North Denver Avenue Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

A public celebration was held November 18^th in the downtown Kenton neighborhood of North Portland to mark the completion of streetscape improvements to Kenton’s four block long business district. Community members were joined by Portland Mayor Sam Adams and representatives from the Portland Bureau of Transportation, Portland Development Commission, Kenton Neighborhood Association, Kenton Business Association and Regional Arts & Culture Council and countless others who contributed in one way or another to this project. There was an unveiling of a public art sculpture of carved stone by artist Mauricio Saldana, which now sits prominently on the corner of N. Denver Ave and Kilpatrick St. Phase 2 improvements to the project were completed earlier this fall, which included grinding the existing asphalt pavement and repaving with concrete; a paving process called ultra thin white topping (UTW). Parking and intersections are delineated with dark gray concrete with the travel lanes a natural concrete color. Phase 1 construction work was completed earlier in the year. The complete reconstruction of the pedestrian zone included widened sidewalks, new street trees, stormwater planters that treat road and sidewalk rain runoff, ornamental lighting and carved stone benches. The purpose of this project is to support the continued revitalization of the historic Kenton business district and to make Kenton a safer place.

Bike trips on rise in Portland

Many of us here at GreenWorks love commuting by bike.  At times, especially this last summer, it seemed like everyone in Portland was commuting by bike.  Well now we know why it felt that way...  The Portland Bureau of Transportation recently reported in their Portland Bicycle Count for 2010 that total bike trips in Portland is up 8% since last year.  The Portland Daily Journal of Commerce reported that:

The agency today announced the release of the Portland Bicycle Count Report for 2010, which showed a 12 percent increase of bicycle traffic on bridges and a 7 percent increase in bicycle trips on non-bridges over the past year.

“One of the goals of the city of Portland is to increase the number of people getting around on foot, on public transit, in carpools and on bicycles,” said Dan Anderson, a city spokesman. “Traveling those ways increases the health of the city, reduces congestion and saves money.”

Officials view growing ridership as a sign the agency has been successful in making bicycling in the city easier, more comfortable and more accessible, he said.

Overall, the total number of trips increased 8 percent in 2010 compared with 2009 counts, according to the report.

 

And what was a more interesting fact was that...

In the past 10 years, bicycle traffic across the city has risen about 190 percent.

Way to go Portland!  We love to bike.  And we are glad to hear that there will be more people to talk to during our commute in to work.

The full DJC article can be found here.

Two GreenWorkers Earn Landscape Architect Licenses

GreenWorks’ Michelle Mathis and Tim Strand recently became registered Landscape Architects in the State of Oregon. Mathis and Strand passed five sections of the Landscape Architect Registration Examination (LARE) administered by CLARB. CLARB provides uniform testing requirements to each state or province (Canada) for landscape architect candidates to show “sufficient knowledge, skills and abilities to provide landscape architectural services without endangering the health, safety and welfare of the public.”

Congrats to Tim and Michelle on your new licensure and the positive impact it will have on the practice of landscape architecture within the community.

Confluence Project Featured this Week on OPB's "Think Out Loud"

Tomorrow's Oregon Public Broadcasing "Think Out Loud" broadcast will feature Artist Maya Lin and the Confluence Projects for which GreenWorks is providing landscape architectural services.  Artist Maya Lin and Confluence Executive Director Jane Jacobsen will be sitting in with host Emily Harris at 9 a.m. Thursday  to discuss Ms. Lin's approach to the series of interpretive sites in Oregon and Washington along the major rivers of the Pacific Northwest. Individual sites are located along the Snake, Columbia, and Sandy Rivers and include site developments in support of Ms. Lin's artwork, including:  viewpoints and overlooks, trails, parking, comfort stations, fish cleaning stations, information kiosks and other site facilities.  GreenWorks is responsible for detailed site design for multiple sites as well as leading an interdisciplinary team of engineers, designers, architects and regulatory professionals in the development of these sites.

You can listen to the broadcast and learn more at:

http://www.opb.org/thinkoutloud/shows/maya-lin-and-confluence-project/

Early Head Start Playground Breaks Ground at Clackamas Community College

After a few months of intensive design, the children at the Clackamas Community College's Early Head Start are starting to see their playground take shape.  Little hands grasping the chain link construction fence and eyes set on the excavator, they wait patiently as the sea of bark chips is replaced with a natural area for creative play.

The Clackamas County Children’s Commission (CCCC) is a non-profit organization that serves children in Clackamas County. Their Early Head Start play space was in need of upgrades. The equipment was out dated and not meeting the physical needs of the young children.

GreenWorks worked with CCCC to develop a plan that fit within their limited space, met development requirements of younger children and offered an alternative play experience from traditional playground equipment. The nature based playground design includes an embankment slide, sand play area, trike loop, potting shed play house, lush planting and timber climbers. GreenWorks helped the client re-invision how to use the existing covered space for additional all season play, how to incorporate appropriate storage, and how play surfacing could extend social areas for music, arts, and classroom activities.

Astoria Waterfront Visioning Wins Excellence in Coastal Communities Award

Hard work and great planning continues to pay off for GreenWorks’ contribution to the Astoria Waterfront Visioning Plan.  The project was recently honored with the Excellence in Local Government Planning: City of Astoria award for efforts at urban and waterfront revitalization, in particular the Riverfront Vision Plan by the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development’s Oregon Coastal Management Program.

GreenWorks assisted with this comprehensive waterfront visioning plan concentrating on accessibility, circulation, open space, parks, trails, and sustainable solutions.  The work focused on capturing the character of Astoria identifying, which characteristics are unique and well loved within the community and providing imagery, plans, and strategies to guide future community development.  This award complements the Astoria Riverfront’s national honors received for educating the community about the value of cultural and natural resources from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration received earlier this year.

Rockwood/E 188th Avenue MAX Station is Under Construction

Construction of the redesigned 23-year old Rockwood/E 188th Avenue MAX Station on Tri-Met’s original MAX Blue Line serving the Rockwood Neighborhood of Gresham is under construction and rapidly moving towards completion, which is set to open March 2011. The existing eastbound MAX station alignment is moving to the west of E 188th Avenue directly adjacent to the existing westbound platform. This project will specifically improve pedestrian safety and the experience of users while also creating a unique MAX station that will enhance the identity of the Rockwood neighborhood. New station elements include: MAX shelters with transparent windscreens, ticket vending machines and platform furnishings, improved lighting and security cameras, treatment of stormwater from the station in vegetated stormwater facilities, surrounding station landscape planting and most prominently two large public art features located at each of the station entrances. This project is being coordinated with the Gresham Redevelopment Commission’s Rockwood in Motion infrastructure improvement projects in the Rockwood triangle area.