Community News May 2016

Basics of Building an ADU

 

Are you curious about building a granny flat, backyard cottage or adding an attic apartment on your property? The Build Small Lecture Series at the Northwest Woodworking Studio has just the introduction you need.

ADUs are small homes homeowners can add to their existing lots or houses. They can be detached from an existing house, like a backyard cottage, or attached to the house, like an apartment in the basement or over the garage. Owners can use the units for anything from rental income to housing for family.

“Building an ADU on Your Property” will be held May 25 at 6 pm at the Northwest Woodworking Studio, 1002 SE 8th Ave.

Space is limited and advance registration is required. Each lecture is $20 and includes light snacks, beer for those 21 and over, an overview on small housing and the opportunity to speak with local experts and like-minded friends.

Visit padtinyhouses.com/lectures to register.

On May 21, a weekend Framing Workshop will be presented. For information see NorthwestWoodworking.com or call 503.284.1644.

 

Recycling tip – the White Paper Cup

 

 

By Bonita Davis, Master Recycler and Sunnyside resident

 

We’ve all done it…. ordered our coffee in the familiar white paper cup; maybe once in a while, maybe several times a day. If you are like me, you might have assumed the cup is paper and recyclable. Well, surprisingly, it isn’t. It goes straight to the landfill. Cups placed in the recycle bins in the store or curbside are sorted out by hand.

Here are five things you may not know about the ever-popular white paper to-go cup: The cups are not just paper. They are a combination of paper and plastic. The plastic and beverage residue prevent the cups from being recyclable. The lids and stir sticks are too small for curbside recycling.

Hot beverages are served in the white to-go cups as a default in many coffeeshops. Even if you plan to linger over a conversation or your laptop in a coffeeshop, you will be using a disposable cup unless you request otherwise.

Some cups are printed as made from recycled content. That does not mean they can be recycled again. The insulating sleeve is totally recyclable, but statistically, few are recycled. This 1997 innovation cut cup waste by half by eliminating the need to double cup hot beverages.

The problem is pretty big – approximately 148 million disposable coffee cups are used in the Metro area each year. That translates to an annual 9.32 million pounds of solid waste and 17,760 metric tons of CO2 being generated in the process.

In simple terms, one person, using one white cup per day results in 23 pounds of waste per year.  This information is from Recycling Advocates (recyclingadvocates.org), Oregon’s oldest grassroots nonprofit organization dedicated to creating a sustainable future through local efforts to reduce, reuse and recycle.

Some 54 billion white coffee cups are thrown away in the US each year. That pencils out to about 165 cups per person per year according to Sightline Institute, an independent, non-profit research and communications center, or think tank. Go to sightline.org to read a discussion on these issues with letting go of the white cup.

There is a something we can all do about the white paper cup pile up.  Just bring your portable cup or ask for a “cup for here”  and enjoy your coffee in a ceramic mug and give yourself permission to sit down and take a break. Small actions such as these can make a dramatic difference in reducing tons of waste created by a one-time use product.   In addition, you can pocket some savings when your coffee retailer rewards you with a 5-15 cent credit for bringing your own cup.

 

SE RESIDENT JENNIFER ALYSE is a visionary photographer who offers The Empowered Series to help women take their best photos through a series of coaching exercises for self worth.

The Empowered Event – A benefit for Girls Inc.

Sunday, May 15 • Elysian Ballroom

918 SW Yamhill St.  1 – 4 pm

The event includes a short film;

Workshops led by top coaches and intuitive leaders:

Andrea Leda and Cinda Stevens Lonsway

Women-owned boutiques

For details see jenniferalyse.com

 

Advocates for a Better Oregon

Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon (APANO)  have joined other children and family advocacy groups to pledge their support for Initiative Petition 28 (A Better Oregon), to raise the corporate minimum tax on corporations with over $25 million of sales in Oregon. Oregon has the lowest effective corporate tax rate in the country.

Statistics presented by the advocacy organizations are startling and warrant attention:

  • 390,000 kids, or 1 in 5, live in or near poverty.
  • Oregon is ranked 47th in high school graduation.
  • Nearly 11,500 children are in foster care.
  • Burgeoning class sizes continue even though studies prove that children do better in smaller classes.
  • 17,600 children are without access to health insurance.
  • Over 20,000 students in Oregon school districts are homeless.
  • Abuse rates remain stubbornly stagnant.

Advocates presented that investing in children and their families boosts the capacity to thrive as a state.

For information, contact joseph@apano.org/971.340.4861

 

Bottled water on ballot

A long list of businesses, farms and farmers are standing up to highlight the importance of protecting Hood River County’s water supply from water bottling efforts by Nestlés and other water bottlers.

Measure 14-55 on the May ballot would would prevent hundreds of millions of gallons of water a year from  being trucked out of the county, setting a dangerous precedent.

“Our orchards and farms will not survive without a reliable water supply,” says ballot measure 14-55 Chief Petitioner Moria Reynolds of Casa Verde Farms.

“Last year’s irrigation water restriction was a wake up call to local farmers that water is a valuable resource here in Oregon, and with future climate predictions, this is not the time to start selling our water for cheap.”

Go to localwateralliance.org to find out more about the ballot measure.

Construction intensifies as summer approaches

Traffic delays are increasingly common from Division to Belmont with extensive demolitions and the building of multi-housing complexes. Along Hawthorne between 39th and 50th major sewer work continues. Non-through traffic is advised to find alternative routes this month.

Up on Mt Tabor at this writing, Lincoln St. near the park’s entrance is due to  re-open soon as reservoir disconnection work near the off-leash dog area concludes. Work got slightly behind schedule because of subpar asphalt conditions on Lincoln.

On the whole, Mt Tabor Neighborhood Association landuse co-chair John Laursen reports that cooperation continues between the Portland Water Bureau and MTNA advisors designated to review $4 million in restoration and deferred maintenance on the historic basins.

An interpretive structure of some kind is part of the agreement.  Laursen says the only signage residents want is a declaration of what a “beautifully engineered water system” Portland had before the decision to take the open-air reservoirs offline.

“Maybe a future council will have the wisdom,” he says,  “to restore the open-air system that delivered sun and air purified water to Portlanders for a Century.”

 

Seeking volunteers for Powell Butte Eco-Blitz

Be part of a new community science movement, and contribute to the region’s species inventory Saturday, May 21, 7 am – 4 pm at Powell Butte Nature Park, 16160 SE Powell Blvd.

Portland Parks & Recreation will conduct three different species surveys at Powell Butte: one each for amphibians, butterflies and birds.

Volunteers choose a time slot to go out in a group with an expert to conduct a survey to monitor their designated species.

No experience is necessary. The event is free and open to all ages. Volunteers should arrive at least 15 minutes before their chosen time slot.

PP&R and partners provide all materials, snacks/drinks and instruction. Wear long thick pants, a long-sleeved shirt and sturdy shoes. Bring a water bottle, rain gear and sunhat. Bathrooms will be available on site.

Register for the survey at: eventbrite.com/e/powell-butte-eco-blitz-tickets-20899280310

Additional instructions specific to your volunteer task will be sent after you register.

Have questions about the Powell Butte Eco-Blitz? Contact: Emily Lytle, Portland Parks & Recreation, 971.352.2044 emily.lytle@portlandoregon.gov

 

Commissioner Fritz’s staff contacts

For Tree Code issues, contact Tim Crail, tim.crail@portlandoregon.gov

  • For questions and comments regarding Parks, copy/forward your message to pooja.bhatt@portlandoregon.gov and Director.Abbate@portlandoregon.gov.
  • For questions and comments regarding the Office of Neighborhood Involvement, copy/forward your message to Claire.Adamsick and CityInfo@portlandoregon.gov.
  • Contact the City-County Information and Referral Service at 503.823.4000 or CityInfo@portlandoregon.gov to get assistance with general questions or concerns about any City, County, or Portland Development Commission issue.
  • Call Jasmine at 503.823.3008, or email her at Jasmine.Wadsworth@portlandoregon.gov to be directed to staff in the office who will assist, especially on Parks or Office of Neighborhood Involvement issues.

If you would like to schedule a meeting with Commissioner Fritz or invite her to an event, contact Cristina.Nieves@portlandoregon.gov or call 503.823.4124.

For urgent policy issues, and media requests, contact The Commissoner’s Chief of Staff Tim Crail, at 503.823.3988 or tim.crail@portlandoregon.gov.

 

Little Free Librariesscot-and-box

By Scot Kamis

Little Free Library is a worldwide literacy movement based on a free book exchange. The idea is that you or a neighborhood group buy or build a weather-resistant box and install it on a post or a wall in front of your house. Then you fill it with books. Think of it as an outdoor literary structure. Anybody can take a book or leave a book.

Started in 2009 in Hudson, Wisconsin, a craftsman named Tod Bol built a model of a one-room schoolhouse. He put it on a post in his front yard, filled it with books, and put a sign on it that said “Free Books”. The idea caught on and today there are over 35,000 little free libraries worldwide.

Books don’t need to be returned, and book donations are always welcome. Here are some LFL mottos: take a book, leave a book; always a gift, never for sale; building free book exchanges worldwide.

At any Little Free Library you can take a book or two or three (but no more than three at a time); leave a book or two or three (or a bagful) or return a book you took (or a different book) or pass it on to a friend.

To discourage folks who take books to try to sell them to bookstores, many Little Free Library stewards mark their books with stamps.

For a lot more information on Little Free Libraries, go to LittleFreeLibrary.org.

 

Save Buckman pool

 

For the 6th time in 12 years, the City is once again proposing to close Buckman Pool, this time permanently. This proposed closure comes only 10 years after a $600,000 repair to the pool, which has extended its life for at least another 10 years.

The population of Portland is steadily increasing and is expected to continue to increase. Portland needs to provide core services, not cut them. Closing this pool in the heart of inner Portland will force many people either to quit swimming or to drive to pools further away. Inner SE has been promised a community center with swimming pool for close to 40 years. This promised community center would serve not only the inner east side; it would also serve center city and the near west side. Until this community center is built, Buckman Pool is the only Parks facility serving this area.

The city will release its final budget before the next budget hearing. We hope Buckman Pool will not remain on the cut list.

Send your comments in support of the pool to:

citybudgetoffice@portlandoregon.gov

mayorcharliehales@portlandoregon.gov

amanda@portlandoregon.gov

dan@portlandoregon.gov

nick@portlandoregon.gov

novick@portlandoregon.gov

If the pool is still proposed to be cut in the final budget, come testify at the final budget hearing, May 12, 6:30 – 8:30 pm at City Hall.

For information, contact buckmanpool@gmail.com or visit our Facebook page, Friends of Buckman Pool.

ALLIES WORKING FOR CLIMATE JUSTICE: Solidarity with Original Nations and Peoples Let’s Talk Climate
takes place May 10,  7 pm at
TaborSpace (SE Belmont at SE 54th Ave.).

The sovereign Lummi Nation is asserting its treaty rights in order to fight a proposed coal-export terminal near Bellingham, Washington. The project would impact a traditional fishery and the Lummi claims of likely damage to their fishing rights have gained traction against the proposal. Former US Forest Service planner in the Columbia Gorge, Katherine Jesch is back from a relationship-building odyssey to Bellingham where her group spent a week with the Lummi Nation learning about the tribe’s treaty rights to protection of the fishery resources.

These free events are open to the public and begin at 7 pm. Donations help pay costs for rental of the meeting space. Register at Eventbrite, here: alliesforclimatejustice.eventbrite.com or by email to climaterenewal@yahoo.com.

 

THE CREATIVE SCIENCE SCHOOL PTA hosts the 7th annual Montavillage Festival, celebrating the Creative Science School and Montavilla Community, on Sunday, May 15, from 1 – 4 pm. Free admission plus one free ticket for a fun activity. Live music with Montavilla Guitar Studio and School of Rock, arts and crafts, vendors of many kinds (including a plant sale), yoga and massage, bike safety and maintenance, dunk tank, bouncy house, games, and more.

 

WORK PARTY AT LAURELHURST PARK takes place May 11, 9 am to noon. Interested participants will meet by the blue-green Parks building on Ankeny St. on the north side of the park. Volunteers are asked to bring work gloves if possible and, if it’s a volunteer’s first meeting, to sign the Parks’ forms available there. Tools are provided, as well as water and work gloves for those who do not have them. Interested persons may address questions or express interest to: Peggy Glascock, peggy.glascock53@gmail.com, 503.232.2406 or
 Barry Kast, kastb@peak.org, 503.477.7469. Occasional info on LNA website: laurelhurstpdx.org.

 

CHILDREN’S NATURE FAIR – Pollinator Power! Leach Botanical Garden, 6704 SE 122nd Ave., Saturday, May 14,  10 am – 2 pm. Bring the family and enjoy learning all about Pacific Northwest pollinators: bees, butterflies, beetles and more. You’ll find Audubon’s education birds, interactive booths, arts and craft activities, slug races, a scavenger hunt, nature walks, music, and even 25 cent ice cream cones. Visit partner booths including Audubon Society of Portland, Zenger Farm, Portland Parks & Recreation environmental education program, Friends of Outdoor School, Brookside Farms and Gardens, and Johnson Creek Watershed Council. Great for kids of all ages. For information, visitleachgarden.org or call 503.823.1671.

 

LEAD POISONING PREVENTION WORKSHOP – Free workshop where participants learn how to prevent lead exposure in their home. Great for households with children or pregnant women in houses older than 1978, or those concerned about lead exposure. Qualified participants receive a free kit of safety and testing supplies. Dates are Sunday, May  15, 3 pm at Sellwood-Moreland Library, 7860 SE 13th Ave; Saturday, May 21, 10 am at Hazelwood Community Fair, Faith Community Church, 12414 E Burnside St and  Tuesday May 24, 6  pm at Community Energy Project, 2900 SE Stark St, Suite A. Register for the workshop at communityenergyproject.org or call 503.284.6827×109.

 

PRECISION CASTPARTS COMMUNITY MEETING – Wednesday, May 25, 6 pm. Location to be announced. For updates and information, go to pccstructuralscommunity.com. South Portland Air Quality was formed by neighborhood residents in response to news of toxic air in SE Portland and Milwaukie. They investigate, inform, and organize community efforts to demand better quality air, water, and soil. Email: southportlandairquality@gmail.com. On Facebook as southportlandairquality.

 

VIKING PANCAKE BREAKFAST, Sunday, May 8, 8:30 am – 1 pm at the Norse Hall, 111 NE 11th Ave.What better way to treat your mom than with a Mother’s Day Viking Pancake Breakfast? Enjoy all-you-can-eat pancakes, sides of scrambled eggs, sausages, fresh fruit, fruit compote, orange juice, tea and bottomless cups of coffee served up with Norwegian charm. Adults $7, Children 5-12, $4. Under 5 are free. Children’s Nordic story time in our Library at 10 am. Best breakfast in town.

 

OHSU BALANCE DISORDERS LABORATORY is seeking healthy volunteers 50 years of age and older for a study on gait and cognition. Participants take part in a two-day study assessing walking, balance, thinking ability and brain imaging (MRI). Participants will receive $25 per testing session. Contact the OHSU Balance Disorders Laboratory at 503.418.2601 or balance@ohsu.edu OHSU IRB # 4131, Dr. Fay Horak, PhD, PT

 

RUN MAMA RUN- A 5K/10K WALK/RUN at Mt. Tabor Park, May 8. Registration starts at 8:30 am, Kids run at 9:30 am. 5K/10K starts at 10 am. Pre-registration is $49 per individual or $175 per team of 5 people. Day of Run, $55 per individual or $250 per team of 5 people. Registration fees include entry to participate in the 10K or 5K Stroller Friendly Run/Walk, one adult T-shirt, one participant Goodie Bag with freebies and coupons, light breakfast of Spielman’s Bagels and Bipartisan Coffee and endless satisfaction from donating 100% of proceeds to Family Forward Oregon. See runmamarunpdx.org.

 

TAI CHI FOR BETTER BALANCE & EXERCISE (8 Gentle Gestures) begins June 1 on Wednesdays, 11 am,  taught by trained RN at  Presbyterian Church of Laurelhurst, 935 NE 33rd Ave.  Suggested donation, $1 – $4 or as you are able. Phone: 503.232.9129.

 

TABOR VIEW HEALTH AND WELLNESS COMMUNITY EVENTS – On Saturday, May 14, 3 – 4:30 pm a free class: Spring Cleanse with Essential Oils. Then on Sunday, May 22, 12 – 2:30 pm, The Community Lunch and Learn, 12 noon. 1 pm: guest speaker, Casey Hazlett with Sustainably Organized will present “Expert Strategies for Staying Organized”, an educational talk to offer solutions for busy families who want to reduce stress and increase the amount of time they spend with each other and friends. All events at 6018 SE Stark St. 503.808.9145

 

THE PORTLAND GAY MEN’S CHORUS and Crossing Bridges join together to celebrate the festival of Pentecost at Montavilla United Methodist Church May 15 at 10:30 am. Present at this service will be church leaders from around the world gathered in Portland to set policies for the global church. Your participation is important to help advance inclusion and diversity in the life of the global church. On the web at montavillaumc.org.

 

LWV VOTERS’ GUIDES in English and Spanish on candidates and ballot measure issues in Oregon and Multnomah County are available (until supplies are exhausted) at the Multnomah County Elections Office, Multnomah County libraries, Portland Community College libraries, New Seasons, and, also online at www.lwvpdx.org.The League of Women Voters, now with men and women members/volunteers, was formed in 1920 and is a nonpartisan political organization that encourages informed and active participation in government

 

 

Community News May 2016

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