This Saturday, September 23rd, Montavilla Brew Works (MBW) will hold its first annual Deadtoberfest. This Grateful Dead infused Oktoberfest celebration will feature German-style Bratwurst and several beers from the brewery’s collection. Founder and head brewer Michael Kora, inspired by MBW’s successful Street Fair beer garden, decided to create this new fall beer and food festival.
Kora has wanted MBW to host an Oktoberfest event for several years. The enthusiastic showing from last July’s Montavilla Street Fair showed that people are ready to come out and enjoy gatherings again. The Grateful Dead tribute group The Weir Dose will provide music from 6 to 9 p.m. for an all-ages performance. From 3 to 9 p.m., MBW will pour selections of their beers brewed in-house, including the Körabräu Helles-style German Lager, Plywood Pilsner, and FH IPAs. Along with the beverages, people can purchase German-style Bratwurst from Zenner’s Sausage Co. throughout the event.
This Saturday’s festivities will occur in the covered outdoor patio area connected to the taproom. Kora has wanted to offer more community gathering opportunities since opening MBW in July 2015. Building the brand and moving past the pandemic hampered those desires, but MBW has now moved past those barriers. 2023 seems to be the year of new traditions for the microbrewer at 7805 SE Stark Street, and they hope people will stop by for a listen, a drink, or a bite on the 23rd.
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On September 21st, My Voice Music (MVM) will host an open house event to welcome the community into the nonprofit organization’s permanent home. Supporters of the youth-oriented music and mentorship provider purchased the former bakery building at 8911 SE Stark Street in November 2017. Several setbacks, including the death of MVM’s founding Executive Director, slowed renovation plans. However, the property is nearly ready to provide music-based after-school programs serving people ages nine through 24.
Ian Mouser founded MVM in 2008 while working as a youth Treatment Counselor at a Residential Treatment center. He realized songwriting and musical expression connected with the children better than other methods. Mouser developed and expanded that idea beyond a single institution, working with organizations throughout Portland that supported young people experiencing mental health and behavioral challenges. The early program focused on houseless youth or those placed in foster care, residential treatment facilities, and juvenile detention centers. In 2014, the organization expanded its offerings to the public through a youth-centered performance space and recording studio. Since then, the program has relocated four times, prompting the group to seek a more stable location built for their specific needs.
Trent Finlay (left) and Amy Sabin (right) in My Voice Music’s new space under construction
Andra and Daniel Georges purchased the Montavilla property as part of their ongoing support of arts organizations. Initially, the building would have contained the pre-existing Classic Crust Cafe & Bakery in the front with a remodeled MVM studio space in the back. The organization needed to secure renovation funds before proceeding, delaying construction. That holdup bumped the schedule several years, and then COVID-19 closers shifted priorities. “Obviously, during the pandemic, our whole make music together model didn’t work very well,” explained MVM’s Executive Director Amy Sabin. The youth support organization worked around those barriers and adapted to safety protocols, but the organization’s new focus centered on keeping the program going and not building a facility. MVM received a $500,000 grant from The Lewis Prize for Music in 2020, reigniting the center’s construction. In 2021, efforts to raise additional money for the program led MVM’s founder, Ian Mouser, on a cross-country bike ride. That fundraiser ended tragically after a vehicle struck and killed him while riding through Arizona.
The MVM Board of Directors remained committed to continuing the organization’s trajectory even after losing its founder. Several months later, they brought on Amy Sabin as the new Executive Director to lead the organization. Sabin had experience leading nonprofit groups with expertise in managing capital campaigns and construction projects. Around that time, the bakery tenant at 8911 SE Stark Street decided to close her business, and the whole building became available. That required more financial support and a commitment from the board. Sabin’s experience with this type of development secured the group’s commitment to the larger space and an endorsement from the building’s owners, who remained committed to the building’s future use. “When our niece Benna introduced us to MVM, we knew they shared our belief in the power of art and music to transform lives and to build community. Ian hooked us with his passionate vision, and Amy brought her energy and experience to help us complete the very long process of planning, permitting, and funding,” remarked Andra and Daniel Georges.
Over the last six months, crews have been busy working on this project, transforming the property inside and out. Contractors removed most of the internal walls within the building, creating a half-dozen rooms designed for sound isolation and purpose-built for music production. Portland required the building’s owners to construct new sidewalks along SE 89th Avenue and SE Stark Street, where landscapers will plant six street trees. MVM removed the front parking lot and created an open courtyard topped with pavers leading to a new accessible ramp entrance.
Site Plan provided by MVM
Although construction is ongoing, MVM intends to open to students on October 9th, just after crews finish work. The MVM staff have waited for nearly half a decade for this facility and are dealing with the reality of moving forward quickly after holding back for years. “It’s been five years of ‘is it happening,’ ‘it’s almost happening.’ ‘No, wait, not yet.’ And now it’s actually starting next week,” said MVM’s Director of Communications Trent Finlay. The organization has a substantial amount of musical and recording equipment to move into the space this week. Local manufacturer Audix supplied microphones to the organization, and Universal Audio supplied new recording equipment. Many other groups have also donated to the studio space, but this larger facility could use more. “We had this really big list of things that we wanted to do to make this a top-notch recording studio. When COVID happened, that increased the price of lumber and all these other things. So we had to shift a lot of that budget over to just making the buildout happen. So we still have quite a large wish list,” explained Finlay.
As construction work completes, the focus will shift toward readying the space for the after-school programs. Classes are open to the public on a pay-what-you-can sliding scale. Although they offer group classes and individual lessons, the focus is on something other than musical proficiency. “I like to think of them more as mentorship sessions. The reason I say that is because it’s not really focused on ‘let’s come in and learn a skill today.’ It’s more about the creative process and being a space for whatever kids need. If you never really feel like going in and doing skills, you could just talk to the musician-mentor about your day and what you’re feeling, things like that. So it’s very different than a music lesson in that way,” said Sabin. The program also offers sliding-scale therapy for youth and their families, where music is not the primary tool of interaction. Age range is a significant aspect of how MVM operates. They include people up to 24 years old to ensure those who rely on MVM for community and support have access even as other youth-based services may end. However, a significant number of people who grew up attending MVM transition to mentors, leading the programs and offering their experience to the younger generation.
MVM welcomes the Montavilla community to visit the space from 5 to 7 p.m. on September 21st. They have implemented noise cancelation throughout the building to be good neighbors but will always welcome feedback because their work can be loud. The MVM website lists classes and suggested pricing for Rock Camps, sessions, and programs.
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Road crews returned to NE 81st Avenue and Everett Street this week to permanently repair a sinkhole within a crosswalk near Vestal School. The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) patched the street cavity in early August but needed to return for a proper remediation. Workers removed a rectangular section of the asphalt, exposing the street’s gravel base. Workers will replace the road’s surface within the next several days after completing repairs.
Completed repairs on September 18th, 2023
Article first published August 6th, 2023.
A new sinkhole opened up in a crosswalk near Vestal School last week. Road crews quickly filled and patched the maintenance hole adjacent cavity at NE 81st Avenue and Everett Street. This under-roadway cavity is the second sinkhole to appear in a Montavilla street this year, with the other one causing a road closure of SE Yamhill Street at SE 76th Avenue.
Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) representatives noted that Portland sees a few hundred small sinkholes in the streets yearly. Most are relatively small and do not cause extensive property damage. This most recent sinkhole is small but could cause a twisted ankle due to its location in the middle of the crosswalk. PBOT repair crews recognized its potential to cause injury and responded quickly to the growing hole. A neighbor who witnessed the repair said that crews arrived the same day it was reported, wetting the base soil, filling the void, and patching the asphalt road surface.
Neighbor supplied imageNeighbor supplied image
PBOT quickly repaired the NE 81st Avenue sinkhole without disrupting traffic, but this section of the road may require additional attention in the future. In contrast, the limited availability of materials needed to repair the substantially larger sinkhole at SE Yamhill Street has delayed work for nearly three months. Expect crews to begin repair work in the coming weeks. Until then, SE Yamhill Street remains closed to vehicle and bus traffic from SE 76th Avenue to SE 74th.
A team of spray-paint artists recently completed a multi-building mural on SE Stark Street at 81st Avenue. The resident business, ATC Auto Body, worked with the local arts non-profit Portland Street Art Alliance (PSAA) to create this wrap-around graphic presentation honoring local Asian-Americans in East Portland. Artist Demecio “Dre” Sierra designed the art installation, painting over 200 feet of wall with the support of fellow street artists.
Earlier this year, the property’s owner and tenant at 8120 SE Stark Street worked with the Montavilla/East Tabor Business Association and the City of Portland to secure financial support for a mural on his two Montavilla buildings. The city provided grant funds to the PSAA, who hired Sierra and rented an aerial lift required to paint the project’s higher elevations. The property owner eventually settled on a theme honoring the local Asian-American community around 82nd Avenue and East Portland. Initially, Sierra considered options that would highlight the automotive nature of the location but failed to find much inspiration around that concept. “The first idea was different. They wanted to keep it auto-body related, and I really didn’t know what to do for that exactly. They ended up telling me that the business owner wanted a multicultural Asian mural,” remembers Sierra.
That multicultural directive helped drive the project forward, with Sierra sketching ideas on an iPad. He used bright colors to add vibrancy to the dark Pacific Northwest winter skyline and incorporated Maneki Neko, pandas, and origami birds into the culturally inspired design. The scope of the mural project was initially smaller, focusing on SE Stark Street. However, the contract permitted him to continue painting until he ran out of supplies or time. Sierra ended up having extra material and reached out to his artistic group of friends. The team filled unpainted gaps along the building, each contributing their unique style to the extended piece. “I tried to include a lot of artists that don’t get opportunities to have their art on the walls. It’s a challenge to try to wrangle up a bunch of people, but it was a good challenge, and I’m lucky to have that group of friends willing to put their time and effort into helping beautify our community,” said Sierra.
Sierra faced other challenges working on this project, utilizing new tools and working outside his comfort zone. The height of this project required the use of a self-propelled scissor lift. Having never used that equipment before, Sierra became a certified lift operator and quickly learned the dangers of elevated painting. Uneven ground demanded the use of tire shims before the device would rise, and overhead power lines presented deadly obstacles. Additionally, the size and texture of the building also demanded more involved tools. “I used mostly spray paint. [However], there were some spots where I had to use a cordless sparer for the first time to do some of the radiating lines that came off the top. That thing is like a giant spray can, and it was a really great piece of equipment that I’ll be using again in the future,” explained Sierra.
Although continually learning new skills, Sierra has over a decade of experience creating mural artwork in the city. “I’ve been in Portland for 15 years. I came up here after leaving a city job I had. I pulled out my retirement and said, ‘You know, I could work for the city for another 20 years and retire, or I could go fulfill this dream of being an artist.’ So I came up from Arizona with some money in my pocket and my dreams,” said Sierra. It took several years to establish himself as an artist, and he attributes much of his success to working with the PSAA. He also attributes it to a change in city policy that rewards art over advertising. “I think it’s great that the city has allowed us to start building murals again. There was a period where there were no murals in the city due to Clear Channel,” explained Sierra.
In 1999, Clear Channel – doing business as AK Media – won a legal challenge to Porltand’s strict signage regulations. As a result, the city could no longer differentiate between murals and commercial signs. That ruling allowed property owners to sell blank wall space for advertising, so the Portland leaders opted to restrict billboards and murals under the same city code. Over the next decade, public art advocates led by muralist Joe Cotter worked to repair the broken system, eventually freeing murals from the city’s sign code in 2009. Three years later, PSAA began its work to facilitate street art projects throughout the city, and Portland has seen a resurgence in the mural craft.
Demecio “Dre” Sierra takes substantial pleasure in painting murals around Portland. Not only does he have large canvases to fill, but he can rotate through communities, meeting people and hearing their stories. “That’s part of the job, getting to go around all these neighborhoods and spend maybe a week or two in them, see it from their eyes,” said Sierra. That helps shape the art and makes it a rewarding career. He thanks his fellow contributors on this project, including Rile, Abnr, Mctools, and The Earwig. The project is complete and available for anyone walking around the Historic Downtown Montavilla area to enjoy.
Update – September 17th, 2023: Added the Montavilla/East Tabor Business Association as a city partner on the project.
Disclosure: The author of this article serves on the Montavilla/East Tabor Business Association board but did not work on this project.
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Today, residents of Montavilla and the surrounding area used temporary road safety infrastructure provided by safety advocates at NE Glisan Street and 70th Avenue. The event, designed to call attention to insufficient pedestrian crossings on the busy road, began at 10 a.m. and continues until 6 p.m. During the eight-hour project, people are encouraged to cross NE Glisan Street using the painted crosswalk at NE 70th. Volunteers will record the crossing and share the results with Portland leaders as evidence supporting the need for more frequent enhanced crosswalks on this street.
Some of the event organizers
The Friday, September 15th, community event joins nearly 100 other gatherings worldwide as part of Park(ing) Day. That group facilitates an annual public display where people temporarily repurpose curbside parking spaces as public parks or otherwise advocate for more equitable streets. NE Glisan Street organizers Strong Towns PDX, Congress for the New Urbanism – Cascadia, and Montavilla/East Tabor Business Association installed a temporary crosswalk and painted curb extensions, among other pedestrian safety measures, at this ordinarily unmarked crossing. People from those groups are on site to talk about street safety with residents and gather contact information for those who want to continue the conversation around street improvements.
Vehicle waiting for pedestrian and dog to cross NE Glisan Street at 70th Avenue
This frequently accessed intersection is near several popular businesses, including the Rocket Empire Machine food hall and Mudd Works Roastery. People often cross here, but vehicles do not usually yield, forcing pedestrians to wait for an infrequent break in traffic or use another intersection several blocks away. During the first few hours of use, the community-painted temporary crosswalk considerably increased the number of vehicles yielding to crossing pedestrians. Many people using it expressed excitement for the unsanctioned markings and hoped Portland would make it permanent. Crossing statistics is one signal this advocacy group intends to share with the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) about NE Glisan safety improvements. Event organizers said people can still add to that number by crossing the street at NE 70th Avenue before 6 p.m. or by sending a comment directly to PBOT asking for enhanced crosswalks at this intersection.
Disclosure: The author of this article serves on the Montavilla/East Tabor Business Association board and participated in planning meetings for this event.
Today, the newest section of NE Everett Street is open to traffic after months of construction. Crews completed 80% of this previously unimproved roadway in July, with only gradual progress during the last two months. However, workers and heavy equipment swarmed NE Everett Street at NE 76th Avenue this week to finish the project.
Road crews and heavy equipment on NE Everett Street at NE 76th Avenue September 13th
This replacement of an unimproved gravel road is part of the 70s Neighborhood Greenway project currently under construction. The one-block street segment provides a critical east-west connector to the new bike-friendly, walkable north-south pathway. Improvements to this road fill a gap in the street grid for non-motorists trying to travel away from busy streets and children heading to Vestal School. This gravel street prevented many people from using NE Everett as it deteriorated in the winter and became a challenge to pass. People would instead travel on East Burnside or NE Glisan to avoid this barrier. The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) has transformed the one-block section with a modern paved road surface and curb-tight sidewalks, allowing all-season access.
Open and complete NE Everett Street at NE 76th Avenue September 14th
NE Everett Street from NE 76th Avenue to NE 78th Avenue never had a paved road in this section and was only recently serviced by the City of Portland. Crews needed to widen the road when creating the twenty-eight-foot-wide paved street and Sidewalks. It now provides travel lanes in each direction and two seven-foot-wide parking lanes along each curb. Seven-foot wide curb-tight sidewalks squeezed between the vehicle zone and neighbors’ fences. Existing adjacent homes prevent a wider pedestrian zone on this block, and one building had to give up some nose-in street parking to accommodate this new infrastructure. Portlanders travailing east-west can now use NE Everett Street for walking and biking while remaining on slower streets, and residents can start parking in front of their homes.
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Road crews returned to SE Stark Street this week, reducing travel lanes in half and closing through traffic at 80th Avenue. Monday’s work focussed on grinding down the top layer of asphalt while patching the road’s base, where previous work required open trenches. Later this week, workers will repave 150 feet of Stark Street adjacent to where cement masons recently created new expanded sidewalk corners.
Construction at this intersection is part of the 70s Greenway Project that will create a safer north-south connector for people walking or riding to their destination. This portion of the infrastructure improvement project added new curb ramps, improved stormwater handling, and road resurfacing. Later, crews will install Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFB) and crosswalk striping on the west side of this intersection. As part of this work, The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) removed a few parking spaces to accommodate expanded sidewalk corners, with the north side protruding into the parking lane further to the west than the extended corner across the street. The added pedestrian space makes the historically skinny sidewalks wider and shortens the distance for people crossing SE Stark Street.
Clipping from PBOT intersection design document showing expanded sidewalk and corners
During this project, crews installed new stormwater pipes and electrical conduits for the RRFB signals throughout the intersection, creating a grid of asphalt patches. PBOT anticipated the need to repave the roadway but postponed that work until after the 2023 Street Fair when it would have interrupted those festivities.
Traffic disruptions at this intersection will conclude after crews apply the crosswalk and lane striping on the new road surface. Until then, drivers and cyclists should plan for occasional detours and lane reductions. Pedestrians may need to find alternate crossing points and should look for loose gravel in the area. RRFB installation will likely occur later in the year, around the same time as the SE Washington Street work at 80th Avenue concludes.
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Last Wednesday, Commissioner Carmen Rubio and Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability (BPS) leaders addressed community members at the Collective Oregon Eateries (CORE) food hall on SE 82nd Avenue. Speakers at the event outlined a vision for a new Sustainability and Climate Commission (SCC) currently in development. Staff are actively collecting public input regarding the SCC that will shape the final draft of a City Ordinance. The City Council will vote on its adoption in December 2023, and if approved, the SCC could start work in April 2024.
Public remarks by BPS Director Donnie Oliveira, Portland Commissioner Carmen Rubio, and BPS Chief Sustainability Officer Vivian Satterfield. September 6th, 2023.
In 2009, Portland Mayor Sam Adams merged the Bureau of Planning and the Office of Sustainable Development to create BPS. Around the same time, the Sustainable Development Commission and the Planning Commission merged to form the Planning and Sustainability Commission (PSC). However, an April 2022 review of the combined commission indicated unclear responsibilities hampered the 11 PSC commissioners’ efforts. Commissioner Rubio has since directed BPS to split the PSC back into two distinct commissions. The reconstituted Planning Commission started work in March 2023, and staff began designing a new Sustainability and Climate Commission the following April.
Reinstating the Planning Commission was straightforward as it uses a clear structure. Projects come to the nine-member volunteer commission, and they make recommendations to the City Council. BPS Director Donnie Oliveira explained that SCC’s role could differ from the Planning Commission and impact many of Portland’s initiatives. “Climate touches all things now. Every decision the city makes can be climate-related,” said Oliveira. A potential model for the new SCC could include launching projects and recommending specific actions, not just looking to incorporate environmentally friendly components into an existing plan. Over the next four months, BPS staff will work to finalize the commission’s scope and structure based on internal and external input.
BPS Director Donnie Oliveira and Portland Commissioner Carmen Rubio
Some elements of the SCC are already known. BPS staff’s research from around the country indicates that 20 members will provide the best community representation on the commission. It allows for a variety of voices and skill sets. The commissions’ makeup is another area where community input will shape the SCC. The selection process could utilize the new City Council districts or reserved seats for people with specific expertise.
According to Oliveira, public participation is indispensable, and a relatively short window requires more active participants. BPS Chief Sustainability Officer Vivian Satterfield will lead working groups with stakeholders and subject matter experts through October, and they expect to offer future events like the September 6th gathering at CORE. The expedited timeline is essential to seating SCC members before the new City Council arrives in 2025. As our city moves away from informed Commissioners working at the head of bureaus, new Councilors will benefit from balanced input from knowledgeable people. “Large cities like Portland require community advisory bodies to inform Council,” explained Oliveira. He observed through his work in other cities that a large Council relies on informed input, and advisory bodies can help shape the Council’s policy agenda.
Oliveira sees the SCC development timeline as serving the city’s need to ready itself for its new structure but hopes people remain engaged. “We are at a real inflection point because we are changing the form of government. So now is the time for the community to actually give input,” said Oliveira. Over the next few weeks, look for survey opportunities and other public meetings on the SCC website.
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This week, road crews began work on NE Halsey Street at 76th Avenue, reducing travel lanes to make room for two pedestrian refuge islands and buffered bike lanes. This intersection improvement work supports the 70s Neighborhood Greenway project, providing a safe north-south connector for people walking or rolling to their destination. NE Halsey’s lane reconfiguration will extend several blocks east and west from this crossing, creating one travel lane in each direction with a center turn lane.
Construction drawing courtesy PBOT
NE Halsey is one of the city-identified high crash corridors, making an enhanced intersection necessary at this new greenway crossing. NE 76th Avenue shifts 90 feet off center at NE Halsey Street, creating two “T” intersections. Consequentially, engineers needed to construct extra in-road elements to protect multimodal cross traffic while allowing vehicle left turns. The new center turn lanes on NE Halsey will have two pedestrian refuge islands aligned with the east crossing of NE 76th Avenue and a short raised median to the west protecting a green striped bike crossing. Crews will reconstruct two corners featuring Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant ramps that align with mid-block curb ramps across NE Halsey Street. The SE corner of NE 76th Avenue and Halsey Street will also feature a westward curb extension, shortening the crossing distance and placing waiting pedestrians at the outer edge of the parking lane for greater visibility.
Illustration courtesy PBOT
The NE Halsey Street lane reconfiguration will extend from NE 70th to NE 80th Avenues and support other Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) safety improvements planned for this busy street. Reducing the four vehicle travel lanes to two adds road width for painted bike lanes to protect cyclists and a center turn lane for added protection. “This three-lane configuration is a proven safety improvement that national studies and local experience show results in safer travel for everyone,” explained PBOT representative Dylan Rivera. As they approach this ten-block segment of NE Halsey Street, signage along the corridor will notify people that a traffic pattern change is coming up.
PBOT expects the project on NE Halsey Street to conclude later this year, with striping and signage added by the end of December 2023. During the next few months, crews will need to close some streets and crossings as well as reduce travel lanes. Cyclists and pedestrians should use caution around NE 76th Avenue and potentially find alternate routes. TriMet has temporarily closed bus stops serving the 77 line (Stop IDs 2453 & 2452) at NE 76th Avenue in both directions. Riders who use those boarding locations should plan for additional travel time to the next stop through September 17th for eastbound service and September 27th for westbound service.
This past weekend, craftspeople began installing the long-anticipated mosaic tile mural at the Jacksons Gas station and Food Store. This artistic creation of Hector H. Hernandez will adorn a cinderblock wall placed behind the new pedestrian plaza at NE 82nd Avenue and Glisan Street. The corner community space and mural are part of a significant redevelopment project that rebuilt a Shell refueling station and created a substantially larger convenience store.
Montavilla Neighborhood Association members selected Hernandez for this project in the latter part of 2020. The artist met with neighborhood residents and Board members to gather inspiration for the project. Those conversations and his years of experience creating public art guided the creation of the mural’s design presented at the October 10th, 2022, meeting. His slide deck included work in a variety of mediums representing an array of subjects. The presentation also offered a look at the OPB segment featuring Hernandez’s work on the side of the Woodburn Independent newspaper building.
Hernandez worked for months cutting the individual tile pieces for this mural in his studio, adhering them to mesh backing for transportation to the site. Now, he and his support team are placing the mosaic panels together on the cinderblock wall and filling in the gaps with individual tiles before grouting. The tiles are small, and the work draws on ancient skills not regularly practiced by modern craftspeople.
Jacksons Food Stores funded this work as part of its commitment to community support in the areas in which it operates. Along with the plaza, work at this location included many improvements to the sidewalk infrastructure and expansion of the urban tree canopy. Completing this public art installation will mark the final phase of construction at this site, but the mural will become a lasting display of Montavilla’s history and diversity.
Disclosure: The Author of this article served on the Montavilla Neighborhood Association Board during the mural’s selection process.
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