downtown news...
Nov 11,2008
City Prepares for Wind and Rain
by pearlgirl
The City of Portland's Transportation Maintenance Operations is preparing for rain and wind storms forecasted by the National Weather Service to occur over the next 48 hours. Crews will be working the Veteran's Day holiday today to keep catch basins, culverts, and trash racks clear of debris in response to recent rains and in preparation for more. The City is prepared to deal with downed trees, limbs, and leaves and standing water issues that strong winds and heavy rain could bring.The City advises residents that they can help reduce street flooding by periodically clearing catch basins (grated storm drains) near their property. The following simple actions can help keep streets open and catch basins clear: Use a rake or pitch fork to clear leaves and debris from catch basins so that water can drain easily. Do not rake leaves into the street. Pile them on the curb in the planting strip (grassy area between the sidewalk and the street). The City's leaf removal servi
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posted at 11:40 AM
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Oct 31,2008
Citywide Accessibility Tool Launched
by where's lulu
The new Portland-only web site Where's Lulu is a free, online database where Portlanders can rate and review places and services (mostly businesses) based on their accessibility. Example: Are the curb cuts next to the bus stop in front of a Stumptown Coffee Roasters wheelchair-friendly? A search tool allows for filtering using criteria such as whether nearby public transit options exist. Coming up: The ability to upload photos depicting accessibility or inaccessibility of businesses. We founded the site to provide info making it easier for disabled people to get from point A to point B, as well as to establish higher standards of accessibility for businesses and public places in general. The local disabled community is already on board, with users voicing opinions on everything from just how close a Mac Store is to the MAX line, to the wheelchair maneuverability between aisles at swank Southeast eatery Noble Rot. To join Where's Lulu for free, or to learn more, visit http
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posted at 01:58 PM
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Oct 29,2008
New Rules for Wireless Phone Towers
by shooter
Wireless phone towers are pretty much ubiquitous these days. We see many design review requests for placing these on the roofs of buildings. Homeowner Associations or property owners can collect fees by allowing companies to use their roof space for these antennas.Residential Neighborhoods
In residential neighborhoods it's a different story since most structures are single-family residences of only one or two stories. In neighborhoods, phone companies pay fees to the city for using utility poles for their antennas. The city's Office of Cable Communications & Franchise Management surveyed residents about the placement of these antennas and received a huge amount of feedback. Read the Portland Tribune's story for details.
New Rules
As a result the city is proposing new rules for these antenna poles. Among other proposed rules, the height of the antenna poles would be reduced form 50 to 40 feet in resid
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posted at 09:55 AM
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Oct 13,2008
Gift Trees-Green Gifts that Keep on Giving
by pearlgirl
This holiday season, give your friends and family green gifts that keep on giving as they grow—Gift Trees and Gift Groves. For $35 you can order a Gift Tree, and for $100 you can order a Gift Grove. Friends of Trees will plant the young native trees in local natural areas in need of restoration. Orders can be placed at "Gift Trees" at www.FriendsofTrees.org. You can include the name of the person the trees will be planted in honor of, a personalized message, and the name of the person giving the gift. Friends of Trees will print your gift acknowledgment card and mail it for you within three business days of the date you place your order. In addition to slowing climate change, trees reduce air and water pollution by trapping pollutants on their leaves and roots, and they help us even more as they grow. Buying a gift tree leaves a living legacy for the people you love. To learn more about Gift Trees or Friends of Trees, visit www.FriendsofTrees.org or call Melissa at 50
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posted at 04:12 PM
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Oct 3,2008
Central City Butt Brigade Committee
by pearlgirl
January 1, 2009 signifies a new era for Oregonians when the Smokefree Workplace Law bans smoking from any establishment that is not a designated smoke shop or cigar bar. In addition, smoking will be prohibited within 10 feet of doors or open windows. What does this mean for us? It means that you won't go home from a bar needing to take a shower and wash all your clothing. But it also means that there will be more cigarette butts than ever in the streets and on sidewalks. No smoking within 10 feet of the entrance removes the responsibility of cleanliness from the business owner and puts it in the hands of the smoker. Ten feet outside of a bar, especially in high-density neighborhoods like the inner city neighborhoods will often put you in front of another business or in the streets. When in the streets, many smokers will choose to stomp their butts instead of disposing of them properly. Cigarette butts are composed of a type of plastic that can persist in the environmen
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posted at 12:27 PM
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Sep 30,2008
Portland Seeking New Members for the City's Pedestrian Advisory Committee
by pearlgirl
The City of Portland is seeking new members for its Pedestrian Advisory Committee. Portland's Pedestrian Advisory Committee is a standing citizen advisory committee active since the early 1990s. Its purpose is to advise the Mayor and City Council and City departments on all matters that encourage and enhance walking as a means of transportation, recreation, wellness, and environmental enhancement. Committee members meet monthly in the evening on the third Tuesday of each month. They review and make recommendations on the following: planning documents affecting pedestrians pedestrian projects projects with pedestrian facilities funding priorities for pedestrian-related projects activities of other jurisdictions that affect pedestrians in Portland maintaining and periodically updating the Portland Pedestrian Design Guide and Pedestrian Master Plan. The committee is composed of 9-13 members appointed to a four-year term. To qualify, applicants mu
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posted at 10:49 AM
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Sep 23,2008
Advertising on Neighborhood Utility Poles
by pearlgirl
Do you know that posting signs, posters and flyers on wooden or metal utility poles is against the law? It's trespassing. Get this: Persons attaching posters or signs to privately owned poles may be charged with Criminal Mischief III (ORS 164.345) Apparently, this act also violates a number of City of Portland and National Electrical Safety codes (including Portland City Codes 14A.50.070 and 17.64.040 and NESC Rule 217A4 and Rule 237A). Do you know who owns these poles? The quantity of posters, flyers and signs being attached to private property (utility poles) creates a hazardous condition for persons responsible for maintaining the poles. Within the City of Portland, these poles are owned by several entities including but not limited to: Portland General Electric, Pacific Power, Qwest, Verizon and the City of Portland. Is your band, business or service advertising on local utility poles? If it is, you may receive this letter from the City of Portland. Failure
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posted at 03:32 PM
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Sep 22,2008
Portland is the Greenest U.S. City—Well, Mostly!
by pearlgirl
SustainLane.com has released its 2008 City Rankings of the most sustainable cities in the United States— whaddyaknow : Portland is the greenest city in the nation! What's really interesting is the breakdown of categories and where we rank in each. Let's just say that we didn't receive an A+ in every category of our sustainability report card. Portland is a Sustainability Leader in: Air Quality (we're #1) Energy and Climate Change (we're #2) Green Building (we're #1) Green Economy (we're #1) City Innovation (we're #1) Knowledge Base (we're #1) Planning/Land Use (we're #3) Waste Management (we're #7) Tap Water Quality (we're #2) Portland is Sustainably advanced in: City Commuting (we're #11) Metro Congestion (we're #16) Metro Ridership (we're #19)
Portland has Mixed Results in: Natural Disaster Risk (we're #30) Water Supply (we're #28)
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posted at 02:55 PM
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Sep 22,2008
2008 Office Energy Showdown
by shooter
What do the following buildings have in common? All have been honored by the Building Owners and Managers Associations for being among the most energy effcient buildings in the city. BOMA challenged building owners and managers to assess their buildings' energy performance and recognize achievements make over the past year. "In this new era of heightened awareness of a building's environmental footprint, this competition comes at a perfect time," said Susan Steward, Executive Director of BOMA Portland. "We're thrilled to bring this opportunity to Portland-area building owners and we're eager to identify the best buildings in town and recognize the leaders who are pushing energy management to the next level." Learn more about the Office Energy Showdown . Here are some of the Portland buildings honored: Robert Duncan Plaza , Downtown Oregon Square 729 & 830 , Lloyd District Read More...
posted at 01:07 PM
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Sep 17,2008
Debunking Urban Legends—Take Email Warnings with a Grain of Salt
by pearlgirl
by Stephanie Reynolds Have you ever received an email warning you about ankle-slashing gangs hiding under cars? How about killers lurking in backseats? Kidney thieves? A deadly game, popular with teens, called Spunkball? Knockout, or even deadly, perfume samples? These are just a few, of the many, false stories about crime and violence circulating around the internet. The stories often contain instructions, such as, "Please forward this to everyone you know! It could save a life!" Recipients of the messages, with the best of intentions, forward the messages without checking for validity, and the misinformation spreads like wildfire. The stories rarely contain anything useful or accurate, yet people may change their behaviors based on the information they receive from these cautionary tales. Did you ever hear the urban legend that, as an initiation rite, gang members drive around without their headlights on, and the first person who flashes their lights at them i
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posted at 05:03 AM
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