A Christmas Miracle, Indeed
Mari Margil
I've just returned from the Portland City Council meeting where Mayor Potter and the Council are hearing testimony regarding funding to save the Miracles Club on MLK in NE Portland - a place for people in recovery from substance abuse. They have 12 step meetings and other events and services.
As you may have read in the Oregonian, the Miracles Club faces eviction as "developers are looking to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard as the last frontier for the types of infill development that produce huge profits..."
City Commissioner Dan Saltzman put forward what really can only be described as a "Christmas miracle" - a resolution to provide the funding necessary for the Miracles Club to buy its own building. I attended the City Council meeting to show my support, as a neighbor who lives two blocks from the club. Mayor Potter stated, just moments ago, that he and the Council support this approach and the crowded chamber showed its deep appreciation.
I too want to show my appreciation. Thank you to the City Council and the Mayor for making this miracle happen. You have given me a reason to feel joy this holiday season. Thank you.
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Dec 20, '06
"a resolution to provide the funding necessary for the Miracles Club to buy its own building"
Translation, please. Are we talking about something like a city-guaranteed loan?
Dec 20, '06
From the O:
Saltzman calls the $495,000 "a loan." But under the plan, the Miracles would pay the city back only if it sells the building. "If they stay, they keep the money," he said.
The club's board would take out a bank loan to cover the outstanding balance. The monthly mortgage, Cochran and Saltzman's office said, would be covered by several sources, including money the county pays for treatment services and more than $2,000 from storefront rentals also in the building.
Cochran said the club also makes money from cover charges on dances, family nights and other activities.
<h2>I'm glad to hear they voted for this. It seems like a wothwhile and valuable place.</h2>