Archives : Posts By Author : Roland Chlapowski
Posts by Roland ChlapowskiStaff Intern
Downtown to Gain Retail Czar
Downtown finding its inner mall Commissioner envisions retail district to compete with suburban shopping By NICK BUDNICK Issue date: Tue, May 16, 2006 The Portland Tribune With downtown retailers increasingly competing with suburban shopping malls for customers, city Commissioner Sam Adams and the Portland Business Alliance are looking at a...May 26, 2006 in Downtown Portland, Jobs & Economy, News | Permalink | Comments (11) | TrackBack (0)
Portland Bureau of Maintenance: Recycling While Saving Taxpayers' Money
As most citizens of Portland know, Portland is a leader in the sustainability and green building movement in the United States. The City’s Office of Transportation Bureau of Maintenance (BOM) has embraced the challenge of developing cost-effective methods to recycle materials generated when performing street maintenance operations. BOM’s recycling program...May 4, 2006 in Environmental Services, Front Page, Livability & Environment, Transportation | Permalink | Comments (16) | TrackBack (0)
Columbia River Crossing Open House
Anyone who has tried to travel from Oregon to Washington on I-5 during rush hour knows that the I-5 Bridge spanning the Columbia River from Portland to Vancouver, WA acts as a real bottleneck for traffic. In an effort to fix this, officials in Oregon and Washington are working together on ways to reduce congestion and increase the connectivity of the two states, while also improving safety. We urge you to learn more about the project and give your feedback by attending the informational Open Houses that will be held in mid-April...March 28, 2006 in Front Page, North Portland, Transportation | Permalink | Comments (21) | TrackBack (0)
Tram Town Hall Materials
For those of you who weren't able to attend Sam's Tram South Waterfront Townhall, we want to let you see the materials that were shown there. The two presentations (one by the Portland Office of Transportation [PDOT], the other by Portland Development Commission [PDC]) were accompanied by commentary by knowledgeable...March 17, 2006 in Events, Front Page, Office of Transportation, Tram, Transportation | Permalink | Comments (62) | TrackBack (0)
UPDATE: TRAM TOWNHALL MEETING
NOTICE: Commissioner Adams and Mayor Potter to hold a Town hall to discuss Tram issues. THE DATE HAS CHANGED FROM WHAT WAS PREVIOUSLY SCHEDULED. Sam values transparency and open government greatly. In the spirit of open government, he is sponsoring a Public Town hall to discuss the tram project currently...March 6, 2006 in Events, Front Page, Good Government, News, Office of Transportation, Tram, Transportation | Permalink | Comments (16) | TrackBack (2)
Portland Tops List of Bicycle-friendly Cities, Again
Portland was once again awarded the recognition for being the Best Overall City for Bicycling in North America by Bicycling Magazine in its annual review of bicycle-friendly cities. With Portland's Best Overall designation in Bicycling Magazine's 2006 rankings, Portland now has been dubbed the America's best city for biking by...February 27, 2006 in Front Page, Livability & Environment, News, Transportation | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
Sam Fights Proposed Sellwood Wal-Mart
When Sam learned that a new Wal-Mart store was looking to set up shop near the Sellwood neighborhood and business district, his response was swift, strong and unambiguous: Wal-Mart is wrong for Portland, and especially bad for Sellwood, for a whole host of reasons. First, as a supporter of small...January 4, 2006 in 2005 Year-in-Review, Jobs & Economy | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
Launched Innovative Travel Options Program
Most people will acknowledge that if more people walked, bicycled, and took public transit, we would have a more physically fit, environmentally friendly transportation system with a lot less gridlock and congestion than we see today. Well, why don't more people choose these transportation options? One reason is that people...December 19, 2005 in 2005 Year-in-Review, Transportation | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)
Walk This Way
When people decide to walk, they do more than choose a mode of transportation. They increase their own health, their neighborhoods and communities, and the environment. Because Sam believes so strongly that walking has immense benefits for the city, he has funded many pedestrian-oriented improvements, including: $1.4 million for preliminary...December 19, 2005 in 2005 Year-in-Review, Transportation | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
Bike? You'll Like It
Sam believes Bicycles will become an increasingly important transportation as years go on, with high fuel prices, increasing congestion, and bigger environmental costs begin to weigh on communities. Being ahead of the curve means planning for the future... and investing in it. Sam sought and received federal funds for these...December 19, 2005 in 2005 Year-in-Review, Transportation | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
Safe Freight is Great
Freight, and the shipment of goods and services more generally, is essential to any healthy economy and Portland is no exception. In fact, Portland's economy is even more dependent on freight, shipping, and transportation activities than most other cities. It was largely because of transportation's huge impact on the economy...December 19, 2005 in 2005 Year-in-Review, Transportation | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
More $ for Transit
Sam actively campaigned to be transportation commissioner because of the far-reaching impacts our transportation choices have on our quality of life. Sam wants Portlanders to have an array of transportation choices, all of which should be safe, predictable and reliable. Through Sam's participation in Metro’s regional transportation process, and his...December 19, 2005 in 2005 Year-in-Review, Transportation | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)
The Safety First! Summit
As the Commissioner-in-charge of Portland's transportation system, Sam makes safety his first priority. After a number of hit-and-run accidents involving cars and pedestrians/bicyclists, Sam convened a Transportation Safety Summit to bring together transportation experts, public safety officers, community activists, transportation advocates, and concerned community members. This event began a great...December 19, 2005 in 2005 Year-in-Review, Transportation | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Extra Scrutiny for Big Transportation Projects
Citizens rightly expect their commissioners to manage taxpayer dollars in a fiscally appropriate manner. When Sam was assigned the Office of Transportation, he inherited two very big projects that demanded extreme prudence: construction of the aerial tram and the proposed Burnside/Couch couplet. With respect to the tram and its expansive...December 19, 2005 in 2005 Year-in-Review, Transportation | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Put Portland on the Path to Platinum
Bicycling Magazine ranks Portland the nation's most bicycle friendly city. However, much work remains to get more people comfortable with riding their bikes in the city. So, to increase ridership through safety, Sam is working to make Portland the first major city in the country to achieve Platinum level bicycle-friendly...December 19, 2005 in 2005 Year-in-Review, Transportation | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Boulevards for Bicycles
Some fear riding a bicycle on the city's arterial roads because too much automobile traffic can make them feel unsafe. Along with Portland's Office of Transportation staff, Sam is implementing a program to establish a network of bicycle boulevards. This bicycle boulevard network guides cyclists on residential neighborhood streets with...December 19, 2005 in 2005 Year-in-Review, Transportation | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Initiated 'Sharrows' Pilot Program
As the Commissioner-in-charge of Portland's transportation infrastructure, one of Sam's priorities is filling in gaps that exist in the city's network of bicycle-friendly corridors. In some areas, it isn't feasible to put in bicycle lanes due to space constraints or other site-specific reasons. What did we do to solve this...December 19, 2005 in 2005 Year-in-Review, Transportation | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
What are your transportation priorities? Take our survey.
Because less of Oregon state's gas tax revenue will be allocated to Portland over the next 5 years, the Portland Office of Transportation is having to deal with a long-term and structural gap between its revenues and its expenditures. Sam, the PDOT Budget Task Force that he formed, and the...December 14, 2005 in Front Page, Office of Transportation, Transportation | Permalink | Comments (22) | TrackBack (0)
New Study Identifies Effect of Wal-Mart on Local Economies
There has been a lot of debate about the effect that Wal-Mart has on the communities it moves into - in particular, whether or not it affects the overall employment and wages of the localities that allow Wal-Mart into their borders. A recent academic study from October, 2005 tries to...December 14, 2005 in Front Page, Jobs & Economy, Wal-Mart, Workforce | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBack (1)
PORTLAND'S CHINATOWN - Open for Business & Visioning the Future
Today, Sam met with Chinatown business leaders to discuss the future of the neighborhood, monitor the construction currently in progress, and promote the Chinatown Challenge – all over a wonderful, multi-course, dim sum meal served up at the Good Day Chinese restaurant on NW Couch and 3rd. And, Sam wanted...September 13, 2005 in Downtown Portland, Front Page, Jobs & Economy, Transportation | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Sam's letter to the FHWA
Sam recently wrote a letter to the Federal Highway Admnistration in support of a pilot program for sharrows - an innovative new approach to bicycle safety. Read it below: sam_sharrow_letter.pdf...August 26, 2005 in Office of Transportation | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Sharrows: Moving Towards a Bicycle-Safe, Platinum Portland
Get Ready Portland! - Soon, you are going to see new markings on our roads - something called "sharrows." These innovative new pavement markings are part of a pilot program being rolled out by the City of Portland's Department of Transporation to study their effectiveness in our city...
August 26, 2005 in Front Page, Livability & Environment, News, Office of Transportation, Our Initiatives, Public Safety, Transportation | Permalink | Comments (28) | TrackBack (1)
An Economic Success: Importing Jobs to America
It seems like you can't read the news nowadays without hearing about another company or manufacturer closing down its U.S. operations and moving overseas. Unfortunately, “outsourcing” is the catchphrase of our times...
August 5, 2005 in Front Page, Jobs & Economy, News, Office of Transportation, Transportation | Permalink | Comments (11) | TrackBack (0)
Victory: South Waterfront Investment from the Feds
I live in the Brooklyn neighborhood in SE Portland right over the Ross Island Bridge. Usually, I catch a bus and make my way downtown to get to City Hall by 8:30 or so. It only requires one bus line and the entire trip rarely takes more than 10-15 minutes...August 5, 2005 in Front Page, Jobs & Economy, Livability & Environment, News, Southwest Portland, Transportation | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBack (0)
Streetcar Tour of Potential Expansion Routes
TRANSIT ALTERNATIVE ANALYSIS TOUR July 18, 20053:00- 5:30 On an especially hot and sticky day, I made my way out of the air-conditioned Metro headquarters on NE Grand and onto a special chartered Tri-Met bus, which thankfully was air-conditioned, as well. I was not alone on the bus. A few...July 22, 2005 in Downtown Portland, Livability & Environment, Office of Transportation, Southeast Portland (inner), Transportation | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
"Flippin' Flap-jacks and Appreciating City Employees"
From the Portland Office of Transportation, Bureau of Maintenance, “The Rap,” newsletter, July, 15, 2005: “If anyone left the 7th Annual Crew Appreciation Pancake Breakfast hungry, it was not due to a lack of effort from event coordinator, Renee Williams! She, along with Sam Adams and Sue Keil, made sure...July 18, 2005 in Transportation | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Summer Cycle Success
Last night, over 75 people participated in the Summer Cycle's first ride out of Laurelhurst Park, making it the biggest ride ever for Summer Cycle in 6 years. The cyclists stopped at three places for treats, including free (and delicious) cones at Staccato Gelato on NE 28th! The event was...July 12, 2005 in Events, Livability & Environment, Transportation | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
UPDATED: The Case AgAainst Wal-Mart
Update: Local neighbors against the proposed Sellwood/Ardenwald Wal-Mart store have begun to organize. Check out their website, NoSellwoodWalMart. WakeUpWalMart is another great resource. Sam is strongly opposed to the new Wal-Mart store proposed for SE Portland. If you were wondering why, here is a (partial) list of the issues underlying...June 22, 2005 in Jobs & Economy, Livability & Environment, Wal-Mart | Permalink | Comments (13) | TrackBack (2)
What Sam Learned from his 100 Businesses in 100 Days Experience
This report is an overview of the data we collected over the course of Sam's first 100 Days. While the surveys in it are not scientific, they still give us a peak into the issues and concerns of Portland business-owners. This information will serve as the starting point for a...June 22, 2005 in 100 Businesses | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
Sam in the News
From The Oregonian - April 21, 2005 Portland mayor saves historic city mill from demolition -- for now Portland leaders plan to give the historic but dilapidated Centennial Mill a reprieve from certain death, but not necessarily the promise of a second life. Mayor Tom Potter has asked the Portland...May 4, 2005 in News | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Business tax redux
From The Portland Tribune, April 26, 2005"City Commissioner Sam Adams is making it easier for people to speak their minds about reducing taxes for small businesses. The crafty commissioner, who’s proposed a reduction in the city’s business license tax, has been electronically circulating a Portland Tribune story about how taxes are...
April 26, 2005 in Jobs & Economy, News, Our Initiatives | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Roland Chlapowski - Policy Analyst
Assistant liaison to transportation
Roland Chlapowski works on transportation-related issues with the Portland Department of Transportation (PDOT). Roland grew up in the Metro-Boston area, and moved to Portland to attend Reed College. There, he was active in community service, environmental activism, and student government...
April 18, 2005 in Meet the Team | Permalink | TrackBack (0)
Business #24 - Acme Scenic and Display
10:15 am Acme Scenic and Display (Business Visit #24) Owner Jan Pederson, of Acme Scenic and Display, welcomed us with an impressive spread of food and drinks and said, “it is not every day we have famous people meeting with us.” Acme Scenic got started by building theatrical sets and...January 21, 2005 in 100 Businesses | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Business #25 - Walsh Construction
Day 15, Friday, January 21st9:05 am Walsh Construction (Business Visit #25) According to Andy Beyer, Vice-President/General Manager of Walsh Construction, “90% of our work in Portland is for non-profits.” They are a medium-sized general contractor, specializing in multi-unit housing and commercial building construction.While visiting with Andy, it became clear that...January 21, 2005 in 100 Businesses | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Business #23 - Portland Spirit
Day 13, Wednesday, January 19th3:58 pm Portland Spirit (Business Visit #23) Our view from the Portland Spirit’s conference room was the vessels Portland Spirit and the Crystal Dolphin, icons of the riverfront. We met with Dan Yates, President, and Wayne Kingsley, Chairman and they told us business could be better....January 19, 2005 in 100 Businesses | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Business #22 - Terra Nova Nurseries
Day 11, Monday, January 17th10:50 am Terra Nova Nurseries (Business Visit#18) In the Top 25 Oregon Innovators published by Portland Business Journal is Terra Nova Nurseries. According Terra Nova’s President Dan Heims, “We do 20 to 30 patents each year.” What do they patent? They patent plants.Our visit began with...January 17, 2005 in 100 Businesses, Jobs & Economy | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Business #20 - 3 Degrees Restaurant
12:55 pm 3 Degrees Restaurant (Business Visit #20) 3 Degrees Restaurant offers complimentary valet parking. It is located on the south end of Tom McCall Waterfront Park and inside the Riverplace Hotel. We were served a delicious lunch by manager Rob Dye. While we ate our burgers and salads, our...January 17, 2005 in 100 Businesses | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Business #19 - Event Rental Communications
Day 10, Friday, January 14th12:55 pm Event Rental Communications (Business Visit #19) Located in the Hawthorne Business District is Event Rental Communications which promotes itself as a full service, one stop communications company specializing in commercial grade Motorola, iCOM and Vertex Standard products. Owned by Wayne Lund, this business is...January 14, 2005 in 100 Businesses | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Business #18 - Melting Pot
10:47 am Melting Pot (Business #18) The Melting Pot is a fondue restaurant in downtown Portland that has been only open for a month. According to owner Kip Aszman, “Business is great! I haven’t even begun to advertise around lunch, but business is great.”When you walk in, it’s hard not...January 13, 2005 in 100 Businesses | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Business #17 - DB Professionals, Inc.
Day 9, Thursday, January 13th10:00 am DB Professionals Inc. (Business Visit #17) DB Professionals Inc. is one of the top 25 minority owned businesses in Portland, according to the Portland Business Journal annual list. They have also been named one of the 'Top 100 Fastest Growing companies' in Oregon for...January 13, 2005 in 100 Businesses | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Business # 15- Anonymous
Day 8, Wednesday, January 12th5:33 pm Anonymous (Business Visit #15) This business is looking to locate in the Portland area and wishes to remain anonymous. This is not uncommon to business recruitment and retention efforts as public awareness and pressure may unduly influence their decision. This business could bring 100...January 12, 2005 in 100 Businesses | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Business #12 - Toyota Logistics Services
1:05 pm Toyota Logistics Services, Inc (Business Visit #12) Working with the Port of Portland and St. Johns Neighborhood Association, Toyota signed a 15-year lease agreement ensuring a number of direct benefits to Portland . We visited this redevelopment project with Ron Corbin, Logistics Services Manager. According to Ron, “When...January 12, 2005 in 100 Businesses | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (1)
Business #11 - Port of Portland
11:30 am Port of Portland (Business Visit #11) The Port of Portland is a critical component to Portland’s economy It’s mission is to provide competitive cargo and passenger access to regional, national, and international markets while enhancing the region’s quality of life. They provide over 154,000 jobs in the Portland-Vancouver...January 10, 2005 in 100 Businesses | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Business #13 - Typhoon!
9:55 am Typhoon! (Business Visit #13) Since Warren and I both love Thai food, we wanted to visit Typhoon! in Northwest Portland . When we entered, we noticed the new bar area of the restaurant. Typhoon recently expanded into the space next door to accommodate for more tables along with...January 10, 2005 in 100 Businesses | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Business #10 - Exit Real World
Day 6, Monday, January 10th9:20 am EXIT Real World (Business Visit #10) EXIT Real World store has been proudly owned and operated by snowboarders and skateboarders since 1993. As we walked in, Warren and I were immediately engaged by their display of watches. While we wanted their input on how...January 10, 2005 in 100 Businesses, Jobs & Economy | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (1)
Business #9 - Westin Hotel
Day 5, Friday, January 7th12:25 pm Westin Hotel (Business Visit #9) Just off of Broadway in downtown Portland is the Westin Hotel. As you walk into the lobby, you want to cozy up to the fireplace. And for even more comfort, the rooms treat each guest with their signature Westin...January 7, 2005 in 100 Businesses | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Business #4 - Elizabeth Leach Gallery
8:30 pm Elizabeth Leach Gallery (Business Visit #4) It’s opening night at Elizabeth Leach’s new gallery at 417 NW 9th Ave. You can’t miss it! The front of the new gallery consists of multi-colored lights. The Elizabeth Leach Gallery has been downtown for 23 years. I see Elizabeth from across...January 6, 2005 in 100 Businesses | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Business # 2: Wax Café
Day 3, Wednesday, January 5th9:14 pm Wax Café (Business Visit #2) My MAX ride home takes me by a venue that I’ve been curious about called WAX. So, I called David Zagel, a friend I grew up with in Newport , Oregon to visit Wax with me. Wax offers Bubble...January 5, 2005 in 100 Businesses, Jobs & Economy | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
