Via Jack Bogdanski’s blog, it appears there’s a competing proposal to rename Interstate, courtesy Portland’s Polish Community:

I am not making this up. The Polish-Americans from the parish of St. Stanislaus over in North Portland — the folks who put on the annual Polish Festival, just concluded — are opposed to renaming Interstate Avenue after Cesar Chavez. Indeed, they say they want the street rechristened for the great Polish labor and political leader and Nobel Prize winner Lech Walesa!

From Marek Stepien, head of the Polish Library Building Association, in last night’s e-mail:

The Polish Community is for keeping the historical name “Interstate Avenue”. Large parts of N. Interstate has been built by hard working immigrants from Central Europe, with a majority of immigrants from Poland. There are two historical Polish buildings on N Interstate (Polish Library Building, 3832 N. Interstate, and St. Stanislaus Polish Catholic Church, 3916 N. Interstate).

If Interstate must be renamed after anyone, we recommend it re-named: “Lech Walesa Boulevard,” after the Nobel Peace Prize winner whose heroism helped many people leave Soviet Communism and come to Portland, and helped end the Cold War for Americans and the world.

There will be a public hearing at 6:30 pm, Tues, Oct. 9 at Ockley Green School, 6031 N. Montana. Also there will be a meeting at the Polish Library this Sunday, 1:00pm to prepare for the hearing and eventually to proceed with the name “Lech Walesa Boulevard”.

Oy.