Commissioner Jeff Cogen http://www.commissionercogen.com/ en 2009-07-02T11:36:56-08:00 Traffic changes for July 4th events http://www.commissionercogen.com/2009/07/traffic_changes.html Several Multnomah County roads and one bridge will see traffic changes during firework displays and community events on the Fourth of July.

On the Hawthorne Bridge, sidewalks will close at 8:00 pm and the outside traffic lanes will close at 9:00 pm. All lanes and sidewalks will reopen after the fireworks show ends at approximately 10:30 pm. Depending on the wind direction, the entire bridge may be closed for public safety prior to the fireworks display at 10:00 pm.

NE Marine Drive will be closed from 9:00 pm to 11:00 pm between NE 185th Ave. in the City of Portland and NE 223rd Ave. in the City of Fairview for a fireworks display at Blue Lake Park. Travelers should use alternate routes such as Sandy Blvd. or Interstate 84. NE 223rd Ave. is closed between NE Halsey St. and NE Sandy Blvd. due to construction. Access to NE Marine Drive will be maintained at all times for local residents and emergency vehicles. (NE Marine Drive is maintained by the City of Portland west of NE Interlachen Lane and by Multnomah County east of Interlachen.)

]]> Front Page News karolcollymore 2009-07-02T11:36:56-08:00 Seniors need to stay cool during hot weather http://www.commissionercogen.com/2009/07/seniors_need_to.html As Multnomah County experiences its first real heat wave this summer with temperatures expected to hover in the low 90’s over the next few days, the Aging and Disability Services Division would like to remind older adults and people with heat sensitive disabilities to take the following precautions in the hot weather:

Keep air circulating with fans; take cool sponge baths.
Go to an air-conditioned building if possible. Older adults can visit their local senior center, library, or mall.
Wear loose-fitting, light-weight clothing. If going out, wear a hat.
Drink lots of water and don’t wait to get “thirsty”.
Avoid alcohol.
Limit physical activity and direct exposure to the sun.
Check with your health care provider about how the warm weather may affect your prescription drugs.
Contact your health care provider if you experience prolonged heat-related symptoms, or if those symptoms significantly affect the ability to care for yourself.

]]> Top Stories karolcollymore 2009-07-02T10:52:29-08:00 Want to be a Master Recycler? http://www.commissionercogen.com/2009/07/want_to_be_a_ma.html There is a Master Recycler course coming up for all those who want to participate. There's even a class in Español! Check out this link for details.

]]> Front Page News karolcollymore 2009-07-01T10:29:18-08:00 St. Johns Farmers Market Meeting: July 2nd http://www.commissionercogen.com/2009/06/st_johns_farmer_7.html Please join us for our LAST meeting before our Inaugural Farmers Market Opening! This Thursday, July 2nd, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm at the North Portland Police Precinct (7214 N Philadelphia Ave). If you are unable to make the meeting, but are still interested in volunteering, please email Ginger Gross, our volunteer coordinator, at gross.ginger@gmail.com.


]]> Sidebar Alerts karolcollymore 2009-06-30T10:53:15-08:00 Money directly impacting North and Northeast Portland from the State http://www.commissionercogen.com/2009/06/money_directly.html From Representative Chip Shields:

Directly Impacting North/Northeast Portland:
$3.2 million restored to Oregon Project Independence funding to help seniors, including those served by the Urban League. (HB 5054-A)

$150,000 to The Skanner Foundation for continuation funding for the neighborhood multi-media training center in North Portland. (HB 5054-A)

Over $1 million for funding civil rights enforcement in the Oregon Department of Justice and Bureau of Labor and Industries.
Restored all cuts to funding for Multnomah County gang services ($772,937) and added another $800,000 for gang services in East Multnomah County. (HB 5054-A)

Funding for Project Clean Slate in the Oregon Department of Justice budget.

$1.5 million commitment from the Governor's office for Justice Assistance Grants to fund offender re-entry one-stop centers in Portland, Eugene and Klamath Falls.

Over $100 million to expand Head Start at places like Albina Head Start.

Continued funding of the PCC Skill Center on the PCC Cascade Campus.
$8.9 million to help abused kids through programs like Cares Northwest.

]]> Front Page News karolcollymore 2009-06-30T10:15:03-08:00 Good in the Hood Parade 2009 http://www.commissionercogen.com/2009/06/good_in_the_hoo.html

]]> Front Page News warrenfish 2009-06-29T12:33:26-08:00 A Big Thank You From County CROPS http://www.commissionercogen.com/2009/06/a_big_thank_you.html One thing we've learned from County CROPS is that Multnomah County (and Clackamas and Washington County) are filled with incredible people and organizations that are willing to come together in a time of need. Our "little" project has a thousand moving parts, and people from all over our community have stepped up to provide donations, advice and moral support.

We wanted to take a moment today to thank some of the folks who have made this project possible. In addition to our financial sponsors, McMenamin's Hotels & Pubs and Portland General Electric, these are the amazing people and organizations who have donated materials, advice and time:

]]> Front Page News marissamadrigal 2009-06-25T11:54:28-08:00 Burnside Bridge to close for Sunday morning run June 28th http://www.commissionercogen.com/2009/06/burnside_bridge_11.html The Burnside Bridge will close to street and river traffic on Sunday morning, June 28 during the annual Beat the Burnside run. The bridge, which is the finish line for the run, will be closed to street traffic from 6:00 am to 10:00 am. The bridge lift span will not open for river traffic from 8:40 am to 10:00 am. The bridge will remain open to bicyclists and pedestrians except during a brief bridge opening at the end of the race.

During the closure, TriMet bus lines 12-Sandy, 19-Glisan, and 20-Burnside will be rerouted across the Morrison Bridge.

Also this weekend, the traffic pattern on the Hawthorne Bridge will change due to the removal of a construction crane in downtown Portland at SW First Ave. and SW Main St. From 7:00 pm on Friday, June 26 until as late as 5:00 am on Monday, June 29 only one traffic lane will be open in each direction on the bridge. Westbound traffic will be diverted from the bridge onto SW Madison St. which will have two-way traffic between SW 1st Ave. and SW 2nd Ave. The westbound offramp from the bridge to SW Main St. will be closed due to the crane removal. Flaggers will direct traffic at the west end of the bridge during the weekend.

Multnomah County maintains the Burnside and Hawthorne bridges and more than 300 miles of roads and bridges.

]]> Front Page News karolcollymore 2009-06-24T16:25:32-08:00 Suicide rate highest among older males in Multnomah County http://www.commissionercogen.com/2009/06/suicide_rate_hi.html Multnomah County, like Oregon and the U.S., has higher rates of suicide deaths among men aged 65 years and older, according to a new report released by Multnomah County Health Department. The Spring 2009 issue of Community Health Assessment Quarterly found that in the 2001-05 period in Multnomah County, men who were 65 years and older had over five times the suicide rate of women in the same age group. Among men in the county, the suicide rate appears to increase with age. In 2003, Oregon had the 4th highest suicide death rate among adults aged 65 or older.

“This troubling pattern will most likely continue as baby boomers age and swell the numbers of older adults in Oregon. It is likely that the numbers of suicide deaths in this age group will also rise,” said Multnomah County Health Department Director Lillian Shirley.

]]> Front Page News karolcollymore 2009-06-24T13:47:57-08:00 Micro Mercantes' new kitchen opens; tamales coming your way! http://www.commissionercogen.com/2009/06/micro_mercantes.html The new kitchen for the Micro Mercantes Program at Hacienda that Jeff advocated for last year had it's grand opening yesterday. We'll all get those famous tamales, but now more of them in an efficient workspace all their own.

Where do I get these tamales deliciosos, you ask? Well, we are here to tell you:

OHSU Farmers Market
MAY 19 - OCT 6
Tuesdays 11:30-3:30
Next to OHSU Auditorium
We sell Organic tamales!

Parkrose Farmers Market
MAY 2- OCT 24
Sundays 8am- 2pm
12003 NE Shaver Street

]]> Top Stories karolcollymore 2009-06-24T09:55:54-08:00 Free wireless Internet access available at county Board meetings http://www.commissionercogen.com/2009/06/free_wireless_i.html Multnomah County now offers WiFi in the Boardroom at the Multnomah Building, at 501 SE Hawthorne. The public and members of the media can access the wireless internet free of charge from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. when attending meetings in the Boardroom.

Multnomah County installed WiFi after numerous requests from members of the press and community groups who felt that having access to the internet during meetings would enable them to perform their jobs more effectively.

The board clerk worked closely with county Information Technology and Multnomah County Library staff, who generously shared their acceptable use policy and lessons learned from offering public WiFi at branches, saving the county time and money. County technical staff were also able to use many of the same configurations and settings they developed when setting up the library’s WiFi service.

Having WiFi available in the Boardroom will enable the press and public to use online resources in real time to make meetings more accessible and encourage the public to be more involved in the political process.

]]> Front Page News karolcollymore 2009-06-23T10:19:31-08:00 "Hammer Thru Humpday" for the NOPO Tool Library http://www.commissionercogen.com/2009/06/hammer_thru_hum.html From the North Portland Tool Library:

Come on over to the White Eagle to support the good community work of the North Portland Tool Library. McMenamins White Eagle has again agreed to donate 50% of the nights proceeds to the good work of NPTL.

You Eat, You Drink, North Portland Tool Library wins!
McMenamins White Eagle 836 North Russell Street, Portland
Wednesday, June 24
Starts at 5pm, music at 6:30pm
minors welcome until 8:00pm

Read more about this event at the Tool Library's website.

]]> Top Stories karolcollymore 2009-06-22T13:10:25-08:00 The Carrot Mob is coming to Hot Lips Pizza http://www.commissionercogen.com/2009/06/the_carrot_mob.html Do you know what a Carrot Mob is? I didn't either, until I was introduced to it by the Multnomah Youth Commission:

Several Central Catholic High School students are determined to bring Carrotmob to Portland to encourage businesses to do their part in the battle against global warming.

On June 21 (Father‟s Day), Carrotmob Portland will hold a "reverse boycott" at HOTLIPS Pizza on 22nd and SE Hawthorne from 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. Every dollar spent will go directly towards making HOTLIPS more energy efficient. In addition to helping the environment, the event promises to be a lot of fun: Carrotmob has lined up musicians to play in HOTLIPS' closed-off parking lot all day, and there will be a fair of other environmentally-focused organizations.

]]> Front Page News karolcollymore 2009-06-18T11:00:28-08:00 Libraries closed for July 4th holiday http://www.commissionercogen.com/2009/06/libraries_close_4.html All Multnomah County libraries and The Title Wave Used Bookstore will be closed on Saturday, July 4, for Independence Day. Library Administration will be closed on Friday, July 3.
Library locations and normal operating hours are available at www.multcolib.org/hours.

]]> Sidebar Alerts karolcollymore 2009-06-17T14:45:08-08:00 Pictures: Solar panels unveiled at the Yeon Building http://www.commissionercogen.com/2009/06/pictures_solar.html Jeff unveiled the first part of the County's solar project today at the John Yeon Building. Check out the pics:

Thanks to all our partners: SunEdison, Energy Trust of Oregon, County Facilities, County Sustainability and Rich Swift.

]]> Top Stories karolcollymore 2009-06-17T14:34:35-08:00