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Author Archives: Web Manager

Election adds new faces to CNA board

Posted on January 3, 2021 by Web Manager Posted in Concordia News

The Concordia Neighborhood Association (CNA) Board of Directors has three new members, joining three re-elected directors and six at mid-term.

Leading the board for a one-year term beginning in January is Peter Keller as chair. John Fitzgerald and Brittany van der Salm were elected to two-year terms. Re-elected to two-year terms were Amelie Marian and Sonia Fornoni.

The two-year Southwest 2 position was not filled during the election, and plans call for the CNA board to appoint a Concordian to fill it at the Jan. 6 meeting. The only criteria is that you are 14 years or older and that you live, work or own property between 22nd and 33rd avenues and between Killingsworth Street and Alameda.

If you’re interested, contact Chair@ ConcordiaPDX.org.

Chair’s Corner – Please remain involved

Posted on January 2, 2021 by Web Manager Posted in Concordia News

By Astrid Furstner | CNA Chair

‘Tis the season! Can you believe we made it to the end of the year? Seeing as this is my last Chair’s Corner, I would like to thank and acknowledge those who have made a contribution this year.

The 2020 board and committee members: Chris Baker, Robert Bowles, Matt Boyd, Kathy Crabtree, Donn Dennis, Joel Dippold, Steve Elder, Sonia Fornoni, Tamara Anne Fowler, Tami Fung, Will Goubert, Ike Harris, Lloyd Kimeldorf, Gina Levine, Amelie Marian, John McSherry, Vanessa Miali, Ali Novak, Truls Neal, Heather Pashley, Gordon Riggs, Marsha Sandman, Erik Van Hagen, Nancy Varekamp, Karen Wells, Carrie Wenninger, Dan Werle, Tara Williams and Garlynn Woodsong.

Our neighbors and volunteers who have attended meetings, sent emails, called or offered words of advice: Miguel Acuna, Mary Barrett, Tanya Bushnell, Bette & Wayne Bauer, Sigrid Casey, Allison Cassing, Belinda Clark, Isabel Clop, Keith Daellenbach, Gabrielle Drinard, Ben Earle, Kimasue Garrison, Jeff Geisler, Ann Griffin, Marilee Hankins, Molly Hanlon, Nathan Hanzelka, Elizabeth Hildebrand, Jeff Hurt, Bernadette Janet, Christina Lane, Jordana Leeb, Michael Morrow, Michael Nagy, Greg RochPlease remain involved ford, Shawn Seebach, Thea Sanchez, Pat Sheans, Jack Slocum, Madeline Small, David Sussman, Elizabeth Swanson, Benjamin Taylor, Addie Virta and Erwin Washington.

I’m sure I have missed a few and to those I apologize.

Isn’t this amazing? So many neighbors have cared about Concordia and have reached out to participate at some level. At our November annual meeting, we had 34 people in attendance – that is impressive!

I hope you all keep up the participation and continue to be involved.

At our November meeting, we held elections and I am pleased to announce that Peter Keller was voted as our 2021 chair. See Page 4 for the other new board members.

Congratulations! I am certain that Peter’s enthusiasm for the position and care for Concordia will be evident in the meetings.

While I will not be the chair, I will still be your neighbor. I hope to say hello to you while out for a walk. My hope is that you continue to reach out to your neighbors – old and new.

Keep looking out for one another. Be kind and understanding. Together we build community. Together we are strong. Together we are Concordia.

I am thankful for my time of service, but more important, I am blessed to be among such great neighbors!

Many blessings to all.

Astrid Furstner is a mother, a wife, an immigrant, a local artist and an artisan. She lives with her luthier husband, Brent, and her artist-in-the-making daughter, Luciana. Together, they call Concordia their home.

Thanks for Asking – Feeling empathy can be a good starting point

Posted on December 19, 2020 by Web Manager Posted in Concordia News

By Karen Wells | CNA Media Team

While on a neighborhood bike ride, I noticed a brightlycolored mural at the corner of 15th Avenue at Sumner Street. Bold flowers bloomed on a sun-bright yellow background.

“Is empathy not enough?” That’s the question this CNews biennial cross-cultural piece tackles. According to Karen Wells empathy is a starting point. Send your question for her next commentary to CNewsEditor@ConcordiaPDX.org. Photo by Jamaali

A caption, “Empathy is not Allyship” runs along the border. Names of slain African Americans encircle three of the six vibrant blossoms.

The artist – find him at Instagram. com/jamjamart – chose six blossoms as images of peace and hope. Imagine they represent the people: Asian, Black, Latinix, Native, white and the ancestors.

Witnessing the names, caption and visual intensity of the mural sparks the question regarding the current social justice movements: “Empathy is not enough?”

A child as young as 2 shows empathy toward another child who is crying. They try to soothe by offering a toy or hugging. This feeling of empathy pushes them into action to aid someone outside of their immediate world.

Feeling empathy can be a starting point for social justice engagement and change.

I followed up by contacting the muralist and spoke with several neighbors, including the homeowner who commissioned the mural. Several themes surfaced.

At the top of the list: adults are more complicated than 2 year olds. We want concrete reasons why we should feel empathy toward others, especially those who are outside our social circles.

Next, there is concern: is it OK to feel empathy? Then follows self-doubt as to how to proceed, and inaction.

This introspection can feel bothersome — easier to do nothing or simply become absorbed in feeling empathetic. Use empathy to embrace being an active ally.

Take a moment to suspend the notion that you know all there is to know about being an ally. Take a moment to breathe this in. Let it wash over you.

You can always start tomorrow, yet starting today supports neighbors who are trying to live their best lives today.

  • Good news: it’s OK to start with small actions. Here are some to get you started:
  • Check your privilege at the door, show up and listen
  • Engage, speak up, stand up to demoralizing comments of others
  • Volunteer your time, donate resources
  • Get informed, examine different viewpoints, look for common ground, educate yourself on the needs
  • Be authentic in your actions

Think about this quote from Angela Davis, PhD. “I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept.”

Empathy is not enough? Thanks for asking.

Editor’s note: Karen has several resources to offer to further explore this theme. Check Facebook.com/groups/ ConcordiaPDX, where she’ll post them in mid-December.

CNA respects the views and beliefs of all cultures and faiths. The views expressed by this writer do not necessarily reflect the views of CNA.

Karen Wells is a retired early childhood communit y educator, health and safety trainer.

Urbanism fights climate change

Posted on December 13, 2020 by Web Manager Posted in Concordia News

By Garlynn Woodsong | CNA Board Member, SW1, CNA LUTC Chair

“Our house is on fire; we should act like it.” Those are the words of Greta Thunberg. She’s the Swedish school-age climate activist known for protesting the inaction and insufficient response of governments to the threat of climate change. And she’s referring to the urgency to act on climate change immediately.

In Concordia, we’re certainly no strangers to the ill effects of climate change. Smoke from last summer’s wildfires caused us to shelter in place for two weeks. There is wide scientific consensus the wildfire season was worsened by global warming.

But if our house and our forests are metaphorically and literally on fire, what can we do about it?

One thing we can do is embrace urbanism. In this sense, urbanism describes the interaction between inhabitants of urban areas (that’s us) and their built environment (that’s the buildings and transportation systems that surround us).

The author Peter Calthorpe, in his book “Urbanism in the Age of Climate Change,” finds the average American household today travels around 24,000 miles each year by car. The UrbanFootprint software that Peter and I codeveloped shows the average Concordia neighborhood household only drives 10,985 miles per year, or 62% less than the average American household.

That means that the average household here is:

  • Consuming at least 62% less gasoline – 569 gallons rather than 1,482 – each year, assuming our vehicle fleet is exactly as efficient as the average American vehicle fleet. And that may not be the case. As city dwellers, our vehicles are likely to be more efficient
  • Emitting 62% less in greenhouse gases – 4,731 pounds per person per year, rather than 11,182 pounds.

By the way, within the neighborhood, residents of the East district – between 33rd and 42nd avenues – drive the most each year, at 5,356 miles per person per year. Northwest district residents – west of 33rd Avenue and north of Killingsworth Street – drive 4,588 miles Southwest district residents drive the least, at 4,115 miles per year per person.

This all makes intuitive sense, as the Southwest district straddles Alberta Street, with all of its walkable destinations. The East district includes fewer sidewalks or retail destinations, and the Northwest district is just slightly farther away from everything.

These internal differences within the neighborhood are slight, however, compared to the 11,000 miles driven by the average American person each year.

Embracing urbanism means leaning into our low-carbon lifestyle. That’s made easy by the inherent high-quality urbanism of our neighborhood. By default, we’re encouraged to walk, ride bicycles, take transit and drive short trips for our most regular journeys.

For those of us with the means and the desire to do more, we can always do better. We can fuel switch our cars. And we can add solar panels to our roofs for space and water heating to move away from fossil fuels in our homes.

We can also welcome new neighbors to our neighborhood, confident every new resident of Concordia is somebody who is saying “yes” to the low-carbon urbanism that we already enjoy.

Garlynn Woodsong lives on 29th Avenue, serves on the CNA board and is an avid bicyclist. He also is a dad who is passionate about the city his son will inherit. He is the planning + development partner with Cascadia Partners LLC, a local urban planning firm. Contact him at LandUse@ConcordiaPDX.org.

Cards, art may cheer seniors

Posted on December 12, 2020 by Web Manager Posted in Concordia News

By Nancy Varekamp | CNews Editor

Do you want to help make the holidays a bit brighter for some of the Concordians hit hardest by pandemic quarantining?

Sojourn Church is calling for letters, cards and art to deliver to the 39 longterm care residents at Fernhill Estates.

Eva, Liam and Evan creating cards and pieces of art to cheer the holidays for long-term care residents of Fernhill Estates. Photos by their parents

Crystal Endreola is organizing the effort of Sojourn Church members – and all Concordians – to provide her with items to distribute later this month at the facility.

“Everyone’s feeling isolated during the pandemic,” she explained. “I think that’s heightened during the holidays.” It not only affects people like the Fernhill Estates residents, but people who enjoy volunteering.

“I think everyone is dying to do something. I know I’m eager for an opportunity like this.”

Crystal lives near the care facility that’s two blocks southwest of the park. Last December, she planned a party for the residents with others in a Facebook group of local parents. “We took our kids, played music, had food — all the wonderful things we can’t do this year.”

She hopes there will be enough items contributed to provide more than one to each resident and even the 40 employees who care for them – physically, medically and emotionally. Contact Crystal at Crystal@SojournPDX.org or 818.564.7311 for details and/or to contribute items.

“Fernhill Estates said we can contribute gifts for the residents too,” Crystal reported. Those might include calendars, gloves, scarves, lap blankets and other items to cheer residents during the continuing quarantine.

People of all ages and locations are welcome to contribute their efforts to the project. Crystal said it’s an especially good activity for budding young artists like her own 2 year old.

“I think it teaches our children there’s a world beyond ourselves and expands their minds to consider other people’s situations.

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

To change the name – or not – is the question

Posted on December 6, 2020 by Web Manager Posted in Concordia News

By Steve Elder and Nancy Varekamp | CNA Media Team

The Concordia University campus remains vacant since the school closed last spring. Should the neighborhood association continue to use its name? An ad hoc committee is assigned to engage the community in answering that question. Photo by Gordon Riggs

This neighborhood picked up its moniker from the school that opened its doors here in 1905. Although the institution matured from parochial school to university status, the name Concordia persisted.

Now the site in northwest Concordia neighborhood is vacant. Should neighborhood association retain its name?

That was the question posed to more than 30 participants in November’s Concordia Neighborhood Association annual meeting. Concordian Dan Werle offered a presentation outlining what factors should be considered.

Why should the name change? What people and businesses might be impacted? Would it be helpful, problematic or not make a difference? What would the new name be?

Former neighborhood names have included Irvington Park, Town of Creighton, Heidelberg Addition and Foxchase Addition.

“My intent isn’t to slam the [Lutheran] church or the university,” Dan explained “It’s a pivotal time in our world, nation, city and neighborhood,” he added, pointing to the Movement For Black Lives; online, verbal and physical attacks and threats toward women; and more racial, social and economic challenges.

“Names matter. Buildings, streets and neighborhoods reflect our values, and they improve our sense of history and our relationship with community,” he said. “It’s an opportunity to honor an individual who has – or people who have – lived in the neighborhood or contributed to the neighborhood.”

It could pay tribute to a marginalized or under-represented individual or group, increase community involvement and/or inspire and reflect inclusiveness.

Considering the possibility of a name change was greeted with interest at the meeting.

One participant commented, “Your initial thought about changing the name is ‘no,’ but, when you get the context, it softens things a lot.”

“I really appreciate the thought,” reported another. “Makes sense to me to cut the tie with Concordia University and come up with a name that reflects our values.

“Love the idea to honoring a BIPOC who made an influence,” she added. “An idea is looking into what the Indigenous folks called this place in the past.”

Another offered his opinion on a new name. “I’d vote for an Indigenous person,” he said. “They’re even ahead of my own race – African American – in being persecuted.”

Chair Astrid Furstner appointed Dan to chair an ad hoc committee to engage in research and community involvement.

Other committee members are: Mary Barrett, Ike Harris, John McSherry, Elaine Oliver, Brittany Taylor and Addie Virta.

View the PowerPoint presentation here, To contact the committee, email Chair@ConcordiaPDX.org.

Concordia Art Works – Don’t confine art to just galleries, museums

Posted on December 5, 2020 by Web Manager Posted in Arts & Culture, Concordia News

By Maquette Reeverts | Alberta Art Works

Take the power of art and add community. Art in public spaces creates culture by building character and improves the quality of life.

This artist recommends anyone and everyone can create community art to help get the community through a long winter. Photos by Maquette Reeverts

Art doesn’t have to be a luxury or something in a gallery or museum. Art can happen in your yard. You have an opportunity to improve the quality of place while engaging your brain in something creative.

It is going to be a long winter, so why not use that extra indoor time creating something for everyone to enjoy? Think yard art, little libraries and other ways to enhance your lawn for the good of all.

Engage your neighbors with something that makes them smile, a little surprise along their evening stroll.

Not a painter? Stencils are a great way to enliven a garden wall or concrete steps. Make a stencil using thin cardboard or buy one from a craft store. Hire an artist, or paint a mural yourself on that tired wood fence.

How about a street mural? Start planning this winter by visiting PortlandOregon.gov/transportation/67083, then putting it into action come spring.

Interactive art could be a chalkboard, little libraries or shelves for free piles. Assemblages are works of art that use found objects. Look in your attic, garage and bike shed to find interesting parts to make a yard sculpture.

Those born with green thumbs could start a “kids cut-your-own flower bed” or how about inviting a fairy or gnome into your garden by building them a house or an entry at the base of a tree?

Do it for yourself and do it for your neighbors. Create a smile for everyone to enjoy. By simply participating in a creative way, you can help bring a little humanity to our everyday and improve our community’s well-being.

Editor’s note: After you’ve created and placed your community art, send a photo and its location to CNews for Concordia Curiosities. Or post it on Facebook.com/ groups/ConcordiaPDX.

CNA respects the views and beliefs of all Concordians, and their cultures and faiths. The views expressed by this writer do not necessarily reflect the views of CNA.

Michel Reeverts, aka Maquette, holds a master of arts degree in art education, serves Alberta Art Works as director and Alberta Street Gallery as a board member. She is also a practicing artist. Contact her at Maquette@AlbertaArtWorks.org

Live from Alberta Street … it’s the Annex

Posted on February 5, 2020 by Web Manager Posted in Concordia News, Local Businesses

By Carrie Wenninger | CNA Media Team

Opening the Cruzroom Annex was good luck for both owner Octavio ‘Tavi’ Cruz-Uribe and manager Jake Jarvis (pictured). Local residents are finding good entertainment there. Photo by Carrie Wenninger

Sometimes things fall apart, only to come back together better than you ever could have imagined. Such was the case with the Annex, the event venue across the courtyard from Cruzroom’s main bar and restaurant at 2338 N.E. Alberta Street.

Ready to open a second location, owner Octavio ‘Tavi’ Cruz-Uribe had scouted the perfect space across town when the deal suddenly fell through, explained the Annex’s manager and head booker Jake Jarvis.

And that’s precisely when the spacious, empty building mere feet away became available.

A mechanic shop in the 1940s, Cruzroom is now a favorite gathering place known for its cocktails, innovative tacos and popular outdoor patio. The Annex served as car storage for the shop, then sat idle for decades. It has now found new life as a thriving 150-person capacity performance venue.

Open for a year, the Annex hosts a packed schedule of local and larger bands; dedicated nights for jazz and Brazilian music, comedy, trivia and open mic; Yoga and Tacos events; miscellaneous classes; and more.

Jake is also the bassist for the Portland band Fir. He and friends had a huge hand in the renovations and interior build-out. Rumor has it the space also boasts the only full-size pool table on Alberta Street, previously owned by former Portland Trail Blazers great Kevin Duckworth.

Crowds were initially slow to arrive, but things picked up last spring thanks to the increasingly popular open mic night, which draws in an eclectic mix of talent.

Angelyna Tropets of Honey Latte Presents assists with all-ages show bookings and the website and social media presence. Jake focuses on cultivating curated events and residencies in addition to managing the Annex.

Find the event schedule at Cruzroom.com/annex. Looking to book a show? Email CruzroomAnnex@gmail.com

“We want to be a positive part of the neighborhood, a space where people can come, relax and be safe while enjoying a variety of shows,” Jake emphasized.

“We welcome all people and we absolutely do not tolerate any sort of discrimination.”

Not just about skinny jeans, band t-shirts and flannels, the Annex’s wideranging offerings make it clear there’s something here for everyone. The menu is the same as Cruzroom’s, including many vegan and gluten-free options, the patio is smoker-friendly, and all ages are welcome until 10 p.m.

Carrie Wenninger lives on 29th Avenue in Concordia. She is a freelance writer, a mom, a world traveler and a small business marketing consultant. Contact her at WurdGurl@gmail.com.

collage builds community through crafting

Posted on October 13, 2019 by Web Manager Posted in Concordia News, Local Businesses

By Marsha Sandman | CNA Media Team

Maria Raleigh said she named her shops “collage” because the word means, “taking a little bit of everything and making it work.” Photo by Marsha Sandman

You will never be bored again after a visit to collage on Alberta Street.

A sea of color greets customers at the door. Enter to find myriad supplies for the painter, print maker, rubber stamper, journaler, textile artist, book maker, etc. There is a wide array of how-to-books, children’s arts and craft supplies, stationery, greeting cards, rubber stamps, decorative paper and so much more.

It is an inspirational, fun, exciting, vibrant, and a totally happy place – much like its owner, Maria Raleigh, a warm and delightful curator of everything creative.

Fifteen years ago collage opened on Alberta Street with one store. That store has doubled in size and collage now has two additional locations in southeast Portland. A gift store a few doors west on Alberta Street, known as the collage annex, has curated collectibles, handcrafted items, games and unique treasures.

Maria had a long history in retail sales and management experience when the idea for collage started brewing while she was home raising her two young sons.

She recognized a need, found a space and started filling it with everything for the crafter, artist and young crafter. She now employs 35 people in her four stores, and they are warm, friendly, accommodating and knowledgeable.

collage stocks more than 60,000 items from 400 vendors. The inventory is customer driven and the staff tries to fulfill customers’ special requests. Maria’s goal is to supply as much as possible to her diverse clientele while still being organized.

Maria explained the store’s name. “A collage is taking a little bit of everything and making it work.”

Her stores host free crafts nights at nearby Atlas Pizza locations in their neighborhoods. In addition, Maria uses crafting for team building. Among the clientele she has worked with are Nike and Intel, and collage has provided craft tables at Concordia Neighborhood Association events.

“With three supply store locations and one gift shop, collage is so much more than just a local art and craft supply store,” Maria pointed out. She is a joyful presence in the neighborhood, and she is committed to building community.

Her website at collagepdx.com is jam-packed with stimulating crafting details on varied subjects. It includes a calendar of events, store locations and hours.

Maria is currently in the process of creating an online store. But she still welcomes your visits to collage at 1639 N.E. Alberta St. and your calls to 503.249.2190.

After living east, south, north and west, Marsha Sandman is home at last. And she wants to hear your story. Contact her at MarshaJSandman@gmail.com.

Ask the historian: Who knew there were ‘orchard houses’ here?

Posted on May 23, 2019 by Web Manager Posted in Concordia News, History

By Doug Decker | Historian

This is an orchard house, seen on a walk through the neighborhood. The rear addition was added in later years. This home has been thoughtfully updated and maintained through the years.

I’ve been fortunate recently to spend some time with Jeanne Allen, a 98-year-old neighbor whose sharp and clear memory reaches well back into her childhood days here in northeast Portland.

As we chatted about change during a recent drive through the neighborhood, Jeanne talked about how different things were around here in the early years. Pointing out a small home toward the back of one lot, she said something that required some follow-up:

“I sure hate to see the orchard houses going away.”

Wait. What’s an orchard house? We’ve never heard that term. We want to know more.

When Jeanne and her husband Bob built their home in Concordia back in 1950, they were surrounded by orchards of cherries, apricots, pears and apples that were planted in the early 1900s.

Most of the streets in the surrounding area between Prescott and Killingsworth streets and 42nd and 33rd avenues weren’t paved. Some hadn’t even been constructed.

Jeanne remembers simple small buildings scattered out among the orchards that served as temporary quarters for those tending the orchards during the year and harvesting during the fall. She didn’t call them shacks, but that’s a term that comes to mind.

She and her family always called these little places “orchard houses,” which was a commonly known term and function during those years.

They took a simple form:
• Shed-roofed front and back porch
• Entry door in the middle and a backdoor lined up out the back
• Bedroom and window on one side
• Open living space on the other • Maybe a counter for food preparation
• Often oriented in an unusual way on the lot, either toward the back or sitting at an angle

Pictured is one Jeanne knows for certain was an orchard house. In fact, she remembers the actual nearby orchard. Plumbing was added to the house in 1924, when it was described as an old one-story frame residence.

Do you know of any orchard houses? There are likely just a small handful left and we’d like to document them and explore their stories. If you have one in mind – or think you know a candidate – send along a photo or address c/o CNewsEditor@ConcordiaPDX.org.

Doug Decker initiated his blog AlamedaHistory. org in 2007 to collect and share knowledge about the life of old houses, buildings and neighborhoods in northeast Portland. His basic notion is that insight to the past adds new meaning to the present. If you have a question for him to answer in CNews, send it to CNewsEditor@ConcordiaPDX.

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.

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