PSU Magazine Fall 2000

-& 0 U N D T H E P A R K B L 0 C K S Vanport remembered Vanport, the birthplace of PSU, is get– ting some well-deserved recognition 52 years after it disappeared under the floodwaters of the Columbia River. Interpretive signage commemorat– ing Vanport was recently unveiled at Heron Lakes Golf Course in north Portland, the original site of the city until the Memorial Day flood of 1948. Students in two senior capstone classes worked with Portland Parks & Recreation and Kaiser-Permanente to gather the short-lived city's history and create the signage. Vanport, built to house shipyard workers during World War 11, opened its doors to returning veterans through the Vanport Extension Center, precur– sor to PSU, following the war. Drug use survey surprises Oregon officials Illegal drug use more than tripled in Oregon from 1995 to 1999, according to a survey conducted by Bill Feyer– herm, vice provost for research and dean of graduate studies. Feyerherm directed the survey-based on telephone interviews with 12,017 people aero the tate-for the Oregon Department of Human Resources. It showed that illicit drug abuse increased from 3.1 percent of the adult popula– tion in 1995 to 10.3 percent in 1999, a 232 percent increase. The use of illegal drugs now surpasses figures on alcohol abuse in the state for the first time. "We expected some increases because there have been some increases in heroin overdose deaths," says Feyerherm. "But we didn't expect the huge percentage jump we got." Health officials are unable to explain the increase, but estimate that one in nine Oregonians need drug or alcohol abuse treatment, compared to one in 16 in 1995. "It may be people are more com– fortable admitting to (drug) use, but there's no piece of research that really tells us why we're seeing what we're seeing," says Gwen Grams, manager of planning, evaluation and research at the state Office of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Programs. Her office has already begun to expand its treatment and prevention programs with a $10 mil– lion increase in appropriations approved by the state Legislature last session. Task force recommends a holding pattern Ground the idea of a new Portland airport, a third run– way, or' expanding Hillsboro Airport-at least for the next decade. This was the recommendation of a 15- member task force assembled by PSU's Institute of Portland Metropolitan Studies. Examining future air transportation needs in Portland was the task put to this group of government and environ– mental representatives. The task force took up where a previous master plan– looking at facilities needed by the year 2020 for the Port of Portland-left off. Officially, the group was asked whether air traffic growth predictions for the Portland International Airport are rea– sonable and what alternative plans for growth should be part of the Port's master plan. The task force agreed with studies showing that passenger growth in the next 20 years will steadily increase, and came to the con– clusion that cargo activity, which is forecast to increase significantly, could be even greater than anticipated. But seeking a site for a new airport is not advisable at this time, the group concluded. The constraints of the 3,200- acre current airport points to the need for a site of 10,000 2 PSU MAGAZINE FALL 2000 acres for any new facility. Since no urban growth bound– ary in Oregon contains a 10,000-acre parcel sµitab le for development, a new airport would have to be developed on land currently protected for farm use-requiring a sig- nificant reappraisal of land use policy in the state. Similarly, expanding the Hillsboro Airport would require substantial investments, while divert ing only a small percentage of traffic from the main airport. The task force did recommend that the Port embrace three categories of activity in the next five years. First, it should plan for greater utilization of the present airport and its air space, includ– ing gate and ticket pricing strategies and continued land acquisition. Second, qual– ity of life issues associated with airport PAUL MANZ/ARTVILLE operations, such as air and water quality, noise, and growth management issues, should be addressed. Third, the port should begin work to view the airport as part of a regional system, which could call on other airports to carry some of the future burden. The task force's full report is on the Web at www.upa.pdx.edu/IMS/. • •