Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler and Sapporo, Japan, Mayor Katsuhiro Akimoto continued their committment to the Portland Sapporo Sister City relationship by rededicating the Japanese bell gifted by business leaders in Sapporo to Portland as a 30th anniversary gift.
“The rededication of the Sapporo Bell is the first milestone in completing our nearly 14-month renovation. Last fall, we broke ground on the Oregon Convention Center plaza and interior renovation project to coincide with the opening of the Hyatt Regency Portland at the Oregon Convention Center,” said Craig Stroud, Oregon Convention Center executive director. The streamlined and enhanced plaza at the Oregon Convention Center will ease access and entry into the center through the primary entrance. The updates to the interior spaces from the lobbies to the ballrooms will reinvigorate the center for local Portlanders as well as will improve its national competitiveness.
As part of the 60th Anniversary of the Portland Sapporo Sister City Association, the Oregon Convention Center hosted a private celebration on June 6, with 90 delegates from Sapporo.
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