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By Rob Cullivan | CNews Editor

A group of Concordia residents discussed working to create a community center, at a Feb. 13 meeting at St. Michael’s Lutheran Church, 6700 NE 29th Ave.

Hosted by Pastor Ike Harris, a Concordia Neighborhood Association board member, the group of nine folks engaged in a wide-ranging discussion with Portland Public School District and Family Liaison Jeff Wiser about possible uses for a plot of land on Northeast 42nd Avenue, next to Fernhill Park, where both John Adams High School, then Whitaker Middle School, once stood.

Wiser stressed he attended the meeting in an informal capacity to help attendees discuss their concerns and was not formally representing the school district.

Questions to be answered include how a possible center would fit in with the school district’s proposed use for it as an athletic hub. In 2021, the district issued its Long Range Facility Plan and designated the Whitaker-Adams site, as it’s called, a potential site for athletic facilities for area schools.

Harris noted his vision for a center could include services for both area seniors and youngsters. He added that he would like to work with Clarence Larkins, a longtime Cully activist, who has also proposed building a community center on the site. Larkins’ proposal for P.O. Black Family Village, a multiuse center, was detailed in the February 2023 edition of CNews.

Larkins was unable to attend the meeting. “I feel if we join forces … it could be a perfect fit,” Harris said of Larkins’ vision.

Ideas discussed at the Feb. 13 meeting included surveying area residents and civic groups in the various neighborhoods around the site about what they would like to see happen. Wiser noted that if the attendees create a formal proposal, interested residents could schedule a time to speak before the Portland school board, both at a public meeting as well as in one specifically set up to discuss their concerns.

On a related note, the Concordia Neighborhood Association is currently drafting a letter on behalf of itself and other area organizations to discuss the future of the site. CNews plans on covering the progress of the letter, as well as other efforts related to a possible community center, in an upcoming issue.

The group plans to hold another public meeting at St. Michael’s at 5:30 p.m., Monday, March 13.

By Kieran Lee |CNA Chair

Hello again fellow Concordians! Whether you’re prepping your garden for spring, making trips to the snowy mountains or staying cozy at home waiting for longer days, I hope this edition of Concordia News finds you well.

As we begin to emerge from our darkest Portland winter months, the neighborhood is certainly buzzing with upcoming events. Our volunteers are putting together quite the setlist of opportunities to get to know your neighbors better, so keep up with each month’s publication to stay on top of what’s going on in Concordia.

I’ve started to hear from a few of you via email since our last publication (thank you!). I would like to continue emphasizing that no comment or concern is too small, and our CNA Board is here to listen.

All board meetings and committee meetings are open to the public, and attendance from the neighborhood is highly encouraged. We are here representing Concordia; you can help us relay your priorities by attending a committee meeting in person or virtually. If a certain committee sparks your interest, join and become a member! We are only as good as our connection to the neighborhood.

2023 budget

To my knowledge, the Concordia Neighborhood Association has not published a calendar year budget in recent history. During the February Board meeting, the board voted on and approved a 2023 budget.

Why does t his matter? Well, this allows us to better forecast spending for our neighborhood events and enables our Social Committee to plan ahead and secure resources.

With the past few years being a little less predictable, 2023 is an appropriate time to solidify standard yearly activities and also welcome in a few new ones, so stay tuned.

See you around the neighborhood and don’t forget to say hello!

Kieran Lee works as an automotive engineer and has volunteered in youth development. He particularly enjoys living in Concordia for a variety of reasons, including its diversity, accessibility, and local business community.

By Rob Cullivan | CNA Editor

When most people walk up 42nd Avenue toward Killingsworth Street next to the track and field that graces Fernhill Park, they see an empty grassy lot where both John Adams High School, then Whitaker Middle School, once stood.

When Clarence Larkins, however, looks at that lot, he envisions a vibrant community center that creates dozens of new jobs and where recreation and education can be offered.

Someday, Larkins wants to see P.O. Black Family Village on the site of the lot, and notes the “P.O.” stands for Portland, Oregon. He adds that “Black” in the village title doesn’t mean it exists solely to serve the African American community, but rather to honor Portland’s Black residents, many of whom have historically called Northeast Portland home.

“It’s for everyone,” he says of the proposed center, adding the name highlights the fact both the former schools and the Cully/Concordia area itself was— and still is—home to a large number of Black residents, even after many were displaced by gentrification in recent decades. “I just want African Americans to be represented in a way that we haven’t been,” Larkins said.

The empty lot has been considered for other purposes since the WhitakerAdams site was demolished, including a safe rest village for houseless people that eventually was rejected. Larkins believes in the wake of heightened social consciousness created by the Black Lives Matter movement, now is the time to seek both private and public funding for the village.

On Jan. 18, Larkins said he and other project leaders got good news when Prosper Portland, an economic and urban development agency, indicated it was interested in P.O. Black Family Village. Larkins added that he also has to discuss any plans for the site with the Portland Public School District, its owner. He welcomes any community support for the project, and urged possible donors to learn more about the proposal at StraightPathInc.org/po-black-familyvillage.

Abundant activities

As Larkins sees it, P.O. Black Family Village would serve the Concordia and Cully neighborhoods and particularly serve the area’s growing population of younger people. He noted, for example, that Las Adelitas, a 142-multi-family affordable housing structure, opened last fall in Cully, and he wants its residents, as well as other Cully and Concordia families, to have options for their growing children.

“Our people need some place where the kids can be off the streets,” he said. “Already I’m seeing them gather on the streets with no place to land.”

Among the amenities at the center would be a trade school—possibly operating in conjunction with alreadyestablished construction education programs—a recreation/community center, a performing arts center, a library and retail outlets.

“Every building in our plan is named after local African Americans who have made significant contributions to the livability of the Portland community,” the site plan states.

Long time coming

Larkins is a longtime Portland resident and former president of the 42nd Avenue Business Association. His office is located right across from Fernhill Park, next door to MeRae’s, a hair salon operated by his wife, Marie.

Since 2009, Larkins has directed Straight Path, Inc., an organization that works with businesses and other service providers to offer ex-offenders and other marginalized adults job placement, ongoing training and support, and career advancement.

Straight Path holds job fairs and offers support not just to folks with criminal records but also to people experiencing homelessness and looking to stabilize their lives, people undergoing or who have completed drug rehabilitation, at-risk high school juniors and seniors, and underserved veterans.

As Larkins sees it, P.O. Black Family Village is simply expanding on his overall vision of a Cully/Concordia community that looks after its residents.

“The work that we do is about love of families and a positive future for our children,” he says.

CNews Editor Rob Cullivan is a veteran journalist, publicist and grant writer who has written about everything from rock ‘n’ roll to religion. He possesses a deep affection for writers and photographers who hit deadline.

By Kieran Lee, CNA Chair

Hey Concordians! I’ve had the opportunity to meet a few of you during our holiday party in December, as well as at board meetings and other events over the past year. My name is Kieran Lee [keer-ahn], and I am your Concordia Neighborhood Association Board Chair for 2023. My pronouns are he/him/his. We’ll get to know each other better throughout the year, but nice to meet you in our community’s two-dimensional space.

In my first column entry, I’d like to start by thanking Peter Keller for leading CNA over the past two years as chair. Under his leadership, we worked through the pandemic, started our relationship with the new University of Oregon Portland campus, and achieved internal approval for the Concordia Community Partner agreement, to name a few accomplishments. Thank you, Peter!

I’ll do my best to carry an open mind and open ears into 2023. In the past year while on the board, I’ve observed engagement that is motivating. We have a community of passionate neighbors, and I encourage you to continue to use the CNA as a forum to initiate important discussions impacting our neighborhood. Personally, I have set my primary goal as chair in these first months: to establish a 2023 budget and use it as an opportunity to discuss where CNA can expand its impact over the next years.

As always, feel free to send me a direct message via email if there is an opportunity for the CNA Board to be your megaphone. Our volunteer-based group is here to serve the neighborhood, and we start with listening.

Meeting notes

The 2023 CNA Board met in January with a few fresh faces to get our year started. We began by running our yearly officer elections, which are voted on by the board after nomination and majority approval. I’d like to congratulate the following board members and also thank them for taking on these additional duties!

• Vice Chair – Brittany van der Salm
• Treasurer – Heather Pashley
• Secretary – Matt Roberts

We also had a vacancy on the CNA Board for our At-Large 5 position, for which we held an election. With out-of-sequence vacancies, the CNA Board may nominate any person that meets the CNA bylaws guidelines. I am happy to announce that Michelle Fitzgerald was nominated and approved by unanimous vote to fill this position. Welcome to the team, Michelle!

Lastly, CNA Board “freshman” Rich Burton was appointed Land Use & Transportation Committee chair—thank you for stepping into the role, Rich! Rich wants to hear your concerns for land use and transportation within Concordia and will begin holding regular monthly meetings soon.

Kieran Lee works as an automotive engineer and has volunteered in youth development. He particularly enjoys living in Concordia for a variety of reasons, including its diversity, accessibility, and local business community.

Contributed by Vernon School PTA

The Seventh Annual Vernon School Maker Fair takes place from 1–5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3, at Vernon Elementary School, 2044 NE Killingsworth St. The fair is a winter craft event open to the public, where Vernon students, staff, family members and alumni sell their creative wares.

The fair is a great learning experience for children, according to Janet Strong, the fair’s chair and a member of the parent-teacher association.

“The event inspires invention, creativity, curiosity and hands-on learning,” Strong said. “Many of the kids independently create their products and sell them. For other kids and their families, it’s a wonderful opportunity for the whole family to come together and work on a project and enjoy some great family time in the process.”

Vernon’s Maker Fair is special because outside professional vendors are not invited to sell at the fair, Strong said, noting Vernon’s students make up half of the vendors.

“The quality and variety of the products that the community and kids make is stunning,” she said. “This is an excellent opportunity for the extended community to do some great hyperlocal shopping for the holidays, see what their neighborhood school is up to all while having a great time and contributing money to Vernon School.”

Items for sale include jams and pickles, jewelry, natural cleaning products, pottery, art, clothing, greeting cards and stationery; woven, knit and crocheted gifts; ornaments, natural beauty products, candles, tote bags, table linens, decor accessories, toys, emergency kits, baked goods, pet toys and treats, natural bath and body products and much more.

“Bring your friends, bring your family, bring your appetite for the wonderful concessions stand and prepare to be delighted,” Strong said.

Cash and credit card payments are accepted and personal shopping bags are much appreciated, she added.

St. Charles Catholic Church, 5310 NE 42nd Ave., welcomed a new Pastoral Administrator, Father Tony Galati, this summer.

Galati officially took his position in July and is no stranger to the Concordia neighborhood. He grew up in the Piedmont neighborhood and attended Holy Redeemer Grade School, Central Catholic High School and the University of Portland.

When he was a child, his family would occasionally attend Mass at St. Charles, something he remembers fondly as well as the friendships he made with St. Charles parishioners through the years.

Following graduation from college, he began a 28-year career in international shipping and then served as executive director of Portland’s Catholic Radio station, KBVM, now Mater Dei Radio. Galati noted he became interested in the radio station during his commutes. “I would time my drive so I could pick up certain programs during my workday,” he said.

He eventually joined the station’s board in 2002 and was hired as director in 2005, a position he held till 2014. During his tenure at KBVM, he helped to solidify its financial support and expanded its reach in Oregon, extending the station’s broadcast reach by purchasing two transmitters in the Eugene area.

Previously married, Father Galati has two grown sons and three grandchildren. His marriage was annulled, a Catholic process by which a marriage is considered invalid because it lacks at least one essential element to make it a binding union. Because of this, Galati was able to become an ordained minister in the church.

About a decade ago, he said he felt God’s call to the priesthood and was encouraged by others, including a priest friend, to consider joining the clergy.

“It took me a while to discern, and I did, and I haven’t looked back since,” he said. Galati decided to enter Mount Angel Seminary in St. Benedict and was accepted in 2016 and ordained in 2021.

Now at age 65, he is new to the priesthood but grateful for his life experiences, which he feels will help him to better do the things a priest is consecrated to do. He noted his age and life story enabled him to give spiritual counsel grounded in the practical challenges all people face.

“Had I not been married and had kids, I could not do this job,” he said. “I come with an instinctive desire to be a spiritual father to people.”

His priorities will be administering the sacraments, serving as celebrant for weekend and daily Masses, visiting the sick and homebound and presiding at funerals and weddings.

“I love it all,” he said when asked what he enjoys about being a priest. “Whether it’s celebrating Mass or anointing the sick or hearing confession or baptisms, for me it’s been wonderful. I feel duty-bound in being generous in offering the sacraments.”

In his first Sunday homily, he told the congregation: “It’s a privilege and blessing for me to be here with you. May God bless you and let’s pray for each other that we may be Christ to one another.”

This story contains additional reporting by Rob Cullivan.