Martin Luther King Recognition Task Force — Portland, ME
Date: 2017-06-09

1. Agenda 6/9/2017

 Documents:

 AGENDA JUNE 9 2017.PDF

2. Martin Luther King, Jr. Report And Recommendations (2008)

 Documents:

 MLKTASKFORCEREPORT 2008.PDF

1. Agenda 6/9/2017

 Documents:

 AGENDA JUNE 9 2017.PDF

2. Martin Luther King, Jr. Report And Recommendations (2008)

 Documents:

 MLKTASKFORCEREPORT 2008.PDF
 City of Portland
 Martin Luther King Recognition Task Force
 June 9, 2017
 4:00 PM
 Room 209

 AGENDA

1. Welcome and introductions
2. Review Martin Luther King, Jr. Task Force Report and Recommendations (2008)
3. Review map and information about Bayside Trail
4. Discuss agenda for next meeting
5. Adjourn
MartinLutherKingJr.TaskForce
 Report& Recommendations
 tothe
 Portland
 CitvCouncil




 "When we let freedom ring,
 when we let it ring from every
 tenement and every hamlet,
 from every sfafe and every
 city, we will be able to speed
 up that day when all of God's
 children,black men and white
 men, Jeurs and Gentiles,
 Protestantsand Catholics.will
 be able to join hands and sing
 in the wordsof the old spiritual,
 'Freeat last,freeat last.Thank
 God Almighty, we are free at
 last."
 - Dr. MartinLutherKng, Jr.




 December
 2008
 Martin
 Luther
 King
 Jr.TaskForce
 Members
 Councilor
 Daniel andRachel
 Skolnik Talbot
 Ross,
 Co-Chairs

JanBeitzer Portland
 Downtown District
SteveBromage Maine HistoricalSociety
RabbiCarolynBraun Temple Beth-El
BishopSteveColemanWilliams
 TempleChurch ofGodinChrist
DennisCrowley Great Portland
 Landmarks
Richard
 D'Abate Maine Historical
 Society
SusannahFord NAACP  Portland
 Branch
Donna Gaspar University
 ofNewEngland
SusanHopkins Portland
 SchoolCommittee
Rev.KenLewis Green MemorialAME ZionChurch
ReginaMartin Portland
 Chamber ofCommerce
WellsStayley
 Mays NAACP Portland
 Branch
William
 Nelligan Portland
 YouthAdvisoryCommittee
JamieParker FriendsoftheParksCommission
Abraham Peck University
 ofSouthern
 MaineAcademic Council
 forPostHolocaust
 Jewish,Christian
 andlslamic
 Sludies
ReginaPhillips NAACP  Portland
 Branch
JonathanReitman InterfaithMaine
JoshuaTingley PortlandSchool
 Committee
Dawud Ummah University
 ofSouthern
 MaineMuslim Chaplin
SandyWright League ofYoungVoters




Staff:
RachelTalbotRoss,Director,
 EqualOpportunity
 & Multicultural
 Affairs
PatFinnigan,
 AsstCityManager
AlexJaegerman,
 PlanningDivision
 Director
Judith
 Rosen.Administrative
 Asst
 Martin
 Luther
 KingJr.TaskForce
 Report
 tothePortland
 CityCouncil
 December2008

 TableofContents

t . lntroduction
il. Members

I I I .Scopeof Work 1
 A. Mission 2
 B. SiteSelectionProcess 2
 C. Beyonda PlaceName 4

IV. Recommendations 5

V. Conclusion 6

vt. Appendix

 A. CouncilOrder
 B. TaskForceMembers
 C. PlaceNameGuidelines
 D. MissionStatement
 E. MeetingMinutes



 *******************
 Martin
 Luther
 KingJr.TaskForce
 "Whatever your life's work is, do it well. A man should do his
 job so well that the living, the dead, and the unborn could do it
 no better."
 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.


Introduction
On April 7, 2008,40 yearsand threedays after his assassination, the PortlandCity
Council passed  Order193-07-08,  introducedby CouncilorDanielSkolnik,to establish
the Dr. MartinLutherKing,Jr. Task Force. The purposeof the Task Forcewas to
identifyand evaluatepublicsitesin Portlandandthe GreaterPortlandareawhichwould
be appropriate to nameafterDr. King,and makerecommendations to the CityCouncil
regarding the selectedsite.(AppendixA)

ln his statementexplainingthe purposeof the Order,Councilor
 Skolniknotedthat more
than600 U.S.citiesin 39 stateshavehonoredDr.Kingwitha permanent memorial: "Dr.
King'smessagewas so powerfulin his time becauseit wentto the heartof America's
biggestproblems:racism,povertyandwar. I thinkwe can agreethat his messagestill
resonatestoday." CouncilorSkolnikcontinued: "lt is fittingthat we createa daily
reminderin our largestCityof the hopefor truecommunity
 thatDr. Kinggavevoiceto."

Members
The CouncilOrderestablishingthe Task Forceincludeda broadspectrumof people
and organizationswhich should be representedon the Task Force including
representatives
 of the PortlandCityCouncil,NAACPPortlandBranch,PortlandSchool
Committee,GreaterPortlandLandmarks, PortlandYouthAdvisoryCommittee,
 Portland
Downtown District,
 the FaithCommunity, (Appendix
 andthe University. B)

On May 19,the CityCouncilappointeda 20 memberTaskForcewhichwas co-chaired
by CouncilorDan Skolnikand RachelTalbotRoss,Directorof EqualOpportunity  &
Multicultural
 Affairs. The committeemet 8 times. In addition,subcommitteesand
membersheldadditional groupsand othersin the courseof
 meetingswith stakeholder
doingtheirwork.

Scope of Work
In orderto accomplishitstasks,the membersresearched  the processes usedby other
communities  to namesites generally,
 as wellas the approachcommunities haveused
to creatememorials or otherpublicdisplayswhich
commemorate theworkof Dr.King.Specialnotewas "Take
 the first step in
givento the NationalMLKJr. Memorial faith. You don't have to
(www.mlkmemorial.org), andthe MartinLutherKingand see the whole staircase,
CorettaScottKingmemorialthatwas dedicatedat the just take the first step."
Universityof Mainein Oronoin October2008.
(seeAppendixC for additionalinformation)
Mission. The TaskForceagreedthat it was essentialto beginits workby establishing
a MissionStatement.The MissionStatement wouldhelpguideitsworkand helpanswer
peoplewho now or in the futuremightask why we are honoringDr. King. provide
background to the memberof the publicregarding
 this project.The MissionStatement
states:

 Martin
 Luther
 KingJr.TaskForce
 MissionStatement

 Tohonorandcelebratethelifeof Dr,MartinLutherKingJr.,theCityof Portland
 and
 itsresidentsproclaim
 theirappreciationfora greatmanwhose lifehasmadeour
 andnation
 city,state, a betterplacetolive,
 Communitiesin everycornerof theworldincluding
 over700in theUnitedStates
 havehonored Martin
 LutherKingJr.,because hewasa great civilrights
 leader,
 a
 greatreligious
 leader,anda great Americanleader.Hislife's
 workreminds usto
 pursue foreachindividual,
 dignity social
 andeconomic equality,andjustice
 for
 American.
 every
 These  values
 knownoboundaries.Theyserve
 asa compass toguide
 ourcitydaily
 ona pathaway  fromdiscrimination,  povefiandinjustice;
 racism,
 Theysteerustowards  justice, andfreedom
 equality forallpeople
 wholive,work,
 visitorcallPortland
 home,
 Thiscommemoration connectsDr.MarlinLutherKing's andlegacy
 beliefs to the
 dailylifeofourcity.Hismessages peace
 ofinternational andfundamental fairness
 areoneswewantoconvey toourchildren.Inhonoring
 Dr.KingwemovePortland
 hisdreamofa morejustandhumane
 closerto realizing worldbymakingit ourown,

Site SelectionProcess. The TaskForcespentmostof its timedeveloping agreement
on the criteriathattheyandthe Cityshoulduseto selecta siteto name afterDr. King.
To assist them, the Task Force reviewedthe process used by several other
communities  to namesitesor establish memorials  (seeAppendixC). Someof the
criteriadiscussedby the TaskForceincluded:
 . Siteshouldbe highlyvisible
 ' Shouldbe a placeof celebration andjoy to inspirepeopleto continuethe
 momentum
 . A placeof distinctionthatinstillsrespect(nota streetor highway)
 . Accessibility - openarea,trees,waterfront,  etc
 . Reasonable cost
 . Visibleto visitorsandcitizens
 . Usefulness  - morethana plaque
 . A contemplative  place
 . Acceptable  to broadcommunity
 . Developed througha community process
 . Shouldbe multi-pronged - notjustonecommemorative
 . Couldhavesmalland largeventures- short& longterm
 . Educational - youngergeneration
 isn'tas awareof MLK
 . Includea weeklongevenUcelebration
 . Shouldincludehistorical
 component
 . Partof the annualMLKsymposium
 . Couldbe includedas partof a newcommunity (schooletc)
 development
TheTaskForceestablished threeprimaryprinciples
 to useto identifypotentialplacesto
nameafterDr.King. The principles werethatwereagreeduponwerethatthe siteor
memorialneededto:
 . Be visibleandcentral,to serveas a dailyreminderof Dr. King'slifeandvalues
 . Be inspirational,
 in itsdesignandas a spacefor reflection
 . Be enduring,to standthe testof timeand be a lastingtributeto Dr.King.lt
 shouldnot be a placethatwillbe abandoned  or fall intodisrepair
TheTaskForceconsidered a rangeof locations
 whichcouldbe namedafterDr. Kingor
whichcouldbe sitesof a memorial.Amongthe locations  considered  were:
  . The easternwaterfront
  . EasternPromenade
  . OceanGateway
  . BaysideTrail 'I havea dream
  . PaysonPark thatmyfourlittlechildren
 will
  . TomffiV'sor PostOfficePark one dayliveina nation
 where theywillnotbe
  . LincolnPark judgedby thecoloroftheir
 skin, butbythe
 contentoftheir "
 character.
  . The Jetport
  . A school,suchas the newOceanAve
 elementary school
  . The PublicLibrary
  . FranklinArterial
  . l-295
  . Commercial  St.
  . MarginalWay
  . ForeRiverParkway
Afterconsideringthe rangeof potential  sitesandthe sitecriteria,the TaskForce
narrowedthe sitesto threeareas:
 . Waterfront:in the vicinityof OceanGate
 . Downtown:  Tommy'sParkand/orPostOfficePark
 . Bayside:TheBayside Trailin thevicinity
 of the newMaineHealth/United  Waybuilding
The Task Force memberswent on a field trip to reviewthese potentialsites to
determine
 theirsuitability.Theythendiscussed
 the strengths
 or drawbacks
 of eachsite
(seeAppendixE Minutesof October24,2008).
RecommendedSife. Afterthoroughdiscussion and review,the TaskForcemembers
unanimously concludedthat the BaysideTrailwas the preferredsite and met all the
criteriafor a memorialsite. The specificsite underreviewis locatednearthe new
MaineHealth/United  Way building.Thissiteis central,visible,and accessible.lt will
be visitedby manypeoplefromPortland,  the regionand beyond.In fact,it is the belief
of the Task Forceas well as PortlandTrails,that the trailwill attractpeoplewho will
discoverthe Dr. MartinLutherKingJr. memorial,but it will also introducethe Bayside
Trailto peoplewho arespecifically
 seekingthe Dr. MartinLutherKingJr. memorialsite.

Becausethe BaysideTrail is new, it does not requireanythingto be re-named.
Becausethe BaysideTrailis yet to be builtand is in the designphase,it providesan
opportunityfor a newspaceto be createdwithoutdisrupting  or displacing otheruses. lt
allowsthe Dr. King memorialto be designedas the inspirational and enduringspace
envisionedby the Task Forceand ultimatelythe communitywhom,the Task Force
hopes,will be involvedin the designprocess.Justas importantly, the Trustfor Public
Landsand PortlandTrailsboth have expressedsupportfor establishing a memorial
commemorating Dr. Kingon the Trail. In addition,the developersof the new Maine
Health/UnitedWay "Bayco"building,haveexpressed supportfor the location.

Beyonda PlaceName.The TaskForcewas honoredto be chargedwith identifying a
site to commemorate Dr. MartinLutherKing,Jr. As it considered  the optionsand the
meaningof Dr. King'slife,the TaskForcealsofacedthe issueof: was it was enough?
In the courseof itswork,it becameincreasingly  clearthatthe workof Dr. MartinLuther
King, Jr. and his legacydeservedto be part of the fabricof our daily lives which
transcends  a staticsitenamedafterDr.King.
 "Anindividualhasnotstarted
The Task Force was committedto fulfillingits livinguntilhecanriseabovethe
chargefrom the City Councilto reviewpotential narrow confinesof his
sitesto namein honorof Dr. Kingand recommend individualistic
 concerns tothe
the site(s)to the CityCouncil. The TaskForcehas broader concernsofall
concluded  that naminga siteis onlypartof the task; humanitv.  "
it willtakemorethanjust erectinga signthat names
a place after Dr. King. The Task Force'srecommendation to the Councilinvolves
creatinga memorialsitewhichmustbe designedand funded. The TaskForcefeelsa
responsibility to cultivatethe necessaryfinancialand other resourcesto createthe
memorialsite.
ln addition,the TaskForceagreedthatto be a trulymeaningful tributeto the legacyof
Dr.King,the Cityneedsto considera wayto bringDr. King'svaluesto lifein a very real
andtangiblewayfor the peopleof Portlandand beyond.Of specialconcernto the Task
 to ensurethat peoplein the future,especiallyoungpeople,
Forceis the responsibility
wouldknowand learnaboutDr. King,whathe stoodfor,and his life'swork.

The Task Forcediscusseda numberof potentialendeavorswhichwouldaccomplish
this continuousexaminationand understanding  of Dr. King'sideals. Conceptsranged
from creatingincubatorspaceto promoteand foster businesscreationto promote
economicjusticeand helppeoplebecomeself-sufficient, or teachingurbanfarmingto
createjobs whileprovidinglocallygrownproducethat wouldbenefithe community, to
establishinga Dr. MartinLutherKing Jr. Centerwhich,amongotherthings,could
sponsorcommunitylectureseries,events,or promotesocialjusticeand otherprojects
whichwouldemploythe principles  of Dr. King'swork. Sucha centercouldprovidethe
platformto exploreissuesof peace,socialand economicjustice,humandignityand
whatstepswe as a community  we needto taketo makeour community morejust,safe,
and inclusive.Oneideawasto establish  sucha centerin a spacelocatedin the new
MaineHealth/UnitedWay building,sinceit wouldbe in closeproximity
 to the proposed
Dr. MartinLutherKing,Jr. memorial. The Task Forcediscussedthis idea with the
developersof the building.Althoughthey did not commit,they were open to further
discussions.

Ultimately,the TaskForcebelievesthatthe mostimportant way to celebrateDr. King's
life and legacyis for citizensto work to promotesocialand economicjustice,work to
end poverty,andget involvedlocallyto createa bettercommunity.

To beginthis nextphase,the TaskForceagreedthat atthe January19,2009Martin
LutherKingJr. Day breakfast, the Task Forcewouldinformthe assemblyon its work
and presentits proposalto builda Dr. MartinLutherKingJr. memorialon the Bayside
Trail,introducethe newweb sitethat has information  aboutthe MKLmemorialand how
to becomeinvolved,invite people  to be part of the capitalcampaignto build the
memorial,and start a dialogueon how best to ensurethe messageof Dr. King is
experienced in our dailylives.
Recommendations
 and NextSteps
TheTaskForcevotedto makethefollowingrecommendations
 to the CityCouncil:
1. Recommend  to the GityCouncilthata sectionof the BaysideTrail,nearthe Maine
Health/United
 Way buildingbe setasideas a memorial  to be namedin honorof Dr.
MartinLutherKing
 "All labor that uplifts humanity
2. Recommend  to the Gity Gouncilthatthe Council
establisha MartinLutherKingJr. Commission  which has dignity and importance
wouldbe staffedby the CityManger'sdesignate and and should be undertaken with
be comprised of membersof the public,Councilors, painstaki ng excellence. "
and staffwhichwould:
 (a) Usinga publicprocess,workwithCitystaffandthe BaysideTrailorganizersto
 designthe memorial;
 (b) workwiththe Cityandothercommunity  organizations
 to raisefundsto buildthe
 memorial.Fundingsourceswouldincludeprivatecontributions,foundations and
 grants.(TheTaskForceis notseekinggeneralfundmonies).
 (c) workwiththe ownersof MaineHealth/UnitedWayto ensurethe memorial
 complements thetrailandthe building.
 (d) Developon-goingcommunity  programsandeventsto bringthe workof Dr. King
 to life
2. Recommend to the City Councilthat to performits workthe Commission wouldbe
allocated up to $5,000annually.The initialfundsthroughJune2009wouldbe funded
throughthe City Manager'sOffice:EqualOpportunity & MulticulturalAffairs,to pay
administrativecostsincluding printing,officesupplies,etc.
 websitedesign,advertising,
lf the City Councilacceptsthese recommendations, the Task ForceCo-Chairswill
makea presentation at the 2009Dr. MartinLutherKing,Jr. Daybreakfast to informthe
communityaboutthe work of the Task Forceand the proposedmemorial.The Task
Forcewillalsounveila Citywebsitewhichwill informpeopleaboutthe workof the Task
Force,the Commission (if established),
 encouragecommunity  involvement  in creating
andfundingthe memorial, and alertpeopleto volunteer opportunitiesin the community
to furtherthe idealsof Dr. King. In short,it will be a resourceto raiseawarenessand
helppeopleturnDr. King'swordsintoactions.

Conclusion
The membersof the Dr. MartinLutherKing, Jr. Task Force are gratefulfor their
opportunity to serveon this Task Forceand play an integralrole in findinga way to
recognize  Dr. MartinLutherKing,Jr. and createan opportunity peopleto be introduced
to him or reacquainted with his work. Portlandhas an abundance of naturaland other
siteswhichoffernamingopportunities, but it is our conclusion
 and our recommendation
that the site whichbest meetsthe spiritof our chargeand providesan opportunity to
createa uniquespacebefittingDr. King is to createa memorialsite on the Bayside
Trail.
We believewe have accomplished the Council'schargeto us by identifyingand
recommending  a siteto nameafterDr. Kingto commemorate his legacy. However,in
the courseof our deliberations,the Task Forcemembersconcludedthat Portland
needsto actto createa livingandenduringtribute.Therefore,we alsorecommend that
the Councilappointa citizenscommission whichcan carryon the work of developing
the memorial.Manyof us wouldbe willingto continueintothe nextphaseto ensurethe
memorialis completed.

Beyondthe taskof fundraising,  we alsobelievethe Cityhas an importantroleto playin
providingstewardship of Dr. King'slegacyin a way that makesit meaningfulto the
peopleof Portland. Thereforewe also recommend that the City Councilestablisha
citizenscommission, whosemissionwill includeraisingpublicawareness of Dr. King's
principles,celebratinghis life by encouragingcivic discourseon socialissueswhich
confrontus, and fosteringpublicengagement in addressingissuesof equality,race,
socialandeconomic  justice,non-violence,freedom,and peace.



 "Everybody can be great, because anybody can serve. You
 don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to
 make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a
 heart full of grace. A soul generated by love."
 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr,




 Acknowledgement and Appreciation

TheTaskForcewishesto thankJudithRosenof the CityManager's staffwhoorganized
 our
meetings
 andkeptthe recordsof ourwork. We alsothankthe PortlandMayorandCity
Councilors
 for theirforesight,
 andCityManagerJoeGrayfor hissupport.
 Appendix




A. CouncilOrder
B. TaskForceMembers
C. PlaceNameGuidelines
D. MissionStatement
E. MeetingMinutes
 AppendixA


 Order193-07/08
  I Passage'
 4t7/08g-O
lByffJ"i,%'lffH:(MAYoR)cITy oF pORTLAND JAMESI. COHEN (5)
 JOHN M. ANTON (A/L)
PAVIDArMARSHALL(2) IN TIIE Cmy COUNCIL JILLC. DUSON(A/L)
DANIELS.SKOLNIK(3) NICHOLASM. MAVODONES(A/L)
CHERYL A. LEEMAN (4)




 ORDER ESTABLISHING DR. MARTIN LUTIIER KING, JR. TASK FORCE


 ORDERED, that the Mayor appoint a task force for the following purposes:

 *to identify public sitesin Portland and the GreaterPortland
 Area (e.g.
 parks,bridges,public buildings,city streets,highways)as candidatesto be
 namedforDr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; and

 xto evaluatethesesitesfor viability and stepsinvolved
 in naming or re-
 naming the sites.

 BE IT FLIRTIIER ORDERED, that the Task Force would consist of a representative
 from - or consult as neededwith - eachof the following groups:

 Portland City Council
 South Portland City Council
 CumberlandCounty Commission
 GreaterPortland Council of Governments
 Portland School Committee
 Member of LegislativeDelegation
 GreaterPortlandtandmarks
 NAACP PortlandBranch
 Portland Faith Community
 Portland Youth Advisory,Committee
 The kague of Young Voters
 Portland's Downtown District
 Portland Community and Regional Chambers
 PortlandFriends of the Parks Commission

 BE IT FLIRTIIER ORDERED, that the Task Force report back to the City Council on
 its findings, and recommendone o{ more sitesfor City Council consideration.

 BE IT F[JRTHER ORDERED, that staff from the following Portland deparrmentswill
 be made available to the Task Force as needed:

 ParksDepartment
 Public Works Department
 PlanningandDevelopmentDepartment

 Orders:MLK Naming
 04.01.2008
 Appendix
 B




 MARTIN LUTHERKING,JR.
 NAMINGTASKFORCEiT,Mffi iTNS
  Member:
 Representing
  Daniei Skolnik
 City Council
  RachelTalbot Ross
 Portiand Office of Equal Opportunity
 &
 Multicultural Affarrs
  SusanHopkins
 PortlandSchoolCommittee
  JoshuaTingley
 Portland School Committee
 William Nelligan
 Portland youth Advisory Committee
 Brian Chick
 PortlandDowntown District
 Regina Martin
 Portland Community Chamber
 Wells Stayley Mays
 NAACP portland Branch
 Regina Phillips
 NAACP porrland Branch
 SusannahFord
 NAACP portland Branch
 JamieParker
 Friends of the park Commission
 Sandy Wright
 Leagueof young Voters
 Bishop Steve Coleman
 Williams Temple Church of
 God in Christ
 JonathanReitman
 Interfaith Maine
 Dawud Ummah
 University of Southem Maine
 Muslim
 Chaplain
Rabbi Caroiyn Braun
 Temple Beth-El
Rev. KennethLewis
 Green Memorial AME Zion
 Church
Abraham Peck
 University of SouthernMaine
 Academic
 -*-'
 Council for post_HolocaustJ"r;;h,
 Christian and Islamic Studies
RichardD'Abate
 Maine HistoricalSociety
SusieBock
 African American Collection
 of Maine
Pat Finnigan
 AssistantCity Manager,Staff




 LutherKing NamingTaskForce
-O1d91s,\AnpointMartin
5.i4.08
 AppendixC




. Atlanta,Georgia- The MartinLutherKingJr. Drivein King'shometown
 Center,a
is a majorlandmarkfor tourism.lt bordersthe AtlantaUniversity
conglomerate blackcollegesand universities
 of historically thatincludesKing's
almamaterMorehouse College.

. Los Angeles,Galifornia- In 1983,SantaBarbaraBoulevard in South
LosAngeleswas renamedMartinLutherKingJr. Boulevard, threeyearsbefore
President RonaldReagansigneda lawdeclaring Dr. King'sbirthdaya national
holiday.Thateventwas celebrated the firsteverKingdomDayParade,an annual
traditionheldon the streetbetweenCrenshawBoulevardandWesternAvenue.

. OklahomaCity, Oklahoma:The Northernsectionof EasternAvenue,
 "Rev.Dr. Martin
from E. RenoAvenuenorthto N. 63rdStreet,was renamed
LutherKing,Jr. Boulevard"  in honorof his impacton the Oklahoma Cityandthe
nation.MLKboulevard is the principle
 N-SAvenuein Oklahoma City'sEastside
section,hometo the state'slargestAfricanAmericancommunity.Prominent
landmarksalongthe boulevardincludemanyof OklahomaCity'stop attractions,
suchas the Oklahoma  CityZoological Park,Remington  Park,andOmniplex
ScienceMuseum.Otherinstitutions of noteinclude  Bassett Center,
 Correctional
RalphWaldoEllisonPublicLibrary,the recentlyrebuiltmmpusof Frederick
AugustusDouglass HighSchool,andthe YWCABranch.lt is legendthatDr.
Kinginterviewed to becomepastorof the historicBaptistChurchin today'sDeep
DeuceHistoricneighborhood, but churchofficialsturnedhimdowndue to his
youthfulage.

. Washington,D.C.-- MartinLutherKingJr.Avenue,. SE, (formerly
 Nichols
Avenue,SE) is the maincommercial streetin the partof SoutheastWashington
eastof the AnacostiaRiver.lt intersectsMalcolmX Avenue,SE (formerly
Portland St.,SE)nearBollingAir ForceBaseandSt. Elizabeths Also
 Hospital.
verynearthe streetis the homeof Frederick  Douglass, the famous abolitionist,
for whoma majorcitybridgealongSouthCapitolStreetis named.Otherstreets
and bridgesstreetsnamedfor prominentcivilrightsfiguresare NannieHelen
Burroughs Avenue,NE and the WhitneyYoungBridgealongEastCapitolStreet.

. NewOrleans,Louisiana:Melpomene Avenuewas renamedMartin
LutherKingJr. Boulevard.  Several  murals of King are paintedalongthe
boulevard.The boulevard  is alsoneara Kingstatueandmemorial on Claiborne
Avenue, and  the boulevard is partof the routeof New  Orlean'sannual  Martin
LutherKingDayparade.The boulevardis locatedin CentralCity,whichis
 the city'slargestAfricanAmericancommercial
historically districtand a major
hubfor the UptownAfricanAmericancommunity.
. NewYork City, NewYork: Fourblocksof 125thStreethroughHarlem,
designatedDoctorMartinL. King,Jr. Boulevard.
 The streetfeaturesApollo
Theater,a famouscenterfor AfricanAmericanmusic.

. Portland,Oregon- MartinLutherKingJr. Boulevardfeaturesa large
statueof Kingin frontof the OregonGonvention
 Center.
. Raleigh,North Garolina- MartinLutherKingJr. Boulevardfeaturesthe
MartinLutherKingJr. MemorialGardenswith a lifesizestatueof Dr. King.

. Seattle,Washington:ln 1983,an eight-milestretchof StateRoute900
betweenSeattleand Rentonwas renamedfrom EmpireWay to MartinLuther
KingJr. Way.At the timethe areawas roughly70 percentblack.

. Oaklandand Berkeley,Galifornia:GroveStreet,whichstretchedfor
severalmilesnorthfrom DowntownOaklandinto NorthBerkeley,was renamed
MartinLutherKingJr. Way in 1984.The streethadoncerepresented  the dividing
linebetweenneighborhoods  whereminoritiescouldand couldnot liveor buy
property.

. Little Rock,Arkansas:In 1992,HighStreetwas renamedMartinLuther
KingJr. Drive.The street,whichbeginsnextto the ArkansasStateCapitol
building,is hometo paradesand communityevents.MartinLutherKingJr.
Interdistrict
 MagnetElementary Schoolis locatedon the street.

. Savannah,Georgia:MartinLutherKingJr. Boulevardfeaturesthe Ralph
MarkGilbertCivilRightsMuseum.

' Cleveland,Ohio: MartinLutherKingJr. Drive,formallyLibertyStreet,
usedto be a veryrun down,and dangerouspartof the eastsideof Cleveland.
The roadis surrounded  by a publicpark,withmanylakes,andplaygrounds.
Duringthe 1980sMartinLutherKingJr. Drivewasverydarkat night,whichis
whenmostof the criminalactivitytookplace.Currently,thereare streetlights
every10-20feet,as wellas spotlightsurrounding the nearbyparks.The roadis
knownfor its old, beautifuloverpasses.

. Gharlotte,North Carolina:In 2006,SecondStreetin Uptownwas
renamedto MartinLutherKing,Jr. Boulevard.lt runsthroughwhatwas oncethe
predominantly
 Blackneighborhood  of Brooklyn,whichwas demolishedin the
1960sto makeway for expansionof the centralbusinessdistrict.

. Baltimore,Maryland:Theoriginalnameof MartinLutherKing,Jr.
Boulevardwas HarborCityBoulevard.lt was renamedin honorof Kingshortly
afterit opened.The boulevardseparatesthe predominantly
 blackneighborhoods
of WestBaltimorefromthe downtowncentralbusiness district.
. Austin,Texas:MartinLutherKing,Jr. Boulevard is seenas a major
roadwayleadingto the Universityof Texasin the 2000film RoadTip.

. Fayetteville,Arkansas:Fayetteville
 CityCouncilvotedin January2008to
officiallyrenameSixthStreet,whichpassesthroughthe city'shistoricallyblack
neighborhood  as wellas the southernboundaryof the Universityof Arkansas
campus,to MartinLutherKingJr. Boulevard. Wal-Martheadeda petitionof 71
businessesopposedto the renaming.

. Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania: The MartinLutherKingJr. EastBusway,a
bus rapidtransitline,runs9 milesfrom DowntownPittsburghto Rankinvia
Shadyside, EastLiberty,Homewood, Edgewood, andWilkinsburg. lt is usedby
an averageof 25,000peopleeachweekday.

. Cincinnati,Ohio: MartinLutherKingDriveis a majorcrosstownarteryin
Cincinnati.lt connectsthe westsideof the cityto the east,runningthrough
severalhistoricuptownneighborhoods .
 STREETS
 NAMEDAFTERDR.MARTINLUTHERKING,JR.

StreetsnamedafterMartinLutherKing,Jr. can be foundin manycitiesof the
UnitedStates,andin nearlyeverymajormetropolis in America.The numberof
streetsnamedafterKingis growingeveryyear:

 . As of 2003,therewereover600Americancitiesthathadnameda street
 afterKing.Morethan75%of thesestreetswerein six Southernstates:
 Alabama,  Florida,
 Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi,
 andTexas.King's
 homestateof Georgiahadthe most,with75 streetsas of 2001.Only11
 statesin the countrydid not havea streetnamedafterKing.

 . In 2004,NPRreportedthatthereweresome650Americanstreetsnamed
 afterKing,and moreare addedeveryyear.

 . In 2006,DerekAlderman, geographer
 a cultural at EastCarolina
 University,reportedthatmorethan730Americancitieshadnameda
 streetafterKing.70o/of thesestreetswerein sevenSouthernstates:
 Alabama,  Florida,Georgia, Louisiana,
 Mississippi,
 NorthCarolina,
 and
 Texas.King'shomestateof Georgiahadthe most,with 105streets.Only
 11 statesin the countrydid nothavea streetnamedafterKing.

Thereare alsoa numberof othercountries
 thathavehonoredKing,includingno
lessthanten citiesin ltaly.

Prominentexamples:

. Miamiand Hialeah,Florida:Northwest 62ndStreet(Eastgth Streetin
Hialeah)is calledMartinLutherKingBoulevard sincehe gavespeechesall
acrossthe South,including the cityof Miami.lronically
 , he gaveoneof his
speechesat a churchnearthe intersection of East8th StreetandLeJeuneRoad.
It is unknownwhenthe roadgotthisname.ButsomeHialeahresidents sayit
was in the middleof the 1970s.

. Ghicago,lllinois:In 1968,Chicago becamethefirstcityin thecountryto
namea streetafterKing.Today,MartinLutherKingJr. Drivefeaturesa Tributeto
the GreatNorthernMigration (a statuehonoring
 the thousandsof African
Americans who migratednorthto chicago)anda VictoryMonument for the
EighthRegiment(featuring a statueof a wwl AfricanAmericansoldier).

. Selma,Alabama:In 1976,SylvanStreetwas renamedMartinLutherKing
Street.KingspentmanydaysalongSylvanStreetworkingfor civilrightsin the
1960s,especiallyby speakingat FirstBaptistChurchand BrownChapel.Brown
Chapelis the backgroundin a famousTimemagazine photograph
 of Kingin the
60s.Today,thereis a monument honoringKingin frontof BrownChapel.Brown
chapelwasalsothe beginning of the routeof the infamousBloodysunday
. Atlanta,Georgia- The MartinLutherKingJr. Drivein King'shometown
is a majorlandmark Center,a
 for tourism.lt borderstheAtlantaUniversity
conglomerate blackcollegesanduniversities
 of historically thatincludesKing's
almamaterMorehouse College.

. Los Angeles,California- In 1983,SantaBarbaraBoulevard in South
LosAngeles was renamed  MartinLuther KingJr. Boulevard,threeyears  before
President RonaldReagansigneda lawdeclaring Dr.King'sbirthdaya national
holiday.Thateventwas celebrated  thefirsteverKingdomDayParade,an annual
traditionheldon the streetbetweenCrenshawBoulevardandWesternAvenue.

. OklahomaCity,Oklahoma:The Northern sectionof EasternAvenue,
from E. RenoAvenuenorthto N. 63rdStreet,was renamed"Rev.Dr. Martin
LutherKing,Jr. Boulevard"  in honorof his impacton the Oklahoma Cityandthe
nation.MLKboulevard is the principleN-SAvenuein Oklahoma City'sEastside
section,hometo the state'slargestAfricanAmericancommunity. Prominent
landmarks alongthe boulevard includemanyof Oklahoma City'stop attractions,
suchas the Oklahoma  CityZoological Park,Remington  Park,andOmniplex
ScienceMuseum.Otherinstitutions of noteincludeBassettCorrectional Center,
RalphWaldoEllisonPublicLibrary, the rebuilt
 recently campus of Frederick
AugustusDouglass HighSchool,andthe YWCABranch.lt is legendthatDr.
Kinginterviewed to become pastorof the historicBaptistChurchin today'sDeep
DeuceHistoricneighborhood, butchurchofficials turnedhimdowndueto his
youthfulage.

. Washington,D.C.-- MartinLutherKingJr.Avenue,SE,(formerly Nichols
Avenue,SE) is the maincommercial streetin the part Washington
 of Southeast
eastof the AnacostiaRiver.lt intersectsMalcolmX Avenue,SE (formerly
Portland St.,SE)nearBollingAir ForceBaseandSt. Elizabeths Also
 Hospital.
verynearthe streetis the homeof FrederickDouglass,the famousabolitionist,
for whoma majorcitybridgealongSouthCapitolStreetis named.Otherstreets
and bridgesstreetsnamedfor prominentcivilrightsfiguresare NannieHelen
Burroughs Avenue,NE andtheWhitneyYoungBridgealongEastCapitolStreet.

. NewOrleans,Louisiana:Melpomene AvenuewasrenamedMartin
LutherKingJr. Boulevard.  Severalmuralsof Kingarepaintedalongthe
boulevard. The boulevard is alsoneara Kingstatueandmemorial on Claiborne
Avenue,andthe boulevard is partof the routeof NewOrlean'sannualMartin
LutherKingDayparade.The boulevardis locatedin CentralCity,whichis
 the city'slargestAfricanAmericancommercial
historically districtand a major
hubfor the UptownAfricanAmericancommunity.
The U.S. Board of Geographic Names

Commemorative Naming Policy

In the Unitedstates,thousands of peoplehavecontributed andwill
continueto contributeto societyin manydifferentways.Manydeserve
to be honored.such recognition cantake manyforms,incruding
scholarshio p rs c h a r i t a b lfeu n d se s t a b l i s h ei nd a n i n d i v i d u a l 'nsa m e ,a
commemorative plaque,or a donationto supportsomeaspectof the
individual's
 education, career,or recreational interests.
commemorative namingof geographic featuresis but one of many
optionsto considerwhenmemorializing individuals and their
accomplishments.

Althoughthe Boardrealizes that suchrecognitionmay be desirable,
 it
is neitherpossiblenor appropriateto approveeverycommemoratjve
namingproposal  submitted. To evaluateobjectively
 the increasing
numberof commemorative requestsreceivedeachyear,the Board
usesthe followingprinciples,policies,
 and proceduresin making
decisions:
 . section l-The U.s. Boardon Geographic Nameswill consider
 proposals  for assignment  of the namesor nicknames of
 deceasedpersonsto geographic featuresin the unitedstates
 andareasunderthe jurisdiction of the UnitedStates.The Board
 will not considernamesthat commemorate or may be construed
 to commemorate livingpersons. In addition,a personmustbe
 deceased at least5 yearsbeforea commemorative proposalwill
 be docketedfor consideration,
 . Section2-The personbeinghonoredby the namingshould
 eitherhavehada directlong-termassociation with the feature
 or havemadea significant contribution to the areaor Statein
 whichit is located.
 . section 3-A proposal commemorating an individual with an
 outstanding nationalor international reputation will be
 considered  evenif the personwas not directlyassociated with
 the geographic  feature.
 . section 4-All commemorative nameproposals must meetthe
 samebasiccriteriarequiredof any othernameproposal.
 CommemorativeNaming Guidelines
 GeographicalNamesBoard of Canada

I - Introduction / Background

In the fall of 2004,the Commemorative
 NamingPolicy Working Group of the
GeographicalNamesBoardof Canada(GNBC)was formedto draft nationalguidelines
on commemorative naming.

Existing documentationon commemorative namingfrom federal,provincial,and
territorialnamingauthoritieswasreviewed.

It was apparenthat formal guidelineson commemorative
 naming,aswell as a relatedset
of procedures,would promoteandachieveconsistencyacrossCanada.

Definition: CommemorativeNaming

For the purposesof theseguidelines,commemorative namingrefersto the namingof
naturalor culturalfeaturesafterpersonsor events,as a way to honouror memorializethe
personor eventin question.

II - Objective

To encouragethe standardization
 of existingpolicies,principles,andprocedures
associated
 with commemorative  namingthroughoutCanada.

III - Guiding Principles

Whenproposingor consideringa commemorative name,the following principleswill be
adheredto, unlessthey conflict with an existingpolicy of the namingauthorityin
question:

L A proposednamewill only be consideredfor personsposthumously;a minimum of
five yearsmustelapsefrom the dateof deathbeforea commemorative  nameproposal
will be considered.For events,at leasttwenty-fiveyearsmusthaveelapsedsincethe
occuffenceof the event.

2. A commemorative namewill only be consideredfor subjectswith a strongassociation
with the areaor feature,or of outstandingsignificanceto the culturallegacyor
developmentof the area,the province,or the nation.

3. A proposednamewill be supportedby the local communityandreachbeyonda single
or specialinterest$oup.


 23June,2006
TORONTO

Griteriafor nameselection

 1. Streetsshouldgenerallybe namedafterpeople,places,eventsandthingsrelatedto the
 Cityandcitizensof Toronto.Proposednamesshouldmeetoneof thefollowing criteria:
 a. to honorandcommemorate noteworthypersonsassociated  withtheCityof
 Toronto
 b. to commemorate  localhistory,places,eventsor culture
 c. to strengtheneighborhood identity
 d. to recognizenativewildlife,flora,faunaor naturalfeaturesrelatedto the
 community  andtheCityof Toronto
 e. to reoognizecommunities  whichcontribute  to theethno-racial
 diversityof Toronto

 2. Consideration shouldbe givento namesof localareaor historicsignificance.
 3. Namesof livingpersonshouldbe usedonlyin exceptional circumstances.
 4. Onlya person'slastnameshouldbe usedas a streetnameunlessadditional
 identification
 is necessary withan existingstreetnamein Toronto
 to Breventduplication
 andsurrounding  municipalities.

Streettype designations

 1. Streetypedesignations, depending on roadwayfunction,lengthandconfiguration exist
 to definethe charaeterof a street.Thefollowingdesignations
 shouldbe consulted:
 a. Street,Avenue,Road,Boulevard- for majorthoroughfares or streetsof several
 blocksin length
 b. Drive,Trail,Way- for streetswhicharewindingor curved
 c. Terrace,Gardens,Grove,Pathway,Heights- for minoror shortstreets
 d. Lane,Mews,Glose- for narrowstreetsgenerally usedfor service
 e. Crescent- for streetswhichforma crescent
 f. Gourt,Place- for cul-de-sacs
 g. Gircle- for streetsthatarecircular
 h. Gate- for a shortstreethatprovidesan entrance to a subdivision
 i. Square- for streetsthatform partof a square

 2. Qualifyingwordsmaybe usedwhena newlycreatedstreetis in actualityan extension
 of
 an existingstreetwhichcannotbe renumbered
 or for whichno municipal
 numbersare
 North,South,East,WestandUpperor Lowerareappropriate
 available. qualifying
 words.
 MartinLutherKingJr. TaskForce
 MissionStatement
To honorandcelebrate  the lifeof Dr.MartinLutherKingJr.,the Cityof
 proclaim
Portlandand its residents for a greatman
 theirappreciation
whoselifehas madeour city, state,and nationa betterplaceto live.

Communities  in everycornerof the worldincludingover700 in the United
Stateshave honoredMartinLutherKingJr., becausehe was a greatcivil
rightsleader, a greatreligiousleader,and a greatAmericanleader. His
life'swork remindsus to pursuedignityfor each individual,socialand
economicequality, andjusticefor everyAmerican.

Thesevaluesknowno boundaries.Theyserveas a compassto guideour
citydailyon a pathawayfromdiscrimination,
 racism,povertyand injustice.
Theysteerus towardsjustice,equalityandfreedomfor all peoplewho live,
work,visitor callPortlandhome.

This commemoration connectsDr. MartinLutherKing'sbeliefsand legacy
to the daily life of our city. His messagesof internationalpeace and
fundamental  fairnessare ones we want to conveyto our children. In
honoringDr. Kingwe movePortlandcloserto realizing his dreamof a more
justand humaneworldby makingit ourown.
 Appendix
 E



 MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.
 TASK FORCE
 Wednesday,June 1102008
 Room 24 - Citv Hall
 5:30 p.m.

ATTENDANCE: Councilor Dan Skolnik, RachelTalbot Ross,Co-Chairs;BishopSteve
Coleman, ReverendKenneth Lewis, William Nelligan, Jamie Parker,Regina Phillips,
JonathanReitman, Wells Staley-Mays,JoshuaTingley, Dawud Ummah, Committee
Members; Pat Finnigan, Judith Rosen,City Staff.

The meeting was called to order at 5:40 p.m. Committee memberswere introduced and
welcomed.

RachelTalbot Ross gave an overview regardingthe establishmentof the committee.
Over 740 cities and 41 stateshave a commemorativefor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Maine is not one of them. The City Council passedan order establishinga committeeto
identify public sites in the GreaterPortland areaas candidatesto be named for Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr. Councilor Skolnik statedthat next year is Dr. King's 80thbirthday and he
would like to have a commemorativeunveiling by January 19,2009, the national King
holiday.

A power point presentationshowing examplesof public sites and place names from other
statesand cities was given by Rachel Talbot Ross. She also went over commemorative
naming guidelines (see attached)and noted there are no City guidelines for this. Criteria
from the committee will need to set.

Committeemembersdiscussedguiding principlesand actualsitepossibilities. The
following recommendationswere made:

Guiding Principles
 . Site shouldbe highly visible
 ' Accessibility - open area,treesetc. - waterfront area
 . Reasonablecost
 . Visible to visitors and citizens
 ' Usefulness- more than a plaque
 . Contemplative niche
 . Acceptable to broad community
 . Minority community included in process
 . Multi-prongedpieces- not just one commemorative
 . Price shouldn't be first concern- not aroundmoney/budget
 . Could have small and large ventures- short & long term
 ' Educational piece - younger generationisn't as informed
 . Week long event/celebration
 . Should include historical component
 . Could be included in new community developments
 ' Connection to Freedom Trail - could enhanceboth venturesAylalcolmX, etc.
 . Where Dr. King visited in MaineiPortland is an important piece
 . Include other towns, colleges,etc.

 Actual Sites
 . Lincoln Park
 . Waterfront
 . Tommy's or Post Office Park
 . Schools
 ' Portland International Jetport
 . Ocean Gateway
 ' Highways - 295

Discussionfollowed regardingmeetingschedulesand agendaitems for next meeting.
Membersrecommendedmeetingthe 2noFriday of the month from 8:30-10:00 a.m. in
Room 209, City Hall. The meeting datesare:
July 1lth
August 8th
September 12th
October 10th

To use people's time and talentsmost effectively, the Committee decidedto establish
leadershipteams. Members can choosemore than one team to participate in. Each team
will be responsiblefor leading the discussionof the full committee aroundtheir
applicableissues. Teamsare:
 1) Site Selection- identify the logistics,cost,history, etc. of eachnominatedsite.
 Site visits by this team may take place.
 2) Research- gatheraccurateinformationregardingMLK Jr.'s connectionto
 Portland/region, and ensureany documentswe develop are historically accurate
 3) Fund development - identify potential funding sources,grant opportunities,
 public/private financing, etc.
 4) Writing Team - composea narrative which clearly statesour purpose and final
 Recommendations.

All members should e-mail Judy Rosen at: jhg@,portlandmaine.eov with the leadership
team/teamsthey wish to participate on and if they would like to chair the team. All teams
should meet before the July meeting.

Meetingadjournedat7:20 p.m.

Respectfully submitted


Judith Rosen
Secretarypro tem
 MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.
 TASK FORCE
 Friday, July 11,2008
 Room 209 - Citv Hall
 8:30 a.m.

ATTENDANCE: Councilor Dan Skolnik, Chair; Rabbi Carolyn Braun, ZannahFord,
SusanHopkins, ReginaMartin, ReginaPhillips, CommitteeMembers;PatriciaFinnigan,
Judith Rosen. Staff.

The meetingwas calledto order at 8:45 a.m. Councilor Skolnik introducedcommittee
members.

Councilor Skolnik gave an overview of the task force mission and what was discussedat
the June meeting.

Review of the task force structureand timeline was discussed. At the June meeting, 4
sub-committeegroupswere created;fund development,research,site selection,and
writing. Committee memberswho had not signedup for a committee did so.
Councilor Skolnik noted that decisionswill be madeby the Task Force, but the sub-
committees are intended to work on specific tasksthat will help the Task Force complete
its mission. Discussionfollowed regardingthe committees.

Next Steps: The August 8thmeetingwill be usedfor a field trip to visit potential
sites.

Two of the sub-committeeswill be meetingthe week of Julyl4th.

The writing sub-committee will meet on Wednesday,July 16thin Room 209 of City
Hall at 9:00 a.m. Committeemembersthus far are:Councilor Skolnik, SusanHopkins
and JonathanReitman.

The Site Committee will meetWednesdayoJuty 16thin Room 209 ofCity Hall for a
brown bag lunch atl2z00 Noon. Committee members thus far are: Councilor
Skolnik, Rabbi Carolyn Braun, Bishop SteveColeman,Pat Finnigan, William Nelligan,
and Regina Phillips.

All committee members are invited to participate in sub-committee meetings,and
anyone who has not signed up for a sub-committeeis encouragedto do so.

Councilor Skolnik thankedcommitteemembers. The meetingadjournedat 9:15 a.m.

Respectfullysubmitted

Judith Rosen
Secretarypro tem
 Minutes
 MartinLutherKing,Jr. TaskForce

 Friday,August8, 2008
 CityHall- Room209
 8 : 3 0a . m .

Attendance:Co-Chairs:Dan Skolnik,RachelTalbotRoss;Members:
 JonathanReitman,
DawudUmmah,SusannahFord, ReginaPhillips,Abe Peck,Steve Bromage,Susan
Hopkins,Staff:PatFinnigan
Councilor
 Skolnikcalledthe meetingto orderat 8:45a.m. Afterintroductionsof members,
CouncilorSkolnikasked Co-ChairRachelTalbot Ross to providean overviewof the
leadershipteamsthat were establishedto work on specifictasks identifiedby the Task
Force.

Rachelexplainedthatthe TaskForcehadestablished fourteamsthatwouldtakethe
leaderon thefollowingtasks:
 ' The ResearchTeamwhichis responsible  for ensuringtheworkof the TaskForceis
 historically
 accurate
 . TheWritingTeamwhosefirsttaskis to drafta MissionStatement andto document the
 workof the TaskForce
 . The FundDevelopment  Teamwhichwillbe responsible for identifyingandseeking
 publicand privaterevenuesourcesto fundthe recommendation(s) of the TaskForce
 . The SiteSelectionTeamwhichis responsible  for scopingout potential siteswhichthe
 TaskForcecan considerto createa memorial  to Dr.King.

Timeline. Councilor  SkolnikthankedRachelfor her explanation
 of the tasksbeforethe
members.He said it was his goalto havethe Task Forcecompleteits work beforethe
end of Octoberin orderto haverecommendations to presento the City Councilbefore
the endof the year. Hishopewasto announce  theTaskForce'srecommendation  andthe
City Council'sactionto honor Dr. King at the January2009 MartinLutherKing,Jr.
breakfast.That eventwill markMLKJr's 80thbirthdayand the 100thanniversary  ottne
NAACP.

Writing Team: Mission Statement. CouncilorSkolnikreportedon the work of the
WritingTeam. Theirfirstprojectwasto developthe MissionStatement.CouncilorSkolnik
reviewedthe draftMissionStatement(attached) and askedfor feedback.The TaskForce
membersdiscussed  the conceptstheywantedit to conveyin the MissionStatement:

Abesaidhe thoughta stronger
 endingwasneededto evokemoreemotion.Susanagreed
andsuggestedthatit add"making
 hisdreamourdream"for example.
Jonathansaidthatas writtenit couldapplyto anygreatcivilrightsleader;we needto
 to answerthe question
makeit compelling of whywe havechosenMartinLutherKingJr.
Stevenotedthat Portlandhasa longrecordof commitment to civilrights.Susanadded
that Portlandwas one of onlyninerefugeeresettlement
 communities in the U.S.to accept
peoplefromanywhere.
Jonathannotedthatthe MissionStatement shouldmakea connection
 to Portland's
 values
andwhatwe standfor and howwe arealignedwith Dr.King'sagendaincluding such
issuesas revitalization justice.
 of urbancentersandeconomic

Abe statedthat Dr. Kingwas a martyr.He haddedicated
 hiswholelifeto the causeof civil
rights,peaceandjusticeandhe hadgivenup hislife.

Stevesaidthatwe neededto honorand memorialize Dr.Kingin a waythat is befitting
 of
himandwhathe stoodfor,notjustforthe sakeof wishingto honorhim.

Abe notedthatthe peoplewho alreadybelievein the principlesDr.Kingstoodfor attend
the annualMLKJr. Daybreakfastandparticipate in othersuchevents.He suggested that
the Portlandmemorialneededbe a wayto raiseawareness of all peoplewho encounterit
andgivepeoplea reasonto pauseandthinkabouthowDr.Kinglivedhislifeandwhatthat
meansfor peoplenowandin thefuture.

CouncilorSkolnikstatedhisbeliefthatthe memorial neededto be highlyvisible,something
thatmanypeoplewouldencounter daily,andhardto ignore.He did notbelievethatthe
selectedsitehadto be a locationthatDr. Kingactuallyvisited.

Rachelthenencouraged the TaskForcemembersto discussGuidingPrinciptes
 for the
memorial.Shesuggested thattheTaskForceshouldfocuson suchthemesas Dr.King's
commitment to:
 . Peace
 . Freedom
 . Economic Justice
 . lnterfaithrelations
 . Non-Violence
 . Equality

Susansaidshe hopedthatwe wouldrootthisendeavorin "celebrationandjoy to keepthe
momentum  going"to inspirepeople,especially
 youngpeople,aboutwhatDr.Kingstood
for. Shesaideachgeneration hasthe responsibility
 to passthaton.
Abe notedthatMainehasan identity as a peaceleader.
Stevenstatedthatwe are andwantto be a community knownfor our courageto address
injustice andthatwe takeon issuesof justice.
 and inequality

Jonathanotedthatit is ourdutyto liveourlivesmodelingDr.King.Theworkof theTask
Forceshouldcreatea daily,visiblereminderof theworkthatDr.Kingdid,andtheworkwe
haveleftto do and needto do.
Rachelsaidshelikedthe conceptof courage, stayingtrueto andquestioning
 thingsas
theyare,stayingengagedandconscious of the issuesthatexist.The memorial
 should
makeus allthink. lt cannotbe a token.

Susannah
 saidthatthe memorial
 shouldbe something
 thatcanunifyus as a community.
The Task Forcethen discussedspecificsites. Racheldirectedpeople'sattentionto the
criteriausedby Torontowhichcouldbe usefulin the Task Force'sdeliberations.  Specific
sitesthatwerediscussed included, CongressStreet(highvisibility),
 Tommy'sPark(as a
placeof gatheringand visibility).The concernwas expressedthat if we selectedan area
with a very well known popular  name,peoplemay neveradaptto a new name or
recognize it as a Dr. Kingmemorial.Stevenalso notedthat the Task Forceshouldbe
aware a creatingculturalconflictsby renamingexistingplacesthat have meaningto
people.

TheTaskForcethenwenton a "virtualtour"by viewinga PowerPoint
 presentation
 of sites
aroundthe Cityto helpgenerate andprosandconsof particular
 discussion locations.
At the completionof the virtualtour,the TaskForceagreedit wouldbe helpfulto invite
membersof the City'sPlanningand Historical  Preservation
 staffto briefthemon plansfor
the FranklinArterialas wellas otherdevelopments thatcouldimpacthe siteselection
process.

TheTaskForceadjourned
 at approximately
 10:00a.m.
 Minutes
 MartinLutherKing,Jr. TaskForce

 Friday,September 26,2008
 CityHall- Room209
 8 : 3 0a . m .

Attendance:
 Co-Chairs:
 DanSkolnik,
 RachelTalbotRoss;Members: JanisBeitzer,
JonathanReitman,DawudUmmah,Susannah  Ford,ReginaPhillips,
 Abe Peck,Bill
Nelligan,
 SteveBromage,ReginaMartin,SusanHopkins,Staff:PatFinnigan

Callto Order;Minutes
CouncilorSkolnikcalledthe meetingto order at approximately 8:43 a.m. After
introductions
 of members,Councilor Skolnik,
 the membersreviewed  the Minutesof the
August6 meeting.Membersnoted2 changes:January2009marksDr.King's80th(not
90'n)birthdayand Portlandwas 1 of 9 communities(not3) resettlementcommunities
thatacceptspeoplefromanywhere.  (approved Minutesattached)

SiteSelection
To helpthe TaskForcewithselecting  a sitefor a memorial,the TaskForceinvitedAlex
Jaegerman, the City'sPlanning
 Division
 Director, to discussomeof the redevelopment
effortsthat are underway.Alexfocusedon Bayside,the BaysideTrail,and the Eastern
Waterfront(includingthe MaineStatePier and OceanGatewayarea)as the primary
areasfor discussion, withsomediscussion of theWesternWaterfront.

Task Force membersaskedwhetherany of the sites had any politicalpitfalls,or
regulatoryprocessesthat the Task Forceshouldbe awareof. Mr. Jaegermansaid
that if the Task Forceintendedto erecta monumentor somesortof art,the PublicArt
Commission wouldneedto reviewit. He alsosaidthatthe Trustfor PublicLand(TPL)
and PortlandTrailswouldneedbe includedin any discussion involvingthe proposed
BaysideTrail. RachelTalbotRosssaid that the PublicArt Commission had been
consultedregardingthe FreedomTrail marker project. She said the Historic
Preservation  Commission  hadalsobeenconsulted.

TheTaskForcediscussed the conceptof narrowing
 the listof possibilities
 to 2 or 3
places/ideas
 andthe needto involvestakeholders.Members alsodiscussed  the
balancebetweenhavinga projecthatcouldbe completed  andannounced at the 2009
MLKDayBreakfast,andtakingsufficient
 timeto createa projectthoughtfully for the
longterm.

Membersacknowledged  thatdepending  on ethtypeof projectselectedcouldimpacthe
amountof time neededto accomplishit. Thereare shorttermand longterm projects-
or perhapsa combinationor a multi-faceted  approach.Ultimatelyeveryoneagreed
agreedthatwhichevercoursethe TaskForceselectedto take,the finaloutcomeshould
havea definiteimpact. To havesuchan impact,severalmemberssaidthatthe Task
Forceneededa StrategicPlanto accomplish its mission.
Specificideasthat weresuggestedincluded:Preference for a park,placeor gathering
place,sincethosewere placesthat couldengagethe community.The BaysideTrail
area,or the new park plannedfor the MaineState Pier projectwere mentionedas
possibilities;
 the BaysideTraillendsitselfto beingableto tell the storyof MLK,civil
rightsand all the valueshe stoodfor; anotherideato meetthat criteriawas Tommy's
Park;the formerJordanMeatareais a goodcandidate sinceit can be a gatheringplace
and its centralocationin the commercial districtcouldspeakto the issueof economic
justice;the new buildingbeingdeveloped  by MaineHealthand UnitedWaywill havea
conference  roomwhichcould presenta numberof partnering opportunities;
 the timing
of the renovations  of the Public Librarycould also present  a good  opportunityfor
partnering.

Basedon thewiderangingdiscussion of suggestion
 andideas,theTaskForceagreed
it wastimefor a fieldtripto lookat someof the possiblesitesincluding
 the Ocean
Gatewayand MaineStatePierarea,Tommy'sPark,Bayside,andanyothersitesalong
the route.The dateof the fieldtrip is Fri. October70 at 8:300a.m. Staffwill reserve
a van and let TaskForceMembersknowwhereto meet.

MissionStatement
TheTaskForcediscussed changesto the MissionStatement
 to makeit stronger.Upon
motionby DawudUmmah,seconded  by Abe Peck,the changesto the Mission
Statementwereadopted.(Please
 see  attached.)

Nextmeetings:

As previously the nextmeeting
 discussed, willbe a fieldtripon Friday,October10 at
8 : 3 0a . m .

Thefollowingmeetingwill be on Friday October24 at City Hall at 11:00 a.m. Please
notethe specialtime.


 10:20a.m.
 at approximately
Adjourned
 MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. TASK FORCE MEETING
 Friday, October 24, 2008
 City Hall - Room 24
 11:00a.m.

ATTENDAI\CE: Co-Chairs:CouncilorDan Skolnik, RachelTalbot Ross;Members: Janis
Beitzer, Bishop Steve Coleman, ZannahFord, Abraham Peck, JonathanReitman, Wells Staley-
Mays, Dawud Ummah; Guest,Nancy Akers; Staff: Judith Rosen.

The meeting was called to order at 11:10 a.m. by Rachel Talbot Ross. She then gave an
overview of the last meeting which was a site tour of 3 potential sites for a memorial to Martin
Luther King, Jr. Task Force membersstartedat the Waterfront, then went to Tommy's Park and
Post Office Park and then to the Bayside Trail. Rick Knowland from the Planning Department
spoketo membersregardingthe BaysideTrail.

Jan Beitzer spoke with Brian Petrovic, United Way Chairman of the Board who is interestedin
this project. Rachel spoke with Meg Baxter from United Way who is also interested in the
project. Trust for Public Land who designedBayside Trail, is also excited about the project.
They do not have a name for the Bayside Trail yet and could possibly name it for Martin Luther
King. Rachel met with the Trust once and will be attending another meeting on October 30th.
There was also discussionwith Meg Baxter regarding the use of space in the new United
Way/N4aineHealth Care building for a temporary site for the Martin Luther King Community
Center.

Rachel Talbot Ross mentioned The University of Maine in Orono will be dedicating a park after
Martin Luther King, Jr. and CorettaKing on October31't. This will be the first officiaimemorial
in the Stateof Maine for Martin Luther King, Jr.

Committeemembersthen went over eachof the 3 sitesand discussedthe pros and consof each.

Waterfront

Pros:
Would have internationalflavor (cruiseships,etc.)
Waterfront still under development
Could broadcastto the world that Portland is an inclusive citv

Cons:
Waterfront project very up in the air
No one knows what the final plan will be
Not happy about location
Not a place where people "hang out"
No diversepopulation
Has political problems
JonathanReitman recommendedtaking this site off the table for now and to re-visit it after the
other challengesare resolved. Committee membersagreedbut want it included in the final
report as a potential site for a later time.

Tommv's Park & Post Office Park

Pros:
Lot of peoplewalk through
Young people gather there
Lot's of commercialtraffic
Tommy's Park has not beenofficially namedby the City
Post Office Park has not beenofficially namedby the City. PostBoxes were
given to the City by their Sister City program in Japan
Could have outdoor lectureseries/music
Local vendors could display their wares (immigrant community)
People akeady go to theseparks
Right in the middle of the downtown community
Visitors visit there
Would be a daily reminder
Activist group gather there
Could have exhibits of community diversity
Existing information booth

Cons:
Peopleof color don't go there
Very small space
In historic district - whateveris proposedwould go througha review process
Isn't a "contemplative"space
Is a tourist and businessarea- not for peoplewho live outsidethe peninsula

Bavside Trail
Pros:
United WayAvIeHealth new building could be temporary MLK community center
Big space
Buy in from surrounding businesscommunity
Accessto community
Breaking ground this spring
Could potentially get first floor space
Bring in programming
Would be a communitv initiative
Cons
 "minority
Could be seenas locatedin Neighborhood"
Difficult to seeshort-term
Will be a constructionsite for next few years

Committeemembersdiscussedhow to proposerecommendationstatingthe needto be mindful
of long-term vs. short-tenn recommendations.Dawud Ummah recommendedmounting future
plans at Tommy's Park for citizens to see.
There is a lot of enthusiasmfor the Bayside Trail areabeine the site.

Next Steps:

Rachel Talbot Ross will go to the Trust for Public Land meeting on October 30thand affirm that
the committee wants to work with them on possiblenaming and design.

Pat Finnigan will have discussionswith Meg Baxter and Brian Petrovic of United Way regarding
temporary spacefor a community place to gather and do programming.

Councilor Skolnik will talk with fellow Councilorsand Joe Gray regardingthis project.

There should be outreach to stakeholdergroups informing them of what is going on. There
shouldbe a meetingwith stakeholdersinvited. Someof theseinclude:
Portland Landmarks
Abyssinian Church
Maine Preservation
EastBaysideAssociation
BaysideNeighborhoodAssociation
ParksideNeighborhoodAssociation
Islamic Society
Root Cellar
Whole Foods
PlanetDog
DHS
Mike Bobinksy, Tom Civiello from Public Services
Intemational Fellowship - PastorMutima
Historic Preservation- Deb Andrews
Maine Health
United Way

The next meeting of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Task Force will be Thursday, November 6,
2008 at 3:00 p.m. in Room 209, City Halt.

Meeting adjournedat 1:00p.m.
 MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. TASK FORCE MEETING
 Thursday, November 6, 2008
 City Hall - Room 209
 3:00 p.m.

ATTENDANCE: Co-Chairs,CouncilorDan Skolnik, RachelTalbot Ross;Members:
JanisBeitzer, William Nelligan, ReginaPhillips, Dawud Ummah; Dennis Crowley,
GreaterPortland Landmarks; Pat Firurigan,Judith Rosen,City Staff.

The meeting was called to order at 3:07 p.m. RachelTalbot Ross gave an updateon her
meeting with the Trust for Public Land Design Sub-Committee regarding the Bayside
Trail. Bayside Trail is the leading candidate for the MLK memorial. The design sub-
committee is comprised of representativesfrom Portland Trails, Friends of the Parks,
Trust for Public Land and City Planners. They are very enthusiastic about having a
memorial honoring Martin Luther King Jr. They explained that trails are usually named
geographically so people will know where the trails are located, but they are excited
about having an MLK Plaza and Community Center within the trail site. The short term
goal would be the MLK Plaza which would be a contemplativeplace etc. The long term
goal would be building an MLK Center with an educational component and place for
community to gather.

RachelTalbot Ross spokewith Meg Baxter from United Way. Shewill set up a meeting
with Meg Baxter and Bob Caron from Maine Health Care to discussusing their new
building for a block of rooms for the MLK Center.

Next Steps: meet with Baysidedesignteam to identify what spacewould be usedfor the
MLK PIaza. Timeframe: The MLK breakfast on January 19'n. Task Force could unveil
something stating their intention and invite the community to join in the endeavor.
Rachel Talbot Ross recommendedjoint billing with United Way, Portland Land Trust
and Maine Health Care showing their support as well.

Regina Phillips suggesteda poster giving an updateon what the committee has been
doing as well as putting apagein the MLK booklet.

Dan Skolnik wants to unveil more than an idea. He wants somethingsubstantialto show
the framework of what we are doing. Therecould be a schematicof the BaysideTrail
and where the MLK PlazalCenterwould be.

Dennis Crowley & Dan Skolnik suggestedmemorializingCorettaScott King as well as
Martin Luther King, Jr. as part of the Bayside Trail. Rachel Talbot Ross and Regina
Phillips went to the University of Maine-Orono Martin Luther King/Coretta Scott King
Park dedication. There were over 500 people at the unveiling. It took over 2 years to
complete from start to finish. They used pillars with quotes from Martin Luther King, Jr.
and Coretta Scott King. It was very impressive.
Next Steps: Committee should meet in the next 2 weeks to talk about the framework
becoming a reahty; invite stakeholdersto join in the public process; identify Bayside
Trail site; create a schematic with a map for Tommy Park; name groups involved who
have come together in support of this project; give working group a name; create
webpage on City website to include mission statement,minutes of meetings and
stakeholders;promotional schematicat Tommy's Park showing the potential site; use the
MLK Build a Dream website to find out information.

Rachel Talbot Ross suggestedan unveiling of the schematicat Tommy's park and could
make it a fundraiser with a reception afterwards. This would be on February 12th.

NEXT STEPS

 1) Meet with MIS Department on website creation
 2) Meet with Deb Andrews (Historic Preservation)regarding signage
 3) Meet with Planning Departmentregarding schematic
 4) Set-up sub-committeemeeting for framework & working group
 5) Meet with Bill Caron of Maine Health Care,Meg Baxter& Brian Petrovic
 of United Way regarding spacein their building (Rachel,Pat & Dan)
 6) RachelTalbot Rosswill speakwith Maine HumanitiesCouncil regardingthe
 February 12'nunveiling
 7) Will Nelligan will look into the National MLK Memorial website

Next Meeting: Wednesday,November I}th at 12:00Noon, Room 209, City Hall to
discussand vote on recommendations
 to be presentedto the City Council.

Meeting adjournedat 4:20 p.m.
 MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., TASK FORCE MEETING
 Wednesday,November 19, 2008
 Room 209 - City Hall
 8:00 a.m.

ATTENDANCE: Co-Chairs,CouncilorDan Skolnik, RachelTalbot Ross;Members:
SteveBromage,Bishop SteveColeman,SusanHopkins, ReginaMartin, JaimeParker,
ReginaPhillips, JonathanReitman,Wells Staley-Mays;City Staff: Pat Finnigan,Judith
Rosen.

The meeting was called to order at 8:10 a.m. Dan Skolnik welcomedmembersand gave
an overview of the work done so far. He mentionedthat the BaysideTrail is the leading
candidatefor the MLK memorial. RachelTalbot Ross discussedthe 2 meetingsshe had
been to with the Trust for Public land and their enthusiasmabout having an MLK
memorial at the trail. There is going to be a public forum regarding Bayside Trail on
Saturday,November 22"o at 12:30 p.m. Rachel will be helping facilitate that meeting.
Shewill discussthe MLK Plazaconceptat that time.

Racheldiscussednext steps. A report will be given to the full City Council regardingthe
work the task force has beendoing and the action plan. The Task Force wants to form a
Commissionfrom this group to work on the long-terminitiative. Raqheland Pat Finnigan
had a conversationwith Maine Health Care and United Way for a potential site for a
Martin Luther King, Jr. Centerin their new building. They agreewith the concept and
vision but could not commit to giving space. Their building has 8 floors - all but the top
floor is occupied at this time. There would have to be fundraising for this venture.
Hopefully Maine Health Care and United Way would be a partner in finding a room or
spacefor the Center.

There is no money allotted for this venture. There will need to be fundraising.. Jamie
Parker mentionedthat the Bayside Trail will be using landscapingand that committee
memberscould work with their designteam regarding landscapingfor the plaza.

Rachel discussedasking the City for an allocationof money. Money will be neededfor
signage,working with the Bayside Trail design team and creating signagein Tommy's
Park.

Dan askedthe group for consensusregardingincorporatingCoretta Scott King into the
naming of the plaza. Members felt the plaza should be named for only Martin Luther
King and that a gardenwithin the plaza should be named for Coretta King.

JonathanReitman suggestedthat somethingbe shown at the Martin Luther King, Jr.
Breakfastin Januaryregardingthe memorial to get the public involved.

City staff will be writing a draft report and recommendationsto be presentedto the full
Council. Task Force memberswill.approvethe report beforeit goesto Council.
A motion was made for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Task Force to approve creating a
report for the City Council recommendingBayside Trail for the MLK memorial, creating
a commission to implement the short and long term componentsand to ask for an
allocation of seed money to fund the work of the commission. Moved by Sarah
Thompson,secondby ReginaMartin. PASSEDunanimously.

Meetingadjournedat 9:15 a.m.




 MARTIN LUTHER K[NG, JR., TASK FORCE MEETING
 Wednesday, November 21, 2008
 Room 209 - City Hall
 Noon


ATTENDANCE: Co-Chairs,CouncilorDan Skolnik, RachelTalbot Ross;members:
Rabbi Carolyn'Braun,Abe Peck,Dawud Ummah, Bill Nelligan,ZannahFord; and staff
PatFinnigan.

The meeting was called to order at 12:10 p.m. Councilor Dan Skolnik welcomed
membersand gave an overview of the work done thus far including the conclusionsof
the Task Force meeting on November 19. RachelTalbot Ross updatedthe memberson
the BaysideTrail meetingon Saturday,November 22"dat 12:30p.m. and the importance
of the Task Force membersparticipating in that so ensurethe MLK Plaza concept would
move forward.

Rachel and Dan recappedthe discussionand conclusionsof the Task Force membersat
the meeting held on Nov. 19. The membersheld a very enthusiasticdiscussionof the
possibilitiei. Abe Peck noted the need to build coalitions including K-IZ and college
students. Rabbi Braun noted the importanceof bringing the project to the community as
a conceptso peoplewould feel welcometo participateit its designand development.The
membersdiscussedthe conceptof having an MLK Centerwhich could be an incubatorof
economic developmentand teachingskills for sustainabledevelopment. The members
agreedthat this effort neededto be on-going and grow over time. They concurred with
the recommendationsreached at the Nov. 19 meeting. On a Motion by Zannah Ford,
secondedby Rabbi Braun, the Task Force voted unanimouslyto develop a report to the
City Council recommendingthe BaysideTrail as the site of the MLK memorial, creating
a commission to implement the short and long term components, and request an
allocationof seedmoney to fund the work of the commission. PASSED unanimously.


The meetingadjournedat 1:20p.m

Martin Luther King Recognition Task Force

 June 9, 2017

 Minutes



Members Present: Councilor Ali, Danielle Conway, Dawud Ummah, Daniel Minter via phone

Staff present: Troy Moon

Public: George Rheault



Welcome and introductions

Councilor Ali welcomed everyone. Mentioned that the City had a previous Task Force,
recommendations not acted on, not sure why. This group has a more limited scope, but he's
willing to look at different scenarios. He’s also looking for opportunities to recognize other
prominent African Americans such as Mr. Talbot and Mr. Shepherd.

Review minutes from 6/2

All in favor of minutes as drafted

Review recommendations from previous task force

Dawud: There was interest in a King Center, maybe there is a way to collaborate with private
donors. There was some concern that the trail alone may not be significant enough

Danielle – Part of Dr. King’s legacy includes workers rights, workforce development. Is there a
way to connect that to the development going on there?

Dawud – The revious committee had begun discussing raising money. Seems like there may be
interest in the community about MLK center, see if there are people who want to work on it.
There was opposition to renaming Baxter Boulevard, but there was interest in the park (Bayside)

Councilor Ali – has been looking the African American Center in DC – identify place where we
want it to happen – maybe a new committee to raise money to implement a significant project.

Dawud – previous committee had not prepared to raise money – didn’t have anything to match
any possible donors.

Councilor Ali – can start with a big idea and work from there. What can we do that will bring in
more people?
Dawud – people may be in a better position to raise funds now that we were in 2008.

Troy – mentioned that there is a fund associated with the Bayside Trail that may be available to
help fund some recognition that involved improvements on the trail.

Councilor Ali – Asked to learn more and see how much money might be available.

Councilor Ali – Asks Daniel if he recalled why the previous recommendations weren’t
implemented.

Daniel – Art benches stalled. Funding for one bench at a time. One call for artwork that went
out. Some responses came in but the project stalled because it was difficult to get the money
for a number of art projects. There was a budget that was only for one set of benches but the
project called for a number of them. The expense was out of proportion. The designs were
obscure and didn’t seem associated with Dr. King. The call for art was not clear enough.
Perhaps some push back on designating the benches to Dr. King instead of just one art work or
memorial for one location.

Councilor Ali – Where was this coming from?

Daniel – From the community in general. The one area designated for the memorial wasn’t
clearly specified. There wasn’t a full process to talk about how it was determined

Danielle – We would need more people in the room to make a decision about whether this is
appropriate. Activities would bring more people

Dawud – remembers that there would be a statue with benches, for more of a reflective area.

Daniel – calls never went out

Danielle – Updating this requires more public comment.

Councilor Ali – we can take many directions – such as the original task force recommendation.
We want to work on it, or we can work on it on their own.

Danielle – maybe ask for Sustainability and Transportation Committee to comment on this, see
about working on it.

Dawud – At last meeting of previous committee there were break outs. It came down to the
trail because it came down to money.

Danielle – Can we bring neighborhood influence, get input on the original concept?

Councilor Ali – Probably possible to broaden the conversation. This is an Important task that
may need more time based on what we think we need. We also need to be mindful of the time
invested by the volunteer committee members.

Danielle – re: the RFP – can’t tell from the original report who was involved with the call for art,
MECA or others?
Councilor Ali – Do we want to reach out to the previous task force to get involved again.

Danielle – there are people involved in the art community who may be interested in donating
art – maybe people at MECA or PMA would be interested. We need to take our time and do this
right.

Daniel – Was just at PMA and saw a new sculpture that was just donated by a private individual.

Councilor Ali – Staff should reach out to people involved previously plus new groups that may be
want to involved such as neighborhood orgs. Would like to bring in voices soon. Will meet with
Councilor Thibodeau to discuss the need to bring people in. Global Shapers is one group to get
involved.

Troy – Expansion would be beyond the scope of what the task force was asked to do. Suggests
Councilor Ali speak with Councilor Thibodeau.

Councilor Ali - Hold off on contacting anyone until he speaks with Councilor Thibodeau.

Daniel – in the material do we have the 2008 information from Portland Oregon? Renaming a
street with markers along the length of it. Northeast Martin Luther King Gateway. A way of
going over some of the things that have been done before.



Adjourned at 5:00 PM