PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- The Port of Portland wants to borrow $140 million, in part for new equipment to de-ice aircraft at the Portland airport.

But the port doesn't have anything to deice the world's frozen credit markets, so its plans are on hold.

Governments borrow money regularly to build schools, roads, bridges, sewers and water systems. Sometimes, they borrow money in anticipation of tax revenue or to refinance previous debts. Generally, the bonds are tax-exempt and are often viewed as low risk, attracting investors who accept lower interest payments as a trade-off.

In Oregon, state officials say the credit markets for public agencies show signs of loosening up a tad.

But hundreds of millions of dollars worth of projects and deals are listed as "postponed" on a calendar of bond sales the state treasurer's department maintains. And other agencies say they'll delay going to market in hopes that money will be available later on at a cheaper price.

In the port's case, it plans to build a second parking garage at the airport, a runway extension, and part of a new headquarters building, as well as buy the deicing system.

When it does borrow, the port expects to pay more.

"The unknown piece is how the bonds will actually get priced," Steve Schreiber, chief financial officer for the port, told The Oregonian newspaper. "Someone told me the other day that 6 (percent) is the new 5."

At Redmond in central Oregon, a high school built in 1970 to serve 1,200 students has been expanded once to accommodate 1,500 and now enrolls about 2,100 students. Throughout the district, more than 1,000 students attend class every day in portables.

The district planned to sell $110 million worth of bonds on Sept. 24 for a new high school, a replacement elementary school and upgrades to its older schools.

Doug Snyder, the school district chief operations officer, says it is in a tough spot, trying to keep the interest it will owe low enough so as not to exceed the maximum tax increase it promised voters. But it needs to borrow to keep its construction planning on track.

"Worst-case scenario, you have to stop the process, which means you delay the opening of schools," said Snyder. "I don't think we're there yet, but we could be."

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Oregon Health & Science University recently scrapped a $375 million plan to expand its hospital, which would have required issuing $350 million in debt. The decision was partly based on the likelihood that a recession would lower demand and revenues. But the university also thought there was little chance of raising the money at reasonable rates, if at all.

Salem Hospital is facing a lesser version of the same problem. The community hospital has been looking to refinance variable rate debt issued in 2004 and 2006 and get a lower, long-term interest rate. But it hasn't been able to find buyers for all its refinancing and still hopes to issue another $125 million in bonds to cover the old debt.

"As soon as we have buyers, we're ready to go, said Aaron Crane, chief financial officer for the hospital. "But it's not gonna happen overnight."

Chemeketa Community College is in a holding pattern with its expansion proposal from a $92 million proposal approved by mid-Willamette Valley voters,

"If you think about it rationally, you can't get a much more secure investment than this," said Craig Smith, Chemeketa's chief financial officer. "We can collect tax money to pay the bonds off. This should be a great deal for people right now ... It's just a question of uncertainty."