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Recycle at Work
The Office of Sustainable Development (OSD) is beginning detailed work on the implementation of the recently approved Portland Recycles! plan. They will draft an outreach strategy for businesses, look at what will or will not work, identify additions and alternatives, draft regulations and best practices documents, and create compliance verification strategies. Their first focus will be to boost the amount of commercial food being recycled.
Executive Director Jon Turino is a member of the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) for APNBA and its member BDAs and is charged with disseminating relevant information to BDAs and providing feedback to the committee. He emphasizes the importance to business owners; his input to OSD can help control costs and minimize impacts to member businesses.
Recycle at Work is a program from the City of Portland Office of Sustainable Development, in partnership with Metro. The new recycling system is one component of the Portland Recycles! Plan approved by the Portland City Council last August. The plan challenges Portland residents and businesses to increase the City's recycling rate from 63 percent to 75 percent by 2015.
Conference
The June 12th APNBA conference received glowing reports from the 18 business district associations that attended as well as people from the city, county, neighborhoods, students, and businesses.
In the overall evaluation, all but one person agreed that the conference was well-organized, good quality, and worth repeating. They liked the depth and range of the material, thought the speakers were well prepared, explained the material clearly, and respected the audience. They would prefer speakers to present more resources for further help, less enthusiastic air conditioning, and a larger, more healthy variety of food.
Jon plans to schedule some of the speakers for the upcoming quarterly general meetings.
Portland Plan update
After collecting information from businesses and residents, the City is drafting its work plan, which goes to City Council and then to the State for approval. The work plan is an outline of the tasks needed to complete the plan for Portland's next 30 years. Sometime in the fall, the planners will come back to the populace and start asking for ideas on how to best accomplish what we said was important for Portland's future.
Updated information of the plan and background documents are available at www.portlandonline.com.
Brownfields
The City of Portland Brownfield Program has recently received three grants totaling almost $600,000 from the Environmental Protection Agency to assess and clean up brownfields - contaminated property - in the City of Portland. This money will allow us to provide assistance to property owners who are concerned about possible contamination on their land.
Free assistance and funding is available immediately for sites on Portland's east side.
In neighborhoods, most brownfields are land contaminated by former gas stations, industrial businesses, and auto repair businesses. For more information, contact Jenn Bildersee,
Portland Brownfield Program at 503.823.7764 or jbildersee@bes.ci.portland.or.us.
Sustainability Institute
Commissioners Sam Adams and Dan Saltzman are working together to start a Sustainability Institute, a place where everyone interested in a sustainable economy (long term and green) can get together, exchange ideas, partner on projects, and display their accomplishments.
The APNBA signed on as a partner and will be working with both commissioners and the other members to support local sustainable business efforts.
Farmers' Markets
With help from the Hillsdale Farmer's Market and the support of the Multhomah Village Business Association, Multnomah opened its own farmers' market Thursday, June 5th, to be held every Thursday from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. through the last Thursday in September.
Montavilla/East Tabor helped start a farmers' market on SE Stark in 2007. The Montavilla Farmers Market operates every Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. between June 8th and October 5th.
Hillsdale Business and Professional members were instrumental in founding the Hillsdale market and continue to serve on its board. Market customers are drawn to Hillsdale's other businesses. Baker & Spice, Hillsdale's most successful coffee shop/bakery was incubated in the farmers' market.
Safe Streets - Green Streets
Within the next two weeks Commissioner Adams' office will poll the public to learn their feelings about the Safe Streets plan in view of the current economic downturn. The results will be given to the stakeholders committee in early July for their consideration before an interim report goes to City Council on July 16th. Among other options being considered is returning some of the funds from the Utility Franchise Fee to transportation use, one of the original uses for the fees. For more information, contact Traffic Investigations Manager Mark Lear at 503-823-7604.
Business District Events
July 3: First Thursday, Pearl District, 5:00 - 9:00 PM, http://www.firstthursday.org.
July 4: First Fridays
Multnomah Village, 5:00 - 9:00 PM, Joan Steinbach, 503.245.3936.
Division/Clinton, 6:00 - 9:00 PM, Rin Carroll Jackson, rinzart@spiritone.com.
Greater Brooklyn, 5:00 - 9:00 PM, Madeline Janovic, 503.231.8346.
Sellwood-Westmoreland - Place varies, Tom Brown, www.sellwoodwestmoreland.com.
July 6: First Sunday, Old Town Chinatown, June Schumann, 503.224.1458.
July 11 - 13: Nob Hill Sidewalk Sale, NW 21st & 23rd, Kay Wolfe, 503.310.9525.
July 12: Mississippi Street Fair & Parade NE Mississippi Bryan Steeleman, 971.219.7758.
July 12: International Day Festival, 72nd and NE Sandy, Noon - 4:00pm, Tyler Whitmire, tylerportland@gmail.com.
July 17: Third Thursdays, Hollywood, Rachelle Markley, sgbooks@qwestoffice.net.
July 18 - 20: Cathedral Park Jazz, St Johns, Joe Beeler, 503.283.1312.
July 26: Division/Clinton Street Fair & Parade, 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., SE Division and Clinton, Jean Baker, 503.234.7642.
July 27: 32nd Annual Customer Appreciation Blueberry Pancake Breakfast and Book Sale, 8:30 - 12:30, Hillsdale, Mike Roach, 503.246.3417.
July 31: Last Thursdays, 13th - 30th on NE Alberta, Allan Oliver, 503.493.1909.
Tell us about your event - Contact the
Editor.
Conference
Fred Atiemo, PDC
PDC Small Business Programs
Bridget Bayer, SBDC
Entrepreneur Development
Chuck Jones, SBAC
Bill of Rights
Jeff Fisher, LogoMotives
Professional Images
John Perkins, Hollywood Boosters
Creative Community Projects
David Ashton, EastPDXNews
Getting in the News
Annual Meeting
Jean Baker
President's Report
Jon Turino
Executive Report
Janet Minton
Find the liar before you hire
Photo credits:
David Ashton, www.eastpdxnews.com
Volume 16 No. 7
The Business Voice is published 12 times a year
by the Alliance of Portland Neighborhood Business Associations
107 SE Washington #244
Portland OR 97214
E-mail: info@apnba.com
Web site: www.APNBA.com
Editor: Jean Baker
mjeanbaker@apnba.com
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