Monthly Archive for August, 2009

During these challenging economic times just about everyone is looking for ways to keep costs down. 


Regardless of your building type, size or use, one thing is clear — energy-efficient businesses cost less to operate. They have lower energy and maintenance costs and result in greater employee satisfaction. 



Energy Trust of Oregon, Inc. supports local businesses by providing cash incentives for the installation of energy-efficient equipment and systems in commercial buildings and tenant spaces. This money maximizes the return on investment in energy efficiency for your business and results in long-term savings through lower energy costs.


Energy Trust provides financial incentives for a wide range of energy improvements in commercial buildings and for tenant improvements. For new construction and major renovations, Energy Trust can help your project with everything from providing incentives for equipment upgrades for systems such as commercial kitchens, heating, cooling and lighting to
 achieving LEED® certification and earning the ENERGY STAR®.

Oregon customers of Portland General Electric, Pacific Power, NW Natural or Cascade Natural Gas can use these incentives to implement a wide range of new construction and major renovation projects. Energy Trust offers several incentive tracks, which owners can choose from based on the scope of their project and offers additional incentives for early design assistance, technical assistance, commissioning and solar installations, including solar electric and solar water heating.

Energy efficiency represents a sound investment in today’s economic climate. Energy Trust’s incentives make projects pencil out and help building owners realize long-term savings on energy costs.

Learn more by emailing newbuildings@energytrust.org or calling 1-877-467-0930, or visit www.energytrust.org/newbuildings.

With so many buildings and spaces for lease or rent in the area, we’re looking for some property owners who would like to be part of a marketing beta-test program.

To learn more about the program, send Terry Taylor an email at terry@ceic.cc. To be considered for this project, your building and/or space must be located in the CEID and you must be a member of the CEIC.

A local theatre company is looking for some temporary space to practice and produce a show this Fall and Winter.

They have their own liability insurance policy and are looking for a space with tall ceilings, access to power for their cd player, no close neighbors and at least 25′ x 25′ feet of space. It would actually be ideal to have access to a space that is 50′x50′.

The producer also works as a carpenter and general contractor and is willing to build a temporary floating “dance” floor in a space with concrete floors.

They would like to start building relationships with the business community and with the city to share their work. Last year they paid over $5,000 in rental fees out of their own pocket.

I am seeking low-cost outlay solutions to this challenge in organizing a stilt theater troupe so that our meagre funds can be directed towards costumes, travel, and sculpture creation.

If you can help this theatre company or would like to learn more, please contact Jacob Mooney of Teatro Graxa, The Slippery Theater Co. 503-750-3811 or via email at daimondjake@gmail.com

If you have space and want to be a part of history, here’s your opportunity. A visiting art group is looking to display some unique items. Please read on:

AMERICAN OBJECTS: An art event, group show, and collaboration between local artists and the public inspired by the Works Progress Administration and the Index of American Design.

THE SPACE WE ARE SEEKING:

- Is available for one month anytime in 2010.
- Is suitable for use a temporary studio/gallery. An indoor storefront street level space with two adjoining rooms would be ideal. A single undivided space would also work well.
- Around 800-2,000 square feet.
- Has white walls (willing to paint ourselves).
- Has electricity.
- Has a bathroom.
- Does not need to be ADA accessible.
- Will be accessible during regular business hours.
- Will not require any special security besides a main entrance that locks.
- Will be suitable for 6-12 people to occupy on a regular basis, and a maximum of 100 people during the closing exhibition.
-Does not need to be specifically accessible by public transit, or provide off street parking.
-Would allow us to serve alcohol with a permit on the evening of the closing event.

We are willing to donate our time to leave the space in better condition than we found it in. We will be able to pay fees, licensing, or insurance, associated with use of the space, and may be able to pay an additional rental fee, depending on the amount of funding we receive.

ABOUT THE PROJECT:

American Objects operates on the premise that examining ordinary everyday objects in a historical context provides an opportunity for looking critically at American material culture.

Enacting the idea of artist as worker, it is a timely reconsideration of the WPA/FAP that hopes to be part of a larger dialogue concerning parallels between Continue reading ‘Visiting American Design Art Group seeks space’

The Morrison Bridge is going through some bike path improvements. The path will be 15 feet wide. In late June, 75% of the new concrete sidewalks had been poured and the majority of the concrete barrier that will separate the path from traffic lanes had been completed.

On the east side, a new offramp to SE Water Ave., separated from the I-5 freeway offramp, has been graded and a sidewalk built. The new offramp and path will improve safety for bicyclists, pedestrians and motor vehicles, which will no longer face an awkward merge with traffic exiting the freeway.

More challenging work lies ahead. On the movable lift span, the contractor will attach a crash-resistant steel barrier to the bottom of the steel deck. The top of the lift span deck is an open steel grating. Here the new path will be made of a strong plastic known as fiber reinforced polymer, the same material installed on the Broadway Bridge.

Installing a protected path on a movable lift span presented some design challenges for the county. When the bridge opens for a ship, the inside railing for the path will need to move. Engineer Ken Huntley designed a movable section of the railing that can be remotely operated during a bridge opening.

By the end of the year, bicyclists and pedestrians should have a new alternative to the popular sidewalks on the nearby Hawthorne Bridge. The path is expected to open to the public in December 2009.