Concordia Neighborhood Association | Portland, Oregon

Summer Concerts in Fernhill Park 2008

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The Concordia Neighborhood Association, in conjunction with Portland Parks and Recreation, is very excited to bring you another year of FREE concerts this summer. The community sponsorship and neighborhood attendance has been greater than we could have ever imagined.

Concerts are on Fridays, starting July 11th through August 1st from 6:30 P.M. to 8:00 P.M., and conclude with a special Neighbors Night Out on Tuesday, August 5th. Concerts are free to attend and you are welcome to bring your food and drink, but note there will also be food vendors, Aladdin’s Café and Hot Dog Ernie’s, at the events. We will pass the “watering can” during intermission for you to donate any amount to ensure we can continue this event in the future.

Follow the link below for a complete schedule of dates and performers:
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Youth Safety Courses, Vernon School, July 8-10

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Two youth safety courses open to the public will be held at Vernon School.

Course 1: Babysitting (an American Red Cross course)

Participants ages 11 to 15 learn the basics of babysitting including professionalism, interviewing, child development, positive guidance, appropriate toys/activities and how to recognize and respond safely to common emergencies of infants and children.

When:Tuesday, July 8th and Wednesday, July 9th, from 12:30-4:30pm , this is a two-day course.(Registration required)

Where: Vernon SUN School, 2044 NE Killingsworth

Cost: $35.00 per child (cash or check made to “Community Upgrade”), includes participant book, first aid kit and snack

Course 2: When I’m In Charge (Registration required)

Details: Children learn valuable safety skills especially useful while unsupervised.

When:Thursday, July 10th from 12:30-3:30pm

Where: Vernon SUN School, 2044 NE Killingsworth

Cost: $20.00 per child (cash or check made to “Community Upgrade”), includes participant book, first aid kit and snack

Need more information?
Please call Shantel Waddell, Vernon SUN Manager at 503-916-6559.

June Chair’s Corner

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by Katie Ugolini, CNA Chair

As many of you know, the Concordia Neighborhood Association held two special elections in 2008 to replace vacant Board seats. In January 2008, Jennifer Neth Warberg was elected to serve on the Board for the next two years as one of our two SW Quadrant representatives. Additionally, Don Francis was just recently elected to fill a vacant At-Large position and will serve from May 2008 through December 2008, but may run for a full two-year term in November. As Chair of the Concordia Neighborhood Association, I am very pleased to have Jennifer and Don join our Board and feel they are excellent assets to the CNA. Thus, I would like to take this opportunity to introduce Jennifer Neth Warberg and Don Francis to Concordia neighbors.

Jennifer Warberg and her husband Brent have lived in the Alberta Arts district for over a year and couldn’t be happier about their move from SE Portland to Concordia. In March, they welcomed a new addition to their family, a four-year-old black lab named Dink. Jennifer notes, “Our long walks with the dog and trips to the dog park have reinforced what we already knew about this neighborhood – it is a beautiful place, full of kind and engaging people.”

Jennifer is an associate attorney with Meyer & Wyse LLP in downtown Portland where she primarily practices general litigation and employment law. Her firm’s representation of many wonderful non-profit organizations inspired Jennifer to get involved in her community. “Working at the neighborhood level to improve the quality of life here is a wonderful way to make a difference.”

Before being elected to the CNA Board, Jennifer became involved in the CNA Land Use and Livability Committee. Currently, Jennifer is working primarily on neighbor-developer relations.

Don Francis grew up in Northwest Portland where, he states, he was displaced by gentrification. A longtime environmental advocate, Don worked for several nonprofit organizations before starting Willamette Riverkeeper in 1996. Willamette Riverkeeper works to keep the watershed healthy for fish and wildlife, and safe for fishing and swimming.Currently, he owns an environmental consulting and contracting company named EcoTech located in North Portland. Don resided on NE 10th Avenue near Ainsworth for several years before moving to the Concordia Neighborhood in 2001. Don and his wife, Katy Brooks, have twin four-year-olds, Abby and Thiel, whom are lifelong Concordia residents!

Don is very interested in both land use and environmental issues and, thus, is interested in becoming involved in the Land Use/Livability/Transportation Committee (LULT) and the Green Team.

I hope you will all join me in welcoming Jennifer and Don to the CNA Board! Like Jennifer and Don, if you value community activism, I urge you to consider becoming involved in the Concordia Neighborhood Association, if not as a Board member, then as a volunteer on a CNA committee or for a CNA-sponsored activity. If you are passionate about nurturing and giving back to the Concordia community, then the CNA needs you!

*The opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints expressed by the author(s) in the Chair’s Corner do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Concordia Neighborhood Association.

Local Group Seeks Health Insurance For Kids

Posted on by Posted in Events, Family, Health and Wellness, Schools

“Why Not Portland?”

This simple question is both the name of and driving force behind a grassroots campaign to bring low-cost health insurance to the children of Portland public schools.

“It’s terrible that anybody is uninsured, and having uninsured children in our community is unacceptable,” says Dr. Gregg Coodley, the WhyNotPortland campaign’s chief petitioner and co-founder of the Fanno Creek Medical Clinic. “Every kid deserves access to a good doctor.”

The goal of the WhyNotPortland campaign is to provide city-funded health care for the approximately 9000 uninsured kids attending Portland public schools. To reach this goal, Coodley has been raising funds and gathering the 28,000 signatures required from City of Portland voters to officially place the initiative on the November ballot.

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Enjoy Some Urban Hikes

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Although Mt. Hood, the Gorge, and the Coast are always calling, we are lucky here in Portland because we can enjoy the great outdoors and stay close to home. Here are two “in-city” family-friendly hikes that let you stretch your legs in the great outdoors without having to fill your gas tank.

Macleay Park to the Audubon Center
Park at Macleay Park and hike the Lower Macleay Trail to the Wildwood Trail (the junction is at the Stone House, continue straight at that point – don’t go up the hill). The trail stays level as it follows Balch Creek and briefly heads uphill before reaching a parking lot. Head west 1/10 mile from the parking lot to the Audubon Center. Audubon offers a nature center and rescued birds on display. This scenic hike is approximately 1 1/2 miles each way.

The Interlakes Trail at Smith and Bybee Wetlands Natural Area
From the parking area walk a little west to access the Interlakes Trail. Be sure to explore the fun stone sculptures in the parking area as well as the unique “trees” with bird and bat houses.
The trail provides access to viewing blinds for both Smith and Bybee Lakes. The trail is paved and level, perfect for a family stroll. Wildlife in the area includes turtles, fish, beavers, herons, ducks, snakes, rabbits, countless dragonflies, and much more.

Happy trails!

10th Annual CNA Yard Sale, July 18-20

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Time to do some spring cleaning? Gather items you no longer want or need and plan to have a yard sale at your home. What better way to rid yourself of items not needed – recycle them to your neighbors and friends and earn some cash in the process. We do the advertising and supply you with signs to mark where your sale is located. All participants are put on the maps that are made available in the community during the yard sale. Just complete the registration coupon (download here) and include the fee ($5 and you pick up packet or $7 and we can mail your packet – make checks payable to Concordia Neighborhood Association).

Mail or deliver to:

Concordia Neighborhood Association
c/o Donna Carrier
5520 NE 35th Place
Portland OR 97211

Yard sale packets will once again be picked up on designated dates (times and place will be announced later). Deadline to be on the map is Wednesday July 9th. You can still be in the sale but will not show on the map if registration is received after this date.

Questions? Contact Yard Sale Coordinator Donna Carrier at 503-288-9826 or email: dmc@teleport.com.

Cully-Concordia Schools/Families/Housing Assessment

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We hope to see a large turn out at the June 3rd General Meeting when project staff from the City’s Bureau of Planning present the results to and solicits input from the neighborhood regarding the Cully-Concordia Schools/Families/Housing Assessment. The Cully-Concordia Schools/Families/Housing Assessment is a cooperative effort of the City of Portland Bureau of Planning and Portland Public Schools (PPS) to look at portions of the Concordia and Cully neighborhoods, and focus on three public schools, Faubion, Rigler, and Scott, along with the PPS owned, former Whitaker Middle School site. The objectives of this project are to explore how to increase and sustain the attractiveness of the Cully-Concordia area for families with school age children and create an action list and build partnerships to follow up on ideas generated through the process. Key questions that are being addressed are:

  • How do the existing conditions of the area, and anticipated growth and change affect local school capacity/viability and neighborhood livability?
  • What is the potential for schools to serve as multi-purpose centers of community life in a way that benefits their educational mission?
  • What are key missing neighborhood amenities that affect neighborhood livability?
  • What are some potential strategies to address school issues?
  • How can redevelopment enhance community goals?

This project began in the Fall 2007 and has focused to date on information collection including interviews with over 70 diverse stakeholders, from parents to service providers and associations like Concordia Neighborhood, on their thoughts of the project area and the questions above. Planning staff is nearly done with an Assessment report that summarizes what staff has learned about the project area. In April and May, a Community Discussion Group met to talk about issues, review information collected and begin strategizing on potential actions to improve local schools and community livability. The group will meet again in mid-June to shape the action plan after broader community input.

Please join us at the June 3rd General Meeting when project staff will present information gleaned from the Assessment, report on some initial strategies generated by the Community Discussion Group, and solicit Concordia Neighborhood input on all of the above. A similar presentation will take place at the Cully Association of Neighbors meeting on June 10, and a third community input meeting will take place at one of the local schools, to be scheduled for June.

Project information can be viewed at the Bureau of Planning’s website under planning projects.

Land Use and Livability Update

Posted on by Posted in Land Use & Transportation

A number of issues brought a wide number of local residents to our May 1st meeting. A few were settled and a couple remain open at this writing. Here’s a list – read on for details:

  • Razor wire at Ainsworth Market Building (NE 31st & Ainsworth)
  • Development at Rosa Parks Way and NE 31st
  • Four-plex at NE 31st and Killingsworth
  • Tree preservation

Detail at the link below:

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Hearing Officer Recommends Retaining Colwood Open Space Zoning

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City of Portland Hearings Officer Gregory Frank has considered the evidence related to the request to change the zoning of Colwood Golf Course from Open Space to Industrial.

To summarize the Hearings Officer recommendation:

“… the Colwood site open space is unique, is a practically irreplaceable asset, and therefore this application should not be approved.”

“…the Hearing Officer recommends that the application for a Comprehensive Plan Map Amendment from Open Space to Industrial Sanctuary be denied, the Hearing Officer also recommends that the Zoning Map Amendment from OS to IG2 also be denied.”

You can download the full recommendation report.

What’s Next?

The Hearings Officer’s recommendation will be transmitted to the City Council for review. The City Council will hold a public hearing prior to making a final recommendation.

Until the Council acts, the request to allow industrial use of this open space is still alive.

We will post here when a Council hearing on this issue has been scheduled so you can send your comments and testimony to the Mayor and Commissioners and ask them to support the Hearings Officer’s recommendation.

A meeting to plan next steps is still scheduled for May 21, 8 pm in the Community Room of the Kennedy School (5736 N.E. 33rd Ave., Portland, OR 97211).