Daily Journal of Commerce, Portland articles from June 2004

Daily Journal of Commerce, Portland archives from June 2004

Portland-based Soderstrom Architects wins design competition.
June 1, 2004... Byline: Justin Stranzl The Oregon Institute of Technology's planned residence facility last week moved one step closer to coming to life. Literally. Portland-based Soderstrom Architects was selected to design a $15 million, multi-use...

Outlook good for Portland retail market.
June 1, 2004... Byline: Aimee Curl A report, released last week by Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Brokerage Co., says out-of-state investors will continue to clamor for retail space in Portland despite a forecasted rise in rents. According...

Road user mileage-fee pilot project to start in Oregon.
June 1, 2004... Byline: Jessica Swanson The Oregon Department of Transportation passed another milestone last month in the effort to replace Oregon's gas tax with a mileage fee. A successful demonstration of the proposed fee system at Oregon State...

Oregon nanotech research center headquarters opens in Corvallis.
June 1, 2004... Byline: The Daily Journal of Commerce Oregon's first signature research center, the Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institute, opened its administrative headquarters Thursday in a building on Hewlett-Packard's Corvallis campus....

Multnomah Bar Assn.'s annual dinner praises lawyers, firms for service.
June 1, 2004... Byline: Jessica Swanson At the Multnomah Bar Association's 98th Annual Meeting, Dinner and Judges Reception, awards were given out to ten individuals and one company for their contributions to the practice of law in Multnomah County. ...

Multnomah County CourtCare raises $62,000 for free child care center.
June 1, 2004... Byline: Jessica Swanson Multnomah County CourtCare, a free drop in child care center for families doing business at the Multnomah County Courthouse, has raised more than $62,000 during this year's fundraising campaign. The campaign, "A...

Construction Specifications Institute will host tour of M&F warehouse project in Portland.
June 1, 2004... Byline: The Daily Journal of Commerce A conversion of the Meier & Frank Warehouse in Northwest Portland is the focus of a June 8 site tour hosted by the Oregon chapter of the Construction Specifications Institute. The tour begins at...

Public to comment on Naito streetscape options.
June 2, 2004... Byline: Jessica Swanson Lango Hansen Landscape Architects will present two options for Naito Parkway's future streetscape design and guidelines for property owners at a public meeting on Thursday. The streetscape design is part of the...

Pacific Rim opens second office, grows commercial lending.
June 2, 2004... Byline: Aimee Curl After less than two years in business, Pacific Rim Mortgage has opened a second office in North Portland and continues to expand the commercial side of its lending operation. The company, which began with a focus on...

DeConstruction Services goes to work.
June 2, 2004... Byline: Rich Riegel The concept of deconstruction is simple: Salvage materials from a building before it's demolished. And to accomplish such a salvage operation, a growing number of people from around the Portland metro area use the...

Oregon Institute of Technology students show off work at software engineering expo.
June 2, 2004... Byline: Justin Stranzl Graduating seniors in Oregon Institute of Technology's Portland software engineering program will present their Senior Project Software Expo from 5 to 6:30 p.m. June 8 at the Capital Center in Beaverton. Nine...

Fish kills drive techniques for placing bridge piles.
June 3, 2004... Byline: Jessica Swanson The Oregon Department of Transportation has begun using the bubble curtain, a new technology in steel pile driving that is said to protect fish from the acoustic waves of driving steel piles into water with an...

Walking tour in Portland's Pearl District spotlights the past.
June 3, 2004... Byline: Justin Stranzl To some Portland residents who've witnessed the Northwest Industrial Triangle's progression over the past 20 years, the area has lost much of its former feel. But to Thomas Augustine, the art director who gave...

KPFF Consulting Engineers analyzes Lloyd Crossing water-use infrastructure.
June 3, 2004... Byline: Rich Riegel Water. It cannot be denied: What we as a society do to preserve the quality of water in the next few years and decades will be essential to the continuation of all life on this planet. Toward that goal, KPFF...

Trammell Crow moves forward on Wilsonville project.
June 3, 2004... Byline: Aimee Curl Trammell Crow Co. has announced the planned construction of two speculative buildings totaling 85,158 square feet in Wilsonville. The project is the final phase of the Canyon Creek Business Park, originally developed...

Army Corps announces winner of dredging contract in Oregon.
June 3, 2004... Byline: The Daily Journal of Commerce The Army Corps of Engineers has awarded nearly $4 million worth of maintenance dredging work in Oregon to an Illinois company. The company, Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Co., based in Oak Brook, will...

Cement shortage yet to strike Northwest.
June 4, 2004... Byline: Justin Stranzl While a cement shortage has threatened new construction projects in the Southeast and Gulf Coast regions of the country, contractors in Oregon and Washington say they've seen little evidence that the shortage is...

Multnomah County proceeds with intersection realignment.
June 4, 2004... Byline: Jessica Swanson A major intersection realignment with a ten-year history involving Multnomah County, the city of Gresham and grocery chain Albertson's is finally under construction this spring. The aim of the $5 million project...

Multnomah County land-use planning counter closed Mondays.
June 4, 2004... Byline: Aimee Curl Beginning June 7, the land-use planning counter at Mutlnomah County's John B. Yeon Facility will be closed to the public on Mondays. The counter will be open Tuesday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The...

Portland YouthBuilders recognized for erosion prevention on project.
June 4, 2004... Byline: Jessica Swanson Portland YouthBuilders, an alternative high school that teaches young people construction skills, received an award for erosion prevention on a recently completed single-family house at 8335 N. Johnswood Drive....

University of Oregon law professor Robert Tsai chosen for young faculty forum.
June 4, 2004... Byline: Jessica Swanson University of Oregon School of Law Assistant Professor Robert Tsai was selected to present a recent paper at the Stanford/Yale Junior Faculty Forum. His paper "Fire, Metaphor and Constitutional Myth-Making" - soon...

Development means future security for tribe.
June 7, 2004... Byline: Aimee Curl The Spirit Mountain Casino has not only surpassed Multnomah Falls as Oregon's most popular tourist attraction, it's a veritable landmark along Oregon Highway 18 as it winds its way west of Salem through vineyards and...

Oregon radio station renovates Redding theater.
June 7, 2004... Byline: Jessica Swanson A historic building owned by the state of Oregon is helping to change the face of a Northern California town. Over the last five years, the 70-year-old Cascade Theatre in Redding, Calif., has been transformed by an...

DEQ proposes interim cleanup plan for petroleum terminal.
June 7, 2004... Byline: The Daily Journal of Commerce The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality is seeking public input on a temporary plan to control petroleum contamination at a BP bulk petroleum terminal near the Willamette River in Northwest...

Open house will cover final phase of improvement project.
June 7, 2004... Byline: The Daily Journal of Commerce Washington County has scheduled a Wednesday open house to update the public about the next phase of an improvement project on Cornelius Pass Road. The open house, featuring representatives from the...

Project team, store owner turn building into jewelry showcase.
June 7, 2004... Byline: The Daily Journal of Commerce Like the simple velvet box that contains a finely crafted string of perfect pearls, the new home of Smith & Bevill Jewelers isn't a showplace on the outside. But step through the front door of the...

Harsch Investment buys two California shopping centers.
June 7, 2004... Byline: Aimee Curl Harsch Investment Properties recently announced the purchase of two community shopping centers in the Coachella Valley located east of Los Angeles in the Palm Desert area of Southern California. The Portland-based...

Work under way on casino lodge expansion.
June 8, 2004... Byline: Aimee Curl To keep pace with the growing demand for lodging at Spirit Mountain Casino, The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde is working to more than double the size of the casino's hotel. Utility and mass excavation has begun...

OSU engineering alum, Jim Poirot, mentors Peruvian student.
June 8, 2004... Byline: Jessica Swanson Harboring a lifelong philanthropic spirit, Oregon State University alumnus Jim Poirot has extended help to many that have crossed his path over the years. One young woman from Peru who offered him and his wife Raeda...

Metro approves amendments to industrial lands ordinance.
June 8, 2004... Byline: Aimee Curl The Metro Council last week approved five amendments to an ordinance that will add land to the tri-county urban growth boundary for industrial purposes. The changes modify Metro Chief Operating Officer Michael...

ODOT seeks transportation enhancement proposals.
June 8, 2004... Byline: Jessica Swanson The Oregon Department of Transportation is seeking proposals for projects that might qualify for funds in the federal Transportation Enhancement program. The Transportation Enhancement program provides federal...

Astral awards will honor marketing achievement.
June 8, 2004... Byline: The Daily Journal of Commerce Member of the Oregon chapter of the Society for Marketing Professional Services will gather Thursday to honor a few of their own during the group's annual Astral Awards, to be held this year at...

Grand Ronde, Siletz tribes will develop Keizer property.
June 9, 2004... Byline: Aimee Curl As part of an unusual partnership, The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and The Confederated Tribes of Siletz, are working together to develop a 15.6-acre property in Keizer. The land, which was deeded 50-50 to...

Camps cultivate science skills in all-girl environment.
June 9, 2004... Byline: Jessica Swanson Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Minimize or Maximize, Put to other uses, Eliminate or Elaborate, Reverse and Rearrange. SCAMPER - as the acronym reads - is the best tool "Fair Play: Design & Discovery" has to offer...

Awards honor best in stormwater management.
June 9, 2004... Byline: Justin Stranzl With one eye on preventing erosion and the other on reducing governmental workload, an awards competition last week recognized 26 construction projects that accomplished both goals. More than 170 people gathered...

Oregon Health & Science Univ. donates 45 acres of open space to city for park.
June 9, 2004... Byline: Aimee Curl Oregon Health & Science University will donate 45 acres of open space on the southern portion of its Marquam Hill campus to the city of Portland for park use. Mary Volm, director of communications for the city, said...

Raising the 'green' roof at The Oregon Garden.
June 9, 2004... Byline: The Daily Journal of Commerce The local building industry has more than a passing acquaintance with the idea of green rooftops. There are buildings in Oregon that boast the feature, and the city of Portland recently played host to...

Tribe's future projects may include NASCAR.
June 10, 2004... Byline: Aimee Curl Spokesman and tribal member Brent Merrill makes no apologies for The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde's grand ideas. "We think big," he said. "We are the descendents of chiefs." An entrepreneurial spirit,...

ODOT, contractors seek to stem risk on steel projects.
June 10, 2004... Byline: Jessica Swanson As steel prices continue to rise, the Oregon Department of Transportation is working on a way to stabilize the bidding process for future projects that will use large amounts of steel, such as bridges. Steel...

Portland firm guides Oregon Institute of Technology building overhaul.
June 10, 2004... Byline: Justin Stranzl With buildings from the 1960s dotting its Klamath Falls campus and a dynamic new residential facility on the way, the Oregon Institute of Technology wanted to bridge a gap between old and new. The institute got...

U of Oregon music school raises $2.5M for renovation.
June 11, 2004... Byline: Justin Stranzl Donors have pledged about $2.5 million to a University of Oregon capital campaign in support of a planned $15.2 million School of Music renovation. The capital campaign has until July 2007 to raise $7.6 million,...

Semiconductor company moves to Vancouver.
June 11, 2004... Byline: Aimee Curl Kokusai Semiconductor Equipment Corp., a subsidiary of Hitachi Kokusai Electric, will soon move all of its sales, marketing, service, training and parts distribution operations from Portland to Vancouver, Wash. The...

Multnomah County focuses on rural land use and transportation.
June 11, 2004... Byline: Jessica Swanson This summer, Multnomah County will host a series of open houses focused on transportation projects and land-use codes that will affect mainly incorporated areas of the county. The topics are combined in order to...

Specializing in port land pays off for Mitchell Nelson.
June 14, 2004... Byline: Aimee Curl John Nelson's phone is ringing off the hook these days. It's hard to steal much of his undivided attention without being interrupted by a port director from a rural community looking to tap into his expertise in...

Schools head to Montreal for building tips.
June 14, 2004... Byline: Justin Stranzl To get ideas on everything from space optimization to noise reduction, housing directors for state universities in Oregon will visit Montreal next week to meet with industry workers from around the globe. For...

Nonprofit shines light on energy-efficient electrical contractors.
June 14, 2004... Byline: Jessica Swanson Energy Trust of Oregon has recognized four electrical contractors and three lighting distributors for completing 80 lighting retrofit projects in 2003 and saving businesses almost four million kilowatt hours of...

Construction and development firms needed to host interns.
June 14, 2004... Byline: Aimee Curl Self Enhancement Inc. is looking for companies in the construction and development industries to host summer interns from June 28 to Aug. 13. The organization, a local nonprofit dedicated to underserved youth, still...

HEALING BY DESIGN: Walker Macy designs therapeutic gardens at Legacy hospital.
June 14, 2004... Byline: Rich Riegel Landscape architects and health care providers have collaborated numerous times to design what are known as therapeutic or restorative gardens. With several examples in the Portland area, a new hospital in...

HEALING BY DESIGN: Portland plays host to therapeutic gardens conference.
June 14, 2004... Byline: The Daily Journal of Commerce In a nod to the Portland area's therapeutic gardens, the seventh annual Legacy Health System Therapeutic Gardens Conference, co-sponsored by the Oregon chapter of the American Society of Landscape...

HEALING BY DESIGN: Master-planning approach serves up system of healthy opportunities.
June 14, 2004... Byline: The Daily Journal of Commerce What do most architects think of when they hear the term "healing environment"? Is it innovative technology, buildings and facilities planning? Or is it water features, artwork and views of lush...

Western Reliance Corp. buys Tigard office building.
June 14, 2004... Byline: Aimee Curl Western Reliance Corp. has recently purchased an office building at 11675 S.W. 66th Ave. in Tigard. Western Reliance initially will move into about 10,000 square feet of the 13,237-square-foot, Class B office...

Property owner calls aerial tram Local Improvement District unfair.
June 15, 2004... Byline: Aimee Curl The proposed Local Improvement District that would help pay for construction of the aerial tram that will connect Marquam Hill with the South Waterfront in Portland has one predominant property owner crying foul. ...

Landscape architect's community focus honored at U of Oregon.
June 15, 2004... Byline: Justin Stranzl Architect Christopher Alexander's "Oregon Experiment" permanently altered the Eugene landscape. Thirty years later, the University of Oregon School of Architecture and Allied Arts honored an alumnus who has...

Farm creates legacy in Southeast Portland.
June 15, 2004... Byline: Rich Riegel The U.S. Green Building Council has named Southeast Portland's Zenger Farm - Center for Sustainable Urban Landscapes farmhouse renovation as the Legacy Project for the upcoming Greenbuild International Conference & Expo...

Proposals for tram construction due today.
June 15, 2004... Byline: Aimee Curl Proposals for the construction manager/general contractor for Portland's aerial tram are due today. The request for proposals for the tram, which will connect the top of Marquam Hill with the South Waterfront, went...

Firm under investigation by Oregon Board of Architect Examiners.
June 15, 2004... Byline: Aimee Curl The Oregon Board of Architect Examiners is investigating whether the team designing an aerial tram in Portland worked on the project prior to being registered in Oregon. Los Angeles and Zurich, Switzerland-based...

Truckers, businesses asked to help pare down I-5 widening choices.
June 15, 2004... Byline: The Daily Journal of Commerce Trucking firms and businesses are being asked to attend a Wednesday meeting to help the Oregon Department of Transportation shape a proposed project to widen the southbound portion of Interstate 5...

Linda Craig to lead Grubb & Ellis' industrial group.
June 15, 2004... Byline: Aimee Curl Linda Craig is the first to admit that she wasn't much of a secretary. Her strengths lie in tangible things like square footage and ceiling heights. Her interests are in industrial things like rail cars and warehouses....

Anthropologie coming to the Brewery Blocks in Portland.
June 17, 2004... Byline: Aimee Curl Anthropologie, which sells both clothing and items for the home, has signed on for 9,000 square feet of space on the ground floor of Block 4 of Portland's Brewery Blocks development. It will be the Philadelphia-based...

Portland home show adopts green theme.
June 17, 2004... Byline: Justin Stranzl Builders of the Earth Advantage-certified homes in the fifth annual RE/MAX Street of New Beginnings didn't have to look far for ideas. The surroundings of their plots in the Nature's Ridge neighborhood of Cornelius...

BPA's Ampere Annex is 100th national LEED-certified project.
June 17, 2004... Byline: Rich Riegel The Pacific Northwest is setting the pace in the world of green, or sustainable, development - again. In late May it was announced the Bonneville Power Administration's Ampere Annex achieved LEED silver status,...

ODOT proceeds with I-5 widening in North Portland.
June 18, 2004... Byline: Jessica Swanson Four alternatives for widening and providing access to Interstate 5 between Delta Park and the Lombard Street interchange are being discussed by residents and business owners of North Portland this week. The...

OHSU expansion honored at Top Projects 2004 event.
June 18, 2004... Byline: Justin Stranzl An unlikely alliance of Portland general contractors paid off Wednesday when their $195.5 million Oregon Health & Science University project won two big awards at the Top Projects 2004 awards ceremony. Hoffman...

Five Oregon sites receive EPA brownfields grants.
June 18, 2004... Byline: Jessica Swanson Five Oregon projects have been awarded environmental cleanup and assessment grants totaling $900,000 from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as part of the agency's national brownfields redevelopment...

Multnomah Bar Association elects new officers, directors.
June 18, 2004... Byline: Jessica Swanson The Multnomah Bar Association recently elected new officers and directors for their Board of Directors. Newly named officers are: Sylvia E. Stevens, senior assistant general counsel at the Oregon State Bar, who will...

Portland-based SERA Architects uses 'front porch' concept so public can see them at work.
June 21, 2004... Byline: Jessica Swanson At nearly 38 years old, Portland firm SERA Architects Inc. is taking big leaps forward while reconnecting with a history that made the firm what it is today. Venturing well into the public eye during this period of...

Washington will administer lead-based paint training program.
June 21, 2004... Byline: Justin Stranzl A state department took control of Washington's Lead-Based Paint Training and Certification Program after Gov. Gary Locke completed an agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency earlier this month. ...

Home Builders Foundation awards scholarships to three Portland-area college students.
June 21, 2004... Byline: Justin Stranzl Three Portland-area community college students received scholarship awards from the Home Builders Foundation. The awards, part of the foundation's Community College Scholarship program, are to be applied to...

Oregon Transportation Commission to meet.
June 21, 2004... Byline: Jessica Swanson The Oregon Transportation Commission will meet at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday in the Classroom Conference Room of the Columbia Gorge Conference Center, 5000 Discovery Drive, in The Dalles. Commissioners will be asked...

Cedar Hills Crossing leases space to four new tenants.
June 21, 2004... Byline: Aimee Curl Cedar Hills Crossing, formerly known as the Beaverton Mall, has landed four new tenants. Pacific Sunwear has leased 4,600 square feet, Famous Footwear has leased 8,000 square feet, Cold Stone Creamery has leased...

'Big Ideas for Small Lots' competition to start.
June 22, 2004... Byline: Justin Stranzl Portland officials hope a new architectural design competition will narrow the divide between proponents of so-called "skinny" lots and their detractors. On 25-foot-wide lots in several city neighborhoods,...

Health care design changing to accommodate technology.
June 22, 2004... Byline: Jessica Swanson There has been a boom in the construction of medical centers across the country, including a large number of new facilities and additions in Oregon. These buildings are meeting new demands in patient care and...

Medical center will bring density to NW Portland.
June 23, 2004... Byline: Aimee Curl A new medical clinic rising in Northwest Portland is the first project to make use of a recent zoning change geared to bring density and a mix of uses to the neighborhood. The clinic, currently under construction,...

Small aggregate mining sites back in business.
June 23, 2004... Byline: Justin Stranzl A ruling last week by the Oregon Land Conservation and Development Commission has cleared the way for so-called "mom and pop" aggregate mines to open up shop again outside the Willamette Valley. The small mineral...

Sellwood Bridge weight limit reduced to 10 tons.
June 23, 2004... Byline: Jessica Swanson Multnomah County will reduce the weight limit on Portland's Sellwood Bridge from 32 tons to 10 tons starting June 28. The weight limits will restrict freight-carrying trucks from the bridge as well as TriMet bus...

First OTIA III bridge bonds sold; $75M refinanced.
June 23, 2004... Byline: Jessica Swanson The Oregon State Treasury last week completed the sale of $300 million in revenue bonds to finance 141 city and county bridge repair and replacement projects throughout Oregon. The bond issuance is the first under...

Mio Sushi to take space at The Round.
June 23, 2004... Byline: Aimee Curl Mio Sushi, a Japanese restaurant with five locations in Portland, recently signed a lease for 1,667 square feet at The Round in Beaverton. The lease brings the ground floor of the mixed-use development, built around...

Continuing education required for landscape architects.
June 23, 2004... Byline: The Daily Journal of Commerce The Oregon Landscape Architects Board has voted to require each licensed Oregon landscape architect to accumulate 24 professional development hours over a two-year period beginning July 1. The...

Longest suspension bridge in the world to be built in Italy.
June 23, 2004... Byline: The Daily Journal of Commerce A planned 2.05-mile single-span suspension bridge, the longest in the world, could connect the Italian mainland with Sicily by 2011. In May and June, officials from Italy traveled to New York City...

Otak Inc. CEO invests in Iraq and family.
June 24, 2004... Byline: Jessica Swanson Nawzad Othman is not stepping lightly back into his home country of Iraq. The CEO of Lake Oswego-based engineering and planning firm, Otak Inc., is on the ground, quickly building an empire of family and friends,...

Real estate, construction industry absent in UGB debate.
June 24, 2004... Byline: Aimee Curl As the debate over which industrial lands to include in the latest urban growth boundary expansion has heated up, the commercial real estate community and construction industry leaders have been noticeably absent,...

Select Onion to build new $5M facility in Ontario.
June 24, 2004... Byline: Aimee Curl Select Onion has announced it will build a $5 million, 50,000-square-foot production facility adjacent to its plant in Ontario, Ore. The company farms more than 10,000 acres in eastern Oregon's Treasure Valley and...

OSHA looks to keep injuries down as economy goes up.
June 24, 2004... Byline: Justin Stranzl Oregon OSHA officials hope a new safety program will keep workplace injuries from increasing as the state's economy grows. "Safe Jobs, Smart Business," an outreach program designed by Oregon OSHA's parent agency,...

OSHA seeks nominations for 2005 GOSH awards.
June 24, 2004... Byline: The Daily Journal of Commerce Oregon OSHA wants to recognize businesses, individuals and organizations in the state that make outstanding contributions to workplace safety and health. The agency, working under the umbrella of...