August 08, 2011
Mayor Sam Adams, along with representatives from the Portland Development Commission, the Portland Alumnae Chapter of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and the Piedmont Rose Connection, Inc. will celebrate the grand opening of the June Key Delta Community Center, Wednesday, August 10. The event will run from 4-8 p.m., with the building dedication ceremony starting at 6 p.m. The center, located at 5940 North Albina Avenue (on the corner of N. Albina Avenue and N. Ainsworth Street) is a former gas station and brownfield that has been transformed into a Living Building demonstration project.
“The June Key Delta Community Center delivers on the city’s goals of increasing job opportunities for a diverse workforce, supporting education, and creating the nation’s greenest construction sector. I am so proud of the partnerships and commitment that made the center a reality,” Mayor Adams said. “The sorority and the community had big dreams for what this property could be, and we’ve been delighted to see the final product. It will serve as a fitting legacy to the memory of June Key.”
The sorority augmented its own investment in the construction costs with PDC’s Commercial Property Redevelopment loan and Storefront Improvement and Community Livability grants to renovate and expand the existing building into a community center with a meeting hall, display space, kitchen and accessible rest rooms. The construction has been mostly performed by a local minority-owned general contractor and augmented by significant contributions of labor from local trade unions and nonprofits that provide pre-apprenticeship training in the construction trades.
