Text to 911 is available throughout Multnomah County, according to the Portland 911 Bureau of Emergency Communications.

The service is intended to benefit people who may not be able to speak due to an emergency such as a home invasion or abusive partner, as well as individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, or who have limited speech capabilities.

“Like other 911 calls, Text to 911 should be used for in-progress emergencies, those requiring immediate response from police, fire and/or emergency medical services,” said bureau liaison manager Laura Wolfe. If the situation is not an emergency requiring immediate response, she advised calling the public safety nonemergency line 503.823-3333.

For Text to 911, simply address your text to 911 – with no dashes or spaces – then type your message and send.

“Do not send your message to multiple people in a group text,” she added. “That will stop the message from reaching a 911 center.”

If you are within an area that does not yet offer the service, you will receive a return message that states services are not available. If that happens, place a voice call to 911 to report your emergency.

“It is critical that you know your location,” the bureau liaison said. “In general, the 911 center cannot always identify your location if you’re contacting us from a cell phone.”

By Jonathan Maus, Bike Portland

In early August, crossbikes were painted at seven intersections around the city – the first two in Concordia neighborhood.

If you see one, don’t fret. Treat them exactly like they sound: like crosswalks, but for bikes, almost.

In Concordia, they are on 33rd at Going and on Killingsworth at 37th. Elsewhere, they are at N.W. Johnson at 21st, N. Williams at Rosa Parks, N.E. Tillamook at 15th, N. Michigan at Killingsworth, S.E. Lincoln at 60th and N.E. Rodney at Fremont. Another 15 are planned.

All are on neighborhood greenway streets. Roger Geller, Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) bicycle coordinator, said it’s just the latest effort the bureau has undertaken to make crossings safer on what are designed to be low-stress, family-friendly streets where priority goes to people on bikes and on foot.

The crossbike locations must meet specific criteria that have been vetted by Geller and PBOT traffic engineers. They are used only on what are known as “minor collector streets” – a designation that applies only if the street has (at the most) one lane of traffic in each direction, no more than 10,000 cars per day (with 1,000 in the peak hour) and a maximum speed limit of 30 miles per hour.

Each marking costs about $4,000, including signs and crosswalk striping if necessary.

Geller said crossbikes are an idea he’s be working on for several years, and it came from how he observed people using curb extensions – where curbs are bulbed out to narrow the crossing distance.

“When a cyclist was taking advantage of the curb extension and stopped at the end of it, it was clear from our observations that motorists would be paying attention more because they would stop,” Geller said. “So we thought, if we put more indicators in the intersection that more clearly signal that this is a crossing, it would lead to even greater awareness.”

Legally-speaking, crossbikes aren’t crosswalks. In a crosswalk, drivers are required by law to stop for anyone on bike or foot who shows intent to cross. Not so in a crossbike. But if you’ve walked or biked at all in Portland, you’ll know that people tend to happily stop at neighborhood greenway crossings already, so these markings should only increase awareness.

PBOT plans to work with a Portland State University researcher to evaluate the new markings to see whether they improve conditions.

Jonathan is publisher/editor of Bike Portland. This story is condensed from BikePortland.org coverage of the crossbikes. Contact him at Jonathan@BikePortland.org or 503.706.8804.

By Kathy Crabtree, CNA Media Team

If only we could unleash ourselves like our dogs do

As a transplant, I cannot help but notice Portlanders have a delightful habit of sharing most activities with their dogs. Any time of day one can observe them casually walking their dogs along Alberta or, in my case, observe the dogs walking me.

Dog owners seem comfortable hiking, hunting, fishing, paddleboarding and even dining with their canines. As my pups are rather large and furry, I pre – fer they dine alone. The big fella would be table surfing and stealing bread from other diners while the cute one would be shamelessly begging for attention and any morsel available.

But they are perfect candidates to enjoy the off-leash Alberta dog park. As soon as we reach the off-leash area, they are off like furry cannon balls, joining the huddle of sniffers and barkers. We are familiar with most of the other regu – lars.

At the Alberta Co-op gathering, I sat next to a woman who lives close to the RV Park we stayed in last year. I remarked about walking our dogs in the fenced-in nearby schoolyard. She said she did the same, and wasn’t it odd we hadn’t met before?

I described my dogs and she gasped, “Are Mutton and Raven your dogs? My dog is Kayla!” Unbelievably we had chatted frequently at the schoolyard. Yet we didn’t recognize each other without our pets!

It’s the same thing at the dog park. We know each others’ dogs. We stand together and discuss the remarkable contrasts of their features and antics. Amazingly enough, we take pleasure in the assortment of breeds, coat markings, form and breed characteristics and actually enjoy the diversity of the dog park.

Upon reflection, wouldn’t it be nice if we could all play together unleashed from our biases and preconceived no – tions and just enjoy each other like our pets, unconcerned about origins, breed, color or culture? Maybe then we could celebrate our diversities and enjoy the differences just as the pet owners do.

Kathy moved to Concordia last year from the Midwest and, as she reports in CNews, things are a lot different here. 

By Carrie Wenninger, CNews Media Team

You Are Confined Only By The Walls You Build Yourself

Mural Location: Aladdin Finishers Inc., 2127 N.E. Alberta St.

Artist: Blaine Fontana with special thanks to the Furious Six of Fontana Studios.

Representation/age: A follow-up inspirational message to the 2013 mural on the opposite side of the building, the artwork was painted as a part of Forest for the Trees’ annual mural event in 2014. The quote is from author Andrew Murphy. FFTT is a nonprofit project dedicated to the creation of contemporary public art in Portland.

Business owner: Steffen Bettger is the fourth generation proprietor of Aladdin Finishers, established in 1948. The master craftsmen have worked on Liberace’s touring piano, restored a cobbler’s bench owned by Ben Franklin, and are presently restoring 130 chairs and Victorian era sofas belonging to the Columbia Queen steamboat.

Fun Fact: Now in its fourth year, Forest for the Trees’ annual mural painting event brings together artists from all over the world, and is putting Portland on the map as a city known for its street art!

By Nancy Varekamp, CNews Editor

OSS celebrates centennial

They aren’t full-time residents, but many Portland members of the Oregon Stamp Society devote untold hours in Concordia. They’ve spent 56 of the organization’s 100 years based at the former fire station on 33rd Avenue at Alberta Court, and this year they invited visitors from around the world to visit.

“The stability of having our own clubhouse and library promotes a vibrant philatelic community,” pointed out Eric Hummel, president.

You’ll find him at the clubhouse several days a week – frequently with other members –maintaining the building and the stamp collections and displays.

When OSS bought the retired fire station in 1960, it was unusual for a stamp club to own a building. Now several do, but Hummel believes OSS’ is the most unusual, despite the fact American Philatelic Society’s clubhouse is a converted match factory in Pennsylvania.

OSS activities include two meetings per month, an annual auction, the Rose City and Collectors Corner monthly stamp fairs and the PIPEX annual national stamp show. The centennial prompted a few more gatherings this year.

The 220 members – in Oregon, throughout the United States and Canada – hosted a summer exhibition at the Multnomah County Central Library, a clubhouse reception in July and an August weekend-long open house, complete with building tours, exhibits of members’ stamp collections and a display depicting the group’s history.

Sheryll Ruecker, OSS archivist, reported on the summer celebrations in the journal Federated Philatelist. They included installing a time capsule on clubhouse grounds. Filling it are club memorabilia, old and new philatelic souvenirs and U.S. Forever stamps.

“I wonder what those members who open it up 100 years from now will make of them,” she said. “Will Forever stamps actually last forever?”

When OSS purchased the clubhouse, it added initiation fees to its membership dues to help pay off the $13,500 city loan. Renting the space to other groups helped pay the mortgage – in less than 10 years – and continues to help support building maintenance.

After 56 years, Hummel said, members continue to feel welcome in Concordia and they return the favor.

“We are in a residential neighborhood,” he pointed out. “We and all who use the building make an effort to be good neighbors.