Concordia Neighborhood Association | Portland, Oregon

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Social column – Hunt a success; Cinco de Mayo event set

Posted on by Posted in Concordia News, Events

I want to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who lent their time and support to Concordia’s Spring Egg Hunt.

On April 8, the Concordia Neighborhood Association hosted a double event, a neighborhood clean-up followed by our annual egg hunt, and I am happy to report that both events were a resounding success!

I want to give a special shout-out to all those who helped fill the eggs. Your hard work and dedication brought smiles and happiness to hundreds of local kids.

I want to especially thank James, our youngest volunteer, 5 years old, who coordinated with his parents and showed up at 10 a.m. sharp to help hide the eggs. He was more interested in setting up for other kids than he was in finding eggs, and for that, he earned one of the gift cards from Gabbiano’s and a special thank you from the neighborhood.

Another big thank you to Darcy Gabriel and her husband Sam, who showed up and helped during setup. They earned the second gift card from Gabbiano’s.

I also want to recognize Gina Levine, who helped with the neighborhood cleanup and made sure that Concordia is a bit cleaner. Levine also helped stuff thousands of eggs with her children and other young volunteers, earning her a gift card from The Knock Back for her time and efforts. The second Knock Back gift card was earned by Sigrid Casey, who donated her time and truck to pick up large items of trash from our streets.

We hid around 6,000 eggs and gave away around 10,000 pieces of candy and an assortment of prizes. Thank you to POP Cart, who was there with music and helping us direct the event.

Thank you to Flour Market for the delicious pastries for our volunteers, and to Kiss Coffee for their donation of coffee for the clean-up and 100 hot chocolate coupons for the egg hunt!

I also want to give a big shoutout to the board members who helped so much. Brittany Van Der Salm, our vice chair, and her husband Paul were instrumental in taking charge of the lost and found, bringing a lot of peace of mind to our neighbors. Rich Bruton, chair of our Land Use and Transportation Committee (LUTC), helped set up the borders of the hunt according to ages. Astrid Fustner, our board member for East 2, and her family took charge of the prize booth. Megan Gobble, our board member for SW2, gathered her family and made sure the park was ready and clean for the event. Patricia McMahon, AL2, was there setting up and laying eggs, and helping with the pickup. John McSherry, AL3, helped with release forms and picking up. Heather Pashley, our treasurer, helped with the cleanup. Kieran Lee, our chair, brought tables to set up.

To all of the other volunteers, too many of you to name here, my most heartfelt thanks for your time and effort.

First Fridays

On a separate note, I want to share when the social committee will be meeting and how you can get involved. Starting in May, we will be meeting on the first Friday of each month, and we will be rotating locations. Please email me at Social@ConcordiaPDX.org or call/ text me at 503-343-5561 for locations.

Our first meeting takes place at 2 p.m. Friday, May 5, at Chilango, 2217 NE Alberta St. Members of the social committee will each get a free taco. Speaking of Cinco de Mayo, Concordia residents are in for a treat: Chilango, a vegan Mexican restaurant, will be hosting a special party that day from 3–7 p.m. The party will kick off after the social committee meeting. Attendees can indulge in the restaurant’s delicious tacos while enjoying live entertainment. Chilango [See related feature Pag

e 5] has been a part of the community for many years, and this event is an excellent opportunity for residents to celebrate the culture and diversity of their neighborhood. Don’t miss out on the fun and festivities!

Javier Puga-Phillips holds the Southwest 1 position on the Concordia Neighborhood Association (CNA) Board of Directors, manages rentals of the McMenamins Kennedy School Community Room and chairs the CNA Social Committee. He is a real estate professional locally, and he is a published author and motivational speaker in Latin America and Spain.

Concordia Tree Team – New trees replacing median’s dying ones

Posted on by Posted in Concordia News, Trees

By Jim Gersbach | Concordia Tree Team

The city of Portland is working to replace invasive maple trees in Concordia and other areas with California interior live oaks, like the one pictured here. Photo by Jim Gersbach

I am often asked by property owners and passersby between Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Fernhill Park when a tree that has died or blown down in a storm will be replaced.

Although a different Portland city bureau actually owns the land in the Ainsworth median, Portland’s Urban Forestry section with the Parks and Recreation Bureau has been kind enough to handle removals and pay for replacement trees.

In the past couple of years, two old Norway maples that were in slow decline finally blew over—one in the middle of the block between Northeast 16th and 17th avenues, and another further east around Northeast 26th. A third tree on the east end of the intersection at Northeast 33rd was struck by a car, revealing serious inner rot. That tree was cut down as a precaution against falling into traffic.

In order to replant, the city must first grind out the stump. With many trees downed in the late April snowstorm of 2022, Portland cleanup crews had their hands full grinding stumps all over town.

At the start of this year, they were finally able to grind the stump between Northeast 16th and 17th. That allowed for the planting of a replacement tree this winter. Urban Forestry plans to stump grind the remaining two downed trees by this end of this year, permitting planting of their replacements in 2024.

Because maples—especially the invasive Norway maple that has dominated the median since the post-World War II years—are seriously overplanted in Portland, Portland Urban Forestry picked a species that was added to the approved street tree list only in the past decade and has not been readily available in a size large enough to plant. That tree is a California interior live oak, Quercus wislizeni. This evergreen oak has small, leathery leaves that are dark green above and toothed somewhat like a holly. New leaves emerge a bronze to reddish color.

Hardy enough to survive a typical Portland winter, California interior live oak grows between the borders of Oregon and Mexico, in both the Coast Range and Sierra Nevada, where it can be found at elevations up to 6,500 feet.

Interior live oak is quite tolerant of drought and heat, as one would expect of a tree from inland California. It should fare well in future extreme hot-weather events. Interior live oak can grow as tall as 60 to 75 feet in good soils with adequate moisture. Its acorns take two years to mature, providing food for squirrels and birds when they do.

The odd-sounding botanical name honors German-born army surgeon, explorer, botanist, and plant collector Frederick Adolf Wislizeni [1810–1889]. Wislizeni opposed monarchical government and eventually had to flee to Switzerland before emigrating in his early 20s in 1834 to the United States. He traveled widely in the American Southwest and Northern Mexico, where he was imprisoned for a time during the Mexican-American War.

Jim Gersbach has been a volunteer tree planter and tree pruner for more than 30 years with Friends of Trees. He has worked for Portland Urban Forestry and as a member of the Concordia Tree Team, has helped inventory the neighborhood’s street trees and advises homeowners on site-appropriate tree options.

Day Center – HIV shelter offers respite

Posted on by Posted in Concordia News, Uncategorized

By Jordan Bowen | Social Work Intern – HIV Day Center

Long-Term Survivors Coordinator Julie Galstad (center) and Food Program Coordinator Johnny Lamb (right) prepare and serve breakfast to EMO Day Center members with help from a volunteer. Photo by Jordan Bowen

On an unseasonably cold morning, a well-tailored man entered the basement of Ainsworth United Church of Christ, 2941 NE Ainsworth St. He asks to be called Jon and is one of dozens of members of Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon’s Day Center. The drop-in shelter has served people living with HIV since 1990.

The organization says it is the country’s oldest standalone, communitybased center of its kind. When the Day Center is open, Jon drops in between errands around the city. Unlike many center members, Jon has secured affordable housing. The stability allows him to advocate for others and be involved in the community.

Jon takes the bus from downtown Portland to the Concordia center multiple times a week. “I make friends here,” he says. “I do like it here. I enjoy the place. My friends come here. And the food is decent.”

The Day Center serves as a kind of post office, dining hall, laundromat, pop-up health clinic, and social club. Surrounded by the quiet, tree-lined streets of Concordia, it is a refuge from Portland’s bleaker scenes. The walls are lined with comfortable chairs where some members can take a much-needed nap after a hard night on the street. One morning, waves of laughter could be heard through the basement as the movie Death Becomes Her played on a screen.

Intern’s tale

I first met Jon through my internship at Portland State University’s Master of Social Work program. He has a quick wit, is far more fastidious about his clothing than I am, and often gives me nutrition advice.

Others at the center need more help than Jon does to navigate life with HIV. Together with staff, interns and local volunteers serve meals, coordinate laundry and showers, show movies, and sometimes go on outings to art museums. We help people get IDs, groceries, or a bus pass, or connect them with housing services like the Cascade AIDS Project.

Recently, I sat in on a support group for long-term survivors who wrestle with the weight of surviving the AIDS era and aging with the virus. Project Coordinator Chautauqua Cabine, who grew up in northeast Portland and went to Concordia University, lost a cousin to AIDS more than 20 years ago. Her job goes far beyond paperwork and case management. People sit by her desk in her small, shared office, sometimes only to talk and be comforted.

“Everybody ha s different needs,” Cabine says. It’s kind of like a friendship. There’s trust.”

The center helps bolster members’ selfworth, she says. “When they’re not here, they tell me they don’t feel seen. When they’re here, they feel like they’re part of society. They don’t feel invisible.”

Rising costs

Activities and Events Coordinator Connor Feliu with an EMO Day Center member’s dog in the basement of the Ainsworth United Church of Christ. Photo by Jordan Bowen

The Day Center largely depends on federal grants to operate, but Program Manager Taylor Silvey says inflation has outpaced funding, especially when it comes to the cost of food. The Day Center must stretch its limited resources to meet needs. In January, the organization had to begin closing an hour early, close altogether on Wednesdays and lay off two part-time staff to make ends meet.

Meanwhile, more Portlanders with HIV need help with finding food, work and shelter. According to the CDC, BIPOC and low-income people are now significantly more likely to be diagnosed with HIV, and many who come to the Day Center have lost jobs or housing since COVID-19.

This summer, the annual Dining Out for Life fundraising event will encourage Portlanders to pitch in at restaurants, bars, and cafes. From June 20–22, participating venues choose to donate 10% of proceeds or $500 to the Day Center and OHSU’s Partnership Project. McMenamins locations such as the Kennedy School in Concordia are participating, along with other venues around the city.

“HIV is still prevalent in our community, and unfortunately there’s still stigma associated with it,” says Silvey. “Dining Out for Life gives us a chance to talk about HIV, support people living with the virus and have some fun over a shared meal.”

The EMO Day Center is always grateful for volunteers and donations of food and clothing. It also encourages more local restaurants and bars to participate in this year’s Dining Out for Life. Please visit HIVDayCenter.org or email hivcenter@emoregon.org to help your neighbors who are living with HIV.

Jordan Bowen is a freelance writer and former broadcast news producer who is pursuing a Master in Social Work at Portland State University

Area resident is accomplished poet

Posted on by Posted in Arts & Culture, Concordia News, Uncategorized

Nancy Flynn grew up on the Susquehanna River in northeastern Pennsylvania, spent many years on a downtown creek in Ithaca, N.Y., and has lived near the mighty Columbia River in Northeast Portland since 2007.

She attended Oberlin College and Cornell University and has a master’s degree in English from SUNY/Binghamton. She is a former university administrator, and her writing has received an Oregon Literary Fellowship and the James Jones First Novel Fellowship. Flynn’s recent publications include the poetry collection Every Door Recklessly Ajar.

Flynn says she loves living with her retired forest pathologist husband, John Laurence, “in a village of awesome neighbors down the street from Alberta Park.” She is especially proud of their platinum-level Backyard Habitat, which now boasts a wild beehive in a bigleaf maple. “And she grows way too many dahlias in their front yard for her beloved pollinators,” her biography states.

CNews is sharing an example of her most recent work, inspired by Portland’s wintry weather. To learn more about her work, visit NancyFlynn.com.

===================================

Record-breaking Winter Storm Tableau

late February 2023
Portland, Oregon
By Nancy Flynn

It bore the ice, later snow,
that terracotta table of stone.
Became perch for chickadees,
bushtits and meadowlarks before
their launch to suet, to safflower seed.
Even the hummingbirds gave up
their rivalries, took civilized turns
sipping at the iridescent ruby
bottle I took in after dark
so it wouldn’t freeze then break.
The previously perky hellebores
collapsed under eight inches
of weight. One afternoon, sleet
fell slick, thickly dimensional,
bouncing from the wind chimes,
from lustrous camellia leaves.
Now finally today—
a temporary melt, no trace, no figment
of the thing that dazzled yesterday.
The neighborhood murder of crows
is back from what seemed like days
in their downtown overnight roost.
There’s a junco spilling the birdbath,
a plash of oars, a gaiety and every tulip
has emerged, doubled in height
despite an unseasonable, lingering
chill. Inside, I raise the thermostat
one more degree, study the fleeting
return of the sun. The world it glares,
for a moment all shimmer and drip,
while waiting for the next inevitable
cloudburst to thunder down from
a heaven like a tent. We are blanketed
by our selfishness, our apathy, our sin.
We are footprints in our downfall—
watch them drift.

The italicized lines in this poem are from Emily Dickinson’s poem #257, “I’ve known a Heaven, like a Tent” written in 1861.

Paige Wright – Local artist offers classes

Posted on by Posted in Arts & Culture, Concordia News

By Kathy Crabtree | Contributing writer

If you are looking for a creative solution for a curious student who is struggling in a mainstream learning environment, Paige Wright, a local clay and ceramic artist, might have a suggestion for you.

Wright admits that she was not stellar at academics but found success and a tool to express herself in clay. That experience built confidence in her ability to become better at reading and writing skills, as well as a reason to study them.

Her sculptures are eclectic collectives of creativity. She has an appreciation of multi-faceted incongruent busts. Her “kiss-kiss” bust consists of a male head encased in a helmet covered with flowers. Her works have been professionally showcased at various venues in the Portland area.

Inspired as a 9-year-old art student of Margarita Leon, a noted art educator in Northwest Portland, Paige continued her ceramic studies in high school, mentored by Cindy Irby. She completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Montana, followed by a two-year residency at the University of Washington, and earned a master’s degree with an emphasis in ceramics.

“My mission is to make space so that people can build a relationship with their creative practice,” she said. “It takes time to see what is inside one’s head and to react to what one can create from that.”

She offers art lessons for students between the ages of 7 and 16 who desire a greater art experience than their current school offers. Adult classes will be offered for those seeking to refresh their creative practice by expanding their ideas with exposure to clay and three-dimensional building. Small group classes are scheduled weekly, and private lessons and special project sessions can be arranged. Group parties are ideal for birthdays or corporate team building.

Along with her classroom offerings, Paige is a full-time multi-disciplinary artist, currently available for commissions ranging from portraits in ceramics, house-number tiles, drawings and paintings with experience in production pottery and large-scale murals. Consultation in ceramic professional practices, glaze formation, documentation photography and technical envelopment are also available.

Interested students can find her Lil Studio Classroom, 3522 NE Liberty St., adjacent to her home. “The studio-classroom designation offers a two-fold purpose,” Wright said. “A studio calls to action the art of creating while a classroom offers a space for growth.”

She also plans “U-paint” group fun creative classes, summer art camps and figure-in-clay workshops with dates to be announced.

Classes are forming now and are two hours long and sold in 10-class bundles on a rolling basis, ongoing so a student can re-register.

Kids (7-16) Art Lessons: Sundays, 1–3 p.m. or Tuesdays, 4:30–6:30 p.m.

Adult Art Lessons: Mondays 1–3 p.m.

Registration applications can be found at paige@thewrightclay.com. For information, call Paige Wright at 406-544-7472. Kathy is a recent transplant from the Midwest and, as she reports in CNews, things are a lot different here.

Social Column – Volunteers needed for April 8 Egg Hunt

Posted on by Posted in Concordia News, Events, Volunteer Opportunities

Greetings to all Concordia residents! We want to start by expressing our gratitude for the amazing feedback we have received. It is always our pleasure to hear from you and learn how we can make our community better. We value your input and look forward to continuing to serve you.

As we move forward, we have some exciting events planned for the coming weeks.

Eggzitement!

We are thrilled to announce that the Spring Egg Hunt is finally here! On Saturday, April 1, at 10 a.m., we will meet in the community room at Kennedy School for the “fill the eggs” event. We are looking for volunteers to help us with this fun-filled event. It’s going to be a blast, so bring your friends and family along! Then on Saturday, April 8, we will host the neighborhood clean-up in partnership with SOLVE and the actual egg hunt.

The clean-up will run from 9 a.m. to noon at Fernhill Park, and we will be setting up in the area by the track. Please make sure to register for this event at SolveOregon.org.

We are looking for volunteers, preferably with a truck, to help take the supplies from the community room to Fernhill Park by 9:30 a.m. We also need help setting up the eggs, starting around 10 a.m., and assisting with picking up after the event.

After the clean-up, we’ll be kicking off the Easter weekend with an exciting egg hunt at noon. Don’t forget to bring your baskets!

Our proposed schedule for the egg hunt on April 8 is as follows: We will meet between 9:30 to 10 a.m., set up the eggs from 10 a.m. to noon, and the egg hunt will begin at noon. It’s going to be a fantastic day, and we can’t wait to see you all there!

Walking club

Speaking of community involvement, we want to give a special shoutout to Megan Gobble, our SW1 representative and the head of our official walking club. Megan is a passionate walker and a member of the Columbia River Volkssports Club (CRVC). We’re thrilled to have the CRVC as one of our community partners, and we encourage everyone to check them out at Walking4Fun.org.

Cinco de Mayo

Finally, mark your calendars for our upcoming Cinco de Mayo party at Chilango’s, 2217 N.E. Alberta St. Our newest vegan restaurant, which is Latino-owned, will be hosting this year’s celebration from 2–7 p.m. Friday, May 5. Come join us for delicious $3 tacos and entertainment as we celebrate our community’s diversity.

Thank you for being part of our community and supporting our events. We look forward to seeing you soon! Please stay in touch, follow us in Instagram & Facebook @CNAPDX.

CNA news – General meeting draws speakers

Posted on by Posted in Concordia News

By Brittany van der Salm | CNA board vice chair

The Concordia Neighborhood Association’s general meeting March 1 drew a number of speakers addressing a variety of topics, including the following:

Neighbors for Clean Air [NCA]

Morgan Towle noted NCA has been operating in Portland for 12 years. “Big diesel” is a major pollution issue for Portland, she said, and Multnomah County is one of the top five counties in the country for high diesel pollution.

NCA claims that 65% of this comes from construction and off-road equipment. Diesel vehicles used in construction release particulate matter into the air that causes health issues, Towle said.

Towle said that Oregon House Bill 2396, the Indirect Source Bill, is up for consideration in the 2023 legislative session. If passed, the bill would regulate indirect sources of diesel pollution. HB 3158 uses state funding to incentivize transition away from diesel.

Oregon Community Solar Program

Sean Micken, who works for Oregon Shines, said the OCSP was written into state law in 2016 and allows anyone who buys power, regardless of where they live, to purchase solar energy that is harvested right here in Oregon. Subscription costs vary by use and type of plan. Customers of PGE, Pacific Power and Idaho Power can receive utility-bill credits in exchange for buying or leasing part of a community solar project here in Oregon.

In a followup email from Oregon Shines, Field Manager Don Evans noted: “[The Oregon Community Solar Program] was created to ‘make solar energy available to customers across the state who previously did not have access’ by connecting PGE and Pacific Power customers to solar energy projects without having to install panels on their own roofs.

“You can rent or own your home, and there is no cost to sign up, to participate or to cancel. There is no change in billing, and by law, consumers are required to be incentivized for participating. The credit creates a guaranteed 5% savings on subscribed energy while low-to- moderate income residents will save 40%!

“Oregon Shines connects residents, businesses, municipalities and other organizations to community solar projects, in their utility territory, allowing them to save money and gain access to clean energy. For more information, and to sign up, visit OregonShines.com.”

Brittany is a board member of the CNA, and has lived in the neighborhood since 2019. She works as a Medicaid disability policy consultant with a national nonprofit firm. Brittany loves to bake and bird watch.

Ballot measure – Measure offers tenant help

Posted on by Posted in Concordia News

By Kepper Petzing | Contributing writer

Tenants facing eviction could qualify for free legal representation if Ballot Measure 26-238, known as Eviction Representation for All (ERA), becomes law.

Multnomah County voters will vote on the measure in the May 16 Special District Election. If approved, the ERA would provide free legal representation for any tenant facing eviction in Multnomah County. The program would be funded by an increase in capital gains tax of .75 %.

How would it work?

Many renters facing eviction can’t afford a lawyer. If they go to court, they must represent themselves. If they lose their case, an eviction goes on their record, making it difficult to rent again.

The ERA initiative would create a new Tenant Resource Office to provide free legal representation to anyone facing eviction. There would be no other changes to landlord-tenant laws or eviction proceedings under the ERA.

In 2022, 6,577 residential eviction cases were filed in Multnomah County, and it’s estimated that in Portland between 25% and 62% of evictions lead to houselessness. Landlords are allowed to raise rents this year by up to 14.6%. Since Portland wages have not kept up with rent increases, evictions are expected to increase.

Proponents, opponents

More than 40 community, housing, labor, faith and legal organizations, such as the League of Women Voters, Urban League of Portland, Portland Association of Teachers and the National Lawyers Guild, support the ERA.

Meanwhile, opponents include the Portland Business Alliance, Mayor Ted Wheeler, Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson and Metro Council President Lynn Peterson.

The differences between proponents and opponents center around just who should qualify for attorney representation and how to fund it. Who should receive free legal representation?

Research has found that a right to counsel for those facing eviction leads to more than 90% of tenants avoiding eviction, with tenants either able to stay in their current home or able to move directly into other stable housing. Because of this, both Portland and Multnomah County allocated money for a limited number of low-income tenants to have free legal defense. With these programs in place, still only 9% of tenants had legal representation in eviction court in 2022. The ERA, on the other hand, applies to everyone, regardless of income.

“I believe it should be a fundamental right to have legal representation when facing something as traumatic and life changing as being evicted from your home,” Concordia resident Anna Fritz said. “I have friends and family members, hard-working people, who find they are too poor to afford a lawyer but too rich to qualify for government programs.”

Taxing issues

The ERA program would be funded by a $7.50 tax on each $1,000 of profits from the sale of capital assets such as stocks, bonds, cryptocurrencies, and real estate. There would be no taxes on wages or regular business income. In 2020, 85% of capital gains income went to the richest 5% of Oregonians.

Nonetheless, some opponents contend new taxes could have a damaging effect on the economy. Mayor Wheeler, for example, has stated, “I cannot support an additional tax that could have the impact of driving investment out of Portland.”

Other opponents have echoed this concern. Proponents argue that the ERA, by reducing homelessness, will save up to $68 million in public funds spent on such services as emergency housing, foster care and medical care.

Voting

Ballots will be mailed by April 26. You can register to vote via mail, online or in person until Tuesday, April 25. For more information, visit multco. us/elections/may-16-2023-specialdistrict-election.

Kepper Petzing has lived in Concordia for 40 years, where, with their partner Lowen, they raised two children. They are nonbinary. They love community and are grateful for Concordia News.

Concordia Tree Team – Group seeks volunteers for spring pruning

Posted on by Posted in Concordia News, Trees, Volunteer Opportunities

By Mallory Pratt | Concordia Tree Team

A Zelkova tree before the Concordia Tree Team pruned it. Photo by Mallory Pratt

I’m sure you’ve noticed that it’s been a tough winter for our trees with heavy winds and an ice storm. Did you know that good structural pruning can help protect them from catastrophic damage from wind and ice and lengthen their healthy lifespan? Your Concordia Tree Team was on the job this past fall doing that very thing for 56 street trees. And we’ll be doing it again this spring, including a special Earth Day event along 42nd Avenue.

What does good pruning look like? The improvement in health can be significant even if the change in appearance is subtle. The photos accompanying this article show a “before” and “after” for a Zelkova where branches that were likely to break or were rubbing against each other were removed to open the canopy for movement and new growth.

To see more examples of what pruning can do, check out the What’s New page on the Ainsworth Linear Arboretum website at AinsworthLinearArboretum.org/new-roots.

Spring pruning

Our team is preparing for Spring Street Tree Pruning right now. We’ll be knocking on doors in late March and pruning during the month of April. If you live west of 33rd Avenue and north of Alberta Street, you are in our target area for this spring.

If you or your neighbors are interested in this free service and/or joining the team, go to the Ainsworth Linear Arboretum website and click the “Get Involved” button to contact us.

The same Zelkova tree after the Concordia Tree Team pruned it. Photo by Mallory Pratt

We are also looking for tree enthusiasts to help with our Earth Day 2023 pruning and community event on Saturday, April 22. We are pleased to announce a joint venture with the Cully Tree Team and 42nd Avenue businesses to prune the street trees along the length of 42nd Avenue, which is our border with the Cully neighborhood.

We’d love help with getting sponsors, contacting businesses and planning the community activities. Please contact the team through the Ainsworth Linear Arboretum website using the Get Involved button and let us know you’d like to help.

If pruning is not your passion, we also work to protect older trees, plant big trees for the future and create equity of access to trees throughout the neighborhood. Come join us at our monthly meeting, the first Tuesday of the month from 6:30 to 7:30. Check the ALA website for location since it changes each month.

Mallory Pratt is the convener/facilitator for the Concordia Tree Team.

Social Column – Upcoming year packed with events

Posted on by Posted in Concordia News, Events

Get ready for an exciting year filled with community events and initiatives! We are continuing last year’s efforts to keep Concordia clean. The neighborhood cleanups are back. This year we have scheduled three cleanups, on March 4, June 3 and Oct 7. We are meeting at Alberta Park each date at 9 a.m. sharp. The committee invites all community members to join in and help keep our neighborhood clean.

Makers Market

On Saturday, March 18, the community room at Kennedy School will host the Makers Market from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. This is a great opportunity for local artists and the public to connect. The gathering features local residents showcasing and selling their handmade items such as music instruments, wood art, glass art, and more. Please let me know if you have any questions or would like to participate.

Coming up

The Concordia Neighborhood Association will also host a range of exciting events, including the annual Spring Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 8, at 10 a.m. (location to be determined).

We are coming together as a neighborhood to fill the eggs at 4 p.m. Friday, April 7, in the community room at McMenamins Kennedy School, 5736 NE 33rd Ave. The committee invites all community members and local businesses to participate or donate.

Year ahead

For the first time ever, CNA will host an official Pride event in June at Bonne Chance, 2209 NE Alberta St. More details to follow in the upcoming months. The committee is also bringing back National Night Out, Yard Sale (likely over Labor Day weekend), Halloween and a Holiday Party. We do need volunteers for all of these events.

The new initiative “Partners in Concordia” aims to bring volunteers and community members together to tackle small tasks such as gardening, painting fences and changing bulbs. The committee is collecting names of volunteers and tasks they prefer to do and hopes to match them up with community members in need of help. The date for this initiative is set for some time in the summer.

Numerous Northeast Portland residents, including Concordia neighbors, attended a traffic safety discussion at Sabin Elementary School in early February. Photo by Javier Puga Phillips

Sabin meeting

On Feb. 8, the Sabin Community Association invited CNA board members as well as Concordia neighbors to attend one of their meetings at Sabin Elementary School, where Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) representatives addressed a recent fatal crash involving a single vehicle, on Dec. 5, that drove into a utility pole. The automobile was speeding on Prescott at 90 mph at the corner of NE 14th Avenue and Prescott Street, lost control and crashed. The meeting was an opportunity for the community to voice their concerns and thoughts on the issue of traffic safety in the neighborhood.

During the meeting, a large number of neighbors shared their concerns about the use of Prescott as a “speed track” and how drivers, even though it’s a two-way street, illegally pass cars. It was brought to our attention that the speed limit on Prescott is 25 mph, but some drivers ignore this, putting themselves and others in danger.

In light of these concerns, PBOT shared that the more letters the community sends the bureau, the faster it can respond to the issue. I would like to invite all Concordia neighbors to write a letter addressing any and all concerns about traffic safety in the neighborhood. These letters can be sent to me at Social@ConcordiaPDX.org or to our Land Use and Transportation Committee at LandUse@ConcordiaPDX.org.

I would also like to take a moment to thank Rachel Lee, the chair of Sabin Land Use and Transportation Committee, for the invitation to the meeting and for her efforts in ensuring that the community’s voice is heard.

Let’s work together to make Concordia a safer and more peaceful place for all, let’s come together and make Concordia a stronger and more vibrant community! If you own a business in Concordia or want to give a shoutout, please tag us @CNAPDX and use #SocialConcordiaPDX.

Javier Puga-Phillips holds the Southwest 1 position on the Concordia Neighborhood Association (CNA) Board of Directors, manages rentals of the McMenamins Kennedy School Community Room and chairs the CNA Social Committee. He is a real estate professional locally, and he is a published author and motivational speaker in Latin America and Spain.