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Q:
What site locations are being considered?
A:
The site is: Union
Station on Broadway next to the Central Post Office.
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Q:
What is the status of the fund raising?
A:
The May 2002 Dinner of the Decade with the James Beard Foundation
was a fantastic event and raised over $55,000. The Beard Foundation
generously donated their share of the proceeds, so all of the funds
raised will go towards the construction of the Public Market.
The volunteer
organizing committee and their counterparts at the Beard Foundation
worked very hard to make this event one of the highlights of the
year in Portland.
The Architectural
Foundation of Oregon (AFO) has graciously volunteered to serve as
the Public Market's bank until a non-profit organization specifically
for the Market can be established. Money raised from smaller local
events will be held for the Public Market by the AFO.
The September
2002 Picnic Basket Social was a great success. Over 170 people dined
from baskets prepared by over 50 local restaurants. The baskets
were all identical, so the surprise was opening one up to find out
which restaurant had prepared your basket. Many restaurants and
sponsors donated services and many volunteers donated time to make
this event work. It worked so well that many attendees are asking
that it become an annual event.
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Q:
How did Seattle's Pike Place raise $1.6 million in tile sales?
A:
Over 46,000 named or numbered tiles cover the floor of the
Main and North Arcades, Desimone Bridge, and Flower Row. In the
mid-1980s you could pay $35 for one inscribed tile as part of the
Market Foundation's "Be a Legend in Your Own Tile" campaign. $1.6
million was raised to pay for the project, plus $100,000 for the
Market Foundation.
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Q:
What are good models of public markets?
A:
The Seattle Pike
Place Market and Vancouver, B.C.'s, Granville
Island Public Market provide valuable models for a public market
in Portland. We want to match their vitality, while keeping the
primary focus on connecting local growers & food producers to local
customers.Others include Philadelphia's Reading Terminal Market
and Baltimore's Lexington Public Market
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Q:
What are the advantages of the market to agriculture?
| A:
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From
an economic point of view, a public market is an outstanding
small business incubator. Farmers sell produce at retail
rather than wholesale, and improve their cash flow by diversifying
into crops they can harvest in several seasons. For example,
New York’s Greenmarket, which is open year-round, has created
a whole new market in greenhouse-grown vegetables for winter
consumption |
| A:
|
Allows
small farmers to conveniently sell to restaurants and institutional
markets by providing a central location, cooler space and loading
docks. These lucrative markets are difficult for small farmers
to pursue because of logistical problems with storage and delivery.
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| A:
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Serves
as central clearing house for an information network to keep
restaurants and other customers up-to-the-minute on the availability
of fresh products |
| A:
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Protects
family farms from development by keeping them profitable. |
| A:
|
Keeps
community dollars in community hands, rather than exporting
them to agribusinesses outside Oregon or, increasingly, outside
the United States.
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Q:
What are the advantages of the market to Oregon?
| A:
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Creates
a showplace for Oregon agricultural products, to build recognition
of Oregon as a "brand-name" source of high-quality foods and
wines. |
| A:
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Provides
a beautiful facility for entertaining out-of-state and international
visitors and promoting Oregon products. |
| A:
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Establishes
common goals between urban and rural residents, who are generally
considered antagonists rather than allies in Oregon politics.
Enhances Oregon’s reputation as a place where people with different
interests can find common ground. |
| A:
|
Reinforces
Portland's reputation as a city that approaches urban planning
creatively.
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2001 - 2005 The City of Portland, Oregon. All Rights Reserved
