We're often asked, "how can you do what you do?" The basic answer lies in lots and lots of homework. Artists everywhere dream of buildings - very few have a sense of the number of different areas that they will need to engage in due diligence.

Fire:

Our first order of business was to invite the Fire Marshall's office in to ask them how they would like us to set up the shops. While the building was previously used for an vocational educational facility, we wanted their current opinion on how to handle exiting. Not only do we frequently have Fire Marshall's in to inspect our building for particular event permits, we are 100% current with our two-year fire inspection, completed last fall.

One of the fire departments favorite aspects to our building is that we are equipped with a full sprinkler system, which is wired to alarm monitoring that calls the fire department automatically.

 

Police:

We have frequent contact with our neighborhood officers and, for the times when we throw events involving alcohol sales for more than 300 people, we contact our local precinct. Recently, after the Burning Man Decompression event, the police department called the owner of the building to tell them what a terrific job we had done with sound, hours, cleanup and management..

 

Insurance:

We carry many layers of insurance at Watershed.

Watershed PDX, LLC carries liability insurance on all activities at the building, as a property management LLC. A trip-and-fall, someone stepping on a nail, or any basic liability is covered under this activity.

Watershed Cafe, LLC maintains a liability policy for any and all events involving gatherings, alcohol sales, or food service.

Tool Shed, PDX is currently beginning a new policy to cover activities as an educational institution and for service projects conducted off-site. This means that injuries occuring in the shop not directly the result of a members personal negligence are covered.

Tenants cover their own liability insurance for injuries or accidents that happen in their space.

 

Neighborhood Committees:

Watershed maintains positive relationships with both of the two neighborhood committees - SMILE of Sellwood/Moreland Improvement League and BAC - the Brooklyn Action Corps. While technically our property is in the SMILE area, we are the very tippy point of Sellwood, and have more in common with Brooklyn and Brooklyn issues.

 

City:

Watershed maintains a city business license, and a positive ongoing relationship with a variety of inspection and compliance offices. For a list of closed complaints that have cropped up, please feel free to visit Portland Maps - enter the building's address as 5040 SE Milwaukie and click 'Permits/Cases'. The city has repeatedly expressed its satisfaction with the speed with which we respond to any request for improvement.

Watershed maintains a yearly license for an A-board, though we rarely use it.

 

State:

Watershed PDX, LLC is an LLC filed in the State of Oregon.

Watershed Cafe, LLC is an LLC filed in the State of Oregon.

Tool Shed, PDX is an non-profit in the State of Oregon. Tool Shed files yearly with the Attorney General's Charitable Activities Section.

Federal:

Watershed PDX, LLC files taxes as an independent taxable entity with the Federal Government.

Watershed Cafe, LLC currently files as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Watershed PDX, LLC, though if we ever get a cafe business off the ground, it will file as its own entity.

Tool Shed, PDX has recently received its 501c3 status from the federal charitable activities division.