Project honoring women’s progress back on track

After years of stalled progress, Portland State’s Walk of the Heroines, a project honoring women’s progress in society, has raised initial funding costs and is slated to break ground this November.

The project is a plan to transform the walkway from Hoffman Hall to the Peter Stott Center recreation field into an exhibit dedicated to women who have impacted society through contributions in the arts, sciences and other areas of study.

Arched walls displaying the names of influential women, a fountain and an educational kiosk featuring two computers and a stage for event hosting are included in the project’s plans, according to Johanna Brenner, the project’s executive director and professor in the psychology department.

Phase one of the project includes most of the infrastructure, including the fountain and one of the walls with names, and will cost $1.01 million, Brenner said. The second phase will include additional walls with names, the educational kiosk and other add-ons, she said.

Janice Haaken, chair of the Walk of the Heroines board and one of the founders of the project, said phase two will cost around $500,000 to $600,000. Project organizers already have an estimated $80,000 to $100,000 set aside for phase two, she said.

The original construction cost for the project was $2.4 million, Brenner said, but with the new design the estimated cost is between $1.6 and $1.7 million. The project for the budget has been paid for mostly through individual and group donations, with roughly $843,000 and $801,000, respectively.

Donations have already raised enough to cover the $1.6 million in phase one construction funds, but additional fees for research project operations, marketing, management and the scholarship program have left the project’s budget short of meeting its goal for phase two costs.

Approximately $500,000 more will be needed to complete phase two. Brenner said the project was previously scheduled to start construction in fall 2005, but was stalled after organizers failed to raised enough funds. The project has faced delays resulting from a lack of donations since it began in 1999.

“I’ve been so surprised how difficult it has been to raise money for the project,” said Johanna Brenner. “Supporting something like this seems like such a good thing.”

In addition to the walkway, Brenner said the project budget includes an educational fund of roughly $300,000, offering scholarships for women pursuing a women’s studies degree. The scholarships were implemented into the program in 2002. Ten scholarships have been awarded since they were introduced to the program.

On Sept. 6, the Portland city design review committee approved the plans for the project for the second time, after the initial approval expired in February. Shawn Wood, of Portland’s Land Use Services Division, recommended approval for the latest Walk of the Heroines design and said the committee approved it unanimously. He said while it is rare for a design to go through the review process twice, most plans aren’t funded through donations. The current land use approval will expire in three years.

The new design for the project has changed with sustainability and cost-cutting in mind, Brenner said.

“All the basic elements remain. Now there will be brushed concrete instead of squares,” she said, citing just one instance of cost-cutting.

Brenner also said the fountain from the original plan has been scaled back to save water.

While questions have been raised regarding delays to the projects, none of the donors have complained to the extent of pulling their money, Haaken said.

Haaken also said despite the progress made, there are still obstacles to overcome–in addition to raising more funding, the project will get underway after organizers find a construction company, she said.