Mayor Sam Adams

If you've ever seen a production of Eugene O'Neill's play Long Day's Journey Into Night, you know that families are, well...complicated.  If you haven't seen one, consider the fact that O'Neill stipulated that the play -- a very frank portrait of his own troubled family in the early 20th century, with all of its bruises and peculiarities -- was not to see the light of day until 25 years after his death.  In spite, or more likely because, of the deeply personal treatment of heavy subject matter, Long Day's Journey Into Night  is considered by many to be the high point of the American theatrical tradition.

Thankfully, in contrast to the strained relationships and doomed interactions of the play's Tyrone family, the international cast of world-class actors playing that family in the production of Long Day's Journey Into Night currently running in downtown Portland's Newmark Theatre is the very picture of healthy collaboration.  The show is a co-production of Australia's prestigious Sydney Theatre Company and Portland's own Artists Repertory Theatre (ART) featuring the likes of Oscar-winner William Hurt, grande dame of the Australian stage, Robyn Nevin, and ART's own Todd Van Voris, whom you might remember from his turn as Iago earlier this year.

Portland is home to talented actors, directors, set-designers, costumers and other theatrically-oriented artists who produce vibrant, exciting work year-round, but this production of Long Day's Journey Into Night is an exciting opportunity to watch our local theater community in creative dialogue with their peers from the other side of the globe.  The result is a conversation that not only enriches the artists participating in it and the audience members watching it take place, but also the entirety of the city hosting it.

Tickets for the final week of the Artists Repertory Theatre and Sydney Theatre Company co-production of Long Day's Journey Into Night are available here. The show closes on September 5, 2010. 

We wish our new Australian theater friends a fantastic last week in Portland.  Thank you for your work, and we hope to see you again soon!

Portland Seeking New Members for the City’s
Bicycle Advisory Committee 

 

• Interested in knowing first-hand about issues affecting bicycling in Portland?
• Want to work to make Portland a better bicycling city?
• Want to be in a position to officially advise City Council and City staff on matters relating to bicycling?

If yes, then consider applying to be a member of Portland’s Bicycle Advisory Committee.

The Portland Zine Symposium defines a "zine" as "a self-published magazine usually produced by one person or a small group of people."  That being the case, Mayor Adams and the Portland City Council commemorated the 10th Annual Portland Zine Symposium in the most appropriate way possible - with a self-published document of their own.

On the morning of Wednesday, August 8, 2010 Mayor Adams read an official city proclamation aloud in City Council that designated the weekend of August 28 and 29, 2010 as being in recognition of the Zine Symposium's first decade of existence, making it already the oldest zine-oriented gathering anywhere in the world.  On hand to speak a bit about the Zine Symposium in front of Council and a chamber full of zine afficionados were three of the event's organizers and champions of our local DIY publishing culture: Christina "Blue" Crow, Justin Hocking, and Alex Wrekk.  We were unable to hand-illustrate the proceedings and publish it as a zine, so this video will have to suffice as documentation of the historic moment (and the text of the proclamation is at this bottom of this post for good measure):

The Portland Zine Symposium is a free event open to the public and will be in full, grassroots swing this weekend at PSU.  Zinesters, comic-makers, artists, writers and independent publishing enthusiasts from near and far will come together for countless workshops, panels, discussions, zine-trades, and fun-inducing events.

What: The 10th Annual Portland Zine Symposium
Theme: "Zine Arcade!"
Where: Peter W. Stott Main Gym, Portland State University, Portland, Oregon SW 10th & Hall)
When: Saturday, August 28th, from 10:00am until 5:00pm and Sunday, August 29th, 10:00am until 4:00pm
Who: Presented by local zinesters, comic makers, artists, and writers. Attended by independent publishing enthusiasts from all over the world!
Why: To promote greater community between diverse creators of independent publications and art. This fun and free event helps people share their work while exchanging their skills and information related to zine culture. Through workshops, panels and discussions, Portland Zine Symposium explores the role and effect of all types of zines.

FREE!

Official City of Portland Proclamation in Recognition of the 10th Annual Portland Zine Symposium:

Whereas, the significance of zines and independent publishing is recognized throughout the world by the existence and celebration of International Zine Month; and

Whereas, zines create an outlet for any person anywhere to express themselves and share their ideas; and

Whereas, the creation, publication and distribution of zines and independently made publications is a manifestation of our First Amendment Rights; and

Whereas, zines provide a forum for all ideas, stories and histories to be shared regardless of class, race, age, gender, religion, and sexuality; and

Whereas, Portland represents a city in support of independent and self publishing individuals representing their own unique voices; and

Whereas, Portland is home to such institutions as the Independent Publishing Resource Center as well countless other organizations and small businesses which support zine publishing and distribution; and

Whereas, the Portland Zine Symposium is a conference and zine social exploring facets of independent publishing and D.I.Y. culture; and

Whereas, the Portland Zine Symposium is celebrating its tenth anniversary, making it the longest running zine conference;

I, Sam Adams, Mayor of the City of Portland, Oregon, the "City of Roses," do hereby proclaim August 28th and 29th, 2010 to be a weehend in recognition of the 10th Annual Portland Zine Symposium in Portland, and encourage all residents to observe this weekend.

It was pretty exciting when we first landed Leverage, and even more exciting to get them back for Season 3. So, to have them get the greenlight for Season 4 and be officially coming back to Portland next year for filming means we have a pretty good thing going.

Thanks to Vince Porter at the Governor's Office of Film & Television, Natalie Sept and I had the chance to visit the set with Commissioner Nick Fish this summer and here's what we heard about:

• Jobs: like, 200 of them. Leverage's production company, Electric Entertainment, has certainly brought in the stars like Timothy Hutton et al but it also employs a lot of really great local talent for cast and crew. Leverage highlighted this little fact by handing out 75,000 $2 bills as their per diem this year, just so we could have a visual reminder of the effect in our local economy.
• Support for local business: economists like to call it the "multiplier effect." Apparently, it's not just the people who get hired on the set who experience economic benefits from film production in Portland. Check it out: Michal Orczyk writes the Intern Report over at Oregon's Film Office, enjoy Film Industry a Budding Market for Portland Florist and Even Movie Stars Need a Two-by-Four. Next installment coming this Friday at Oregon Confluence.
• Electric Entertainment enjoys filming here--people in Portland are really quite nice. So, Portlanders, I ask you, what's next for Electric Entertainment & Portland? Another TV series? Leverage's Christian Kane concerts in the parks, perhaps?
• As we prepare for Legislative Session 2011... in a tough budget climate, it's even more important than ever that we understand exactly how Oregon's film incentive program is working and could use expanding.

Both the Oregon Production Investment Fund (OPIF) and Greenlight Labor Rebate programs are set to sunset January 1, 2012. These two programs are the primary marketing and sales tool for the recruitment of film and television productions to Oregon. In addition, the Greenlight Labor Rebate is a valuable tool for the commercial production industry and enabling local companies to not only sustain their business and workforce but also increase their business. OPIF was created in 2003 and it went into effect in 2005. Greenlight was enacted in 2005 and went into effect in 2007. Further, the City of Portland supports this industry through The Mayor's Office of Film & Video at the Portland Development Commission.

OPINION: Our proximity to Los Angeles makes a play at this industry a no-brainer.

FACT: The motion picture industry is a $11.5-13.6 billion trade surplus industry.

FACT: There are 40 states competing for this long-term industry through tax incentive programs.

FACT: 2009 forged $62 million in production--compare to 2008 at around $37 million and we were at around $2 million before we had an incentive program.

FACT: There is only one place in the U.S. that gets significant film work without an incentive program--Las Vegas, NV.

OPINION: We need to build the Strip or we need to continue to be in the incentive system…and expand it in a way that is both reasonable and gets us the highest return on investment.

Stay tuned for more on this as legislative session nears, but for now, answer all your questions on the incentive program here, apply for a job and move this industry forward here and read a recent review on this week's Leverage episode, "The Rashomon Job" here.

Portland is a city filled with musicians and bands.  We have a regular opportunity to see most of these groups perform, whether it's a garage rock band at a local art space, the Oregon Symphony at the Schnitz, or anything in between. There are, however, local musical ensembles whose performances the general public doesn't often have the opportunity to enjoy on their own aesthetic merits because they happen in solemn, professional, sacred or closed contexts. 

One such group is the Portland Police Highland Guard (PPHG), a traditional bagpipe and percussion band consisting of public safety and peacekeeping professionals from the Portland area.  The PPHG's central role is to honor and commemorate fallen police officers and firefighters throughout the Pacific Northwest at memorials, funerals and parades.

The PPHG takes its duty seriously, but they also have a real passion and enthusiasm for their art form, which they will be presenting to public in a decidedly more light-hearted mode this Friday, August 20.  The band will be playing a concert in conjunction with an interactive screening of the film When the Pipers Play, a screen history of the bagpipe and its effects on people in times of war and peace.  The event is free to the public and will take place at the Scottish Rite Center in southwest Portland.

Portland Police Highland Guard Pipe Band Concert + Film Screening

Friday, August 20

Scottish Rite Center (709 SW 15th Ave. Portland, OR)

Social Hour 7pm / Show 8pm

FREE

Take this rare opportunity to hear some great live music, get to know some music-loving police officers, learn a bit of history, and acknowledge the important public service that the PPHG provides in our community.  Here's a teaser:

EQUITY Bike Ride
Thursday, August 26th at 6:30 p.m.

The ride will be about six miles and begins at IRCO, the Immigrant and Refugee Center of Oregon.

Join ODOT, PBOT, Audubon Society of Oregon, Community Cycling Center, Bicyclists of Color, East Portland Action Plan and Friends of Trees on a ride along the I-205 Multi-Use Path and surrounding neighborhoods.

Learn about local efforts underway that address economic, racial, environmental, and geographical equity such as these projects from ODOT:

• Planting thousands of trees in land adjacent to the I-205 path, in partnership with Friends of Trees and with funding from Metro's Nature in Neighborhood Capital Grant program and the community, neighbors and volunteers.
• Added lighting from the Lents area south to Clackamas Town Center, making good use of federal stimulus funding.
  

Vestas Chooses Portland for Permanent Headquarters, Strengthening Portland and Oregon as Nation's Capital of Sustainable Energy Businesses
Portland's Economic Development Strategy helps to successfully secure international wind turbine manufacturer

Today's announcement by Vestas is a massive victory for Portland. Vestas' permanent headquarters decision strengthens Portland and Oregon as the nation's capital of sustainable energy businesses. Through our joint public/private efforts, we were able to retain 400 living wage jobs, put 450 construction workers back to work and pave the way for 100 to 200 new jobs in the next five years. The decision speaks to the strength of our strategic economic development plan, which focuses on leveraging our competitive advantages and sustainable leadership to create jobs and grow local businesses. For more information on the strategy, click here.

The combination of Vestas – a global leader in clean technology – partnering with our local world-class green building professionals speaks to the true depth of Portland's green economy.

I want to thank Vestas for making this commitment to our City and to all of the partners who made this possible. I would especially like to thank Governor Kulongoski and Business Oregon, Portland's Federal delegation – specifically Senator Wyden, Senator Merkley and Congressman Blumenauer, Congressman Wu and Congressman Schrader, the entire team at Gerding Edlen Development and the Portland Development Commission.

NEWS RELEASE from Vestas Americas:

 

 

Vestas to Move North American Headquarters to Historic Meier & Frank Depot Building in 2012
Historic space in Portland's Pearl District will be transformed into LEED Platinum-certified building

PORTLAND, Ore. — Vestas, the world's leader in producing high-tech wind power systems, announced today it will move its North American sales and service headquarters into the historic Meier & Frank Depot Building at 1417 NW Everett St. in Portland's Pearl District.

Gerding Edlen Development, Inc., will transform the sturdy structure, vacant since 2001, into one of Portland's newest and distinctive buildings. Construction is expected to begin in October 2010. Vestas plans to occupy the space in early 2012. The building will be designed with the intent to achieve LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum certification. There are only 15 buildings in Portland designated as LEED Platinum, the highest rating given by the U.S. Green Building Council.

Gerding Edlen, headquartered in Portland, Ore., is one of the nation's largest developers of LEED-certified properties having developed more than 40 LEED projects since the inception of the U.S. Green Building Council.

Built in 1928, the Meier & Frank Depot Building will undergo a complete historic renovation. When redeveloped, the building will be 172,000 square feet that will include a 22,000 square-foot addition on the fifth floor complete with an ecoroof terrace and gardens. Additionally, the building will have what is believed to be the largest roof-mounted solar energy array in Portland's central business district. The total project cost for the developer is estimated at $66 million.

"We are making a long-term commitment to Portland," said Martha Wyrsch, president of Vestas-American Wind Technology, Inc. "As a company devoted to wind power, it makes sense for us to be part of a community that so strongly supports clean energy."

Working with its development team, Vestas will maintain the integrity of the building's historic façade. Construction plans call for: contiguous, open work space on five floors; a central auditorium to accommodate up to 250 people; a cafeteria; locker facilities; ample parking; and bicycle storage.

The building plans to include environmentally friendly construction and design such as:

• A system that will collect rainwater for reuse in the building
• Raised-access flooring with under-floor mechanical ventilation
• Insulated exterior walls and thermally insulated operable windows to reduce energy use
• A central, multi-story atrium to provide natural light and reduce energy use

"I am so pleased that Vestas is making a long-term commitment to grow their business here in Portland," said Mayor Sam Adams. "Today's announcement shows the success of working strategically to grow quality jobs by building on our competitive advantage as a leader in clean technology and sustainable industries. Moreover, our joint efforts mean that local architects, construction workers and engineers will get to work now converting a Portland landmark into one of the most energy-efficient buildings in the United States."

Vestas, which employs nearly 400 people in Portland, has occupied its primary building at 1881 SW Naito Parkway since 2004. It also houses employees in two other buildings nearby and another, an IT center, on SW Washington Street. Employees in these four buildings will move to the new headquarters. Vestas also employs 14 people at its training facility near Portland International Airport. These employees will remain in their current location.

"We are intent on growing," Wyrsch said. "Our new headquarters gives us the flexibility to accommodate up to 600 employees."

The second floor also can be converted from parking to office space to accommodate an additional 250 employees, if necessary, bringing the total capacity to 850.

"This is a great day for Vestas, for the City of Portland and for the state," Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski said. "This building represents the very best in public and private partnerships. Our collective investments in this project will pay off now and in the future in the form of more green jobs in Portland. It also will establish a stronger renewable energy foundation for Oregon as a whole."

When complete, Vestas will occupy a majority of the building. Tenant and retail space will be available on the first floor.

The building renovation team is led by Gerding Edlen Development, Inc., in association with GBD Architects, Glumac, KPFF, HHPR, Peter Meijer Architects, Skanska and Ankrom Moisan Architects.

Vestas' Portland employees work in such fields as engineering, sales, project management, training, technology, accounting, human resources, legal services and marketing, among others. Vestas, which employs about 2,400 people in the United States and Canada, also has 30 full-time employees in central and eastern Oregon who maintain and service wind turbines.

Vestas first moved its North American headquarters, along with 75 employees, from Palm Springs, Calif., to Portland in 2002. The first Vestas office in Portland was at 111 SW Columbia Street. Vestas occupied the space for about two years before moving into its current location in 2004.

About Vestas
Vestas, the world leader in producing high-tech wind power systems, has supplied more than 40,500 turbines globally since 1979. Vestas sold its first wind turbine in North America in 1981 and since has supplied more than 11,000 turbines to the United States and Canada. Vestas' North American headquarters employs about 1,200 people in sales and service positions across the continent. The company's North American manufacturing operations are based in Colorado. This includes a blade factory in Windsor, a nacelle factory in Brighton and a tower factory — the world's largest — in Pueblo. Vestas has research and development offices in Texas, Wisconsin, Massachusetts and Colorado. Vestas' global headquarters is in Randers, Denmark.

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Do you want to have a meaningful impact in sustaining and growing the Portland film industry? Do you have the experience and skills it takes? Here's your chance to answer that question and more by applying for the liaison position in the Mayor's Office of Film and Video at the Portland Development Commission. Check out more here and follow instructions here.

Position Summary: The liaison plans, organizes, coordinates, implements, reviews and participates in small to moderate sized projects and programs related to the development of Portland’s creative community, specifically in the areas of film & video, digital media, animation and related industries and supports implementation of the City’s five-year Economic Development Strategy and leads business retention, expansion and recruitment projects and initiatives to support the aforementioned industries.

Primary duties include preparing, coordinating and conducting business and industry research, retention and recruitment activities/projects, implementing industry plans, coordinating, preparing and reviewing documents for retention, expansion and recruitment prospects, working with start-up firms, and serving as the City of Portland’s primary liaison to the film & video industry. The liaison works closely with City, State, Regional and Federal agencies, businesses, industry associations and private developers to ensure projects and programs are consistent with City’s economic development goals, standards and policies and contributes to the PDC and the City’s development and neighborhood revitalization goals through participation on geographically focused teams.