City grants boost East Portland business association projects

Read what Portland City Commissioner Sam Adams had to say, before grant checks were given to the Gateway Area, Midway, Division/Clinton, 82nd Ave. of Roses, and Woodstock business associations …

Portland City Commissioner Sam Adams meets and greets leaders of neighborhood business associations, at the grant awards celebration held on January 22.

Story and photos by David F. Ashton
Leaders of many East Portland business associations celebrated and dined for good reason on January 22 – they were picking up a grant checks totaling $82,125.

The event was the Alliance of Portland Neighborhood Business Association’s (APNBA) grant awards, at the Ambridge Conference Center.

Patrick Donaldson, APNBA president, the event’s master of ceremonies, greets the assembled business leaders from across the city.

After a buffet dinner, the program began. Portland City Commissioner Sam Adams was on hand to greet the grant recipients.

Adams addresses APNBA
Addressing the group, Adams told the attendees, “Not taking anything away from neighborhood associations, it seemed to me that we also need to support our business districts. In addition to these grants, we have secured a grant, from the City of $250,000 to help support the operations of the APNBA.”

Portland City Commissioner Sam Adams commends neighborhood business association leaders for helping small enterprises to grow and thrive in Portland.

Adams said that, for 14 years, citizens and politicians have tried to change the City’s business tax structure. “We were told businesses do not need tax relief. But, thanks to members of the APNBA and other members of the business community, nearly 14,000 businesses will pay lower fees, starting in about a year an a half.”

Concluding his remarks, Adams commended the business people saying, “You have stood with one another. You have shown what happens when you work with one another.”

Then, as he distributed the grant checks, APNBA president Patrick Donaldson called representatives of each group up, and recognized their projects.

82nd Ave. of Roses collects $9,500
First up, from East Portland associations, was Ken Turner, representing 82nd Avenue of Roses Business Association.

Two grants were received on behalf of their organization by Ken Turner, president of 82nd Avenue of Roses Business Association.

Turner told us, “One grant, for $5,000, will help us continue to install sign caps along 82nd Avenue to distinguish it as ‘The Avenue of Roses’. We’ve installed 66 sign caps so far ‚Äì this grant will go a long way to helping us cap all the signs.”

Their other grant, for $4,500, was “seed money”, Turner said, to help them organize an Avenue of Roses Parade on April 28, in conjunction with the Portland Rose Festival’s 100th anniversary. “In all, these grants help us gain positive recognition for our area as neighbors and business people work to improve the quality of life along the avenue.”

Division/Clinton Street Fair scores $3,500
Jane Baker was called up to receive a check on behalf of the Division/Clinton Business Association, over which she presides.

The check Jean Baker is accepting will help their association continue to produce their mid-summer event.

“Every year, our Division/Clinton Street Fair continues to grow,” Baker said. “This grant will help us do even more to help our business district promote our community.”

GABA gets $4,000 Fun-O-Rama map bucks
Allen Sanchez was invited up as the grant to the Gateway Area Business Association was announced.

GABA president Allen Sanchez collects their organization’s grant check for their business map project.

“In addition to our annual May Fun-O-Rama,” Sanchez told us, “we have a new project this year. We’ll be using these funds specifically to help businesses in our area put ‘their names on the map’, literally ‚Äì with a new area-wide promotional map we’re developing. We at GABA are all very happy about this. We’ll be more connected with the community ‚Äì and our customers ‚Äì thanks to this grant.”

Midway sign project awarded $1,250
Donna Dionne, president of the Midway Business Association, was next up, accepting their group’s award check.

Accepting the money for her group is Donna Dionne, president of the Midway Business Association.

“It is a great opportunity for us to showcase our association,” Dionne told us. “Our sign project also lets us work with our neighborhood associations, Centennial and Powellhurst-Gilbert, so we can better solidify the identity of our area. So, this grant means a lot to us.”

Woodstock gets online with $2,500
As Jane Glanville, president, and Barry Evans, VP, of the Woodstock Community Business Association (WCBA) came forward, Donaldson described how the funds would help the association better communicate among its members and the public.

Jane Glanville, president, and Barry Evans, VP, of Woodstock Community Business Association, pick up their grant award from APNBA president Pat Donaldson.

After the program, Jane Glanville told us, “This is a fantastic opportunity. These funds will allow us to start a Woodstock Business Association website. This project will connect everybody. It will help promote our parade and Woodstock Festival this summer. We hope it will allow everyone to participate in building a better Woodstock area.”

This association also serves the western half of the Brentwood-Darlington neighborhood as well.

© 2007 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News Service

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