Daily Journal of Commerce, Portland articles from November 2003

Daily Journal of Commerce, Portland archives from November 2003

Online course helps students learn energy efficient design.
November 3, 2003... Byline: Rich Riegel A computer program and online class developed at the University of Oregon will help architects and building designers create more energy-efficient buildings.The software program is called "Energy Scheming." There's also...

U of Oregon architecture professor lends ideas to industry.
November 3, 2003... Byline: Rich Riegel When it comes to having bright ideas, there's the cliche vision of light bulbs popping over people's heads.In University of Oregon architecture professor G.Z. "Charlie" Brown's case, it more likely involves a...

Expansion holds true to ReBuilding Center's mission.
November 3, 2003... Byline: Ray Hughey With its warehouse bulging at the seams with recycled construction materials, the ReBuilding Center in North Portland is expanding.The center, which opened in 1998, carries one of the area's largest varieties of used...

Law professor brings Enron case experience to classroom.
November 4, 2003... Byline: Jessica Swanson Lewis & Clark Law School professor John Kroger is straightforward in summing up his philosophy of service: "I think that when the U.S. government asks you to do something, and it's within your capability, you ought...

Union Gospel to expand LifeChange Center downtown.
November 4, 2003... Byline: Ray Hughey The Portland Union Gospel Mission will be able to increase the size of its long-term addiction recovery program with the construction of a new $3.8 million five-story LifeChange Center at Northwest Third Avenue and...

Turning brownfields to green.
November 4, 2003... Byline: Aimee Curl Some developers look at potentially contaminated former industrial sites and see high risk, lost money and time wasted.Others see opportunity.In Portland, two of the city's most influential urban redevelopment projects...

City, state looking at ways to encourage cleanup.
November 4, 2003... Byline: Aimee Curl It's difficult if not impossible to make brownfields clean up and redevelopment feasible without some kind of public help.That help is available and more is on the way.City and state officials are looking for creative...

Riverplace project key turning point for city, DEQ.
November 4, 2003... Byline: Aimee Curl Work to clean up Portland's waterfront began long before the term brownfields was ever a glimmer in the eye of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.A critical part of this cleanup involved turning what was once a log...

Expo designed to level playing field for emerging businesses.
November 5, 2003... Byline: Jessica Swanson Almost 300 small business owners and government representatives will converge Thursday at the Kingstad Meeting Center in Beaverton for "Governor's Marketplace," the fourth annual contract bidding expo presented by...

Wanted: Home builders for new development.
November 5, 2003... Byline: Ray Hughey The Housing Authority of Portland is seeking builder proposals for the first 76 home lots in the New Columbia neighborhood redevelopment.HAP issued a request Monday for proposals for the first phase of home lot sales for...

Pacific Metal picks Tualatin built-to-suit.
November 5, 2003... Byline: Aimee Curl After nearly two years of looking for a way to stay in Portland, Pacific Metal Co. has found a new home in Tualatin.The company, which spent more than 20 years on North Macadam Avenue, is being displaced by the...

70-year-old Tom Hekker heeds adventure's call.
November 6, 2003... Byline: Ray Hughey Tom Hekker has put in a lot of hard work in his 70 years. But ever the adventurer, he has also found time to follow a few fancies.Not that work is all that bad. Hekker runs Northwest Solar Structures Inc., a company he...

South Waterfront Greenway design open house Saturday.
November 6, 2003... Byline: Aimee Curl Design work has begun on the South Waterfront Greenway, and the public will get a sneak peak and a chance to comment during an open house Saturday.In addition to an opportunity to review design options, those attending...

Residents along Mount Hood Safety Corridor voice concerns about increase in traffic deaths.
November 7, 2003... Byline: Ray Hughey Concerned about a steep increase in traffic deaths this year, residents along the Mount Hood Safety Corridor will meet Wednesday with elected officials and Oregon Department of Transportation representatives. Thirteen...

Traded Vancouver port land not developable.
November 7, 2003... Byline: Aimee Curl The 542 acres of the Columbia Gateway that the Port of Vancouver relinquished last month as part of a deal with bird conservationist Paul King was not developable and would likely have been used for mitigation.The port...

Junk haulers use e-tools to market their service.
November 7, 2003... Byline: Jessica Swanson Tom Maryschak's brother was working in the call center at the "Junktion" - the Vancouver, British Columbia, headquarters of North American junk haulers 1-800-GOT-JUNK? - when a franchising opportunity opened in...

Portland-based Squier Associates merges with San Diego-based Kleinfelder Inc.
November 10, 2003... Byline: Ray Hughey Portland-area geotechnical and environmental engineering firm Squier Associates Inc. has merged with the larger, San Diego-based Kleinfelder Inc., creating a new company called Squier/Kleinfelder.The $175 million...

Portland-based Ashforth Pacific submits proposal for Oregon Convention Center hotel.
November 10, 2003... Byline: Aimee Curl Local development and property management company Ashforth Pacific Inc. is one of eight firms that submitted proposals for an Oregon Convention Center headquarters hotel.The company - which owns roughly 20 blocks in the...

Doppelmayr CTEC will supply aerial tram from Oregon Health & Science University to waterfront.
November 10, 2003... Byline: Aimee Curl Doppelmayr CTEC will supply and install equipment for the aerial tram that will run from Oregon Health & Science University to the South Waterfront District.Representatives from Portland Aerial Transportation Inc....

Forest Grove and Washington County sponsor open house on proposed improvements to Sunset Drive.
November 10, 2003... Byline: Jessica Swanson The city of Forest Grove and the Washington County Department of Land Use and Transportation are hosting an open house from 4 to 7 p.m. Nov. 24 to exhibit proposed improvements being considered for Sunset Drive, a...

Emergency bridge repair earns award for Clackamas County's Dept. of Transportation and Development.
November 10, 2003... Byline: Staff An emergency repair of Eagle Creek Bridge has earned a national award for Clackamas County's Department of Transportation and Development.The department received the Public Works Project of the Year Award in the category of...

Portland-based Green Building Services adds LEED-certified consultant.
November 10, 2003... Byline: Staff As the concept of creating green - or environmentally sustainable - buildings sweeps the country, one Portland firm is growing in time with the trend.Green Building Services, a consulting service and business unit of Portland...

Construction begins on Mount Hood resort.
November 12, 2003... Byline: Aimee Curl Developer Kirk Hanna has a vision for Mount Hood and Government Camp. He sees a year-round resort, not only for day-trippers, but with hundreds of condominiums, a hotel and conference center and an aerial tram that...

St. Johns Bridge swathed in material to keep toxic paint chips from falling in river.
November 12, 2003... Byline: Ray Hughey It looks like the St. Johns Bridge has pulled on its winter woolens.But the white britches seemingly worn by the bridge's west tower are designed to contain toxic paint chips - not to keep out the cold.The white...

Architects, engineers, others drive Flexcar growth.
November 12, 2003... Byline: Jessica Swanson Flexcar's an easy sell to its demographic - college-educated, white-collar Portland residents who live close in. But it's an even easier sell to one group of businesses.According to Steve Gutmann, who works in...

Oregon Museum of Science and Industry considers property for expansion.
November 12, 2003... Byline: Aimee Curl The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry is considering purchasing a 6.64-acre parcel of waterfront property adjacent to its main building.The additional land would help the growing facility relieve pressures on its...

Port of Portland sells Terminal 1 land to Emerson.
November 13, 2003... Byline: Aimee Curl After nearly a decade of eyeing the property, Emerson Hardwood Co. will purchase about 2.5 acres of the 32-acre Terminal 1 from the Port of Portland for $2.1 million.The Port Commission unanimously approved the sale...

Portland home builders honor city commissioner.
November 13, 2003... Byline: Ray Hughey The Home Builders Association of Metropolitan Portland will honor Portland City Commissioner Randy Leonard Saturday, when he becomes the first recipient of the association's Lincoln Award for Commitment to Community...

Timberline Lodge design competition deadline extended.
November 13, 2003... Byline: Jessica Swanson Friends of Timberline Lodge will wait two-and-a-half more months for the best entries in its national competition to redesign the historic inn's snow entrance. The deadline for preliminary drawings from architects,...

North Clackamas residents seek community center.
November 13, 2003... Byline: Jessica Swanson Citizens in the Sunnyside area of Clackamas County met Monday to discuss a proposal to construct a community center east of Interstate 205. The committee's goal is to create a comprehensive plan for a 2004 bond...

Portland's Design Advice Request program deemed a success by area developer.
November 14, 2003... Byline: Aimee Curl Thanks to the city's new Design Advice Request program, the developer of 24th Place Condominiums already has the pulse of the Portland Design Commission before even beginning the approval process. Zoning of the...

Canby Pioneer Industrial Park offers 225 acres of recently annexed industrial sites for sale.
November 14, 2003... Byline: Jessica Swanson Canby Pioneer Industrial Park opened for business this week, offering up to 225 acres of recently annexed "shovel-ready" industrial sites for sale and build-to-suit. In March, local residents voted to annex 151...

Portland's Lloyd Center opens new gateway walkway to tenants.
November 14, 2003... Byline: Ray Hughey Portland's Lloyd Center is rolling out a new welcome mat to the surrounding community and preparing to welcome some new tenants. One of those new tenants might be a new Ross Dress for Less store. The Lloyd Center...

Construction worker survives bridge fall.
November 17, 2003... Byline: Ray Hughey A 33-year-old construction worker on St. Johns Bridge fell Thursday from a platform 200 feet above ground, stopping his descent by clinging to a piece of equipment hose. Drake Williams of Corbett told Portland Fire...

Report declares Portland and NW prime for smart energy.
November 17, 2003... Byline: Aimee Curl Business leaders and city officials have been searching for the next big thing, the spark that's going to create jobs and drive economic development for the next chapter of the region's history. A collaboration of...

Industrial Lands Advisory Committee appointed.
November 17, 2003... Byline: Ray Hughey State Economic Development Director Marty Brantley recently appointed the state's first Industrial Lands Advisory Committee. The group's charge will be to assist in the identification of 25 shovel-ready sites statewide....

Verboort celebrates completion of rural roundabouts.
November 17, 2003... Byline: Jessica Swanson Last Friday's celebration in Verboort was a community thank-you for years of preliminary work and four months of road closures on a heavily commuted route that stretches about 10 miles from Oregon Highway 26 at...

Comment sought on downtown urban renewal.
November 18, 2003... Byline: Aimee Curl The Portland Development Commission will hold a public hearing Wednesday to gain input on whether to keep the Downtown Waterfront Urban Renewal Area alive. The area, created in 1974 and one of 10 citywide, is...

TriMet orients tracking technology to riders via Web.
November 18, 2003... Byline: Jessica Swanson Busy downtown commuters are desperate to know when their buses are coming - even when they've memorized the schedules. Now, because of a technology recently refined for wireless-users of TriMet, the day's commute...

Tualatin Indoor Soccer Field opens.
November 18, 2003... Byline: Ray Hughey The Portland area's newest indoor soccer field brings wide-open spaces indoors. The developers of the Tualatin Indoor Soccer Center, which opened its doors Oct. 23, built the sports arena with high ceilings and no...

S.D. Deacon employees build Thanksgiving tradition.
November 18, 2003... Byline: Ray Hughey Employees at the Portland office of contractor S.D. Deacon Corp. are building their own giving tradition as they prepare for the second year to conduct a Thanksgiving drive to raise food and money for a charity. The...

New member attends first Portland Development Commission meeting.
November 19, 2003... Byline: Aimee Curl Eric Parsons, Portland Development Commission's newest member, will attend his first monthly meeting today. Parsons was appointed to the commission by Mayor Vera Katz and confirmed by the Portland City Council...

Firm to develop ODOT design-build program.
November 19, 2003... Byline: Jessica Swanson The Oregon Department of Transportation's fledgling design-build program has grown from $20 million a year to $200 million a year with the allocation of Oregon Transportation Investment Act dollars - and under the...

Society for Marketing Professional Services forging international ties.
November 19, 2003... Byline: Rich Riegel The national Society for Marketing Professional Services wants to forge alliances with organizations on an international basis, and Oregon chapter member David Mastroieni is helping lead the charge. He just returned...

New bilingual safety program available from Oregon OSHA.
November 20, 2003... Byline: Jessica Swanson As Oregon's work force diversifies, safety for those who do not speak English has become a potential pitfall on the job site - and a priority among safety officials. The Oregon division of the Occupational...

Kettle Foods goes solar.
November 20, 2003... Byline: Aimee Curl Kettle Foods, a Salem company long known for its sustainable business sensibility, is now home to the biggest solar installation in the Northwest. The 616-panel, 114-kilowatt, 8,000-square-foot solar project sits...

Church sanctuary soars to new heights.
November 20, 2003... Byline: Ray Hughey The new $9 million sanctuary that Andersen Construction Co. is building as an addition to Sunset Presbyterian Church on Cornell Road in Washington County will rise 60 feet into the sky at its highest point. The...

Stueve and Royce Architecture Inc. designs state-of-the-art facility for Research Data Designs.
November 21, 2003... Byline: Ray Hughey Stueve and Royce Architecture Inc. had to keep inquiring minds in mind when it designed a state-of-the art focus group facility for Research Data Design Inc. The marketing research firm specializes in collecting...

Portland-based Sewing Center Supply signs lease and brings Southshore Corporate Park to 100 percent.
November 21, 2003... Byline: Aimee Curl In a deal that brings Southshore Corporate Park to full occupancy, Sewing Center Supply Inc. has signed on for 84,192 square feet. The local craft and sewing supply company will more than double its space in the move...

Salem tackles $14M rehabilitation of Franzen Reservoir.
November 21, 2003... Byline: Dan Carter The city of Salem is diving into a $14 million project to rehabilitate the Franzen Reservoir. Located southeast of Salem, the 100-million-gallon reservoir supplies the city with most of its drinking water. It's a...

Portland State Univ. closer to buying downtown Doubletree Hotel.
November 24, 2003... Byline: Aimee Curl Portland State University got one step closer last week in its quest to purchase a downtown Doubletree hotel and turn it into a dormitory. In a 3-1 vote, the Portland Development Commission approved two resolutions,...

'Visionary' creates museums through consensus building.
November 24, 2003... Byline: Jessica Swanson Portland architect Don Stastny has said he is grateful for the "moccasin telegraph," a word-of-mouth seal of approval that travels from one tribal nation to another as he successfully navigates each new American...

Reyes Engineering's hybrid design powers Hawaiian project.
November 24, 2003... Byline: Ray Hughey While water may not mix well with oil, a Portland electrical engineering firm is working to show it goes great with sunlight, as far as renewable energy is concerned. Reyes Engineering Inc. of Portland is designing a...

International Erosion Control Assn. preps for conference.
November 24, 2003... Byline: Staff The Pacific Northwest Chapter of the International Erosion Control Association will hold its annual conference Dec. 8 to 12 at Skamania Lodge, located in the Columbia River Gorge about 45 minutes from Portland. Michael...

New Web site provides access to wage determinations.
November 24, 2003... Byline: Staff The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division has announced the official launch of its new Wage Determination On-Line program. The Web site - http://www.wdol.gov - provides ready access to wage determinations...

Expanded museum pays tribute to Pendleton's heritage.
November 24, 2003... Byline: Jessica Swanson By nine in the morning on the eve of Pendleton's Heritage Station Museum grand reopening, Portland architect Don Stastny was at the door ready to "dust and sweep," said Julie Reese, museum executive director. ...

EastRidge Business Park to bring all property mgmt. duties in-house.
November 24, 2003... Byline: Aimee Curl T.J. Fontenette, managing principal at EastRidge Business Park in Vancouver, Wash., announced earlier this month that the family-owned business park will bring all property management duties in-house, effectively ending...

Company rises from Oregon City, Vancouver.
November 25, 2003... Byline: Ray Hughey Advanced American Diving Service of Oregon City and the M Cutter Co. of Vancouver, Wash., have reorganized under a newly created parent company, Advanced American Construction Inc. Advanced American Diving and M...

State allocates $21.4 million to Oregon university tech programs.
November 25, 2003... Byline: Jessica Swanson The Oregon State Board of Higher Education on Friday approved $21.4 million in funding to grow engineering and technology programs at Oregon's seven state universities, Oregon Health & Science University and OHSU's...

Facelift planned for Bend's Mountain View Mall.
November 25, 2003... Byline: Aimee Curl In booming Central Oregon, where change is the only constant these days, major renovations proposed for Bend's Mountain View Mall are simply a sign of the times. "We want to add to the tenants we have now to reflect...

ODOT developing road user fee pilot program.
November 26, 2003... Byline: Jessica Swanson The Oregon Department of Transportation is cramming for a test. And passing, says Road User Fee Task Force Administrator James Whitty, is the only option. The design phase of a much-anticipated road user fee...

Simple dreams spur big business for landscape firm.
November 26, 2003... Byline: Ray Hughey Twenty-nine years ago, Tony DeSantis started his DeSantis Landscapes in Salem with a pickup truck and a wheelbarrow. "When I started out, I just hoped to do work I loved to do and hopefully make a living at it," said...

Compromise sought for harbor's future, but vision varied.
November 26, 2003... Byline: Aimee Curl It's not everyday that representatives from industry and the city, neighborhoods and the port, the federal government and the confederated tribes sit shoulder to shoulder and talk about their vision for the Portland...

Portland firms win design-build competition for construction of Calif. State Univ. green building.
November 28, 2003... Byline: Ray Hughey Portland-based Swinerton Builders and Danco Builders of Arcata, Calif., have teamed up to construct the first green building to go gold in California State University's 23-campus system. Working as a joint venture...