Daily Journal of Commerce, Portland articles from April 2009

Daily Journal of Commerce, Portland archives from April 2009

Clackamas company works to improve safety.
April 1, 2009... Byline: Justin Carinci The low point in General Sheet Metal's safety record may have come in 2005, when an employee broke his leg in a fall. The high point will come on Thursday, when the Clackamas company joins the Safety and Health...

Developers face green building challenge.
April 1, 2009... Byline: Sam Bennett In tough economic times, developers and design teams must increasingly convince lenders that pursuing sustainable buildings pays off in the long run, according to a panel of experts who spoke Tuesday. We can't just...

More new sewer pipes for Gresham.
April 1, 2009... Byline: Justin Carinci New Deal-era public works projects might be a selling point in a city's historic preservation efforts - but not when the projects in question are sewer lines. The Works Progress Administration in 1936 laid the...

Portland State University team wins development challenge.
April 1, 2009... Byline: Tyler Graf An eight-member team of Portland State University students has learned that in today's recessed real estate market, adherence to conservative principles is a winning concept. For the second time in four years,...

Grants available for Interstate URA improvements in Portland.
April 1, 2009... Byline: Tyler Graf The Portland Development Commission is accepting grant proposals from businesses in the Interstate urban renewal area interested in updating their buildings with sustainable features. Interstate URA is second to the...

Upgrade in works for wastewater treatment plant in Newberg.
April 1, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff The city of Newberg is looking for consultant services for a project to repair, renovate and expand its wastewater treatment plant. The expansion is being performed to bring Newberg's plant up to National Pollution...

Southwest Portland will get new water main.
April 1, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff Water bureau construction crews this month will begin construction on a 1,270-foot main for drinking water on Southwest Cardinell Drive in Portland. The project includes the replacement of an existing 2-inch diameter...

Portland City Council wants to use condemnation as bargaining chip in discussion with university.
April 2, 2009... Byline: Sam Bennett Hoping to raise our collective voice to get their attention, Portland City Commissioner Randy Leonard on Wednesday said that a City Council decision to condemn the Made in Oregon sign is the only way to get University...

Habitat for Humanity structure will likely be LEED platinum.
April 2, 2009... Byline: Dan Carter This site at 602 N.E. Webster St. is expected to be certified LEED platinum - the highest possible rating. The two Habitat for Humanity homes on-site were turned over to their new owners in a dedication ceremony Tuesday...

Earth Day dinner in Portland, Oregon will focus on climate change.
April 2, 2009... Byline: Daily Journal of Commerce Staff Dr. Ken Williamson of Oregon State University will speak at an Earth Day dinner for the American Council of Engineering Companies of Oregon planned for this month. Williamson will give a...

The Multnomah Arts Center in Portland wants mural to be a community project.
April 2, 2009... Byline: Daily Journal of Commerce Staff The Multnomah Arts Center is asking people in the Portland area to pick up their paintbrushes and use their imaginations to help create a new 140-foot mural at the center. The hope is to involve...

Oregon State University engineers are working on new cooling system.
April 2, 2009... Byline: Daily Journal of Commerce Staff Oregon State University engineers have developed a new cooling system that could be applied to cars, factories and buildings to cut down on waste heat. The system is an early application of...

Stimulus money in Corvallis, Oregon funds roads and transit upgrades.
April 2, 2009... Byline: Daily Journal of Commerce Staff Federal stimulus funding has begun to roll into the city of Corvallis. It recently received $1.82 million for street repairs, $1.05 million for transit improvements and a community development block...

Construction jobs coming to Eugene, Oregon via stimulus funding.
April 2, 2009... Byline: Daily Journal of Commerce Staff More than $5.4 million in federal stimulus funding has been awarded to projects in the city of Eugene. Four pavement preservation projects will get $3 million. They include a $1.1 million repair...

New Albany library designed by Portland firm opens to the public.
April 2, 2009... Byline: Daily Journal of Commerce Staff A new public library designed by Hennebery Eddy Architects of Portland has opened to the public in Albany. Constructed by T. Gerding Construction Co. of Corvallis, the new building replaces an...

Commentary: A fight for justice ... or just one guy's beef?
April 2, 2009... Byline: Tom Henderson Ian McElroy of Corvallis sees it as nothing less than a fight against tyranny, a struggle to make sure other builders never suffer the abuses of power that have nearly broken him.Corvallis Mayor Charles Tomlinson sees...

Redesigned space at Portland State University serves Department of Architecture and guest speakers.
April 2, 2009... Byline: Sam Bennett Buildings have memories. They take you back. Portland State University's Shattuck Hall has that effect on me. I attended my first computer science class there in 1979, and the building - despite its beaten down...

Commentary: Portland state legislators face budget challenge.
April 2, 2009... Byline: Mike Salsgiver Let's be honest: What we're seeing today may well represent the worst economy in 70 years. After spending the first three months of the legislative session rebalancing the current 2007-2009 budget, legislators are...

Beam Development, PDC are seeking a 'reuse analysis' of Portland's Convention Plaza building.
April 2, 2009... Byline: Tyler Graf It will be another year before Beam Development and the Portland Development Commission complete their framework plan for the Burnside Bridgehead development on the inner east side. But developers believe that's enough...

Forest Grove sewage plant to get upgrade.
April 3, 2009... Byline: Justin Carinci The Natt McDougall Co. is expected to be awarded the contract to upgrade Clean Water Services' Forest Grove Wastewater Treatment Facility. Clean Water Services sent notice of intent to award to the Tualatin-based...

City of Portland: Reservoir project will create 1,500 jobs.
April 3, 2009... Byline: Sam Bennett Excavation will begin this summer on a Powell Butte reservoir project that city officials say will create 1,500 jobs over the next three to four years. The city is planning to release a request for proposals for the...

US Foundations demonstrates new method for industry reps in Portland.
April 3, 2009... Byline: Dan Carter A crew from US Foundations, a Portland subsidiary of Hamilton Construction in Springfield, demonstrated its Grout Driven Pile System to development and construction industry representatives Thursday at its headquarters...

Construction starts down in 2009, report says.
April 3, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff New construction starts in the U.S. in 2009 are down by 15 percent from last year, according to a recent report released by McGraw-Hill Construction. The 2009 Construction Outlook Spring Update says that new...

Portland-Milwaukie light-rail line gets federal approval.
April 3, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff The Federal Transit Administration this week approved TriMet's preliminary engineering for the Portland-to-Milwaukie MAX light-rail line. TriMet and its regional partners will continue their work on the project,...

University of Portland president to discuss projects.
April 3, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff University of Portland President Rev. E. William Beauchamp on Wednesday will give a presentation on campus improvement and expansion projects taking place at the university. Todd Construction is currently working on...

Robert Sheppard, Portland, elected president of HVAC association.
April 3, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff The HVAC Inspection, Maintenance and Restoration Association has elected Robert Sheppard as president of the association for 2009. Sheppard is the operations manager of AAA Heating and Cooling Inc. of Portland and has...

Tim Schauer reappointed to Clark County engineering advisory board.
April 3, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff MacKay & Sposito Inc. has announced that its president, Tim Schauer, has been reappointed to the Clark County Development Engineering Advisory Board. The board reviews new policy and code changes and works with Clark...

Portland's NBS brokers recognized at Commercial Assn. of Realtors' awards dinner.
April 3, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff NAI Norris, Beggs & Simpson has announced that Chris Johnson, Scott MacLean, Mike Tharp and H. Roger Qualman were recognized with awards at the Commercial Association of Realtors' annual awards dinner on March 5. ...

Commentary: Prepare for workers to be deployed.
April 3, 2009... Byline: Rich Meneghello Many Oregon employers may soon need a crash course on military leave: The largest deployment of Oregon National Guard troops since Sept. 11, 2001 is scheduled to take place in May. More than 3,500 men and women will...

Sandy looks to move police station, expand library.
April 3, 2009... Byline: Tyler Graf At the building that houses the Sandy Public Library, it's as easy to file a police report as it is to check out a book. That's because of a curious arrangement whereby the police station shares space with the...

Does sustainability trump historic value in Portland?
April 6, 2009... Byline: Tyler Graf In 2007, a crowd watched as the 100-year-old Rosefriend Apartments in Southwest Portland were flattened to make room for Opus Northwest's Ladd Tower, now under construction at 1300 S.W. Park Ave. On the same block,...

Gov. Kulongoski promotes collaboration, green development.
April 6, 2009... Byline: Justin Carinci Governmental advisory committees don't often draw a crowd; some can barely scrape together a quorum. With billions of dollars and the future of Oregon's economy at stake, however, Thursday was different. ...

Metro leads charge to link Portland, Lake Oswego.
April 6, 2009... Byline: Tyler Graf As Metro last week prepared to take the lead in performing the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Portland-to-Lake Oswego transit corridor, Metro Councilor Robert Liberty discovered a bizarre fact: The last...

American Institute of Architects Oregon plans Salem rally.
April 6, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff The American Institute of Architects Oregon will rally for support for High Performance Building legislation during a half-day event in Salem this month. AIA Oregon has proposed High Performance Building legislation...

Oregon legislators' discussion on prevailing wage is delayed.
April 6, 2009... Byline: Tom Henderson Members of the House Business and Labor Construction Committee were supposed to work Friday on a bill that would require companies working on public projects to comply with prevailing wage rate law. Amendments...

Work completed on dental school within Lloyd Center mall in Portland.
April 6, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff A 13,000-square-foot portion of the Lloyd Center mall was recently renovated by general contractor Oregon Consulting Management to become the new home of the Apollo College Dental School. Designed by Myhre Group...

Port of Vancouver completes purchase of Alcoa property.
April 6, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff The Port of Vancouver has sold $25.8 million in limited tax general obligation bonds for purchasing industrial property, capital improvement and refinancing outstanding bonds. On March 19, the port sold $15 million in...

Study: Most of Portland's jobs are near its core.(Report)
April 7, 2009... Byline: Sam Bennett A new report by the Brookings Institution shows that the Portland metropolitan area continues to buck the trend of job sprawl seen in many large U.S. cities. Job sprawl is the loss of jobs from city centers to the...

Portland-area's MAX light rail boosted by bond sale.
April 7, 2009... Byline: Justin Carinci While a budget shortfall likely will force TriMet to cut bus routes and service, the transit agency got some back-to-back good news about the future. First, the bond sale that will help extend the MAX light-rail line...

Portland's Willamette River Crossing has modern design.
April 7, 2009... Byline: Sam Bennett For his bridge designs, Miguel Rosales goes to great lengths to get the renderings and models just right. His extensive renderings show designs from multiple angles, and his models are larger than normal, to create...

Three Oregon safety conferences are on tap this year.(Conference news)
April 7, 2009... Byline: Daily Journal of Commerce Staff The Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division will hold three safety and health conferences in Eastern, Central and Southern Oregon later this year. The first conference, The Blue Mountain...

Tour of green Portland Community College campus will be held on Earth Day.
April 7, 2009... Byline: Daily Journal of Commerce Staff Tours highlighting the sustainable elements of Portland Community College's Rock Creek Campus will be held on April 25 as part of the college's Earth Day celebration. The tour will view the...

Developer helps form Wilsonville farmers' market.
April 7, 2009... Byline: Daily Journal of Commerce Staff The 580-acre mixed-use community Villebois, in Wilsonville, is set to become the home of the city's first farmers' market. Villebois developer Costa Pacific Communities, in partnership with Arbor...

Federal stimulus funds are targeted for Milwaukie.
April 7, 2009... Byline: Daily Journal of Commerce Staff Milwaukie City Council tonight is expected to sign a pair of agreements with the Oregon Department of Transportation that will dedicate $1.025 million in federal funding for the Jackson Street...

Oregon's Highway 43 bridge will close to prepare for major rehab work.
April 7, 2009... Byline: Daily Journal of Commerce Staff The Oregon City-West Linn arch bridge along Highway 43 will be closed from April 11 through May 3 so that Oregon Department of Transportation crews can perform utility work needed to prepare the...

Contractor sought for pump station project in Tualatin.
April 7, 2009... Byline: Daily Journal of Commerce Staff Bids for construction of the Norwood Pump Station in Tualatin are due April 23. The project will include construction of a new pump station, including a new 1,000-square-foot building, two new...

New retail space completed at Vancouver, Wash., center.
April 7, 2009... Byline: Daily Journal of Commerce Staff Cedarlake Company Inc. of Vancouver, Wash., has completed construction on a new retail space for America's Best Contacts and Eyeglasses in Hazel Dell Towne Center, in Vancouver. The new...

Rural-area builders in Oregon may have shorter waits for inspections.
April 7, 2009... Byline: Tom Henderson So, Mom and Pop want to open a store in Burns. It's ready to go. All they need is someone to come and inspect the wiring. Good luck. This is Burns, not Portland. The nearest qualified inspector is in Bend - a...

Commentary: Focus forward to flourish in future.
April 7, 2009... Byline: John Wyckoff The question I hear most often from investors who do not have a fee-only financial advisor is, What should I do now? Here are some basic strategies to determine what is right for your investment portfolio now -- and...

Oregon bills aim to increase diversity in construction.
April 8, 2009... Byline: Tom Henderson Oregon's unemployment rate, according to the freshest statistics, reached 10.8 percent in February - the third highest rate in the country. To make matters worse, a national report by the Urban League found the...

Oregon conference speakers: Veterans make great workers.(Conference news)
April 8, 2009... Byline: Justin Carinci The similarities between working in construction and serving in the military don't end with the protective headgear. Dyna Electric, an electrical contractor, makes heavy use of apprentices, many of whom come out of...

Oregon projects vie for top honors in concrete construction awards.
April 8, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff Thirty-seven projects will compete for top honors in 12 categories of the 2009 Excellence in Concrete Awards. The evening event, presented by the Oregon Construction and Aggregate Producers Association, will be held...

Tangent firm lands stimulus paving project.
April 8, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff The first stimulus transportation project contract in Southwest Washington has been awarded to Morse Bros. Inc. of Tangent. The $1.8 million project will pave a portion of U.S. 101 near Fort Columbia and State Route...

Portland company is low bidder for rail yard work.
April 8, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff Moore Excavation of Portland is the low bidder for an improvement project at the Port of Portland's Rivergate Industrial District. The project will allow a multi-track rail switching and staging yard, called the...

BERGER/ABAM moves downtown Seattle office.
April 8, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff BERGER/ABAM Engineers Inc. has a new home in downtown Seattle at the Rainier Tower. The engineering and consulting firm announced this month that it has moved its Seattle offices from 720 Olive Way to the heart of the...

Sunday Parkways returns for another year in Portland.
April 8, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff For the second consecutive year, several Portland streets will become makeshift parks throughout the summer. Sunday Parkways creates a car-free environment by closing off certain city streets and creating temporary parks...

Oregon bill targets contracting code exemptions.
April 8, 2009... Byline: Tom Henderson When the hearing rooms at the Oregon State Capitol were remodeled, legislative administrative staff didn't follow the Public Contracting Code that applies to most other state entities. University of Oregon...

Northwest Portland parking garage gets go-ahead.
April 8, 2009... Byline: Tyler Graf Oregon's Land Use Board of Appeals last week dismissed an appeal of a City Council decision that would have blocked the development of an 87-space parking structure near Northwest 23rd Avenue. The two-story Northwest...

Portland City Council approves transit-oriented development tax abatement for housing project.
April 9, 2009... Byline: Tyler Graf This summer, developer Andrew Kelly and his partner Gordon Jones plan to break ground on the first phase of a two-phase housing project called One:19 Apartments in the city's outer east side. The project just needed...

Beaverton looks at urban renewal.
April 9, 2009... Byline: Justin Carinci A generation after their last effort, Beaverton officials are looking at creating an urban renewal plan. The city issued a request for proposals from consultants with experience in urban renewal. Even this small...

City of Portland, UO agree on sign change.
April 9, 2009... Byline: Sam Bennett Portland's great sign debate has ended peacefully. Oregon won. City Commissioner Randy Leonard announced Wednesday that the city and the University of Oregon have agreed for the Made in Oregon sign to be...

Experts gather in Portland for green center charrette.
April 9, 2009... Byline: Sam Bennett At this week's eco-charrette for the Sustainability Center of Excellence, team members are being asked to think outside their comfort zone, according to Ralph DiNola, a principal with Green Building Services. The...

Port of Portland intends to award contract to Tapani.
April 9, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff Though Moore Excavation Inc. was the apparent low bidder for the Port of Portland's Ramsey Rail Yard improvement project, the port has announced that it instead intends to award the contract to the second lowest bidder,...

Oregon City firm gets Lake Oswego sewer work.
April 9, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff The city of Lake Oswego has announced its intent to award the Lake Full portion of its Lake Oswego Interceptor Sewer project to Advanced American Construction of Oregon City. AAC was the lowest bidder for the project...

South Waterfront park in Portland takes name after settler.
April 9, 2009... Byline: Tyler Graf City Council on Wednesday recommended that Portland Parks & Recreation name the new South Waterfront neighborhood park after Elizabeth Caruthers, a little-known Portland settler. Caruthers was among the first in the...

FAA to provide funding for Eugene Airport fire station.
April 9, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff The Federal Aviation Administration has announced that discretionary funding will soon be released for a new aircraft rescue and firefighting station at the Eugene Airport. The $5.1 million project will be funded with...

Benton County road improvement project up for bid.
April 9, 2009... Byline: The Federal Aviation Administration has announced A road improvement project costing $2 million to $5 million is up for bid in Benton County. The work will be performed along U.S. 29: Newton Creek to Oregon Route 99W and will...

Kuebler Boulevard road work in progress in Salem.
April 9, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff K&E Excavating Inc. of Salem has begun work on a project to widen Kuebler Boulevard, in Salem. The project aims to reduce congestion and backup onto the freeway at the southbound Interstate-5 off-ramp and Southeast...

Salem's Riverfront Park boasts new fountain.
April 9, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff A new interactive spray fountain is currently under construction in Salem's Riverfront Park. Scheduled to be completed in May, the fountain will be located in the middle of the park, between the public dock on the...

Two public contracting bills generate lukewarm response in Wisconsin.
April 9, 2009... Byline: Tom Henderson First stop, the House Rules Committee. Next stop, limbo. Limbo is all the state Legislature can afford this year for two bills designed to make the public contracting process more transparent and accountable, said...

Portland mayor: Memorial Coliseum must go.
April 9, 2009... Byline: Sam Bennett A redeveloped Rose Quarter will have a critical mass, city officials said, that will make the area a regional attraction. To achieve that, Mayor Sam Adams said on Tuesday that the Memorial Coliseum will have to be...

Green Gadgets: Heat recovery ventilator systems.
April 9, 2009... Byline: Sam Bennett As designers and builders increasingly work toward constructing tighter building envelopes and more energy efficient homes and buildings, heat recovery ventilator systems are in greater demand. A recently completed...

Two Waterleaf Architecture staff in Portland become LEED certified.
April 9, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff Waterleaf Architecture has announced that Karen Lange and Meredith Hendricks are now Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design accredited professionals. Lange has been an architectural designer with Waterleaf for...

RSV Construction Services in Portland hires Johnson as chief financial officer.
April 9, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff RSV Construction Services has hired Karen Johnson as its chief financial officer. Johnson will oversee and manage the company's finances. She was previously chief operations officer of Metro One Telecommunications...

52 Limited in Portland hires Allega as business development manager.
April 9, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff 52 Limited has hired Anna Allega as its business development manager. Allega previously spent five years with HEILBrice, an advertising agency in Southern California, as brand communications manager.

Commentary: Five debates about rural residences.
April 9, 2009... Byline: Edward Sullivan and Carrie Richter In a recent article, The Big Look's Rural Residential Dilemma, available at www.oregonbiglook.org/mediacenter, author Sam Lowry asks the state Legislature to delve deeper into what drives the rural...

TMT Development delays Park Avenue West tower in downtown Portland.
April 10, 2009... Byline: Tyler Graf In a move that TMT Development called "unprecedented," the firm has postponed construction on its Park Avenue West tower in downtown Portland until the first quarter of 2010. The news comes four months after...

Architects rally to preserve Memorial Coliseum in Portland.
April 10, 2009... Byline: Sam Bennett Facing the wrecking ball, the Memorial Coliseum has friends who say they won't let it come down without a fight. Local architects, including historic preservation specialist Peter Meijer, are coming to the defense...

Portland's commercial real estate markets take hits.
April 10, 2009... Byline: Tyler Graf The values of Portland's office and industrial real estate markets are continuing to crumble, as vacancy rates climb and investment sales vanish amid the economic downturn. The industrial vacancy rate has increased...

Parking spaces on the way: Work continues on Legacy Emanuel hospital in North Portland.
April 10, 2009... Byline: Dan Carter A new, 425-space parking structure is rising on the Legacy Emanuel Hospital and Health Center in North Portland. Work began on the structure on North Gantenbein Avenue in October 2008 with the demolition of a one-story...

GVA Kidder Mathews, with an office in Portland, adds green practice.
April 10, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff Commercial real estate firm GVA Kidder Mathews, which has an office in Portland, has launched a sustainability practice and has merged with Bluegreen Consulting. The new practice will focus on consulting for...

U of Oregon professor, student honored for green impacts.
April 10, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff An architecture professor and student from the University of Oregon have been selected as Civic Engagement Award winners by Oregon Campus Compact. Professor Brook Muller and environmental studies student Brianna Orr...

AIA architects and Portland schools team up for forum.
April 10, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff The American Institute of Architects, Portland and Portland Public Schools on Saturday will discuss the future of designing learning environments, and an upcoming design competition. The forum's aim is to encourage...

Dennis D. Fuller named president of Century West Engineering in Oregon.
April 10, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff Century West Engineering Corp. has named Dennis D. Fuller as president and Joe Roshak as vice president of the company. J. Ned Dempsey, company founder and past president, will serve as chairman of the board and as a...