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(Christmas, 2011) January 2012 -- Vol. 106, No. 5
Memories of THE BEE's first one hundred years!
In 2006, THE BEE celebrated its centennial of serving Southeast Portland! A special four-page retrospective of Inner Southeast Portland's century, written by Eileen Fitzsimons, and drawn from the pages of THE BEE over the previous 100 years, appeared in our September, 2006, issue.
Click here to read this special retrospective!
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BEE SUBMISSION AND AD DEADLINES... The next issue will be our February issue, and it has a deadline of January 19th.
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But, if you would rather not do it online, you can E-mail circulation@CommNewspapers.com or telephone 503/968-6397. The 12-issue annual subscription rate is $14 per year for addresses located in Multnomah County, Oregon; and $24 for anywhere else in the U.S.(it's based on the differential postage rates for our class of postage). For international rates, enquire via that e-mail address just above!
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| Daily news! The all-new daily PORTLAND TRIBUNE website is updated throughout the day, every day, when news breaks out. Click the banner at left to keep up to date on the banner news throughout the Rose City!
THE BEE has a second website -- it's searchable for past stories. The content for the current month is similar to this one, presented in a different format. To visit the other website, click the banner at right!
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| A unique overhead view of the very deep diversion structure constructed in the middle of the intersection of S.E. Insley at 18th in Westmoreland – the very southernmost point of the Eastside Big Pipe Project. If this excavation doesn’t look that deep to you, compare its size with the automobile parked near it at the upper right! (Photo by Sue Bednarz, courtesy of Portland BES) |
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Eastside Big Pipe completed and put into service
By ERIC NORBERG
Editor, THE BEE
With a surprising lack of flourish or publicity, the Portland Bureau of Environmental Services ended years of excavation and construction in November, and switched sewage outfall lines to the Eastside Big Pipe, which carries sewage and stormwater runoff north to the Swan Island pumping station and ultimately to the Columbia Boulevard sewage treatment facility, instead of spilling rainwater overflow mixed with sewage into the Willamette River.
At one time, there was no sewage treatment, and Portland’s combined sewer system just went into the river. By the mid-Twentieth Century, the treatment facility had been built in North Portland, and sewer lines were rerouted to ship the sewage and stormwater there. But, even a light rain in the Rose City was enough to fill these lines to overflowing, so every single time it rained at least a tenth of an inch in 24 hours, there was sewage in the river again.
It was to solve that problem that Portland’s biggest-ever public works project resulted in huge underground tunnels to collect stormwater runoff and sewage, and send it all to the treatment plant to keep it out of the Willamette River. When the Westside tunnel was completed, the BES turned to the Eastside, and started by carving a huge, deep shaft just south of OMSI, on the Portland Opera parking lot, and then lowering and assembling a giant boring machine dubbed “Rosie” into it, to tunnel north to Swan Island, passing several other deep access shafts on the way.
When that job was done, “Rosie” was hauled out at Swan Island, barged upriver, and again lowered into the “Opera Shaft”, this time aimed southeast….to bore towards the terminus, a huge shaft constructed between S.E. 17th and 18th on the north side of McLoughlin Boulevard, where motorists and residents have watched huge cranes at work for years.
When “Rosie” finished that job, early in 2011, she was disassembled, hauled out of the McLoughlin terminus shaft in pieces, and then resold by the tunnel contractor, alas, as scrap metal. An ignominious end for a fine tunnel boring machine, with a name and a personality.
But, while this was going on, there was one more major related project – a secondary southernmost shaft dug in the middle of the intersection of S.E. 18th and Insley Street three years ago, into which a smaller, but still impressive, tunneling machine was turned loose to bore northward to the bigger shaft on the north side of McLoughlin in the Brooklyn neighborhood.
This secondary project connected to the “Insley Collector”, a major outfall into the Willamette River, and diverted the collected sewage and rainwater from a large area of Southeast Portland from the outfall pipe to the Big Pipe terminus at McLoughlin.
In mid-November, with no fanfare, the project ended and the Big Pipe began to do its work. From now on, any sewage spills into the river will occur only when severe rain events overload the Big Pipe, which is estimated to happen an average of four times each winter, and once every third summer – a vast improvement.
Somewhat ironically, the Eastside Big Pipe was placed into service at just about the moment when Portland actually had one of those unusual rain events – over three inches of rain fell in three days, November 21-23.
But in the future there will be very, very few warnings to stay out of the river for a few days after rain falls in Portland.
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| The most severely damaged portions of Marysville School remain boarded up and fenced off until repairs begin. (Photo by Rita A. Leonard) |
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Rebuilding Marysville School approved; to take one year
By RITA A. LEONARD
for THE BEE
Although the 2009 fire at Marysville School destroyed about a third of that historic structure, staff and students escaped unharmed, quickly finding a temporary home at the former Rose City Park School in Northeast Portland.
Portland Public Schools and the community had hoped that passage of the capital bond measure proposed last May would afford funds to modernize and update the entire Marysville building. However, voters turned down that proposal, and a new plan was required.
Following community input and Board planning, Superintendent Carole Smith announced in mid-November that a final recommendation had been reached: The new plan is to rebuild only the damaged portion of the school, along with code upgrades, allowing the building at 7733 S.E. Raymond to reopen to students – hopefully, by January of 2013.
Insurance funds, plus reimbursement for code updates, brings the total for rebuilding to approximately $4,500,000, plus additional money from Capital Funds. No further borrowing is feasible at this time. Work will include painting, science class enhancement, and the addition of three classrooms through the relocation of the Media Center and Computer Lab.
There are also plans to convert the burned “Discovery Zone” room, where the fire apparently started, into a new half-sized middle school gym, leaving an option for future expansion. The plans will be completed with installation of a new school-wide fire alarm and sprinkler system, the upgrading of the school for seismic and ADA compliance, the addition of a security camera, and increasing the entryway visibility for security purposes. Better insulation and lighting in the formerly-burned area will provide a small reduction in energy costs.
The one-story wood frame school was built in 1921, and the structure is eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. The entire site comprises 5.2 acres, but it is impractical for modular classrooms, if enrollment increases significantly.
About 430 K-8 students are estimated to return when the school reopens – less than the District's target figure of 500 students for a K-8 school. Consequently, the District will monitor growth goals and consider possible school boundary changes with nearby Harrison Park, to balance enrollment figures. The community has expressed an interest in maintaining the school as a K-8 program.
The new park just to the north, designed for both school and community use, was completed in partnership with the Portland Development Ccommission in 2009 – shortly before the fire occurred. Renewed use of the park and school, and a reduced need for student busing, are expected to address community healing and sustainability concerns. Renewed school activity is also expected to minimize any issues in the Park.
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| Reed neighborhood homeowners Brenda Gunderson and David Foster say the city’s plan to spend $800,000 to pave a multi-use path is out of line. (Photo by David F. Ashton) |
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“MUGGED BY CITY”
Reed neighbors charge that Local Improvement District threatens their financial future
By DAVID F. ASHTON
for THE BEE
Even in some long-established neighborhoods in Portland, many unpaved streets remain.
When a Reed neighborhood couple, David Foster and Brenda Gunderson, started looking into how they could get S.E. 33rd Avenue and S.E. Pardee Street improved, they were amazed that the process could potentially lead to a $99,990 bill being delivered to them.
S.E. Pardee Street is an unpaved, deeply-rutted, and pothole-lined alley that runs behind the Grand Lodge IOOF Holgate Center – which faces S.E. Holgate Boulevard, across the street from Grout Elementary School.
S.E. 33rd Avenue dead-ends into S.E. Pardee Street.
“When we got married, we needed to quickly find a house, and thought this was it – because it had a big enough yard for our dog and our child,” Foster began his story. “The house seemed ideal.”
But they found very unsatisfactory S.E. Pardee Street, a 16-foot wide unimproved alley that passes on the north side of their house and goes past their driveway. From their driveway eastward, Foster said, there’s two-way traffic, and pedestrians and bicycles using the “road” with no sidewalks and no safe path for those on foot on S.E. Pardee.
“We’ve had some ‘close calls’ pulling out of our garage; the building blocks our view of the street.”
When they started looking for the agency in the City of Portland with whom to inquire about the street, Foster continued, “We heard that there’s nothing we can do. So, we’ve worked with neighbors to fill in potholes and smooth out the road.”
But they didn’t give up, and their inquiries led them to the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PDOT). Foster said they were directed to speak to Andrew Aebi, PDOT’s point man in charge of the Local Improvement District (L.I.D.) program.
“At the time, we didn’t realize what a mistake that was,” Gunderson said. “We had no idea that once we’d ‘opened the door’ asking about a L.I.D., they were not going to let us close it.”
PDOT began drawing up plans, the couple said. “When they came back and told us all the things they could do, it really sounded great,” Foster said. “The safety concern issue remained, but they said they’d take care of it all, if we’d just vote for their L.I.D. proposal.”
But, the couple said they were shocked when they eventually saw the price tag: more than $800,000. “They said our part would be about $100,000 – payable at $800 a month,” Gunderson recalled.
Foster added, “It’s like ‘we’re in the wrong store’ – the City is trying to sell us a motor home bus, but all we need – and can afford – is a Volkswagen bug.”
Eight property owners would shoulder the cost for spiffing up the S.E. Pardee Street alley, and the unpaved stub of S.E. 33rd Avenue. All of the property owners in the improvement area would get a vote – based on the amount of property frontage exposed to the affected streets. By the same token, each property owner would pay a proportionate amount for the improvements.
The IOOF Holgate Center, the single largest property owner affected, would pay nearly half the cost – it has 49.9 percent of the frontage, and thus, has nearly half the vote. “All they need is 51% of the property owners to vote in favor to put in the L.I.D.,” Foster said.
During the time the L.I.D. was being proposed, the couple discovered they had another problem. “When they ran a scope down our sewer, they found a leak – and we learned we had a ‘non-conforming sewer’ line,” said Foster. “We just had Portland Environmental Services out, and have already signed a waiver that we will pay for a hookup. And, that we are responsible for any repairs and need to be done in the interim – and scheduled to be done in 2017. We're willing to fix it.”
“Mugged by the City”
But, when the couple applied for a permit, it was denied. Foster said, “They will not issue a permit [for the sewer repair] unless we vote in favor of the L.I.D. “They’re strong-arming us; I feel like we’re being mugged by the City.”
Foster noted they can’t prove the negation of a concept in that the City hasn’t put anything in writing indicating their refusal to grant the sewer repair permit. While there isn’t a “smoking gun” – both Foster and Gunderson affirmed that their contractor said that the City had refused to permit the job.
Some property owners exempted
Foster brought out documents showing several different generations of plans for the L.I.D. they’d received.
On a recent plan, it shows a paved multi-use pathway – not a vehicular alley – now extended west from their house past three other homes. “These three homes were ‘exempted’ from the process, meaning that they don't get a vote – and they are not liable for expenses,” Foster said. “Two of those three homeowners told us they are not in favor of the L.I.D., and perhaps [if they were to be allowed to vote on it] their votes could have swung the approval to less than 50% in favor of the L.I.D.”
Once the couple started bringing up these issues, they say the City kept modifying the plan. “In the new plan they don’t show these exempted properties, but it is still part of the plan.”
On July 20, the Portland City Council accepted a petition of support – initially with 52% support – but a “late supporter” brought it up to 67.2% – of the property owners as measured by their share of the L.I.D. costs, according to PDOT’s spokesman, Dan Anderson.
After the presentation, neighbors not in favor contacted City Hall – and Portland Mayor Sam Adams visited the site on August 23.
“Mayor Adams said we must accept the L.I.D. because there’s a leaky sewer, and the road is clearly unpaved,” Foster commented. “When we told him we simply couldn’t afford it, he asked, ‘So, are you more concerned about money than safety?’”
The Portland City Council was scheduled to hear this issue again on December 7, at which time they were to include amendments to accept any property owner requests to withdraw their prior support of the L.I.D.
“There was a ‘substitute resolution’ on the City Council’s agenda to ‘Declare intent to terminate L.I.D. formation proceedings,” Anderson told THE BEE. “The substitute resolution was referred back to the Mayor’s office by the City Council.”
Foster attended that City Council session. “When it came up, they read the resolution, and Mayor Adams said it was being referred back to our office. He shows no consideration for our situation, and the time we’ve put into this. The neighbors who disagree with the L.I.D. have no representation. It causes us a lot of stress; it’s a horrible feeling.”
The IOOF Holgate Center withdrew their support, Foster said, as have others.
“I think the support [for the L.I.D.] is now down to 1.7%,” Foster pointed out. “We don’t know why Adams continues to appear to dismiss our concerns – maybe it’s a pride thing, because PDOT failed to get approval for the L.I.D. But our experience shows that Portland’s L.I.D. program really needs to be looked at. It’s wrong to work by coercion instead of cooperation.”
There are reportedly 64 miles of unpaved streets within the Portland City Limits, and it currently appears that most of them will be staying that way.
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| Day or night, the Holiday Express provides an authentic historical rail travel experience, and a scenic view of Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge along the east bank of the Willamette River. (Photo by David F. Ashton) |
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“Holiday Express” delights families, benefits new S.E. museum
By DAVID F. ASHTON
for THE BEE
As engineer Jim Abney pulls the throttle and releases the brakes, the 440-ton septuagenarian machine called the “Spokane Portland & Seattle 700” steam locomotive growls, hisses, and starts chugging its way down the Oregon Pacific Railroad Company rails out of Oaks Park Station, as another run of the “Holiday Express” begins.
Taking this nostalgic journey, during the two-weekend early December schedule operated by the Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation (ORHF) and affiliated organizations, has become an annual event for many families.
“This is our seventh year, believe it or not,” mused ORHF’s president, Doyle McCormack. “We’ve had people come back for several rides during a season. Others come back every year. Some of them were babes-in-arms when they first came years ago, and they are now pretty big kids, and they still enjoy the ride.”
McCormack observed that the Holiday Express is ORHF’s primary fundraiser for the nonprofit foundation. “We’re in a major campaign now to build a new home for our three locomotives in southeast Portland. We’ve broken ground, and construction has actually started; we still need to raise all the money we can.”
“Since we started the Holiday Express, these events have raised $286,000 for our projects,” pointed out the organization’s vice president, Sellwood resident Ed Immel. “Even before we broke ground for the new center, we’d hired architects, consultants, and other professionals to lay the groundwork. We’ve committed another $150,000 over the next five years to finish the center.”
It takes a lot of volunteers – first to tune up the engines, and then operate them, and finally to host the thousands of riders who come to experience the Holiday Express, McCormack said. “In fact, more than 100 volunteers are helping out this year, to make this a success.”
Interestingly, not all of their helpers are railroad buffs, McCormack added. “Some of them are people who just want to help out, like folks from the Truck Museum in Brooks, just north of Salem, who come and give us a hand.”
Immel added, “And, special thanks go to Dick Samuels, for allowing us to use his tracks every year.”
You can learn more about the Rail Heritage Center – even if you didn’t get to ride the Holiday Express this year. See the plans for the new museum, and consider giving an end-of-the-year tax-deductible donation – ORHF is a registered, 501(c)3 nonprofit organization – by going online to their website: www.orhf.org .
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| BEE reader James Barta photographed the small school bus while it was fully involved in flames, as dawn broke at about at S.E. 18th and Claybourne in Westmoreland. (Courtesy James Barta) |
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The day the school bus caught fire in Westmoreland
By ERIC NORBERG
Editor, THE BEE
At approximately 7:36 am on Friday, November 18, PPS school bus driver Kay Brown was driving her normal route to take six students to Llewellyn Elementary School. On the way, at the corner of S.E. 18th and Claybourne in Westmoreland, Brown detected an odor of smoke coming from the engine compartment of the bus.
Concerned for the safety of her students, she immediately pulled over and evacuated all six students and their backpacks. She called 9-1-1, and waited with the students a block away from the smoking bus for firefighters to arrive.
Shortly after evacuating, with a bang one nearby resident said sounded like a piece of heavy equipment being dropped, the small bus erupted in flames.
When firefighters from Woodstock’s Station 25 arrived, they found the school bus fully involved in flames. They quickly put out the fire, and checked to make sure the driver and students were safe, and then determined that the fire had indeed begun at the engine, which was adapted for the use of natural gas – normally a safe method of propulsion.
The intersection was closed until the burned bus, stopped next to a street tree which was scorched by the flames, was hauled away.
THE BEE acknowledges with gratitude the assistance of five of its readers in covering this story: Lori Fyre, James Barta, Marvin Price, Charles Ramsay, and Todd Schwartz.
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| At night, the community tree casts a warm feeling of Christmas over Oaks Bottom – and is clearly visible across the river. (Photo by David F. Ashton) |
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Sellwood and Westmoreland neighbors keep towering tree lit
By DAVID F. ASHTON
for THE BEE
As they have for the last two decades, the Hainley and Heiberg families, with the help of SMILE, have enlisted their friends and neighbors for a tree decorating operation larger than most. This community Christmas Tree, visible from Interstate Five across the Willamette River and even from points downtown, is what the giant evergreen next to Wilhelm’s Portland Memorial becomes every Thanksgiving.
The merry band of volunteers was at work, unrolling long strings of lights, testing bulbs and draping the multi-colored luminaries on the tree, on November 19.
“We’ve given Brad Heiberg the year off for the first time in 20 years,” smiled Matt Hainley, as he prepared another string of lights to be hoisted. “He’s down at the college football game – but his family and many new friends are here helping out.”
Why do they brave the cold and elements every year?
“It’s important for us to do this because it’s become a neighborhood tradition,” explained Hainley. “And it’s fun because of the great people who help out, hang out, and eat doughnuts.”
But, the best part, Hainley admits, is on Thanksgiving evening – when they “throw the switch” to light up the tree for the Holidays. “That’s when the little kid comes out in me.”
As Isaac Hainley, aloft and tied off at the tree’s top, asks for another string of lights, Hainley added, “We thank Wilhelm’s Portland Memorial for providing the electricity every year, SMILE for paying for the lights, crane, and equipment, and Grand Central Bakery for donating the food.”
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| Yes, it’s Santa – riding a decked-out bike, and leading the Shriners’ Hospital van across the Sellwood Bridge! (Photo by David F. Ashton) |
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Bear-bearing bikers take new path to Shriners’ Hospital – through Sellwood
By DAVID F. ASHTON
for THE BEE
Seeing thousands of leather-clad bikers riding through Westmoreland and Sellwood on the same day as the “Decemberville” local sale event, Saturday, December 3, came as quite a shock to those who weren’t aware that the 2012 motorcyclists of the Shriners’ Hospital Toy Run had chosen a new route to Marquam Hill this year.
“This is our 32nd year of bringing toys to the children at the Shriners’ Children’s Hospital,” grinned Chaplain Mike Friend, one of the annual event’s organizers. “This is how bikers and motorcyclists kick off Christmas.”
Whether or not affiliated with the sponsoring cycle club – A.B.A.T.E. of Oregon, Inc., an organization that promotes motorcycle awareness, education, safety, and liberty, through community involvement and legislative action – anyone on a motorcycle is invited to participate in the annual ride.
As in past years, the rumble of Harleys and other heavy steel could be heard for blocks around the staging area – the TriMet bus facility at S.E. 17th Avenue just north of Holgate Boulevard. With clear weather that day this year, participants came by the thousands.
A full-sized TriMet bus was packed, front to back, with new toys, destined for the Portland Shriners’ Hospital for Children.
The toys collected for the children are loved year-round at Shriners’ Hospital, providing comfort for the young patients, as well as the siblings who may visit them. “So many toys are donated, there’s an entire room set aside within the hospital called the ‘ABATE Toy Room’,” confided Friend.
When we spotted him this year, amid hundreds of motorcycles, Barry Bede – Chairman of the Board of Shiners’ Hospital for Children in Portland – looked a little like Santa himself, with a big bag of toys in his hand.
“These people have great open hearts,” Bede smiled, as he handed off toys to be placed in the bus. “It takes about a month and a half to sort through all these toys. And, this event also raises thousands of dollars for the hospital. We can’t do it by ourselves; we need help from others. All these kind people demonstrate their concern by helping out.”
A little after noon, the bikers headed out – with Santa Claus leading the Shriners’ bus – heading not north to Powell as usual, but this year south toward Sellwood, and eventually over the Sellwood Bridge on their way up to the Shriners’ Children’s Hospital on Marquam Hill.
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