Alberta Main Street surges with new vitality and a renewed effort to develop Alberta Street as a successful and equitable commercial district.

That mission has always been core to the 11-year-old nonprofit. However, the 2018 passing of its dynamic founding executive director, Sara Wittenberg, was a shock. That, and the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic left the organization with unsure footing.

Shortly before she died, the organization had been honored with a 2019 Great American Main Street Award.

Today there’s a revived energy among the board of directors. Alberta Main Street is back on track to build opportunities for local businesses and organize events to celebrate the street’s diversity and vigor.

Renewal on the street is in progress with new businesses opening, the return of Halloween day trick or treating and plans for the future. “Alberta Main Street is a nonprofit, but it should still be run as a business,” said new chair Devon Horace, whose career is in business leadership.

Devon moved to Oregon five years ago from New York state to join Nike as technical operations manager. Last year, he earned one of the last Concordia University master’s degrees in business leadership and management. He also directs Horace Consulting Agency to support Black, Indigenous and people of color who start mid-level companies.

He joined the Alberta Main Street board in June. “My thought process is ‘How can I make a difference as a young African American male in Portland?’”

Devon believes his identity and experience are a good fit for Alberta Street with its history as a predominately Black neighborhood.

Celebrating the area’s rich heritage and diversity remains a large focus. Plans for this month’s holiday event Dec. 5 include a Black Santa Claus in a pandemic-safe giant snow globe at the Alberta Main Street office.

“He’s not only for Black kids,” Devon advised. “This is more about representation and expanding upon imagination. Perhaps next year’s Santa will be Asian.”

Devon reported an increase in staff and volunteers is in the works, and the board’s priorities for the next three years are:

• Collaborating and outreach
• Increasing partnerships
• Supporting area businesses.

Woven into those priorities is continuing the strong relationships already established with the Portland Bureau of Transportation, Venture Portland and Micro Enterprise Services of Oregon.

For more information about Alberta Main Street’s mission, volunteer opportunities and more visit AlbertaMainSt.org.

“We’re back,” Devon said. “We’re here to stay, and we’re here to make things better.”

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

By Mac Larsen | CNA Media Team

When you search “catalytic converter theft” on Concordia Nextdoor.com, you’ll see countless posts of desperate neighbors dismayed that they, too, have been victims of the crime.

This form of petty theft is so common in the Portland metro area that many car owners see catalytic converter theft as almost inevitable, leaving many wondering, “Why does this seem to always happen?” and “What can be done?”

Michael French awoke in his home in southwest Concordia to discover his car was missing from the spot he’d parallel parked it the evening before.

“Generally thieves will cut the converter out of a car without taking the entire car,” he said. His experience was the opposite. Three days later police found his car not far from home. The catalytic converter was the only thing that appeared to be missing or damaged.

“The car, otherwise, was in good condition, and nobody had ever gotten inside it,” Michael said. “It was still locked.”

Auto mechanics are on the front lines of dealing with this problem. Ron Johnson, a local mechanic, has observed a steep increase in catalytic converter theft over the past few years. He said the shop is replacing the catalytic converters of about 50 Priuses a year.

According to Ron, for the Gen 2 Prius like Michael’s, it takes only three minutes to remove the catalytic converter if the thieves have the proper equipment and a makeshift tow jack. A neighbor who saw Michael’s Prius stolen noticed the thieves used the back of a pick-up truck to move the car away from the neighborhood.

Generally, thieves are stealing the converters for the rare metals they contain – palladium and rhodium – and a Prius converter can sell for about $1,200 as scrap metal.

Peter Keller in south central Concordia had his own experience with would-be thieves when he was awakened at 5 a.m. to what he said sounded like a train derailing. Using two hacksaws, the thieves were halfway through removing the converter when Peter made a commotion and scared them off.

The tide may turn Jan. 1 when Oregon Senate Bill 803 takes effect. It prohibits scrap metal businesses from purchasing or receiving catalytic converters, and it passed by a majority in both the Senate and House.

Mac Larsen is a graduate student at the University of Oregon, pursuing a master’s degree in journalism. He grew up in Concordia neighborhood and can be found frequently on Alberta Street, complaining about all the construction.

By Brittany van der Salm | CNA Board Member, AL6

COVID-19 doesn’t deter the Native American Youth and Family Center (NAYA) from continuing to host NAYA Gala. The 18th annual gala and fundraiser is virtual for the second consecutive year.

The livestream event begins at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 5. Prior to this, bidding on auction items was scheduled to begin Friday, Oct. 29, and ticket sales for a raffle on Monday, Oct 25.

Registration for the event, raffle and auction is at NAYAgala.org. The page will be updated with more information as the event gets closer.

Despite the format change, events manager Vawn Borges reported the organization still recorded over 800 unique viewers and 250 registered auction bidders last year. They generated similar donations to what the organization normally sees at in-person events.

The 2020 move to the virtual format allowed attendees from as far as Australia and Germany to tune into the livestream, bid in the auction and make donations, Vawn said.

This year, NAYA will again offer guests the option of ordering a traditional Native-inspired dinner catered by ChefStable and delivered to their homes. They may also bid on an array of auction items, including a blue glass vase made by Lillian Pitt, Northwest Native artist and former Alberta Arts District gallery owner. Add to that a selection of jewelry from the Southwest, several travel packages and more.

Although planning for the event is still underway, some changes to the program of the livestream event are expected, including several live performances.

Vawn said he wants the gala to feature more entertainment by Native performers. “We hope our virtual attendees will find our program more engaging overall.”

Longtime gala emcee and NAYA board member Zeke Smith will again host the event, and he will be joined by Johnna Wells to run the auction.

The annual gala is NAYA’s largest source of unrestricted funding. Money raised through the event is used to fill budget shortfalls or gaps. That ensures programs not fully funded through government contracts or foundation grants can continue to run.

NAYA is located on Columbia Boulevard and 52nd Avenue. It provides educational, housing, community building, foster care, elder and other services each year to over 10,000 self-identified Native Americans across the Portland metropolitan area.

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.