Concordia Neighborhood Association | Portland, Oregon

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Concordia home to two of busiest buses

Posted on by Posted in Concordia News

By Dan Werle | CNA Media Team

Clay Thompson is pictured at the Killingsworth and 30th Avenue bus stop.
Clay Thompson is pictured at the Killingsworth and 30th Avenue bus stop. Line 72 carries the most passengers of all TriMet bus routes. Photo by Dan Werle.

At the intersection of Killingsworth Street and 42nd Avenue lies a treasure trove of opportunity, including restaurants, a nearby park and Portland Community College’s Portland Metropolitan Workforce Training Center.

It’s also where two of the most frequent and high ridership TriMet lines intersect.

Line 72 offers service every 15 minutes or sooner. It travels back and forth from Swan Island to Clackamas Town Center. Last autumn the 72 experienced 87,920 weekly boarding rides – TriMet’s most among bus lines.

Line 75 runs between north Portland’s Pier Park and Milwaukie. Last autumn it experienced TriMet buses’ fourth-most boarding rides, behind the 72, 20-Burnside/Stark, and 2-Division lines.

Clay Thompson, TriMet outreach services coordinator, explained the crossing of the 72 and 75 lines is a great benefit to riders.

“Having frequent north, south, east and west buses is the kind of service seen at transit centers, downtown and just a few other locations throughout the city.”

One of the challenging intersections 72 drivers navigate is at 30th Avenue and Killingsworth Street. There, buses turn from westbound Killingsworth to southbound 30th Avenue and from northbound 30th to eastbound Killingsworth.

Vehicle parking near the intersection is limited. The southwest corner of the intersection on 30th has several feet of space unavailable for vehicle parking; however, it remains an area frequently used for illegally parked vehicles.

Because the 72 is a frequent service line, its buses are 40 feet long to accommodate large numbers of passengers. Buses traveling in both directions of the route often meet at that intersection.

When they do, and vehicles are parked illegally, the buses turning south cannot do so safely. Under those circumstances, both bus operators negotiate with the familiar back-and-forth exchanges to ensure safe passage.

According to Clay, there are rare circumstances when bus operators believe they cannot navigate safely, so they notify their dispatcher. Then buses may be detoured and miss stops where riders may be waiting.

That’s when a towing service is notified to remove illegally parked vehicles.

TriMet encourages drivers at that intersection to use caution, keep an eye out for people boarding and disembarking buses, and to consider walking, biking or riding the bus instead of driving.

For help on trip planning and safe travel options in the region, TriMet customer service is available weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. by calling or texting 503.238.RIDE (7433).

Information is available 24/7 on TriMet.org and Twitter @TrimetHelp.

Dan Werle lives in Concordia with his wife, Anna, and their dogs.

Community Builder – Wheels turn at cycling center for 25 years

Posted on by Posted in Concordia News, Local Businesses

By Vanessa Miali | CNA Media Team

The Community Cycling Center – with 500-plus volunteers – celebrates 25 years of service. Photo by Vanessa Miali

Cycle, spin, roll or glide to the Community Cycling Center, 1700 N.E. Alberta St., and help celebrate its 25th anniversary this month.

Community Cycling Center’s decades of success was built on the vision of broadening access to bicycling and the benefits bicycling offers all people.

The nonprofit was founded by experienced bike mechanic and Concordian Brian Lacy. He wanted to teach children how to fix their own bikes to empower them and help them to teach others.

“Bicycling, recycling and volunteerism is a magical combination that has helped us earn 25 years of the public’s support,” said Kasandra Griffin, executive director. “We see bikes as a vehicle for empowerment and a tool for change.”

“We have been working and evolving to make biking more welcoming and affordable to diverse audiences,” she said. “We’re one of the longest standing businesses on Alberta Street.”

The center now receives more than 1,000 bike donations per year, has 500-plus volunteers repairing and recycling bicycles, and it hosts a yearly holiday bike drive.

Individuals and government supporters provide scholarships for eligible students in the cycling center’s summer bike camps.

Other programs include after-school bike clubs, bike safety training, and mechanics classes in science technology engineering and math – known as STEM in academic circles. Since 2012, the center also operates the HUB in north Portland, a free bike repair service open twice per week May-September.

The first Tuesday of every month a volunteer orientation is offered at the Alberta shop. No prior experience is necessary. Volunteers learn how to clean and refurbish children’s bikes to donate to families with low incomes.

“We have a great team of volunteers trained to assess the bikes for repair, and we recycle what can’t be used,” Kasandra said.

Each year the nonprofit recycles nearly 30,000 pounds of metal and 7,000 pounds of rubber while putting hundreds of useable bicycles back on the road.

In recent years, the center has focused on asking how it can serve the communities, according to Kasandra.

“What we found was that some people wanted help organizing self-directed groups, rides and activism while other community members wanted affordable bike repair and safe bike storage outside of their apartments. “We have tried to help with all of those things.”

June 22 the Community Cycling Center will celebrate its anniversary with a Quarter Century Bike Ride that ends in a park with a celebration and barbecue.

Stay tuned for event details at CommunityCyclingCenter.org/events.

Vanessa Miali has lived in Concordia for 18 years. She is a former public relations professional with two kids who cooks every day and gardens occasionally.

Concordian doctors pets, both on and off the job

Posted on by Posted in Concordia News

By Tamara Anne Fowler | CNA Media Team

Veterinarian Margaret Wixson
Veterinarian Margaret Wixson loves her Concordia
neighborhood, caring for animals at the Oregon Humane Society, and especially for those that belong to the homeless and impoverished. Photo by Lloyd Kimeldorf.

The fear is that the day may come when only the wealthy can afford pets. With the rising cost of pet deposits and rents, as well as veterinary care, that time might not be far off.

Enter Portland Animal Welfare (PAW) Team. PAW Team provides free veterinary care to the animals of people experiencing homelessness and extreme poverty. PAW Team offer vaccinations, some surgeries as well as spay and neuter services, and has been a part of the Portland community for the past 10 years.

In the recent past, there were no overnight shelter options for people who had pets – causing many to have no other option than to spend their nights on the street. Now, recognizing how important this is, some shelters are starting to allow pets.

Concordian Margaret Wixson volunteers for PAW Team.

Landing her first job out of the University of California, Davis veterinary program, Margaret works at the Oregon Humane Society (OHS). She spends her weekdays working as a shelter veterinarian there.

During her off hours, she serves on the board of PAW Team. She has been doing so for the past year.

Margaret volunteers at drop-in clinics and provides phone and email consultations when she can’t be there during the week. “We have a team of amazing vets who see patients during the week,” she pointed out.

By the time a diagnosis reaches Margaret, the pet has been seen by the PAW medical team and comes with a plan of action.

PAW Team uses donated surgery spaces to conduct the spay and neuter clinic a few times a year. Those days are labor-intensive, including identifying volunteers to help some clients who don’t have transport.

So PAW Team relies on volunteers to caravan them.

Concordia is Margaret’s favorite neighborhood. She loves the linear arboretum on Ainsworth, and she appreciates how close she is to 42nd Avenue, and Dekum and Killingsworth streets.

She also finds it a dog-friendly neighborhood and enjoys the dog parks. “I know my neighbors by their dogs,” Margaret admitted. “I know the dogs’ names, not the names of their owners.”

Being bike accessible is another amenity that impresses Margaret. But, even more, she is thrilled being a part of PAW Team. “Nobody should ever have to make the decision between their meds and their dog’s meds.”

Tamara Anne Fowler is Edit Kitten, a writer with 20-plus years of experience offering a sof ter, gentler approach to editing and coaching. Her personal editors — Armani, Max Factor and Spicey’D — are also her cats. Visit her at EditKitten.com or contact her at Tamara@EditKitten. com.

He assembles items to represent his worldview

Posted on by Posted in Arts & Culture, Concordia News

By Joel Dippold | CNA Media Team

Dan Pillers, Concordian and celebrated artist, uses artifacts and curiosities as the building blocks of his work. Photo by Ryan-Michael Riel
Dan Pillers, Concordian and celebrated artist, uses artifacts and curiosities as the building blocks of his work. Photo by Ryan-Michael Riel.

A thought slowly comes over you as you stand in a room full of Dan Pillers’ exquisite works of art: “The inside of this guy’s studio must be pretty amazing.”

Dan practices bricolage, assembling found objects into elaborate representations of his worldview, and his identity. His perspective is one of a gay man born in the Eisenhower administration who survived the AIDS epidemic in San Francisco and has lived a quiet life in Concordia for the past dozen years.

The basement studio of his Ainsworth bungalow is crammed with cabinets full of artifacts and curiosities, the building blocks of his art. The artifacts and woodwork come from thrift shops, yard sale free boxes and sometimes gifts left on his porch by mysterious benefactors.

His art is a mix of memoir, history, politics and popular culture. His pieces often take the shape of a glass case with elaborate woodwork – sometimes Victorian, sometimes mid-century modern. Etched onto the glass are ornamental designs or provocative bits of text.

And in the center of this space, often suspended in midair, is a central object of contemplation – some small thing of singular beauty, of wonderment, evocative of lost time or an emotion you can’t quite pin down.

Dan’s training as an artist includes a bachelor of fine arts degree from the San Francisco Art Institute, residencies in France, and gallery shows up and down the West Coast.

But, as he excitedly shows a visitor some of the truly singular artifacts he’s collected, he repeatedly mentions his residency with a Metro program called “Glean.” Each year it gives a handful of local artists unlimited access to the local dump.

Next up for Dan is a joint show in June at the Guardino Gallery, 2939 N.E. Alberta St. There, you can see nearly a dozen of his pieces. In addition to the show through June 25, he is booked for an opening reception Thursday, May 30, 6-9 p.m., and an artist talk Saturday, June 15, 2 p.m.

Before you go, visit DanPillers.com or watch a three-minute video portrait at Vimeo.com/51840518.

Joel Dippold is a freelance writer and editor who has lived in Concordia since 2000.

Art Walks resume on Alberta

Posted on by Posted in Concordia News

By Nancy Varekamp | CNews Editor

Maquette Reeverts leads Public Art Walks sponsored by Alberta Art Works this summer.
Maquette Reeverts leads Public Art Walks sponsored by Alberta Art Works this summer. She offered CNews a preview walk on a chilly, rainy morning. Photo by Lloyd Kimeldorf

Put on your walking shoes. Alberta Art Works is offering its third summer of Public Art Walks.

Ninety-minute walks are led by volunteers from Alberta Art Works, the nonprofit that has served for six years as a catalyst for creating public art to celebrate, beautify and create community. Purchase tickets for upcoming walks at AlbertaStreetGallery.com.

“Public Art Walk,” a self-guided tour brochure, is available free in many Alberta Street businesses. And, as of last year, you can download an app from TipTour.org for an audio tour that features voices of the muralists.

“There’s nothing new about public art,” said Maquette Reeverts, a member of the Alberta Art Works board of directors who leads the tours. “Street art was born on the Roman wall paintings in Pompeii. And 1970s and 1980s New York City was the midwife.”

There are many forms, several represented on Alberta Street. What they have in common, according to Maquette is they communicate. Statements – social, cultural, economic and political – add beauty to otherwise drab walls, ATMs, benches, sidewalks and more.

“During the tours we discuss what is sanctioned and unsanctioned street art, and we talk about the concept of public art and public space,” Maquette explained.

“Murals are the best form of graffiti abatement to date.” Taggers tend to respect muralists’ statements and tag elsewhere.

When a mural is tagged, the reasons vary. It could be a tagger’s retribution on a muralist he or she doesn’t like or a demonstration of disrespect for the mural. It might simply point out the mural is in need of repair.

Maquette has several favorite murals, each for a different reason. One is the “free wall” at south of Alberta Street in the alley between 27th and 28th avenues. It’s one that anyone is allowed to paint on at any time.

“It’s forever going up and coming down. The social and political artwork is incredible,” she said. That “sanctioned” wall is painted over every 12 months and artists and taggers begin anew. It’s currently one of two in town. (See ConcordiaPDX.org/2019/05/free-walls.)

Maquette is proud to see the community involvement in the Cycling Center’s mural on 17th Avenue. Fifty volunteers participated to paint it.

There are many mediums. Mimosa studios’ mural doesn’t use paint. Instead, hand painted tiles – created and fired in the ceramics studio – adorn its storefront. And The Station has installed the first participatory street art on Alberta – a blackboard for anyone to write on.

“Each piece of street art here is beautiful,” Maquette pointed out. “And each has something to say.”

Nancy Varekamp is semiretired from her career in journalism, public relations and – her favorite work engagement – writing and editing targeted newsletters.

CNA Voices – Recycle June 1, and always

Posted on by Posted in Concordia News

It’s that time of year again! Clean up season. Many surrounding neighborhoods have had their collection events already. Concordia neighborhood’s event is Saturday, June 1, from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the northeast corner of 42nd Avenue and Killingsworth Street.

It is organized by wonderful Concordia neighborhood volunteers and, in addition to helping the neighborhood clean out their spaces, this event raises money for the neighborhood association. That helps us produce this entertaining, informative, creative newspaper, and to host the spring egg hunt, the concerts in the park and other community events.

I hope you get a chance to come see us on Saturday. Please contact Katie Ugolini if you’d like to volunteer.

I have been on the neighborhood association board for about three years, having joined right about the time I became a Master Recycler. This article is a great chance for me to remind my neighbors about the wonderful resources the city provides to help us all take small steps to keep Mother Earth healthy.

The Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability website has a super section, ResoursefulPDX.com. It boasts ideas for you to make simple changes in your everyday choices to help you create less waste. The site has ideas and tips on how to:

  • Buy, like choosing quality durable products rather than disposable items
  • Reuse, like shopping at secondhand stores
  • Borrow and share, like visiting the tool library
  • Fix and maintain, like getting the soles of your favorite shoes fixed instead of buying new.

There is even a map to help you find resources in your neighborhood, or for a friend who might live in another neighborhood. Metro’s website also has an awesome section, OregonMetro.gov/tools-living. It has four subsections of earth-friendly tips and tricks:

  • Dealing with garbage and recycling
  • Living in a healthy home
  • Creating and maintaining a pest-free yard and garden
  • Getting around town using public transportation

There is a search option on each page so you can find anything you are looking for. The Garbage and Recycling page reminds us, “That stuff you’re parting with might not be trash,” and has an extensive database of places that may recycle or reuse the things you don’t need anymore.

Another great option is to simply call Metro at 503.234.3000, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday. There is so much wonderful information out there. I hope you can take the time to check it out.

Heather Pashley was born in Portland and grew up playing at Fernhill Park. She has worked for OHSU for more than 20 years, worships at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church, and she has never strayed far from her beloved Concordia neighborhood.

Why are the lots on my block extra long?

Posted on by Posted in Concordia News, History

By Doug Decker | Historian

The question: We live on 35th and Ainsworth in a home built in 1941 and – like the rest of our neighbors between 33rd and 37th circling the blocks of Ainsworth and Simpson – we all have lots 50 by 230 feet. Why do you suppose the lots on this block were platted so long?
– Rose and John Yandell

The historian reports: The long, narrow configuration of this block stems from decisions made more than 100 years ago by John D. Kennedy. He once owned much of the property between Killingsworth and Ainsworth streets, and 33rd and 42nd avenues, and Kennedy School was named for him.

The Irishman immigrated to Oregon in 1866, found his way to Baker City and worked in and then owned a dry goods store.

After coming to Portland about 1881, Kennedy bought this property, originally part of the 1855 Isaac Rennison Donation Land Claim. It was outside the city limits and far from any developments.

Kennedy was ahead of his time in the market. Northeast Portland’s ripeness for real estate didn’t take place until the years after the 1905 Lewis and Clark Exposition, when it seemed anyone who could was buying property or building houses.

But Kennedy had platted these lands as the Kennedy Addition back in 1890, a grid of 15 square blocks with more than 200 lots. Two years later, he platted Kennedy’s Second Addition, adjacent to the east, with room for another 120 homes.

Several other nearby plats were filed about that time, but they were also just lines on paper. There was no market yet for residential development. So, in 1906, city council approved his petition to “vacate” five of the blocks in his addition. That officially eliminated platted streets, even if they didn’t yet exist – like all of the north-south streets in the block between Ainsworth and Simpson, from 33rd east to 37th.

Kennedy’s stated rationale was to sell the larger chunk of land as acreage for farm fields.

As urbanization spread in the years that followed, neighborhoods were built to the north, south and west, but the 12-acre parcel – with no north-south through streets – stayed as one big block in farm use.

Kennedy died in December 1936. In 1938 the property was controlled by Ward D. Cook, a Portland insurance and real estate agent, who designated 80 lots on the long block ready for construction.

After World War II the market truly picked up. Most of the houses were built and sold between 1940 and 1950.

So there you have it. In the original Kennedy’s Addition plat, that one long block was going to be five blocks. But then Kennedy did away with the blocks to better sell the property, which he never did.

The market came and went and came back again. Then another speculator saw opportunity and turned the island of farm into the more than 50 lots there today, most of them a very long and narrow quarter-acre each. Read more and check out maps and historic aerial photos on this topic at AlamedaHistory.org.

Ask the historian is a CNews standing feature that encourages readers to ask questions about the history of the neighborhood and its buildings. Is there something you’ve wondered about? Drop a line to CNewsEditor@ConcordiaPDX. org and ask Doug Decker to do some digging.

Mark your calendar for Vanport Mosaic Festival

Posted on by Posted in Concordia News, Events

The 2019 Vanport Mosaic Festival returns for its fourth event May 21-June 2, organized by community-driven nonprofit Vanport Mosaic.

“Through exhibits, documentary screenings, tours, performances and dialogues, we will celebrate the lessons of resilience and resistance as defined and told by historically oppressed communities,” reported the festival’s Facebook page.

The multi-disciplinary festival has received the Oregon Heritage Excellence Award, the Spirit of Portland Award and the Columbia Slough Watershed Council’s Achievement Award. Returning sponsors and funding sources are Oregon Historical Society, Portland Bureau of Emergency Management, Multnomah County Drainage District, Port of Portland, Regional Arts & Culture Council and Multnomah County Cultural Coalition.

The festival is seeking more sponsors, funders and volunteers. For details, contact Info@VanportMosaic.org or visit Facebook.com/events/318232912147588.

Photo courtesy of Vanport Mosaic Festival, Oregon Historical Society digital file no. ba018658

$5 million grant goes to CU business school

Posted on by Posted in Concordia News

Concorida University Portland, Oregon logo
Concordia University (CU) in February received the largest financial contribution in its 114-year history.

The $5 million grant from the Robert D. and Marcia H. Randall Charitable Trust will establish the Robert D. Randall Endowed Chair for Business and Technology.

According to university officials, that chair will expand the CU School of Management’s focus on an innovative business education and technology program.

“This gift will be transformative in advancing Concordia’s commitment to developing ethical and impactful leaders,” said Michelle M. Cowing, Ph.D., school of management dean.

“Concordia Portland will continue its long history of innovative partnerships to solve difficult societal and business challenges throughout the Pacific Northwest.”

The focus for the business & technology program is driven by the unique makeup of the regional economy, she added. It’s one fueled by homegrown businesses as well as global enterprises.

A new clinical model and technology curriculum will be co-designed with regional business leaders working in small and large businesses alike, startups and the growing tech sector.

According to the dean, engaging students in a variety of clinical experiences and a strong technology emphasis will prepare future leaders who are able to help businesses respond to ever-increasing economic and technological change.

The $5 million grant kicks off a university campaign to raise an additional $1.25 million. That’s also for the university’s business program, which is now named the Randall Fellows Clinical Program for Business & Technology.