up with thorough main-
tenance. This was, unfortunately,
Grant Bowl Athletic Field Closed Due to Safety Concerns and
Maintenance Issues. Photo courtesy of Grant facebook.
not enough: the field again failed
a second professionally admin-
istered test in December 2022.
PP&R notified PPS, and both
parties collaborated to restore the
field further.
The professional synthetic turf
contractor recommended PP&R
add more crumb rubber fill to help
increase the field’s cushioning;
this effort was completed after the
rainy season ended, per industry
standards (May 2023). (The last
time PP&R added crumb rubber
fill to the field was in 2018, in line
with professional recommenda-
tions.) Despite this addition, the
field failed a third safety test in
May 2023.
PP&R issued PPS a Non-Parks
Use Permit on August 9 to repair
the Grant Bowl's artificial turf.
The repair was done August 10,
followed by another safety test by
an external vendor. Unfortunately,
the field again failed the test, and
PPS deemed it unsafe for Grant's
student-athletes.
Questions about your health care?
Find us in your neighborhood.
AUGUST 21
SEPTEMBER 5
Mobile Showers
10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
4244 SE 91st Ave, Portland
Resource Center
9-11 a.m.
650 NW Irving St, Portland
River District Navigation Center
(for residents only)
11:15 a.m. to 1:15 p.m.
1111 NW Naito Pkwy, Portland
Jean’s Place (for residents only)
1:30-3:30 p.m.
18 NE 11th Ave, Portland
AUGUST 24
Street Roots
9-10:30 a.m.
211 NW Davis St, Portland
Mobile Showers
11-2 p.m.
247 SE 82nd Ave, Portland
AUGUST 26
Love Your Neighbor
12-2 p.m.
526 SE Grand Ave, Portland
AUGUST 28
Doreen’s Place (for residents only)
12-2 p.m.
610 NW Broadway St, Portland
AUGUST 29
Union Gospel Mission
2-3 p.m.
3 NW 3rd Ave, Portland
careoregon.org/
connect-to-care
SEPTEMBER 7
Street Roots
9-10:30 a.m.
211 NW Davis St, Portland
Mobile Showers
11-2 p.m.
247 SE 82nd Ave, Portland
SEPTEMBER 11
Clark Center (for residents only)
9-11 a.m.
1437 SE MLK Blvd, Portland
connect to care