Commentary:
Cooperative and
Community
We've waited nearly a year for the anchor grocery to re-open in the Hillsdale Town Center.
The wait has been well worth it because we didn't get just any store, we got OUR OWN store in the form of a cooperative.
Tired of being jerked around by the financial dealings of distant corporate store owners, hundreds of us plunked down $150 to become member/owners of Food Front.
We are grateful to Food Front for the energy and investment the organization has put into the new store and into our community.
And thanks too to the Braidwood family, which owns the shopping center, for being open to having a cooperative as the center's lead tenant.
My hope is our entire Hillsdale community will get swept up in the cooperative spirit.
What would that mean?
Back in 1995 representatives from cooperatives around the world met in Manchester, England, to adopt seven principles. As a community, we should "try them on for size." How do they fit with our understanding of being a community - a cooperative community beyond the aisles and check-out counters of the new Food Front store?
Six of the seven principles seem relevant. I have listed them below but I have substituted "community" for "cooperative" to broaden the application of principles.
1. Voluntary and Open Membership - Communities are voluntary organizations, open to all persons able to use their services and willing to accept the responsibilities of membership, without gender, social, racial, political or religious discrimination.
2. Democratic Member Control - Communities are democratic organizations controlled by their members, who actively participate in setting their policies and making decisions. Men and women serving as elected representatives are accountable to the membership. In primary communities, members have equal voting rights (one member, one vote) and communities at other levels are organized in a democratic manner.
3. Autonomy and Independence - Communities are autonomous, self-help organizations controlled by their members. If they enter into agreements with other organizations, including governments, or raise capital from external sources, they do so on terms that ensure democratic control by their members and maintain their community autonomy.
4. Education, Training and Information - Communities provide education and training for their members, elected representatives, managers and employees so they can contribute effectively to the development of their communities. They inform the general public - particularly young people and opinion leaders - about the nature and benefits of community cooperation.
5. Communities among Communities - Communities serve their members most effectively and strengthen the community movement by working together through local, national, regional and international structures.
6. Concern for Community - While focusing on member needs, communities work for the sustainable development of all communities through policies accepted by their members.
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Andrea Uehara of Food Front gets ready to greet customers
Food Front opens its doors, softly
Sunday morning Hillsdale's Town Center got its anchor back when Food Front quietly opened its doors to business in the space vacated by Wild oats last October.
By opening Aug. 31, the cooperative's managers barely met their hoped-for target of a "late August" opening. They termed the debut a "soft opening" to give new employees the chance to adjust.
On Friday, employees were preparing to open that day, but a final health inspection led to further work.
At a mini-ceremonial, photo-op opening on Saturday, Ardys Braidwood, a part owner and the manager of the shopping center, and Mike Roach, co-owner of Paloma Clothing and president of the Hillsdale business association, became the first customers.
Roach let the record show that as the first customer, he bought vitamins for his daughter, Nancy's organic vanilla yoghurt. Nancy's organic cottage cheese, Rebel Crunch bulk granola and organic roasted red pepper tomato soup.
"Let me tell you, it felt good to walk out of there with a bag of groceries," he said.
The cooperative estimated it would spend more than $1 million stockingand getting the old Wild Oats space ready. The 6,000 square feet ofretail space has a fresh look with its energy-efficient lighting andnew floors, signage and paint. For all the changes, the layout andofferings are strikingly similar to the old store. Patrons of earlierstores at the site will experience a familiarity.
Since early May, when Food Front reached a leasing agreement with Wardin Investments, the cooperative has signed up 670 new owner/members, said Tom Mattox, Food Front's community outreach manager. Of those, 440 signed up at tables in the HIllsdale and Multnomah Village farmers' markets.
"It's really exciting to see the store come to fruition because of all the good will we've had from the start. People are excited," said Mattox.
Food Front stressses that it is not necessary to be a member/owner to shop at Food Front's two stores.
The co-operative, founded in 1972, has another store at 2375 NW Thurman.
The Hillsale store will be open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
For more information about Food Front, visit its web site.
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New storage building ends
dreams of pedestrian link
 Several neighborhood activists who have long hoped for a pedestrianpass-through between Baker & Spice and the grocery space occupiedby Food Front say they have had their hopes dashed by the currentconstruction of a new 2,300-square-foot storage facility behind thegrocery.
Wes Risher, a past chair of the Hillsdale NeighborhoodAssociation, calls the construction an insult to planning efforts ofthe past 15 years.
The, $350,000 building (see photo of construction above) behind the grocery will provide storage for the Food Front store, which opened Aug. 31.
ArdysBraidwood, who manages the shopping center and is a part owner of itwith two brothers, said that while her family company, WardinProperties, had explored the possibility of a pass through, it simplywasn't feasible.
She cited the value of the space as acommercial rental, security issues and elevation differences betweenthe front and back of the entry.
For those reasons, she said sheand her late husband, John, never made any promises to neighborhoodactivists about a pass-through while the passage was discussed invarious planning sessions for more than decade.
"Sometimes your dreams don't come true," she said of the activists' aspirations.
Afterground was broken for the storage building in early August, Risher andother leaders meet with Braidwood and others, including Food Frontrepresentatives, to discuss halting the construction. Braidwood, whosearchitect, Richard Brown, was present, said she had to proceed toprovide storage for the new grocery.
Mike Roach, co-owner ofPaloma Clothing and president of the Hillsdale Business andProfessional Association, said that those who wanted the pass-throughhad engaged in "wishful thinking" that the Braidwoods had never agreedto. He added that no grocery in the current space could be successfulif the pass-through area wasn't available to the store, which isalready small by industry standards.
Glenn Bridger, another pastpresident of the neighborhood association and a past president of SWNI,the Southwest neighborhood coalition, said he would convene threemeetings in coming weeks to revisit Hillsdale pedestrian plans.Braidwood and Brown agreed to be present for the meetings.
Rishersaid he won't attend, adding that the new construction proved thatinvolvement in planning efforts was a waste of time. Unless theconstruction is stopped, he said, the meetings would be "a sham."
Rishersaid that while the Braidwoods had never said "yes" to thepass-through, they never said "no" and that fed expectations about theeventual possibility of it coming to fruition.
The pass-throughwas reflected in several neighborhood initiatives, he said, citing themid-block crossing, the Capitol Highway Plan, the Hillsdale Town CenterPlan, three consultant studies, and several community planningcharettes.
Meanwhile, Bridger said the three meetings shouldgive "the community the chance to take a look at the shared vision withthis option foreclosed." Those interested in attending should e-mail him.
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First of Hillsdale planning sessions on Sept. 24
This fall Hillsdale will explore paths to its future at three neighborhood planning meetings.
The goal is to identify development opportunities in the Town Center and to come up with a strategic plan for development.
Under the auspices of the Portland Bureau of Planning and Sera Design, the two-hour Wednesday meetings starting at 7 p.m. will be in the Wilson High School cafeteria.
Here are the dates and topics:
· Sept. 24: Background and Urban Design Framework
· Oct. 22: Design Alternatives as presented by Sera Design
· Nov. 12: Preferred Alternative and Phased Development Strategy
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'Light-up Night' at Molly's brings campaign near
its $21,000 goal
Proceeds from July 16 "Light-up Hillsdale" Night at Salvador Molly's netted $625 and brought the campaign to within $157 of reaching its $21,000 goal.
Salvador Molly's money, 20 percent of the proceeds from Wednesday, July 16 at the restaurant, helps pay for three prominent amenities - a corner drinking fountain, the "Hillsdale" sign lighting and a tower light - at the new Watershed Building at Bertha Court and SW Capitol Highway.
Numerous grants and donations have been made to the drive. SW Trails paid for the drinking fountain. Other money has been raised through city grants funneled through the Hillsdale Business and Professional Association and the Hillsdale Neighborhood Association. Several individuals have given $500 to the fund.
Those who would like to contribute to pay off the small remaining balance can make out their checks to "SWNI" with "Light-Up Hillsdale" in the note line. Send to Southwest Neighborhoods Inc. 7688 SW Capitol Hwy Portland, OR 97219.
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Briefly:
Schools get new administrators
Portland Public Schools has announced new administrative appointments to Hillsdale-area schools.
At Bridlemile Elementary School, Tanya Ghattas is the new principal. She was previously principal of Winterhaven School.
At Gray Middle School, Seth Jones becomes assistant principal. Jonespreviously served as the interim assistant principal of BridgerElementary School, as a student management specialist with the PioneerProgram and as a special education teacher in Beaverton.
At Wilson High School, Marshall Haskins is the new vice principal.Haskins has served Jefferson High School as athletic director, testingcoordinator, dean of discipline and business education teacher. He alsostepped in as interim leader of the Young Men's Academy this spring. Heis a former vice president of operations for Self-Enhancement Inc.
Wilson hosts Talented and Gifted confab
The state-wide advocateorganization for talented and gifted students is holding its 2008conference and a non-profit fair at Wilson High School on SaturdaySept. 28.
The theme of the Oregon Association for Talented and Gifted (OATAG) conference is "Re-forming gifted education"
The featured speaker is Prof. Karen Rogers. Her topic is "What works for talented and gifted Kids."
Rogers is professor of Gifted Studies in the Department of Curriculumand Instruction at the University of St. Thomas. She received her Ph.D.in Curriculum and Instructional Systems from the University ofMinnesota and also holds Master's degrees in Special Education of theGifted and in Psychological Foundations of the Gifted. She is author ofthe book "Re-Forming Gifted Education: How Parents and Teachers CanMatch the Program to the Child."
OATAG will have an informational table at the Hillsdale Farmers Market in the weeks before the all-day conference.
For more on the conference and to register go to the OATAG web site.
Reminder: Your art on display Sept 7
Chalkup this reminder: The Wilson Cluster Chalk Art Festival, a freesidewalk chalk art event for all ages and abilities, will be held onSunday, Sept. 7, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Hillsdale Farmers Market
The event, hosted by the Wilson Area Arts Council (WAAC), shows offeveryone's artistic flair and celebrates the arts in the nine WilsonCluster schools. |
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Rick Seifert
Editor, Hillsdale News
(503) 245-7821
editor@hillsdalenews.org
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