By Dan Werle | CNA Media Team

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.

By Tamara Anne Fowler | CNA Media Team

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.

By Nancy Varekamp | CNews Editor

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.

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.

By Steve Elder | CNA Media Team

As a candidate for Portland City Council, Jo Ann Hardesty campaigned on homelessness and rogue police. She was described by the Portland Tribune as “a long time rhetorical bomb thrower.”

April 3 she reported at the Concordia Neighborhood Association general meeting on her campaign platform – building a livable and sustainable city – and her first three months in office.

The mayor delegated to her four assignments: Portland Fire & Rescue, Bureau of Emergency Management, Bureau of Emergency Communications, and the Fire & Police Disability and Retirement Fund.

Although close, they did not coincide precisely with her platform. However, she said she’s staying on track.

“My goal is to change who first responders are so we’re sending the right people to the right incidents at the right time,” she pointed out.

“Today sometimes we send the police, sometimes we send a fire truck or an ambulance because we don’t know who to send. In 60 percent of the cases, none of those are the appropriate first responders. My goal is to send the right people at the right time.“

She said 911 operators should ask a series of questions on each call to determine whether to send a mental health professional, triage nurse, social worker, police, fire truck or ambulance. Her goal is to have the improvements in place long before her term ends.

“Four years from now we will no longer be sending armed police to address people who have mental health issues.”

According to Street Roots newspaper, funding for that Portland Street Response plan’s pilot program has been committed to date by only Jo Ann, but not yet by her peers.

In addition to 911 response, the commissioner focused on three topics:

Housing: “We didn’t have an emergency until white middle class people couldn’t find a home they could afford. In Portland 10,000 African American families were displaced. They called it ‘development.’”

Building: “We have 16,000 vacant expensive units. If we stopped issuing building permits today, we would have seven years of permits for developers to build whatever they want.”

Public Transportation: In a world class city public transportation should be free.

Steve Elder, East2@ ConcordiaPDX.org, is an inactive lawyer, a developer, activist and old grouch.

By Rachel Richards | CNA Media Team

Experiences and insights Jaclyn Sisto-Lopez gained in Mexico have helped her build the 3 to PhD program at Faubion/Concordia University into a model for schools to serve as the heartbeat of the community.

The many resources available to families connected to Faubion School on site are something schools across the country will try to replicate. Jaclyn started working for this new program as a part-time services coordinator in 2017. Within a year, her position expanded to full-time.

She grew up in Carlton, Oregon, and at the University of Portland majored in social work with minors in Spanish and social justice. She then volunteered for a children’s home in Mexico for a year.

“Going to work in Mexico changed my world view by teaching me about my own bi-racial identity,” Jaclyn reported. “I am half Chicana ancestry from Mexico.

“Returning to the U.S. was difficult, as I went from speaking Spanish every day in a small insulated community in Mexico to Portland.

“I recognized that, in the U.S. there is a culture of individualism,” she added. “Worth is tied to labor and money – which was different from the culture of community, family and resourcefulness I experienced in Mexico.

“Worth was tied not to money, but to what you can offer the community, like your time.”

Jaclyn’s own time spent serving the Concordia community has put structures in place at the 3 to PhD program that value family success and diversity. But she takes no credit for the program’s success.

“A vibrant, diverse culture of families willing to share their experiences, struggles and dreams helped inform the program,” she explained. Jaclyn pointed to the first accomplishment of the program, a family resource room that offers space to connect.

“It’s not just another meeting space,” she said. Parents gather casually and the room is full of resources.

“Community is the focus of our work, people feel empowered to voice feedback, lead events and start new programs.”

Aztec dancing classes are offered Fridays, in addition to monthly community cooking classes and parent meetings.

Jaclyn invites neighbors to participate in all programming offered at 3 to PhD. And she welcomes volunteers and donations. Contact her at 971.804.9125 or JSisto@CU-Portland.edu.

What does she do when she’s not at 3 to PhD? Jaclyn married Samuel Lopez in November and plans to complete her master’s degree in social work from Boston College in 2020.

Rachel Richards is a 17-year resident of Concordia who enjoys helping her neighbors. Get in touch with her at RachelRichardspdx@gmail.com.