Community News March 2017

Interrupting Hate in Public Spaces

March 23, 7 – 9 pm 

Saints Peter & Paul Episcopal Church

What if you see someone being harassed or bullied because of their race or religion? How do you respond? Learn skills, tools and methods for becoming effective allies and companions to those targeted by the skyrocketing incidents of public hate.

The workshop is provided under the auspices of Resolutions Northwest and will be led by Executive Director Rabbi Debra Kolodny and Restorative Justice Specialist Nyanga Uuka. A $10 per person donation, payable at the door, is requested, although no one will be turned away for lack of funds.

The workshop is limited to 25 persons. Resolutions Northwest has more than thirty years of experience in conflict resolution and the facilitation of honest dialogue to promote racial and social justice.

Register by calling 503.254.8168 or by sending an email to mmcgarrylawrence@gmail.com. Saints Peter & Paul Episcopal Church is located in the Montavilla neighborhood at 247 SE 82nd Ave., at the corner of SE 82nd Ave. and Pine St.  For more visit the parish website, spsppdx.org.

Mayor’s Town Hall on Portland’s Climate Priorities

Let’s Talk Climate hosts Mayor Ted Wheeler in a Climate Action Town Hall on Thursday, March 16 at 7 pm at TaborSpace, 5441 SE Belmont St.

Climate stability and preparedness were key topics during the 2016 election campaign and Portland citizens elected a mayor who has made climate action a top priority.

The Portland Climate Action Plan calls for significant commitment from many city bureaus in order to prepare for the inevitable impacts of climate change.

Hotter summers, more flooding, new levels of uncertainty  are some of the predictions for the coming decades here. This town hall offers an opportunity to hear from city officials as they consider climate action steps in the immediate future.  How will the bureaus meet these new goals? How will the mayor set priorities?  How can citizens contribute to help mitigate climate impacts?

The mayor will speak briefly, followed by comments by senior staff, with plenty of time for questions and answers in a town hall format.

Speakers include Mayor Ted Wheeler; Michael Armstrong, Senior Climate Planner, Bureau of Planning and Sustainability; and Nathan Howard, senior policy advisor to the mayor.

This event is free and open to the public; with donations gratefully accepted to help defray expenses.

Attendees are asked to make a reservation on Eventbrite (mayortownhall.eventbrite.com).

For information, go to letstalkclimatepdx.org, or email contact@letstalkclimatepdx.org. Bike parking available. Trimet bus line 15.  Carpooling recommended.

Touting Trillium – Facts & Fallacies

Saturday, March 25, 10 – 11:30 am

Leach Botanical Garden

6704 SE 122nd Ave.

Russell Graham, from Purveyor of Plants, will separate facts from fallacies concerning Trillium, one of our favorite NW native early bloomers.

Graham addresses the nomenclature, identification, culture, and propagation of trilliums while exploring some of the myths, lore and reality surrounding the genus, with most of the emphasis on our western species.

He will present slides, handouts, references and a few plants to display. Tour the Garden’s own blooming Trilliums after the talk. Preregistration required. $15 nonmember/$10 LGF members

To register see leachgarden.org  or  call 503.804.6958

For more information, contact Janice Jenkins at 503.823.1671

Food forest

Melissa and Teague Cullen were chosen by the City of Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability (BPS) to establish a new food forest on city-owned land in SE Portland.

The Cullens responded to a city-issued Request for Proposal seeking a new tenant for a .67 acre site traditionally used for food production.

The couple’s project, Winslow Food Forest, will focus on Food Forestry, a way of growing food that mimics a woodland ecosystem. Food forest layers will include fruit and nut trees, berries, herbs, edible flowers, vegetables and tuber crops.

The Cullens began their career in the Kenton neighborhood growing edible plant starts. They’ve designed and created food forests in the area since 2013.

Teague notes, “Being certified as Permaculture Design Consultants helps us design food production systems that grow healthy soil, healthy gardens, and healthy people.”

The food forest is tended by hand and grown organically, without the use of pesticides, herbicides or fungicides.

Perennial agriculture plays a key role in reducing carbon emissions by not only reducing greenhouse emissions produced by conventional agriculture, but by storing carbon in biomass generated by the system.

The Winslow Food Forest’s diverse yields of vegetables, culinary herbs, edible flowers and fruits are sold to members of the public through a Harvest Share of weekly produce or with Seedling Share of monthly plant starts for backyard gardens.

Learn more about Winslow Food Forest at winslowfoodforest.com. or email mel@winslowfoodforest.net

VIKING PANCAKE BREAKFAST

March 12 • 8:30 am – 1 pm 

Start your day with delicious all-you-can-eat pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausage, fresh fruit, lingonberries, orange juice, tea or coffee—served with Norwegian charm. Adults $7, Children ages 5-12 $4, Children under 5 are free. Norse Hall, 111 NE 11th  Ave. Parking is free.

 

Pothole patch-a-thon

 

v The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) has launched Patch-a-thon, a new initiative to fill the numerous potholes caused by this season’s many winter storms.

As of Wednesday, PBOT had a backlog of more than 1,000 potholes identified by residents and city crews.

During normal operations, PBOT has two to three crews repairing potholes. During Patch-a-thon, this number will rise to 12 to 15 crews.

Commissioner Saltzman helped kick off the effort by helping a crew fill a pothole.

“PBOT crews worked through record snow and low temperatures this winter,” Saltzman said. “Those winter storms left us with hundreds of potholes all over the city that residents are rightly concerned about. I encourage Portlanders to report potholes with as much detail as possible. Please be patient as we work through this backlog.”

In the coming weeks, PBOT will hold a Patch-a-thon on those days when the weather permits effective and safe pothole repair.

Heavy rain can cause potholes to fill with water, making the repairs less durable. Patch-a-thon will continue until the winter pothole backlog has been cleared.

Crews fill more than 8,000 potholes a year, working throughout the year. The work is weather dependent and crews are sometimes diverted to emergencies such as landslides.

Portland residents are encouraged to report potholes by sending a detailed description and photos to PBOT dispatchers by email pdxroads@portlandoregon.gov or by using the PDX Reporter App.

They can call 503.823.1700, PBOT’s 24 hour maintenance line.

Track Patch-a-thon’s progress with an interactive pothole map,. The map shows potholes reported since Dec. 1, 2016.

 

Where to recycle your stuff

By Bonita Davis, Master Recycler and Sunnyside resident

The cold winter months are hopefully behind us. In addition to supporting the community during severe weather, here are some organizations that can use donated items throughout the year. If you are spring cleaning and wish to part with some of these items, here are options for getting what you have into the hands of someone who really appreciates your donation:

  • Abby’s Closet, abbyscloset.org, Find local drop-off sites for prom gowns, purses, wraps and dress shoes.
  • Children’s Book Bank, 1915 NE 7th St., childrensbookbank.org.  Gently used and new books for children.
  • Community Cycling Center, 1700 NE Alberta St. communitycyclingcenter.org, 503.287.8767 Bikes, tubes, inner tubes, square plastic pails
  • Dress for Success, 1532 NE 37th St. oregondressforsuccess.org, 503.249.7300, coats, shoes, umbrellas, jewelry, accessories, cosmetics, plus sizes
  • Free Geek, freegeek.org, used electronics for refurbishing or Oregon e-cycles. Their website has details on how to “Plug into Portland”
  • Ethos Music Center, 2 N Killingsworth Ave., ethos.org, 503.283.8464, Functional music instruments in good repair.  Call first to see if they have a need for what you have.
  • Oregon Lion’s Sight and Hearing Foundation, dshf.org, 503.418.7299, Eyeglasses, hearing aids and cellphones. SE Portland has 18 drop sites, including, Tom’s Restaurant at 38th and Division St., and Lion’s Visiongift at 2201 SE 11th St..
  • Tool Libraries. Go to their websites to find out what they need. SE Portland Tool Library, 1187 SE 20th St., Septl.org and Green Lents Tool Library, 9215 SE Ramona St., greenlents.org.

 

Contact Your Legislators!

Alissa Keny-Guyer 503.986.1446

Rep.AlissaKenyGuyer@oregonlegislature.gov

Rob Nosse 503.986.1442

Rep.RobNosse@oregonlegislature.gov

Jeff Reardon 503.986.1448

Rep.JeffReardon@oregonlegislature.gov

Barbara Smith Warner 503.986.1445

Rep.BarbaraSmithWarner@oregonlegislature.gov

 

Buckman Pool

By Christine Yun

In June of 2016, patrons of Buckman Pool at Buckman Elementary School were told that the Portland Public School District was closing the pool. The reason for the closure was that a Multnomah County Health official found lead paint chips in the women’s locker room.¬† The pool had been fully funded for the 2016-2017 fiscal year by the city.

The Friends of Buckman Pool, an all-volunteer group advocating for the pool, has been in contact with the school district to find out what could be done to reopen the facility, used by hundreds of adult lap swimmers, water exercise patrons and children. We have long known about the flaking lead paint and have asked PPS many times to address it.

The fix could be simple: have someone qualified to do the work of removing loose material and encapsulating the rest with epoxy paint. This quick and easy fix would allow the pool to reopen.

PPS made it clear that they were not interested in reopening the pool and would reopen it only if a full upgrade to the physical plant, including full abatement of all instances of lead paint and asbestos, and the installation of a new HVAC system was implemented.

The district estimated the cost of this work to be $400,000 and required that the Friends group show them evidence of having raised these funds before even considering the possibility of repair.

We explained to the district that it is extremely hard to solicit donations without a complete, written scope of work, independent assessments and a bid process to determine a guaranteed maximum price, especially for a facility that belongs to taxpayers.

The district responded in a fashion that indicated no familiarity with this kind of fiscal responsibility.

We are aware that PPS has many things to attend to, and the pool is the least of their concerns. We have offered to take the pool off the district’s hands by offering to find people to do assessments and make bids and those offers were refused.

The Friends group now finds itself in a stalemate and patrons are facing the loss of a valuable city resource, one which Portland can ill-afford to lose. In this time of rising economic activity and massive construction, residents are facing cuts to public services and quality of life.

Friends of Buckman Pool is asking residents to write their representatives on the PPS board and tell them that they are taking away a city resource for taxpayers by refusing to interface with volunteers willing to manage fundraising and repairs to the pool to reopen it.

Find out who your representative is at this webpage: pps.net/Page/1788.

 

Early Season Edibles: 

Get ‘Em Growing Now!  

Mt. Tabor Presbyterian Church, 

5441 SE Belmont St.

March 14, 7 pm

As the days get longer and the rain becomes a bit gentler, edible gardeners want to get growing. Even in March, you can get a lot of your edible garden started.

Join Multnomah Master Gardener’s Speaker Series as, guest speaker and author, Bill Thorness shows us how, Learn about preparing the beds, planning your planting succession, using simple season extension techniques to start and protect your tender spring crops, and what will sprout and grow in our early-season climate.

Thorness is a writer and gardener who’s been doing both in Seattle since the mid-1980s and the author of Cool Season Gardener: Extend the Harvest, Plan Ahead, and Grow Vegetables Year Round and Edible Heirlooms: Heritage Vegetables for the Maritime Garden.

He has also written two bicycling guidebooks and articles for Edible Portland and In Good Tilth locally. He is a Master Gardener in King County (Seattle) and a member of the Northwest Independent Editors Guild and the Society of Professional Journalists.

This is a free event and all are welcome. For more info see multnomahmastergardeners.org or phone 503.445.4608.

THE FRANKLIN HIGH SCHOOL PTSA ANNUAL PLANT SALE is Saturday April 15, at 1341 SE 55th Ave, from 9 am to 3 pm. Proceeds benefit Franklin High School students and faculty through the Parent Teacher Student Association. A variety of perennials, annuals and early-season veggie starts will be available. Donations of plants and yard art are happily accepted. Contact Maye Thompson at 503.232.6167 or mayedoug@spiritone.com to arrange drop-off or pick-up.

THE MULTNOMAH FRIENDS MEETING is holding a “New to You” sale Saturday, March 4, from 9 am – 3 pm, at the Meetinghouse, 4312 SE Stark St. Many families have donated clothes, toys, sports equipment, household goods, and other treasures. Proceeds benefit the children’s program and UNICEF. Contact Maye Thompson at 503.232.6167 or mayedoug@spiritone.com for more info.

THE FUTURE OF THE LONG BLOCK COMMUNITY CONVERSATION is Thursday, March 9,  at 6 pm, Bueermann Hall, Room 103, Western Seminary, 5511 SE Hawthorne Blvd. The Long Block is the area between SE Harrison and Lincoln streets from SE 60th – SE 64th Avenues. It has historically been the site of nursery plant and tree production for PP&R, and a community garden was added in 2013. Since the tree nursery area was removed in 2014, the western portion of the Long Block has not had a horticultural function, and it has been used by the community as flexible, open space. A design process is currently underway to make improvements to the Mt Tabor Yard to improve worker safety and conditions. As part of this process, neighbors are invited to a community conversation about the Long Block and its best future uses.

PLAN YOUR OWN FUNERAL WORKSHOP – When you die, how do you want your family and friends to honor and celebrate your life? Would that be with a funeral or memorial service in a church or funeral home or with a simple graveside service or with another sort of gathering? In order to help you think through these questions, Saints Peter & Paul Episcopal Church, 247 SE 82nd Ave. will host a “Plan Your Own Funeral” workshop Saturday, March 18, from 10 am to noon and all are welcome. The cost of the workshop is $5 per person and it will be led by the Rev. Alcena Boozer and Deacon Marla McGarry-Lawrence. Register by calling 503.254.8168 or by sending an email to mmcgarrylawrence@gmail.com. Last minute participants welcome. For information, visit the parish website, spsppdx.org.

FRIENDS OF MT. TABOR PARK ANNUAL MEETING  – Mark your calendars for Tuesday, March 14, 7 pm for the Friends annual meeting at TaborSpace, 5441 SE Belmont St. Doors open at 6:30 pm with refreshments and information about what we do. The Annual Meeting includes reports on 2016 accomplishments, announcements, and election of board members. Anyone interested in running for the board should contact taborfriends@gmail.com. Also a FREE Mt. Tabor Park Tree Identification Walk is Sunday, March 19 at 2 pm. Meet at the Mt. Tabor Visitor Center in the main parking lot, rain or shine. Bob Rogers leads guests on a walk to identify many species of trees found in the park.

TABOR PARK WEED WARRIORS WORK PARTY– Saturday, March 25 from 9 am – noon. Join the Weed Warriors and help remove invasive plant species and restore native vegetation to the park. Bring work gloves if you have them (leather gloves or rubber palmed work gloves recommended). It’s highly recommended to wear sturdy boots, pants with thick fabric (such as jeans or canvas Carhartts), and long sleeves to protect yourself as you work alongside trees and bushes, including thorny blackberry. Bring a water bottle to stay hydrated and if you have hand clippers or a true temper hand trowel, bring these as well. Weed Warriors provide hand clippers and gloves and other needed tools. Volunteers of all ages are welcome to participate. Any volunteer under 16 must attend with a parent or adult chaperone and children under 8 must be in the company of an adult for the duration of the service project. For information on Weed Warrior service projects and to sign up, contact Stasia Honnold at fmtpweedwarriors@gmail.com.

 

FREE CLASSES AND LIBRARY ACCESS AT THE GENEALOGICAL FORUM OF OREGON 2505 SE 11th Ave., Suite B-18. The GFO holds its annual Spring Open House March 18-26. 40 free genealogical classes taught by local experts and free access to the GFO research library, and a surplus book sale featuring used books on genealogy and history. Details at gfo.org, or contact them at info@gfo.org or 503.963.1932.

 

82ND AVENUE PLANNING – Take a walk and talk with the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT). They would like your thoughts on how to make 82nd Ave. safer for everyone. Start thinking about what gets built or developed along 82nd Ave. Join a walking tour and tell them what you think. Saturday, March 11, 10 am meet at Namaste Indian Cuisine (8303 NE Sandy Blvd.) and Saturday, March 11, 2 pm meet at Flying Pie Pizzeria (7804 SE Stark St.) Both tours available in English and Español.

RAPID TRANSIT BUS – Trimet is putting together a Community Advisory Committee to guide the project. The Committee brings together volunteer community members from various backgrounds to discuss design, construction and impacts of the Division Transit Project. Meetings are open to the public. The next meeting is: Thursday, March 16, 6–7:30 pm at the Jade/APANO Multicultural Space (JAMS)8114 SE Division St. For details (including a map with proposed future stops) see: trimet.org/division/index.htm.

COMMUNITY INFORMATION SESSION ON PORTLAND HARBOR RECORD OF DECISION (ROD) – Tuesday, March 7: City of Portland Building, Room B (2nd Floor), 11:30 am – 1:30 pm, 1120 SW 5th Ave.; Wednesday, March 8: at the Portland Harbor CAG Meeting (BES Water Pollution Control Lab), 6:30 – 8:30 pm, 6543 N Burlington Ave.; Thursday, March 9: Leaven Community Center, 5:30 – 8 pm, 5431 NE 20th Ave.; Tuesday, March 14: Community Information Webinar, 6:30 – 8 pm online at  eventbrite.com/e/epa-community-information-webinar-for-the-portland-harbor-rod-registration-32157624320

MULTICULTURAL NIGHT CELEBRATES DIVERSITY AND COMMUNITY at Portland Community College: SE Campus, 2305 SE 82nd St., March 8 from 3:30 – 8 pm. Free and open to the public. Multicultural Night educates students, staff, faculty and neighbors about various cultures represented within the community. Share elements of culture or ethnicity with other members of the community through storytelling, foods, dances, songs and things that make cultures unique. Presenters include people of color, immigrants, low-income and first generation college students, and members of the LGBTQ community. There will be free food samples from more than ten different countries and performances from more than ten different cultures. Free raffle tickets for everyone, free kid area, free parking permit for people in need, and easy access for people with disabilities. Fliers are available in more than 10 languages, etc. Simon Tam from the Slants is featured as a guest speaker and Multicultural Night is honored to have The Consul General of Japan, Kojiro Uchiyama, attend.

CAMP FIRE COLUMBIA SUMMER YOUTH OPTIONS – Camp Fire Columbia expands summer access and flexibility for families with three new Day Camp locations, registering now. Each location offers before and after care options for working families, starting at 7 am until 6 pm, Monday through Friday. Downtown: Unitarian Church SW 12th & SW Main, June 26-August 18; SE Portland: Sunnyside Methodist Church, June 19-August 26; Nadaka Nature Park – SE 176th & Glisan St., July 17-August 18; Sandy, Oregon – June 26-August 18; West Linn – Cedaroak Park Primary School, June 26-August 18. For other camps, see campfirecolumbia.org or contact the Communications Manager Joe Le Blanc at 971.340.1602.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Community News March 2017

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