April - Portland Sentinel

THE ST. JOHNS
NEWS FOR GREATER NORTH AND FAR NORTHWEST PORTLAND
SENTINEL
CONTENT
APRIL 2007
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FEATURE STORIES
Roughriders’ rising tide Page 2
Third bridge blues Page 3
Curfew coming Page 4
ST. JOHNS
• Precinct pub
• Can St. Johns secede?
Page 8
INTERSTATE
• Mixed use moves forward?
• PGE pole payout
Page 9
NORTH END
• Kenton’s next big thing
• De-fino-tive pizza
Page 10
EAST SLOPE
• Dump wants to double in size!
• Measure 37 redux
Page 11
WEST ALBINA & MISSISSIPPI
• Bike Patrol goes citywide
• LifeWorks
• Widmer broadens brewing
Page 12
ARTS & CULTURE
• Jefferson Dancers
• Improv troupe: The Liberators
• Music review: Builders and Butchers
Page 16-17
Illustration by Bruce Orr
Neighborhood leaders, City reach accord on North Precinct
‘I think it will have a good outcome,’ says mayor
Cornelius Swart
On
March
29,
jubilant
neighborhood leaders and a
cautious police chief emerged
from a meeting with a tenative
compromise that would bring a
political solution to more than two
months of debate on the status of
North Portland’s Police Precinct.
“I think it will have a good
outcome,” stated Mayor Tom
Potter who spoke briefly outside
the building under a blossoming
“tulip tree” while his his wife, Karin
Hansen, looked on. “I think we can
meet some of the Police Bureau
interests and the community’s
interest.”
The meeting occurred at North
Portland Neighborhood Services
in Kenton and was attended by the
mayor, Police Chief Rosie Sizer,
Mike Salvo of the North Portland
Business Association, a half dozen
neighborhood leaders, and the
publisher of this newspaper.
“I finally feel like we’re on the
right path,” stated Doretta Schrock
of the Kenton Neighborhood
Association. Schrock has been an
outspoken opponent of changes at
North Precinct and led negotiations
with the mayor. “It remains to be
State gaffs on sale of
St. Johns Bridge
By Will Crow
The attempt by a West Texas town
to purchase the St. Johns Bridge
and turn it into a prairie tourist
attraction has hit a snag.
The $62.5 million deal between
the Oregon Department of
Transportation and the city of Floss,
Texas, apparently fell through late in
March when Floss City Manager Buck
Smalley discovered that he had in fact
agreed to purchase the southbound
half of the Interstate 5 bridge.
“They sold us the wrong bridge,”
Smalley said in an April 1 telephone
interview. “We wanted the pretty
one. No offense to whoever designed
that other one, but it’s butt-ugly.
Nobody’s going to drive across West
Texas to see that piece of junk.
“I don’t want to cast aspersions,
but it smells like a bait-and-switch
thing to me.”
State officials assured the Sentinel
they had no intention of selling the
St. Johns Bridge.
“Not for $62 million, anyway,” said
Eric Tenzo, assistant surplus facilities
manager for ODOT, ascribing the
mixup to “a clerical error.”
“He (Smalley) and his family drove
across (the St. Johns Bridge) six years
ago on vacation,” Tenzo said. “But
the purchase contract he faxed us
specified, ‘big ol’ bridge, metal one,
See Bridge / Page 22
VOLUME 7 ISSUE 4
seen how close we are.” She added
that on a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being full
agreement and 10 being complete
discord, she felt the meeting ended
at “3-1/4.”
At presstime the group had
agreed not to reveal the details
of the arrangement until Police
Chief Sizer had time to discuss
the proposal with her staff, the
mayor and to draw up a written
agreement.
However, the group stated that
the negotiations laid out a “Pilot
Program” that could last anywhere
from eight months to a year. During
See North Precinct / Page 24
NEIGHBORS ARE CLOSE TO A POLITICAL COMPROMISE THAT WILL HELP PRESERVE NORTH PORTLAND’S ‘UNIQUE RELATINSHIP’ TO
NORTH PRECINCT AND OFFICERS LIKE NAT STIMMEL. (PHOTO BY DAVE PLECHL SENTINEL ARCHIVES)
Racquet Center in play
Center officially becomes part of St. Johns’
redevelopment, some residents mistrust Parks Bureau
By Cornelius Swart and Christian Danielsen
Claiming “the time is right
for redevelopment downtown,”
Commissioner Dan Saltzman
said in a March interview that the
St. Johns Racquet Center would
officially become part of a largescale redevelopment in downtown
St. Johns.
The property sits adjacent to a lot
at 8729 N Lombard owned by the
Bureau of Environmental Services
(BES) and which is already slated
for redevelopment (see Diamond
Block, Sentinel August 2006).
For months it has been speculated
that the underused St. Johns
www.stjohnssentinel.com
Racquet Center could be coupled
with the BES lot. The Parks Bureau
had not been forthcoming about its
willingness to liquidate such a large
asset until now. An upswell of public
interest in redeveloping the site may
have pushed the Parks Bureau into
entering into the scheme.
Town elders worry that with a
business district surrounded by
what one city official claimed was
“the poorest census tract in the
city,” redevelopment is a necessary
step toward restoring the area to its
former status as a regional shopping
destination. However, a handful
of residents are fearful of losing a
public facility.
See Racquet / Page 23
503.287.3880
Page 2 • St. Johns Sentinel • April 2007
PUBLISHER’S PRELUDE
IF YOU HAVE TO EXPLAIN A JOKE…
Welcome to our most controversial issue
of the year: the funny issue. Not all funny
bones tickle the same way. SO BEWARE!
We at the Sentinel like our humor served
with salt and vinegar. We are bitter, bitter
people here and our humor has a sharp,
satirical bite. This being our April issue,
most of the humor is in the form of fake
news. So again, be warned. THERE ARE
FAKE ARTICLES IN THIS PAPER. They
are clearly labeled as “Satire,” “April Fools” or
“Just a joke,” but invariably people take them
seriously. We will have extra staff manning
the phones and additional lawyers on hand
to receive your angry calls.
Ironically, this issue has more real news
than most issues. We have an exclusive about
Parks Commissioner Dan Saltzman throwing
the St. Johns Racquet Center into the plans
to redevelop the district (page 1). Page 11 has
THE ST. JOHNS
SENTINEL
FOR INFORMATION, CALL
503-287-3880
PUBLISHED BY
SydHonda Media, LLC
MANAGING EDITOR
Cornelius Swart
NEWS EDITOR
Will Crow
ARTS & CALENDAR EDITOR
Laura Hutton
COPY EDITOR
Michele Elder
ASSISTANT EDITOR
Brett Olson
ART DIRECTOR
Theresa Rohrer
GRAPHIC DESIGN
Colleen Froehlich
Emily Blettel
CONTRIBUTORS
Nina Lary
Cliff Pfenning
Christopher J. Miller
Andrew R. Tony
Alissa Bohling
Roger Anthony
Vanessa Harless
Audrey Dilling
Tom Webb
Derrk Long
Vanessa Timmons
Christian Danielsen
Todd Anthony
Caitlin Moran
Laurent Bonczijk
Christen McCurdy
Jake Thomas
Elizabeth Fuller
Anya Hankin
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Jason Kaplan
Dave Sharp
Laurent Bonczijk
a follow-up on the Sauvie Island Measure 37
claims. Overlook neighbors strike a deal with
PGE on page 9 while Kenton will be getting
lots more new neighbors when a 98-unit
building goes up in their downtown (page
10). Then there is Cliff Pfenning’s expansive
piece on how Roosevelt’s recent high-profile
basketball team is but one boat in a rising
tide of RHS athletics (this page). Tom Webb
wraps up the Blazers’ year (page 4) and
Roger Anthony gives us an annotated history
of Portland’s less than proud moments in
city planning history (page 3). In short, this
month’s monthly would give any weekly a
run for its money.
TWO SIDES TO THE POLICE
Our story on State-Mandated Bedtime
and our cover story about efforts to keep
North Precinct intact as a command and
Shortly before the Roosevelt boys basketball
team played its first state playoff game in 22
years, principal Deborah Peterson heard
something amazing coming from outside her
office at the school. Singing.
Members of the team, prepping for their
home game against Crook County of Prineville,
were singing in the school’s main lobby.
“I heard some noise and poked my head
out to check into it, and there they were,
singing,” said Peterson, in her second year
with the school. “I couldn’t believe it, but
what a sight. What a moment.”
The Roughriders, before a raucous home
crowd, went on to beat Crook County and
march to the Class 5A state title game at
Eugene’s McArthur Court. Roosevelt lost in
the title game, but earned the school’s first
trophy since winning the state title 1949.
While the march to the title game surprised
virtually everyone at the Class 5A level and
much of the North Portland community, the
season didn’t surprise the Roosevelt players.
“I knew we had the talent, we just needed
to come together as a group to get where we
got to,” said senior guard Isaiah Johnson.
“I’m disappointed we didn’t win the title,
especially because we got to the title game.
“But, we had a great season, especially
when you think about how the school, how
the community got involved.”
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(12
RHS basketball is just the tip of the iceberg of athletic success: RHS football has reached the state playoffs
two years running and the team’s recruitment has gone up from 28 players to 86. PHOTO BY JULIE KEEFE (SENTINEL ARCHIVES)
The team’s season helped inspire a
community just waiting to show it’s support
for a long-suffering school marked by poverty
and low achievement.
Parents and businesses from throughout
North Portland, and Peterson said from other
areas of Portland, raised more than $8,000 to
help the team pay expenses in Eugene and
send students to games as well.
Danny Ard, who owns a Maytag appliance
store near the school, said the basketball
season showcased the change in both the
school and the surrounding community.
See Roughriders / Page 26
Patriot Act displaces childhood fears in favor of something really scary
THE ST. JOHNS SENTINEL
PER YEAR
Cornelius Swart
Publisher/Managing Editor
FBI agent found under bed
PO BOX 3316 • PORTLAND, OREGON 97208
WWW.STJOHNSSENTINEL.COM
[email protected]
$15.00
See you in the neighborhood,
By Cliff Pfenning
503-706-7190
15TH. ALL
I have no idea what that means…
Basketball just part of a wave lifting all boats at Roosevelt
Charlotte Johnson
AND ARE DUE BY THE
Like North Precinct, many stories we
cover evolve quickly. We try to provide
up to date coverage on our blog, so please
visit our website for the latest news: www.
stjohnssentinel.com. Our two staff blogs
have been consolidated into one and now
allow RSS feeds.
So that’s the sweet and the sour of it. If our
sense of humor doesn’t tickle you the right
way, don’t worry. In another 30 days we’ll
switch from being excruciatingly annoying
back to being only mildly abrasive. But
remember, just like bathroom tile cleaners,
a mild abrasive is what you need to get the
scum off.
Roughriders Rising Tide
FOR AD INFORMATION, CALL
ARE DUE BY THE
control center show two sides to cops and
community. On one hand, there is unease
in inner North/Northeast as assistant DA
Jim Hayden looks for a tool to fight the
increasingly violent “flash mobs” in the
area. But racial tensions and mistrust of
the bureau have led many to presume the
worst will come of the measures. On the
other side of the issue, our cover story shows
the great lengths the Peninsula has gone to
preserve its police precinct. North Portland
is a traditionally working-class community
that has long seen the police as an kindred
“working-class” arm of the city.
These stories emphasize the difference in
the cultures that surrond these two precincts.
The public in North Precinct simply trust
the force more than the public in Northeast.
When trust ties cops and community it can
make all the difference in the world. Perhaps
that’s the best arguements there is for
community policing.
ISSUES). NONE OF THE
CONTENTS MAY BE REPRODUCED IN WHOLE OR IN
PART WITHOUT THE CONSENT OF THE PUBLISHER.
By Christopher J. Miller
In yet a direct consequence of the USA
Patriot Act, an agent of the Federal Bureau
of Investigation was found hiding under the
bed of 9-year-old University Park resident
Catherine Serling early April 1.
The agent, identified as Special Agent Carl
Commecki, explained he’d been assigned to
hide beneath the girl’s twin bed in hopes
of uncovering “a terrorist plot and/or
mischief ”.
According to her parents, Catherine was
awakened just after 3 a.m., first by the smell
of soup, then by a scuffing noise under
her bed. Commecki said he was shifting
from his prone surveillance position and
relaxing during his lunch hour when the
girl began screaming.
“The union says I get to take 45 minutes for
lunch,” Commecki admitted.
Catherine’s father, Allen Serling, was
awakened by his daughter’s wailing and rushed
See Monster / Page 21
Page 2 • St. Johns Sentinel • April 2007
April 2007 • St. Johns Sentinel • Page 3
LETTERS
Dear Editor,
Regarding your article on page one
regarding Sauvie Island Sprawl, I get so sick
and tired of the media not verifying facts.
Frevach Land Co. (Fred’s Marina) is not on
Sauvie Island AT ALL. There is no relationship
to Sauvie Island land whatsoever.
Fred’s Marina is a family business that has
been located in that same spot since 1948. It
is at the head of Multnomah Channel on the
mainland side, just one mile west of Linnton.
It is NOT a part of Sauvie Island.
Since you put this WRONG information
on your front page, I expect a complete
retraction AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
Again, I will make sure many people know
your irresponsible reporting and hopefully
it will hit you where it counts, in your
advertising dollars.
Cherie Sprando, GRI Broker
Windermere CCRGI
Portland Heights Branch Office
[Publisher’s Note: We dispute that
the claim that the development directly
adjacent to the island constitutes ‘no
relationship’. However the location of the
property could have been more clearly
stated. Clarification on page 20.]
•
• •
Dear Editor,
We live in North Portland, not NoPo. NoPo
is a vulgar term, like Frisco. A little more
respect for our neighborhood would be nice.
Dear Editor,
Our whole community is so very proud
of Roosevelt. What happened to them in
Eugene is unacceptable. Congratulations to
them for showing the whole state what true
character is!
Hugh J. Gray
Big City Produce
•
•
•
Dear Editor,
Your reporter got the Freightliner story
right, but it’s important to note that some
3,000 Freightliner employees remain on the
job at its North American headquarters.
Remember, Adidas America, another NA HQ,
does not produce one shoe on N. Greeley, but
its impact on North Portland has been huge.
Lenny Anderson
Project Manager, Swan Island TMA
•
•
•
Dear Editor,
PLEASE drop the “No Po.” I know
someone thinks it sounds like “Soho” and
Noho” in NYC.
Kenton, North Portland and St. Johns are
old established neighborhoods. No one from
Portland would EVER use “No Po,” in fact we
find it vulgar and demeaning.
Farralee Fuller
Broker, Century 21 Peninsula
Dear Editor,
While visiting Portland, I was disappointed
to observe the high level of anti-affordablehousing sentiment that has some North
Portland residents disturbed.
Are the poor less entitled to a safe, clean
living environment because we earn less
money than people who married “well” or
are employed in the higher income brackets?
Everyone in this country deserves an
affordable place to call home.
Sincerely,
Kezia D. Willingham, MSW
Seattle, Washington
•
•
•
Inconvenient Truths
and Unforeseen
Consequences
By Roger Anthony
For those of you who haven’t bothered
reading the Mission Statement over there
on Page 2, The St. Johns Sentinel exists to
“promote excellence in non-fiction, print and
photojournalism in the service of community.”
Therefore, in our last issue Sentinel writer Nina
Lary graciously welcomed the staff of Bitch
Magazine to North Portland after 11 years of
spicy alt-journalism in San Francisco.
Good reporter that she is, in her story Nina
asked all the questions. But it dawned on
me that as newcomers to NoPo, the Bitch
staff might have some questions of their own
about their new surroundings.
So in the spirit of hospitality, I thought I’d
offer them a crash course on Recent Portland
History. Once we’ve brought you up to speed,
A. Lambert
perhaps you’ll understand why quite a few
Letters are edited for space. All letters are longtime Portlanders think the title of your
available in their entirety on the website, magazine is actually a verb.
Dear Editor,
I’m responding to your article “Water
Squatters.”
Although it appears you spent plenty of
time on this piece, there is much more to it
than this.
Portland police officers forced the man to
close his marina. Why? Because Mr. Burris
had the gall to rent slips to persons with
prior drug convictions. Interestingly, no
meth lab was ever found, in fact, very few
arrests, unrelated to the idea of “floating
drug crimes,” actually happened.
While your story may be essentially true, it
is not even close to the entire truth.
stjohnssentinel.com.
Curtis E. Bryant
Third bridge goes nowhere
Local activist wants bridge, gets brush-off
By Christian Danielsen
As state and regional officials move forward
with the massive task of upgrading Interstate
5 between Oregon and Washington, some St.
Johns residents are pushing for a solution they
say would ease congestion and bring much
needed development to North Portland.
Local real estate agent Sharon Nasset is a
vocal activist in the Economic Transportation
Alliance, a citizen’s lobbying group which
advocates for the construction of a third bridge
between Vancouver and North Portland.
Nasset has rallied citizens on both sides of the
river to pressure the Columbia River Crossing
task force, a 39-member panel of Oregon and
Washington officials charged with evaluating
different proposals for fixing I-5 since 2005.
The ETA recently scored a victory when the
CRC voted to form a subcommittee to further
study a third-bridge option. Until now,
the task force staff has only recommended
proposals that would replace the I-5 bridges,
a plan the ETA says is unnecessary and a
wasted opportunity.
Arguing that the I-5 corridor has reached its
physical capacity, ETA members say the only
way to ease increasing congestion is to add
an alternative route into the regional highway
system. According to Nasset and her supporters,
replacing the existing bridges would do nothing
to solve bottlenecks in the I-5 corridor, and
previous studies suggest the I-5 bridges are in
surprisingly good condition.
The ETA’s proposed alternative, what
they call a “Bi-State Industrial Corridor,”
would construct a triple-decker bridge next
to the railroad bridge on Hayden Island
that would carry freight, rail, cars, bicycles,
and pedestrians. An additional bridge over
the Willamette River – noted in official
transportation reports as essential to easing
St. Johns’ chronic freight congestion – is also
included in the plan.
Nasset doesn’t hesitate to say the ETA
plan could be costly, but believes it could
be creatively financed through ideas like
1,104 Words:
Nasset’s vision of a series of bridges spanning the Peninsula from Hwy. 30 to Hayden Island to Vancouver would
relieve traffic pressures on the St. Johns Bridge and foster industrial and port development. But the plan is unlikely
to improve conditions on I-5. Don’t give up now. How about a series of private truck-only toll bridges?
private industry bonds, a gas tax, and
auctioning pieces of the bridge off on eBay.
More importantly, she says, a 21st century
transportation corridor in the area would
attract much needed investment and jobs to
North Portland’s industrial zones and bring
in tax revenue.
Rex
Burkholder,
Metro’s
CRC
representative and co-chair of the third
bridge subcommittee, said a proposal similar
to the ETA’s was considered closely during
the CRC’s initial studies, but they ultimately
determined through computer modeling
that placement of a new bridge near the rail
bridge would only divert about five percent
of existing traffic off of Interstate-5.
“It just isn’t a high-demand corridor,”
said Burkholder. The subcommittee’s thirdbridge option recommends building a new
4-lane bridge that would serve southbound
I-5 traffic next to the existing I-5 bridges,
which would both be used for Northbound
traffic. A high-capacity transit option,
either light rail or express bus service,
would also be included on the new bridge.
While Burkholder said he understands the
need to address the long-standing issue of
excessive freight movement through St. Johns,
the CRC’s mission is to focus on upgrading I-
***
Q. What’s up with that little arena next to
the big Rose Garden arena?
In the three-ring circus of controversy,
acrimony and chaos that Trail Blazer
owner Paul Allen has created with his
(mis)management of the Rose Garden, little
old Memorial Coliseum has been relegated to
the wrecking ball of memory.
The Coliseum opened in 1960, and for
the next 35 years it was pretty much the
entertainment center of Portland. Known
back then as the “Glass Palace,” it was long a
point of civic pride. Built with public funds
raised through a bond measure, the Coliseum
had been owned and operated by various
layers of local government.
The Blazers outgrew it after winning
the NBA title in 1977, but didn’t get their
own building opened until 1995. As part
of the deal for the new arena, management
of the Coliseum was turned over to the
Blazer organization with the city retaining
ownership.
The unforeseen consequence:
With
maintenance spending on the Coliseum
seems to have been capped at $14 per month.
You can’t blame the parties for not putting a
lot of money into a building they didn’t want
and almost everyone has a plan to replace.
On the other hand, people attending events
there do have the right to expect heat and,
perhaps, at least one restroom per gender in
which all the plumbing works.
At the end of their season, the Portland
Winter Hawks, now the building’s primary
tenant, produced a letter from the Western
Hockey League declaring the Coliseum below
its standards.
Roll that one over for a minute: Portland,
lifestyle Mecca, can’t keep pace with the likes
of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan.
5 over the Columbia. By upgrading the river
crossing with increased capacity and a highcapacity transit option, the task force hopes
to relieve congestion for the many travelers
who simply need to get over the Columbia
and then off of the I-5 corridor.
Nasset and other citizens pushing for
alternatives to official proposals have cried
foul lately over the CRC’s public involvement
process, a concern that Burkholder disputes but
that other government officials have noted in
recent meetings. While she continues to collect
signatures, attend meetings and organize for a
third bridge, Nasset remains frustrated with
what she sees as a lack of willpower among
***
elected officials to think big.
Q. How come you only see all those cranes
“You have to decide what you need and
then you find a way to do it,” she says. “This and construction stuff over on the west side
bridge is what we need and come hell or high of the river?
Once upon a time, way back in the early
water we should do what it takes to get it.”
21st century, there was talk about a brave and
Staff from the Columbia River Crossing ambitious plan to create a fresh new Inner
will make a presentation to the St. Johns East Side for Portland. The big step, the
Neighborhood Association meeting on April 9, crucial first domino to fall, was to have been
from 7 to 8:30 p.m., at the St. Johns Community the relocation of the I-5 segment that runs
Center. More information can be found at www. along the east bank of the Willamette River
from the Marquam to the Fremont bridges.
columbiarivercrossing.org.
See 1,104 Words / Page 26
April 2007 • St. Johns Sentinel • Page 3
Page 4 • St. Johns Sentinel • April 2007
Godspeed, little budget
Proposal would double funds for NoPo community grants
By Andrew R Tonry
CORNELIUS SWART
Blazer Beat
The year that was
By Tom Webb
“WHAT’S IT LIKE BEING FAMOUS?”
That was the first quote I got as the sports
columnist for the Sentinel back in November.
And it wasn’t even directed at me but to Ime
Udoka as I stood on the sidelines during the
pre-game shoot-around with Udoka cornered
near the tunnel to the locker-room. Portland’s
biggest star, Zach Randolph, was passing
by and must have thought I was a national
reporter getting the scoop on the hometown
hero’s rise to the Portland starting lineup.
Ime just nodded to Zach as if recognizing the
irony of Randolph’s comment: If Udoka was
the biggest story of the Blazer’s young season,
something wasn’t going as well as it should
for the Trail Blazers. Indeed, the young team
started 13 and 18 and has hovered around
.400 ball for most of the season.
In a positive way, though, the national
storyline on the Blazers has shifted from the
improbable Udoka to the unquestionable best
draft of the league this year by the Blazers
and perhaps the team’s best draft of all time.
LeMarcus Aldridge and Brandon Roy should
finish first and second in this year’s Rookie of the
Year voting, moving them ahead of Randolph
as the team’s most celebrated players.
Hope used to spring eternal for Blazer fans
with the beginning of each new season. That
refreshing optimism has obviously faded of
recent years, and not just because of the “Jail
Blazers” image, poor management decisions or
rotating coaching staffs. The talent just wasn’t
there. Now that that’s changed, expectations
do as well. The Blazers must make the
playoffs next year to meet any sort of realistic
development goals.
In his soon to be released collection of essays
on the Blazers’ only championship season, the
wonderful “Red Hot and Rollin,” editor Matt
Love compares the Blazers of this era to that of
yesteryear: “It doesn’t interest me in the least to
speculate in any detail here about the fate of the
Blazers, whether Paul Allen sells them or not,
whether they win or lose, debase themselves any
further, or even remain in the city. What does
interest me is remembering that magical year,
how that team competed, how they brought
the state together, and how their unselfish
means of accomplishment came across so
quintessentially Oregon in an era when Oregon
established a name for itself as one of the most
progressive places on Earth.”
Here I must respectfully disagree with my
friend Mr. Love. What matters now is what’s
next for the state’s only major league sports
franchise. And to recapture that championship
spirit is not only about winning but about
connecting the team to the city, state and
region. To that end, I encourage all Sentinel
readers to take the next few months to consider
how the Blazers can be more involved with
this area of town. Come the preseason, invite
them to your restaurants and events, add
them to your email list-serves, splatter their
website with blogs about getting the players
out of the Rose Quarter and onto the streets
of Portland.
I, for one, want to see them win on and off
the court. Portland deserves at least that. It’s
been way too long.
30
A proposed city budget for next fiscal year
would approximately double the amount of
money directed to the Office of Neighborhood
Involvement. For North Portland residents,
this means funding available for community
project grants would jump from $20,000 to
$40,000 per year, as well as adding a second
full-time crime prevention staff member
(see “Peninsula gets 2nd McGruff?” March
Sentinel, p. 4). In years past, ONI grants have
helped fund operations such as the North
Portland Tool Library and the Interstate
Farmers Market.
And although the proposed increase
has made it to Phase II of the city’s budget
meetings, it is still far from approved.
“I’m cautiously hopeful,” says Doretta
Schrock, who co-chaired the ONI budget
group. “I’m excited, but you never know
what the City Council is going to do.”
A team led by council members Sam
Adams and Randy Leonard will evaluate the
proposal and make recommendations to
Mayor Tom Potter by the last week in March.
Potter will release a final budget by April 17,
which the council will then vote on.
“We’re really happy to be this far along,”
says Tom Griffin-Valade, director of North
Portland Neighborhood Services. GriffinValade’s office is responsible for evaluating
and awarding ONI grant money in North
Portland. “One of the reasons this has been
a fairly successful venture so far is because the
Office of Neighborhood Involvement Director
Amalia Alarcon did a terrific job of pulling
together citizens to make up the budget.”
Griffin-Valade believes that the mayor has
been more receptive to the budget increase
because a group of citizens assembled the
proposal. Schrock, who also chairs the Kenton
Neighborhood Association, was happy to
accept the challenge.
“ONI has been starved,” explained Schrock.
“In North Portland we got four or five times
the amount in requests (for grants money)
than we actually had last year.”
The proposed increase would also be a
substantial aid to crime prevention efforts
in the area.
“Although crime has been going down, North
Portland is known as a place where community
policing really works,” explains Griffin-Valade.
“We have a situation where we’re able to really
build on that; but basically, one staff person has
not really been able to do that.
“We’re hoping with a second person we’ll
be able to be less reactive and able to do more
of the community organizing aspect of crime
prevention — which is putting together block
watches, foot patrols, and things like that.”
As the proposal moves through the
different stages of the city budget process,
both Griffin-Valade and Schrock agree that
citizen support can help assure its adoption.
Both suggest writing or calling Mayor Potter’s
office and showing support by attending
future budget meetings.
“I’m excited that this could mean more
people will have the resources to do what they
need to do,” says Griffin-Valade. “It means
building community in North Portland.”
30
State-mandated
bedtime
Teens, parents face cop crackdown on curfew
By Alissa Bohling
Mardi Gras revelers may recall packs
of bike cops rolling 20 or 30 deep through
the streets of downtown last spring on a
mission to nab curfew violators. This year,
the Portland Police Bureau has stepped up its
bedtime patrol another notch.
On March 26, the PPB made an unusual
move when it began a pilot program in
Northeast and downtown Portland to enforce
ORS 163.577, which cites parents and legal
guardians for “failing to supervise child.” If
a person 14 years of age or younger is picked
up after curfew, the parent can be held
responsible and required to appear in circuit
court, were they may face a $1,000 fine.
Judges may also refer parents to a familystrengthening program run by Gang
Resistance Education and Training, “GREAT
Families.”
The curfew pilot’s originators say
Northeast and downtown were chosen
because those areas have been hot spots
for large gatherings of youth. “From the
perspective of police, it had become a
dangerous problem,” said Deputy District
Attorney Jim Hayden. Hayden said the
groups have erupted into fights, fired
gunshots, and damaged property.
There are questions as to whether a strictly
enforced curfew is the best way to combat
problems with youth.
The decision to focus the pilot program in
Northeast Portland, which is more heavily
African American than other parts of
Portland, raises a discrimination question
prominent in discussion around curfew laws.
An American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
report states that “studies have consistently
found that curfew laws are disproportionately
enforced in minority communities.”
Proponents of the curfew skirted questions
on the potential racial implications of the
program. “It doesn’t matter whether they’re
white or black or green or purple, we’re trying
to help families that need help,” said Hayden.
Northeast Precinct Cmdr. Brett Smith said, “I
don’t know what the statistics are,” concerning
race discrimination in curfew enforcement.
Smith added that many of the youth he has
picked up for curfew downtown, where the
program will also run, have been white.
The Rev. Dr. LeRoy Haynes, vice president
of the Albina Ministerial Alliance, which
has been an instrumental voice for African
Page 4 • St. Johns Sentinel • April 2007
Regena Williams of Northwest Country Community Outreach (right) encourages local teens to stay out of
trouble. Williams claims many children targeted by new curfew enforcement measures are simply bored.
PHOTO BY JASON KAPLAN
Americans in Portland around issues
including police brutality, said, “I think the
police presence is very critically important to
keep our peace on the street.” At the same
time, he added, “we have to be conscious
of not violating the civil liberties and
constitutional rights of individuals.”
Doubts extend to whether curfews, racist
or not, prevent youth crime in the first place.
According to the same ACLU report, “most
juvenile crimes are committed right after
school, between 3 and 6 p.m.”
The report also states that there is no
evidence showing curfews lower youth crime.
It goes on to cite Detroit and New Orleans,
where youth crime increased after curfew
laws were introduced.
Curfew hours vary by youths’ age and the
day of the week from between 9:15 p.m. and
midnight, but PPB’s Smith said “most of
the shooting-related activity would be more
in the late afternoon and evening hours
between 4 p.m. and 4 a.m.” In other words,
the “enhanced enforcement” that police claim
curfew missions provide lags for five to eight
hours in the earlier evening.
ACLU Oregon’s Executive Director
David Fidanque offered his perspective on
enforcing the state’s parental responsibility
statute. “We really don’t have a huge problem
with that law except that it relies on curfew,”
said Fidanque. “The problem is that the
curfew law gives police virtually unbridled
discretion to single kids out for enforcement
when they haven’t done anything wrong.
… You’re increasing cynicism toward law
enforcement, turning potential allies against
crime into people who will no longer trust
the police,” he said.
It may be easier for young people to
skip school than to stay out past their
state-mandated bedtime. For a variety of
reasons, “today there’s not an emphasis on
enforcement for truancy,” said Smith.
Officers stopping young people after
curfew will use their discretion when deciding
whether to cite. Smith notes exceptions for
concerts, sporting events or other organized
gatherings. “If we know an event got out and
they were there, we’re probably going to look
at that and be pretty soft,” said Smith.
The same goes for determining whether to
cite and fine parents. Hayden said parents
will be cited “unless the officer determines
that the parent took reasonable steps to
prevent” their child from breaking curfew.
North Precinct Lt. Eric Brown said that the
$1,000 fine would likely be imposed only “if
See Curfew / Page 25
April 2007 • St. Johns Sentinel • Page 5
Police cars, PDOT
trucks and emergency
vehicles might soon have
to conform to designs
like this X-Treme Street
Ambulance Mark VII, if
the city of Portland gets
its way and coverts all
their fleet over to fixedgear bike standards.
You can relax ...
knowing I won’t!
Lean on Me....
Leonard: ‘Fixies for all!’
Commissioner declares Portland a
single-gear kind of town
By Will Crow
Portland City Commissioner Randy
Leonard, in a breathtaking display of
environmental leadership, has taken the city
a step beyond biodiesel.
In a statement released April 1 by Leonard’s
assistant manager of environmental
affairs, Attila T. Hunsacre, the greenest city
councilman announced that all employees
of his bureaus (Development Services,
Hydroelectric Power and the Water Bureau)
will no longer be provided with motorized
vehicles of any kind in the course of their
duties. Instead, Hunsacre said, Leonard’s
employees will perform their duties on
single-gear bicycles, known as “fixies” in the
cycling community.
“Biodiesel is so 2006,” Hunsacre said in
an exclusive interview. “The commissioner
is taking a leadership position for the
21st century.”
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Hunsacre added that Leonard plans to
submit legislation to the Council mandating
“fixies” for all Portland residents by 2012.
“If you can’t handle one gear, you shouldn’t
live in Portland,” Hunsacre said. “If you have
to drive, move to California. They love their
cars down there.”
“Fixies” are controversial for their need
for additional skill and strength on the part
of the rider. Some single-gear riders don’t
equip their bicycles with any mechanical
brakes, relying on their leg strength to stop
their forward motion. Hunsacre said braking
equipment would be left “to the discretion of
the worker.”
“That’s a gray area,” Hunsacre said. “If
their leg muscles are, shall we say, wimpy,
we’ll certainly pay for some gym time to
build them up?”
APRIL FOOLS
Peninsula cleans up
Take your junk to annual North Portland event April 21
The daylong North Portland Cleanup
scheduled for April 21 this year will present
more opportunities than ever to rid your
closets, sheds and backyards of dead weight.
This year, drop-off sites will accept
computers, televisions, fax machines,
telephones and any other electronic device
with a cord. Volunteers at the sites will charge
fees for those items. Sites will continue to
accept yard debris, scrap metal, tires, reusable
clothing and other household items (for
the ARC), plastic nursery pots, recyclable
building materials (for the ReBuilding
Center), and plain old household junk.
Sites will not accept garbage, dirt, rocks,
food, hazardous waste, concrete or bricks.
Fees are $10 for a standard car trunkload,
$20 and up for a standard pickup truckload.
Fees for tires are $3 off rim, $4 on rim. The
service is only for residents of North Portland;
commercial landscapers or other contractors
will be turned away.
Here are some featured drop-off sites and
neighborhood events, most of which at this
writing still need volunteers:
- The main location, the mid-Peninsula
drop-off site, will be open from 10 a.m. to 3
p.m. at University Park Baptist Church, 4340
N Lombard.
- In East Columbia the drop site will be
open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Minit
Mart parking lot, Northeast Sixth Avenue
and Marine Drive.
- In Overlook, the Beach Elementary
School spring cleanup will be held from
9 a.m. to noon. The school is at 1710 N
Humboldt St. Bring your own gloves and
garden implements.
- Litter pickup at the Columbia Children’s
Arboretum, 10040 NE Sixth Ave., will run
from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Removal of litter, invasive plants and
graffiti will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
at the Peninsula Crossing North Lombard
trailhead west of Macrum. This is a rain-orshine event, so dress appropriately and bring
your own tools.
- Home pickups are available for disabled
residents or those with oversized items.
These events are sponsored by METRO,
Peninsula Clean Team, North Portland
Neighborhood Services, and the North Portland
Trust Fund. Contact: Mary Jaron Kelley at
NPNS, (503) 823-4099.
North Portland
A PRETTY GOOD TRICK
Night of Magic raises record take for Chief Joseph Elementary
“Night of Magic,” the fourth annual
fundraiser for Chief Joseph Elementary
School held March 9 at the North Star
Ballroom, brought a record return for the
school, according to Chris Duffy, Arbor
Lodge Neighborhood Association’s chair
and a Chief Joseph booster.
“It jumped from a (previous) high of
$12,000 to $19,000 this year,” Duffy said in
mid-March. “It was a great turnout.” She
said about 200 people attended.
The Arbor Lodge Neighborhood
Association and Mock Crest Tavern owner/
auctioneer Jon Batcheller have been among
the event’s longtime supporters.
Night of Magic has helped fund classes
in puppeteering, dance, circus, pottery and
painting, and also offset the cost of new play
equipment, installed last month by a crew
of about 75 neighborhood volunteers.
30
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April 2007 • St. Johns Sentinel • Page 5
Page 6 • St. Johns Sentinel • April 2007
Diagnosis: burned out
Neighborhood activists pushed to the limits
By Andrew R. Tonry
No one ever said that working for a
neighborhood association would be a walk in
the park. The hours can be long, and the pay
is non-existent. Victories often go unheralded
while failures become unsightly landmarks.
Such is life in the neighborhood association.
It’s a tough job. Some endure the stresses;
some, after it all becomes too much, throw
up their hands in exasperation.
“I got burned out,” said Chris Brown,
former Boise Neighborhood Association
chair, who stopped in to see how things were
going at a recent BNA meeting. It was the first
time he’d set foot inside a general meeting in
over two years.
“I needed a break,” Brown explained. “It
got to be too much.”
Boise is perhaps the perfect example
of a neighborhood association pushed to
the limits.
Encapsulating North Mississippi Street, one
of the fastest developing areas in Portland,
the Boise meetings are the intersection of
many divergent views.
There, heads butt on issues of development,
rising costs of living, crime and more. It’s
up to the neighborhood association to try
and create a consensus. Even when they
can, however, there’s a catch: they have no
legislative power.
So if a developer has the go-ahead from the
city for a project a neighborhood association
opposes, there is little they can do to stop
it. Letters can be sent, protests organized,
boycotts arranged, and legislators lobbied,
but in the end, the neighborhood association
is, in essence, a mouthpiece for its residents.
Sometimes that voice falls on deaf ears.
Such was the experience of Justin Arnhalt,
who co-chaired the Boise board in 200506. Arnhalt said he never sought the chair
position, but when no one else would run, and
since he had the extra time, he stepped up. In
the end Arnhalt became disillusioned with the
lack of influence the association wielded.
“It was so stressful,” Arnhalt said of his
time on the board. “I would rather watch
paint dry than be a part of that again.
The neighborhood association is kind of
powerless in a lot of ways, and a small group
of citizens can be just as strong or stronger.”
It’s these sorts of feelings that can lead
to “burnout.”
“One risk factor for burnout is lack of
control,” explained University of Portland
assistant psychology professor Andrew M.
Guest. “It may be that people start to feel like
the work is futile, or moves so slowly that it
becomes a psychological burden.
“Also, in career settings it is often the most
enthusiastic people who are most prone to
burnout — because they prioritize their
tasks above themselves and fail to maintain
boundaries or balance.”
And though many participants in
neighborhood associations would not agree
that the groups are powerless, they do agree
that it requires a significant commitment.
“The amount of work and the amount of
diligence that it takes to accomplish goals in
neighborhood activism is a lot,” explained
Erik Palmer, land use chair of the Cathedral
Park Neighborhood Association.
See Burned Out / Page 24
Graffiti cleanup event looking for volunteers
By Christian Danielsen & Will Crow
Portland’s Graffiti Abatement program
is hosting a graffiti cleanup day June 16 in
North Portland. The event was postponed
from March.
Crews from the local Youth Employment
Institute are working with neighborhood
volunteers to patch up city neighborhoods
with persistent graffiti problems. In its
second year, the series of four-hour Saturday
neighborhood cleanups will focus on graffiti
that might get left behind in the office’s
ongoing anti-graffiti efforts.
“We’ll be working on private properties
and things like fences and mailboxes,” said
program coordinator Marcia Dennis. “We
want to work on areas that don’t get cleaned
up as often.”
In order to maximize the cleanup’s effect,
Dennis encouraged residents to notify the
office of any longstanding graffiti in their area
and to consider volunteering themselves.
The Arbor Lodge Neighborhood Association
is the neighborhood of record for the North
Portland cleanup, but other neighborhoods
are encouraged to participate.
“Each neighborhood that participates
needs to have about nine or 10 volunteers to
be effective,” Chris Duffy, ALNA chair, said
in mid-March. “With that many people, we
could cover a lot of ground.”
In order to speed response time to
graffiti in the future, Dennis and area crime
prevention coordinator Havilah Ferschweiler
both hope to see the cleanups made into
standing neighborhood events, organized
by residents with work materials supplied
by the city. Quick removal of graffiti is an
effective deterrent for future vandalism, as is
documenting vandalism with photographs,
said Dennis.
“Getting photos helps us build a database so
we can charge people when they get arrested.”
At press time, Ferschweiler was still
waiting for a North Portland neighborhood
association to step forward and help
organize the event.
Beyond the cleanup events, residents can
take year-round advantage of free graffiti
removal kits available at the Kenton fire
station and eight others throughout the city.
While residents are encouraged to fix graffiti
problems on their own, private properties
should not be touched without permission,
and there are guidelines to prevent damage
to public property. Solvents should never
be applied to the front of city signs, for
example.
To volunteer for the June 16 event, residents
must fill out a volunteer application and
agreement, available on the city’s website.
For volunteer forms and more information, visit
the link to the Graffiti Abatement program’s
webpage via www.stjohnssentinel.com or call
Marcia Dennis at (503) 823-5860.
How ‘bout that smile?
Dr. Michael Biermann loves teeth, providing care to the
community, and his new partner — his son
By Christopher J. Miller
North Portland local Michael Biermann,
60, loves both Portland and a good smile —
often finding they go hand in hand. With over
30 years’ experience, Dr. Biermann has long
been a master in the field of orthodontics, and
a staple in the community. He first practiced
at St. Johns Dental Arts, just kitty-corner
from the St. Johns Cafe in the 1970s, and
then moved to his recent location on North
Lombard, University Park Dental Offices, in
December of 1984.
Dr. Biermann was educated at Roosevelt
High School, Portland State University and
attended the University of Oregon’s School
of Medicine prior to as well as after it became
Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU).
He then spent two years as a dentist at an
Army helicopter training base stationed in
Alabama, providing dental services for both
military and civilians.
But it wasn’t just the military dentistry
experience that Dr. Biermann obtained in
Alabama. He was also blessed with a son:
Matthew Biermann, now 34, who shares his
father’s University Park office on Mondays
and operates his own practice the rest of the
week on Northwest 185th Ave.
Page 6 • St. Johns Sentinel • April 2007
“Most orthodontists’ work now is elective,
whereas before we were simply filling holes,”
the elder Dr. Biermann states. And it’s true —
most people do choose to have work done to
alter their appearance, a trend he says began
rapidly growing in the 1980s, but there are
still those who need an orthodontist. He says
about 50 percent of his clientele are those
who need the work done but are unable to
financially afford it. “There’s no reason the
kids should have to suffer. I love helping them
and being able to take their braces off, or talk
with them while they’re in my chair. I think it
makes a huge impact on their lives.”
And Matthew Biermann agrees. “We can
change the color, shape, even put teeth in
places where there weren’t any. I think there
can be great rewards in this business.”
Both father and son have a vast love for
Portland, and have purposely stayed in
the area because of it. Michael Biermann
explains, “It feels like home here. I had a
fantastic childhood. I used to play in the river
and down at Mocks Bottom — that was a
lake. It’s a great community, and a great place
to grow up.”
ADVERTISER SPOTLIGHT
Nice choppers, now spit. Matthew Biermann and
his father, Michael, have 30 years of dental experience
between them in North Portland.
PHOTO BY BRETT OLSON
April 2007 • St. Johns Sentinel • Page 7
‘I’m on the damn train’
Haiku contest
celebrates
MAX Yellow
Line, for better
or worse
By Robert W. Dolby III, The Sentinel’s Literary Editor
Rarely does the opportunity fall to one
whose career is in Letters (and Words, to boot,
and sometimes Sentences) to bring one’s
highly refined skills to a task that qualifies as
Public Service. Mostly, as Henry James said,
we work in the dark, we do what we can —
and the rest is the madness of art.
It was with humble gratitude, therefore,
that I accepted the unpaid but prestigious
responsibility of judging TriMet’s first-ever
Yellow Line Haiku Contest, co-sponsored by
the Sentinel. And it is with quiet pride that
I now unveil the cream of North Portland
poetasters — the five outstanding entries
from a remarkably high-quality field of
seven submissions.
The idea of the contest, an extension
of the “Poetry in Motion” program, was
to celebrate the benefits and blessings the
Yellow Line has brought to the Peninsula.
Sharon Nacker, 38, came closest to the spirit
of the thing with her “Ode to Max,” my
second honorable mention:
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A simple, effective cri de coeur. First
honorable mention, however, went to Stan
Fielding, 67, for his evocative snapshot
entitled, “No. 75 to St. Johns”:
He calls Lombard stops:
“Peninsula Kroger’s.” Ha! –
No one laughs but me.
My third-place selection swaps Fielding’s
hint of pathos for incisive, iterative
observation. “Cell Phone,” by Agnes de Falla,
age known only to her:
“Hi. I’m on the train.
I’m on the train. On the train.
I’m on the damn train.”
Mitch Burkette-Daniels, 49, won the
second spot with a powerful slice-of-life he
calls, simply, “Fear”:
Two teen boys, swearing,
Flash gang signs over my head –
Let me off this train!
How to select a winner? After many hours of
meditation and prayer, it became clear to me
that an entry by a previously unknown writer
who signs himself “Ol’ George” could not be
denied the blue ribbon for his challenging,
provocative bit of devil’s advocacy entitled,
“Hey, Vera, Stuff Your Train”:
I don’t like your train.
Never rode it. Never will.
I hate buses, too.
As “Ol’ George” neglected to include a
return address, he should contact me in care
of the Sentinel to claim his prize: a book of 10
two-zone TriMet tickets, a Sentinel bumper
sticker, an unclaimed tuna fish sandwich
that’s been sitting around the Sentinel’s
office kitchenette for the past month and an
Interstate MAX ‘We do it, until 2am’ T-shirt.
Robert W. Dolby III is a college chum and
occasional colleague of the Sentinel’s news editor,
Will Crow.
JUST A JOKE
April 2007 • St. Johns Sentinel • Page 7
Page 8 • St. Johns Sentinel • April 2007
CATHEDRAL PARK . RIVERGATE
ST. JOHNS
McMenamins transforms
North Precinct amid staffing flap
SINCE 1989
PENINSULA
STATION
By Will Crow
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SAT: 10 am - 2 pm
PORTLAND VILLAGE
SCHOOL
COMING TO NORTH
PORTLAND
The Portland Village School is a new,
tuition-free, charter school that will open
in September 2007 in the Kenton
neighborhood. We offer a holistic,
arts-integrated educational alternative for
your child. Our core academic material
is enlivened by music and singing, story
telling, art, drama, life skills, and
handwork. We offer Spanish
starting in Kindergarten. Opening with
grades K-4, we will add a grade each year
up to eighth grade.
We invite you to find out more about
our school at the following
information session:
Saturday, April 28th
The Kenton Firehouse
8105 N. Brandon Avenue
2:00 - 3:30 pm
Web Site: www.portlandvillageschool.org
Phone: (503) 490-7362
E-mail: [email protected]
School Address: 7654 N. Delaware Ave.
(currently home to De La Salle North
Catholic High School)
Mailing Address:
Portland Village School
4110 SE Hawthorne PMB 500
Portland, OR 97214
From its grand opening celebration on
April 1, McMenamins’ new North Portland
venture has been embroiled in concern
and controversy.
The newly remodeled North Precinct, now
officially “McMenamins Precinct Pub,” is
co-managed by the Portland Police Bureau
and the pub chain, creating what Assistant
Police Chief Heather Connolly called “the
first fully functioning police precinct east
of Chicago to have its own bar.” The menu
includes the usual McMenamins fare, with
free home delivery available by a real Portland
police officer (lights and sirens cost an
additional $5).
“This is a new frontier for community
policing,” Connolly said at the festive
ceremonies on April 1, during which
Mayor Tom Potter drew the first pint of
Terminator Stout, North Precinct officers
and supervisors tried out their new roles as
kitchen help, and Police Chief Rosie Sizer
stayed until closing time.
“Yes, the chief closed the Precinct,”
Connolly confirmed later.
By closing time, however, Connolly and
Hector Vasiliyev, McMenamins’ director of
public-private partnerships, were huddled
in the former commander’s office and trying
to decline comment on reports that Precinct
staffing faced a radical reshuffle.
At issue was the number of dishwashers
available at the Precinct, Chapel Pub,
White Eagle Saloon and St. Johns Theater
& Pub, North Portland’s other
operational
McMenamins’
institutions. Data released by
McMenamins showed North
Portland outlets used 10 to 11
percent of the chain’s silverware
per year yet employed about the
same number of dishwashers
as its East Portland locations,
which accounted for 30 percent
of calls for silverware.
Under plans released by
Connolly and Vasiliyev early
April 2, McMenamins would
transfer seven dishwashers
and probably a line cook from
North Portland locations to
McMenamins Mall 205. The
Precinct’s head chef would be
“reassigned,” Vasiliyev added.
“Dishwashers are there to
wash dishes,” Vasiliyev said
during heated conversations
“We’re being punished because we keep our salad forks through
with St. Johns residents, held
through a locked door at the dinner and dessert. It’s not fair.”
Precinct. “You’ll never even
notice they’re gone.”
McMenamins purchased the Masonic
Not so, said Jennifer Atteway, fine-dining Temple on North Commercial Avenue last
chairperson for the St. Johns Neighborhood month but so far has not announced firm
Association.
plans for the building. A spokesman for
“Just tonight, when the officers and other City Commissioner Dan Saltzman said
wait-staff were so busy, I caught the eye of talks are underway for a “McMenamins
one of those dishwashers, Elisa or Ruiza or Soup Kitchen” development. Details were
something, and asked her for a clean fork,” unavailable at presstime.
Atteway said. “She brought it right away.
Even polished it up a bit.”
SATIRE
Can St. Johns secede?
OVERLOOK’S
By Will Crow
By Christopher J. Miller
Finding elusive document could win you ENVIRONMENTAL OVERVIEW
Neighborhood association offers
dinner for two or date with publisher
environmental awareness courses
It isn’t a consequential matter, really
— just one of those cul-de-sacs that turn
up while covering a slow-developing news
story. Even so, it has turned into a quest
— and an opportunity for some North
Portland history buff.
It started with an email during February’s
mounting brouhaha over the fate of North
Precinct (see the February and March issues
of the Sentinel for full coverage). The
note from Paul Maresh, a University Park
neighborhood activist, suggested that closure
of North Precinct might cost the city its claim
on the former city of St. Johns.
“According to the original charter agreement
whereby the city of St. Johns was annexed to
the city of Portland,” Maresh wrote, “(i)f the
city of Portland fails to maintain the police
station in the St. Johns City Hall and/or fails
to maintain a fire station within St. Johns the
agreement becomes null and void, and St.
Johns once again becomes its own city with
all the powers of a city.”
Late in February this reporter spent a rainy
afternoon poring through records from 1914
and 1915, including minutes of the St. Johns
City Council, at the Stanley Parr Archives &
Records Center in St. Johns’ Chimney Park.
With the help of Assistant Archivist Brian
Johnson I found records of St. Johns citizens’
petitions for annexation, the Portland City
Council’s annexation ballot language, copies
of the 1915 ballot — but no documentation
of such an agreement between the two cities.
“This comes up every time the brass
downtown decide that North might be
expendable,” Johnson said. “Nobody’s every
found that agreement.”
Veteran North Portland hands were grilled
on the matter. Julia Gisler, a Planning Bureau
liaison to North Portland with long experience
in St. Johns, said she’d never heard of it.
Page 8 • St. Johns Sentinel • April 2007
“I’m voting urban legend,” said Tom
Griffin-Valade, director of North Portland
Neighborhood Services, a branch of the
Office of Neighborhood Involvement.
“It’s not a legend,” said Gary Boehm
of the St. Johns Business Boosters. “It is
fact.” Boehm added that he hadn’t seen
documentation himself.
From her files on Fire Station 22, St. Johns
activist Barbara Parmelee emailed a 1955
vignette from the St. Johns Review which
seems to support the claim: “Under terms of
the city charter amendment by which the city
of St. Johns became a part of Portland, a crew
of five firemen must be maintained at the St.
Johns station to fight fires...’”
Maresh said he had not seen documentation
of “the compact,” as he called it, but knew
people who had. One was his sister-in-law,
Jennifer Maresh, who said the compact came
to her attention during a round of North
Precinct bickering nine years earlier. Jennifer
Maresh said she and an elderly woman
— name forgotten — found the original
document in the Parr Archives.
“It was one line, and it was buried,” she
recalled. “It was a little, tiny blip.”
Alas, no copies were made.
Judy Green, a volunteer researcher at the
Oregon Historical Society, said the only hint
she could find was a clip noting that the
former St. Johns City Hall was kept in use
after annexation by the Portland police.
“That’s not exactly an affirmation of their
intent to provide service,” Green noted.
The Sentinel will pay a reward of dinner for
two at Christie’s Restaurant or a date with our
beloved Publisher Cornelius Swart (if you’re into
that sort of thing) — no questions asked — to the
first person who can provide documentation of
the 1915 agreement. Call (503) 287-3880.
NOT A JOKE
On Jan. 30, more than 90 Overlook
residents met to explore solutions to
the debate on global warming and
pollution. This meeting, entitled “Is It
Warm in Here or Is It Just Me?” was the
first of six events designed to heighten
environmental awareness.
The next five presentations are spread
throughout 2007 and include “Trim Your
‘Waste’ Line,” an event that discusses
environmental issues directly related to
our well-being, to be held from 7 to 8:30
p.m. April 24 at Trillium Charter School,
5420 N Interstate Ave.
Dates and locations for future
presentations have not been determined.
“Would You Like Some Oxygen with
Your Benzene?” will provide answers to
questions such as “how can we reduce air
pollutants like benzene?” among other
issues. “Rain Water is a Terrible Thing to
Waste” will talk about how storm water
is impacting our streams and will offer
ways to reduce storm water. “Does This
Fish Taste Like Prozac to You?” will teach
how pharmaceuticals and personal care
products enter the environment, and offer
suggestions to limit those actions. “You
Can Race for the Cure, But You Can’t
Run from the Cause” recaps 2007 and will
identify actions to take during 2008.
The purpose is to spread awareness
of the direct and indirect negative
effects that pollution has on us and our
surrounding environment.
Events are free; reservations are
suggested. Contact Jeff Berebitsky, OKNA
environmental chair, at (503) 236-8616;
email [email protected].
April 2007 • St. Johns Sentinel • Page 9
INTERSTATE
OVERLOOK . ARBOR LODGE
Train leaving the Station?
Killingsworth development’s latest incarnation
said to be ‘linchpin’ for Interstate corridor
By Derek Long
30
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The future of a vacant grass lot cited to
host affordable housing adjacent to the
Killingsworth MAX station was the topic of
discussion at a March 5 open house. The
meeting at the Interstate Firehouse Cultural
Center drew neighborhood residents
curious and concerned about the latest
details for the long-delayed Killingsworth
Station development.
John Warner from the Portland Development Commission and Jim Winkler of the
Winkler Development Corporation spoke
about the unveiled designs for the four-story,
50-unit building. The open house was the
second of a series of neighborhood outreach
meetings on the planned mixed-use project.
“We think it’s going to be the linchpin
of catalyzing development on Interstate,”
said Winkler.
Plans have changed significantly since
Winkler became the lead developer on the
project, after Tom Kemper pulled out in
November 2005. The developers described
the previous project’s higher density and
rental properties as “not financially feasible.”
Both Winkler and the PDC representatives
emphasized that a key element of the project
is affordability. The current plans are for half
of the units to be affordable to those making
80-100 percent of the area median income
— which ranges from $38,000 to $47,500
for an individual or $54,300 to $67,900 for a
family. Maintaining the desired affordability
to attract first-time homebuyers could prove
to be a challenge with construction costs and
amenities builders hope to include.
“If you were building this project in Lake
Oswego, you don’t have to make choices like
we do,” said Winkler.
Some of the features discussed for the
project include an “eco roof ” with soil
and vegetation and other energy-efficient
measures. Other questions were raised about
what type of businesses would fill the 8,500
square feet of retail on the ground floor of
the project. A member of the development
team admitted Starbucks was the first to call
them, but added they’re aiming for a bakery
or restaurant.
One neighborhood resident said that
with the new condo developments in the
neighborhood, including the Crown Motel
redevelopment, she was worried about losing
some of the “funky appeal” of the North
Interstate strip.
The previous developer’s plans had included
a neon “Go By MAX” sign to be a focal point
for the project in keeping with the signage
of the old motels along Interstate. Winkler
admitted that for a project attempting to
provide affordable housing, “a big neon
sign ranks low when financial feasibility is
factored in.”
While the plans for Killingsworth Station
go through design review in the coming
months, PDC and Winkler said they hope
to begin construction in about a year, with
November being the earliest date they would
break ground.
Soon
Coming
e Bar
c
i
v
r
e
S
Full
PGE pays to promote
progressive public projects
By Caitlin Moran
The Overlook Neighborhood Association
(ONA) voted unanimously March 20 to
accept $80,000 from Portland General Electric
(PGE) and the city’s Bureau of Environmental
Services (BES). The alternative, moving a
series of 75-foot poles in a power line that
runs along Mocks Bluff, would have cost an
estimated $1 million.
The power line is part of the city’s Big Pipe
Project to clean up the Willamette River and
supplies power to a sewage pump station on
Swan Island.
Overlook residents were outraged when
PGE began constructing the power line in late
2005 without notifying the neighborhood
(see Sentinel article December 2005). The
controversy centers on a so-called Big Ugly
Pole at North Killingsworth and Willamette
Boulevard.
ONA co-chair Tom Kilbane said the $80,000
agreement will be a better use of the public’s
money than spending $1 million to move
the power line. Not everyone is happy with
the agreement, Kilbane said, but most “have
reluctantly agreed that the pole is here to stay.”
Now Overlook residents are focused on
using the $80,000 to benefit the community.
ONA is in the process of setting up a committee
to accept and evaluate project proposals that
would use the funds for public benefit.
“Hopefully it will end up being a positive
thing for the neighborhood instead of a
negative,” Kilbane said.
Prior to the deal, ONA had been working
with PGE to find an alternate location for
the power line, a move that would have cost
around $1 million.
Here to stay.
PHOTO BY KENT HODDICK (SENTINEL ARCHIVES)
According to Deane Funk, local
government affairs manager for PGE, PGE
had agreed to pay $500,000 toward the
relocation and was in the process of studying
a potential site for the power line on North
Basin Avenue when BES offered ONA
$40,000. PGE matched the offer, bringing
the total contribution to $80,000.
Initial ideas for the money include projects
in local elementary schools and the creation
of a public gathering space at the corner of
North Killingsworth and Greeley in front of
Sal’s Restaurant and Mio Sushi. The potential
space, tentatively called Madrona Hill Plaza,
would benefit the entire neighborhood,
See Pole / Page 24
April 2007 • St. Johns Sentinel • Page 9
Page 10 • St. Johns Sentinel • April 2007
NORTH END
Kenton’s next big thing
KENTON . PORTSMOUTH . UNIVERSITY PARK
Mixed use, 93 units gets mixed reviews from neighbors
By Laurent Bonczijk
A new apartment complex
is in the works for downtown
Kenton. The lot at North
Willis and North Brandon,
which real estate broker
Eileen Qutub said was listed
at $1.5 million, was only on
the market for a short time
before Mark DeLapp of River
City Companies purchased it.
The sale is pending building
permit approval by the city
of Portland.
Future owner DeLapp says
that the permit should be issued since he
followed neighborhood guidelines and
updated his first design draft when requested.
The building is designed to look like a series
of buildings, instead of one large block. “The
architects had a more Picasso view of four
different buildings,” he said, but the city
wanted a “more literal view.”
The building is a mixed-use project, with
retail on the ground floor and 93 apartments
on the other two floors. The second floor
will be entirely dedicated to lofts, a design
that DeLapp has found to be successful in his
current properties.
As of now, things such as color schemes
and flooring are still undecided.
While the color isn’t much of an issue, the
flooring is turning out to be. DeLapp is not
sure that his preferred design of Oriented
Strand Board treated as a traditional wood
floor will meet soundproofing requirements.
Carpet would, but his layout calls for a
corner kitchen and he feels that vinyl sticking
out toward the center of the room would be
University Park
Coffee
Opening
Mid-April
4800 N. Lombard
Locally owned coffee shop
Committed to serving and supporting
Our community and college
Page 10 • St. Johns Sentinel • April 2007
unappealing. The third floor will host splitlevel units with two bedrooms.
On the whole he finds the current slowing
in the housing market well-timed for his
project. He expects an increased amount of
customers for rentals as it becomes harder
for people to buy.
The Kenton Neighborhood Association
sees the project in a positive light, according
to its chair, Aaron Gray, in an email. He
believes that increasing the housing density,
and hence the customer base, is needed in
order to achieve their goal of attracting new
businesses to the downtown area.
Kenton Station Pub owner Larry Mills is
concerned about parking since the project
only plans to create a handful. DeLapp does
not see this as a problem saying that his
Alberta Street building, with no designated
parking, has not created conflict with the
neighbors. The city, he says, wants to reduce
parking in development near transit stops.
“It’s not going to be a big deal,” DeLapp says.
30
DE-FINO-TIVE PIZZA
Pizza Fino puts ‘Northwest twist’ on classic pizzeria
By Vanessa Harless
As a girl growing up in Brooklyn, Linda
Zumoff acquired a taste for a good slice
of pizza.
That first love has followed Zumoff ever
since, from the borough of Brooklyn to the
Santa Cruz mountains of California to the
rain-soaked streets of Portland, where she
opened her first pizza venture with business
partner Jennifer Lyons, Bella Faccia on
Northeast Alberta. Now Zumoff, flying solo,
has set her sights on North Portland, carving
out her own slice of the pie with Pizza Fino
as part of Kenton’s new restaurant row.
What an edgy restaurant photo! Owner Linda
After the success of Bella Faccia, Zumoff with Head Chef Stan Pratnicki.
Zumoff was ready for a new challenge
and began to think of her “second child,”
as she refers to Pizza Fino.
and salads, as well as a rich assortment of
“I felt a real big need to get back to my Zumoff ’s own dessert creations.
roots, which is baking — to do something a
“I’ve always been in food,” she says. “I
little broader, bigger and more creative that grew up cooking. My mother is a fantastic
would challenge me on my own,” she says.
cook, my sister is a professional chef, and
Her career in cooking seemed to begin in my other sister is a natural chef. Straight out
a small town in the Santa Cruz mountains, of high school, I always had cooking jobs.”
where Zumoff worked baking and cooking
Zumoff, who lives in the Piedmont
vegetarian cuisine at a natural foods grocery. neighborhood, says that when she began
“I used to make pizza at the natural foods looking for a space for her latest endeavor
store,” Zumoff recalls. “Our vegan pizza at she really wanted to put it in an area that
Bella (Faccia) is very popular, and I wanted needed something — “a place that wasn’t
to do something similar at Pizza Fino, but I over-glutted with restaurants already.
didn’t want to copy it.”
Kenton just felt right. I knew that people were
Instead, Zumoff decided to have a more moving here, that it was trying to revitalize,
varied menu that includes six vegetarian that the PDC (Portland Development
pizzas, six meat pizzas and one vegan pizza. Commission) was putting money into
Pizza Fino’s menu, though replete with it; and I like being part of that, part of a
pizza options, also serves pasta, risotto, growing neighborhood,” says Zumoff.
lasagna, hot and cold sandwiches, and soups
ADVERTISER SPOTLIGHT
April 2007 • St. Johns Sentinel • Page 11
EAST SLOPE
SAUVIE ISLAND . LINNTON
What a dump!
Corporation plans to pile it
higher, deeper on Sauvie Island
By Christen McCurdy
Officials at ESCO Corporation have gone
back to the drawing board on a proposal that
would increase the height of an industrial
waste dump on Sauvie Island.
“We have essentially stopped the clock on
our application with the county, and we are
working to address (residents’) concerns,”
ESCO spokesperson Carter Webb said,
referring to comments made at a March 15
meeting between Sauvie Island residents and
local officials. Once ESCO submits a new
application to the county, members of the
public will again be able to comment.
The 28-acre dump has been ESCO’s
property since 1969, but Webb said the
company didn’t begin filling it with industrial
waste until 1977.
The property is on what some call the
“industrial end” of the island — neighboring
properties include a lumber mill and a
natural gas company. Don Kienholz, a
planner for the Multnomah County land use
planning division, said the land is zoned as
“multiple agricultural use 20,” meaning it
can be used as an industrial area because it
isn’t considered prime farm land. And the
corporation’s use of the land is designated a
permitted “nonconforming use,” he said.
Lora Creswick, communicator for the
Sauvie Island Boosters, said some residents
feel it’s time for the county to put a halt the
nonconforming use altogether. And they’re
not thrilled about allowing ESCO to increase
the height of its landfill area to 14 feet above
the dike.
The waste in question is not considered
hazardous: it consists of the byproduct of
ESCO’s industrial processes. The company
manufactures metal parts for industrial
applications worldwide — processes that
involve sand, sand dust, firebrick and
a material called slag, a glassy material
composed mostly of lime.
“These are inert and non-hazardous,”
Webb said.
“Being familiar with the criteria that
the county has to apply in making their
decision, it’s going to be challenging to
deny their requirement for expansion,”
said Linda Wisner, a Sauvie Island resident
who also served on the city of Portland’s
design commission for eight years. “A lot of
the neighbors are concerned about what’s
happening currently.”
Kienholz said once a property owner
obtains a nonconforming use designation, it
stays in place as long as the property continues
to be used for that function — which is why
ESCO needs to obtain permission to modify
its use of the dump.
Others feel their questions haven’t entirely
been answered — including those about
storm water drainage and dust pollution
in the protected wetlands nearby, as well as
the life span of the plastic bags in which the
waste is stored.
“It’s encouraging to know that they
appreciate the community’s input and
have gone back to the drawing board,”
Creswick said.
Free Legal Clinic, Friday, May 11, 2007 9:00 am to 4:30 pm
Consultations are 1/2 hour long. Spaces limited.
After consultation, further representation only by mutual agreement.
KOHLHOFF & WELCH Attorneys at Law A Mother Daughter Partnership
5828 North Lombard • Portland, OR 97203 • 503.286.7178
www.northportlandlawyer.com
30
Sauvie Island working
toward compromise
Legislature’s Measure 37 stance trickles down
By Nina Lary
After hearing hours of testimony for and
against Senate Bill 505, the Oregon Legislature
is searching for middle ground. If passed, the
two-part bill would expedite claims to build
single-family homes or divide land to build
single-family homes, while creating a timeout
for all other claims until June 30 or the end of
the legislative session.
The Joint Special Committee on Land Use
Fairness is addressing the ongoing Measure
37 backlash and working on SB 505. Even
so, the committee’s administrator, Patrick
Brennan, paints an uncertain picture of the
bill’s fate. “I don’t think Senate Bill 505 will
make it through without revision. They want
to make sure what they move forward on will
make it through the House and the Senate.
They don’t want to have a party-line vote.”
If SB 505 passes as is, claims like Gerald
Egger’s will be put on hold. With one of the
largest of 13 Multnomah County M37 claims
on Sauvie Island, Egger seeks to subdivide 208
acres into 31 lots for future development.
“I farmed out here, started in 1966,” said
Egger. “In ’79 I started building, finished the
house in ’80. I was told when I bought it that
I could (develop) it.”
Egger claims he never received any
communication from the county indicating
the property had been rezoned to suburban
residential until he attempted to develop
it, and eventually had to spend $20,000 to
separate his house from the farm.
He wants to develop the lots a few at a time
into parcels of seven acres or more. “We’d
probably put a lake or two in there … so some
of the homes would have lake frontage.” He
says 15 acres of water on the property would
be beneficial for maintaining the island’s
wildlife habitat.
Egger doesn’t agree with island
conservationists that a possible 70 new
homes on the island would have a negative
impact. “The biggest thing is that most of
these people who are complaining only have
one or two acres,” he said.
The Sauvie Island Boosters, the island’s
official neighborhood association, has
monthly meetings with updates on M37
claims often on the agenda. The association
doesn’t necessarily support large claims such
as Egger’s on the island, according to boosters
communicator Lora Creswick.
“We are a fair group,” Creswick said.
“People are willing to sit down and talk about
how can they be compensated in a fair way
and not penalize someone that has lived here
for years and now cannot make a living as a
farmer. We are not out here throwing clods of
dirt at each other.”
After many residents spoke against large
claims (See “Sauvie Island Sprawled?” March
Sentinel, p. 1), Creswick attempted to quell the
image of warring factions on the island. “In
any neighborhood group you’ll find people
who want to jump out to the extremes. ...
They’re good for balance,” said Creswick.
Of the 13 Multnomah County Measure 37
claims on Sauvie Island, eight are for singlefamily homes or heritage tract dwellings, two
of which have already been approved. Of the
five claims to subdivide land, two have been
denied and three are still pending.
30
April 2007 • St. Johns Sentinel • Page 11
Page 12 • St. Johns Sentinel • April 2007
PIEDMONT . HUMBOLDT . BOISE . ELIOT
WEST ALBINA & MISSISSIPPI
‘Bike Beats’ coming soon
North Portland sets trend for citywide bike patrols
By Audrey Dilling
5128 NE Albina Ave.
Breakfast Lunch Dinner
Full Service Bar
Small Plate $4.00 Menu
Wednesday - Sunday 8am - 10pm
Daily Food Specials 4pm - 7pm
Take Out 503.546.3183
Jonathan Maus’ community bike
patrol program, “Bike Beats,” likely will
be implemented in the coming months,
according to Stephanie Reynolds, crime
prevention program manager for the Office
of Neighborhood Involvement (ONI).
“There is clearly support for the program
and we are planning a citywide meeting to
determine whether there are clusters of people
interested in doing this in different parts of
the city,” Reynolds said in March. The date for
this meeting was not set at presstime.
Originally, “Bike Beats” was intended only
for areas of North Portland, where recent
incidents of violence against cyclists inspired
Maus to take action (see “Locals to start
volunteer bike patrols,” March Sentinel, p.
10). Since posting the idea on his website,
BikePortland.org, Maus has received almost
70 comments from people all over the
city saying they would like to see a similar
program in their neighborhoods.
At this point, it is difficult to predict when
the first training sessions will be. “Once you
identify who is interested, it takes awhile to get
everything organized,” Reynolds explained.
The training program will be modeled after
that of the Neighborhood Foot Patrol and
will include one session of about two hours.
“We’ve never done a training for cyclists
before, so we’d probably want to add some
information about biking safely,” Reynolds
said in a comment on Maus’ site.
Almost everyone who has commented on
the site strongly supports Maus’ idea for the
neighborhood patrols. Even so, some are not
convinced “Bike Beats” should go forward.
Ron Forrester of the Denver/Lombard area
does not oppose the idea altogether but
wants to “be assured that the community
bike patrol in my area was well represented
by all races and economic classes from the
neighborhood.”
Maus responded that “people from all
ends of the racial and economic spectrum
will be encouraged to get involved with this
program.” Maus has promoted the idea of
engaging a diverse group of people in their
community as the mission for “Bike Beats”
since the idea’s inception.
A North Portland resident who would
only identify himself as Donald stated his
“main reservation is that (he fears) groups
of cyclists, riding in organized scouting
parties, will only serve to further the divide
between (him) as a rider and the few in (his)
community who see (him) as a harbinger of
change that they would rather not see.”
Earlier in the year, Maus told KATU News
that the influx of a “different class of people
coming into the neighborhoods” on bicycles
was a possible motivation behind the recent
attacks on cyclists. Maus believes he can
change the negative perception of cyclists in
his neighborhood with this program; Donald
thinks that increasing the amount of cyclists
will do more harm than good. Donald stated,
“While I appreciate the community spirit at
the root of this call to unarmed observation,
I can only think that it lends a taste of police
state to a neighborhood sorely in need of
exactly the opposite.”
Pedaling to patrol perpetrators? Jonathan Maus
wants to use bike patrols to promote safety.
PHOTO BY JASON KAPLAN
To join the dialogue, visit Maus’ site at www.
BikePortland.org and select the link for “N’hood
Bike Patrols.” For more information regarding the
citywide meeting, call the Office of Neighborhood
Involvement, (503) 823-3050, visit the ONI
website through a link on www.stjohnssentinel.
com or email [email protected].
LifeWorks NW offers mental health services at new Albina location
By Audrey Dilling
The mental health and addiction treatment
organization LifeWorks Northwest has
opened a new location on North Albina
Avenue. The organization reaches 12,500
people each year in Multnomah, Washington
and Clatsop counties.
The Albina location has been tailored to
meet the needs of its surrounding community.
“At our new Albina site we house most of our
culturally appropriate services,” explained
Susan Lyon-Myrick, marketing coordinator
for LifeWorks NW. “Culturally specific”
programs are geared toward adolescent
African American males.
“Through the Albina site we have a
tobacco prevention and education network
to help people quit smoking in the African
American community,” said Laurel Brennan,
a staff member at LifeWorks. The Project
for Community Recovery offers “intensive
and non-intensive outpatient treatment for
alcohol, drug, and gambling addictions,”
Brennan continued.
In addition to these services, LifeWorks
NW has developed partnerships with local
schools to develop its youth treatment
programs. The Nickerson Adolescent Day
Treatment Program combines therapy and
education for the treatment of children and
teens ages 12 to 18 experiencing “serious
psychiatric difficulties.”
The organization also reaches beyond these
culture and age specifications to the greater
community, offering family, adult and older
adult mental health and addiction services.
The Albina location has helped LifeWorks
NW reach its diverse group of patients more
easily. Originally, the organization operated
out of two separate locations on Northeast
33rd Avenue and North Lombard. These two
sites divided the array of services between
them. The opening of the Albina location
last December has allowed their services to
be consolidated into one building.
“We decided to get more space so that
families could come to one site. It means that
if somebody is in seeking help for a child and
they realize that Dad needs it, too, they can
easily connect,” said Brennan. “It’s kind of a
one-stop shop.”
“We are glad to be able to provide our
services to this community in a site which
is on the bus lines and easily accessible
for many folks, plus providing services to
children, families and adults all in the same
spot,” added Lyon-Myrick.
The move to Albina has had positive results
thus far and the staff at LifeWorks NW feels
the support of the community behind them.
Brennan has noticed a “recognition for a real
need for the services.”
LifeWorks NW, 4925 N Albina Ave., phone
(503) 548-4922.
Putting a head on it
Widmer pours itself an expansion the old-fashioned way
By Jake Thomas
Times are good for Widmer Brewing
Company. Things are so good they are
expanding their operation off of North
Russell near Interstate Avenue in order to
increase production.
Although the project is a gaping hole lined
with a chain-link fence and scaffolding at
this writing, it is quickly being transformed
into an extension of their existing operation.
In the process of planning and constructing
the building, Widmer has had to meet a set
of requirements to ensure that the project’s
design blends into the historical backdrop of
the district.
In the early 1900s, the Russell area was an
industrial and business hub for what was
then the city of Albina. While very little of
the district’s original structures remain,
there is enough for it to be deemed a
Page 12 • St. Johns Sentinel • April 2007
historical district, according to Justin Fallon
Dollard, a planner with the city’s Bureau of
Development Services.
The area’s status as a historical district
places requirements on new buildings being
built within it. Most of the requirements
are geared toward preserving the historical
architectural characteristics that mark many
of the adjacent buildings. In order to ensure
this, the Widmer plan needed to pass a
historical design review. According to Fallon,
these requirements are designed to create “a
dialogue with older architectural elements.”
The structure is to be enclosed with “true
brick walls,” meaning no load-bearing
steel is to be used for structural support,
according to Dollard.
Additionally, all the windows are to be
composed of multiple panes of glass, in
contrast to single panes that are easier to
install and are more common. Load-bearing
brick arches that line each window will also
be a prominent architectural feature on the
new building.
Widmer Vice President Tim McFall says
that the expansion is being done solely “to
increase brewing capacity.” He adds that it
should be complete by spring 2008 and will
be open to the public for tours.
While the lot across from the Widmer
Brewing Company may be a pit for now,
it is steadily being transformed into a
historically sensitive structure that will
soon churn out a product Portland is wellknown for: good beer.
30
April 2007 • St. Johns Sentinel • Page 13
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Located in Historic Kenton • www.windermere.com
April 2007 • St. Johns Sentinel • Page 13
Page 14 • St. Johns Sentinel • April 2007
art&community CALENDAR
OUR PICKS
Send us a press release or info about
your May event (by April 17) to:
[email protected]
Calendar compiled by Laura Hutton
April 4-11
Oregon Symphony at the Library
April 4—Combining Multnomah County Library’s
storytime with classical music, members of the Oregon Symphony perform for children and families
at the St. Johns Library. Includes instrument-making workshops for children as well as recommended reading and music lists for families. For more
information, visit www.orsymphony.com.
April 12-18
Night of a Thousand Stars
April 12—Joel Preston Smith, photojournalist
and contributing photographer for the St. Johns
Sentinel, presents “Night of a Thousand Stars,” a
collection of portraits from Iraq recently published
by Nazraeli Press. Smith compiled the portraits
during an extended stay in Iraq in 2006.
St. Johns Booksellers (8622 N Lombard St., 503-283-0032,
[email protected]) Free, 7:30 pm.
Ah Holly Fam’ly
St. Johns Library (7510 N Charleston Ave., 503-228-1353,
www.multcolib.org) Free, 3-5 pm.
April 13—Hypnotic N/NE Portland’s Ah Holly
Fam’ly combines cello, banjo, flute, violin, piano,
and four ethereal and harmonic voices. Ah Holly
Fam’ly plays Patrick Elkins’ book release party at
Valentines with Douglas Shepherd and friends.
Fishbowl Catharsis
Valentines (232 SW Ankeny St., 503-248-1600) 8 pm.
April 7—Last chance to catch Fishbowl Catharsis’
newest production of sketch comedy, “Pushing Buttons and Saving Lives” at the Interstate
Firehouse Cultural Center (IFCC). For reservations,
email reserve@fishbowlcatharsis.com.
Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center (5340 N Interstate
Ave., www.ifcc-arts.org) $6, 10:30 pm.
Food Not Lawns
April 7—Permaculture and renegade community
garden expert Heather Flores presents a free slide
show and discussion of her book, Food Not Lawns,
at St. Johns Booksellers at 7 pm. April 8—Join
Heather and NW RAGE for a Seed Swap at Proper
Eats (8638 N Lombard) from 12-2 pm. Swap
seeds, ideas, and get to know your neighbors.
Flores also hosts an “Urban Paradise Gardening
Workshop” later in the day at St. Johns Booksellers, in which she discusses transformation of urban
lawns and garden spaces into eco-paradises.
Flores demonstrates site planning, water management, seed-saving, and low-income options.
Participants receive $5 off Food Not Lawns. The
event is $25 and space is limited, reservations are
encouraged.
St. Johns Booksellers (8622 N Lombard St., 503-283-0032,
[email protected]).
Tax Break Bike Ride
April 14—Ride the trails that connect the Willamette River to the Columbia River in support of
npGREENWAY’s proposed Willamette Greenway
trail system.
For more information, visit www.npgreenway.org or call
(503) 823-4099.
Shake Speake
April 14—Playful and mellow, Portland’s duo
Shake Speake combines hushed vocals reminiscent of John Lennon with folksy lyrics and
bouncy acoustics. Ranging from subtle and quiet
acoustics to quirky percussions and kazoos, Shake
Speake’s music lulls the listener in with its haunting
and nostalgic moods.
www.flamencodance.com.
Pix Patisserie (3901 D N Williams Ave., 503-282-6539,
www.pixpatisserie.com) $11/$14, 7:30 pm.
Portland Spelling Bee
April 23—Every Monday night, Katherine with a K
hosts Portland Spelling Bee at Mississippi Pizza’s
Atlantis Lounge. Compete, spell, or just drink and
laugh at those who try. Winners receive prizes of an
undisclosed nature. For more information, contact
[email protected].
Atlantis Lounge at Mississippi Pizza (3552 N Mississippi
Ave., www.mississippipizza.com) Sign-up at 6, Spelling at
7 pm.
April 26-May 2
Vagabond Opera
April 27—Portland-based gypsy jazz swing band
Vagabond Opera at Mississippi Studios. The swinging seven-piece band combines all elements of
old-time and bohemia into a fun jazzy mess that
will make you want to sell your soul to the devil,
or at least dance with him. Live recording of the
performance.
Mississippi Studios (3939 N Mississippi Ave., 503-288-3895,
www.mississippistudios.com) $10, 7 pm.
Third Angle and Sherman Alexie
Spanish Dancers
April 27—Third Angle New Music Ensemble presents, “Hearing Voices: The Sounds of Literature,”
a night of music and spoken word, featuring guest
narration by legendary Northwest author Sherman
Alexie. Alexie has written many short stories and
novels on Northwest Native American life, including
Reservation Blues and The Lone Ranger and Tonto
Fistfight in Heaven. Alexie has also directed films,
including the 1998 acclaimed film Smoke Signals.
The night also features performances by Jim Pepper, Steve Reich, Alvin Singleton, Fredrik Rzewski,
Jon Deak and Aaron Kernis. For more information,
visit www.thirdangle.org.
April 22—An intimate night of Flamenco dancing
with El Cuadro Solo Flamenco. Open to all ages.
For more information, call (503) 972-1178 or visit
Wonder Ballroom (128 NE Russell St., 503-284-8686,
www.wonderballroom.com) $25-30, 8 pm.
Waypost (3120 N Williams Ave., 503-367-3182,
www.thewaypost.com) 8 pm.
April 19-25
LIVE MUSIC
Liberty Hall
April 7—Muddy River Nightmare Band, Shotgun Sodomy, Rum Rebellion, The Hammered Grunts, $3-4.
(311 N Ivy St., www.liberty-hall.org) 8 pm.
Atlantis Lounge at Mississippi Pizza
April 4—D&K, 6 pm. April 5—Loose Change, 6:30
pm. April 6—The Midnight Serenaders, 6 pm. Melao
de Cana, 9 pm. April 7—Professor Banjo’s Old-Time
Play Party, 4 pm. The New Old Timers Bluegrass
Band, 6 pm. Swan Island, Diamond Cut Diamond,
Team Gina, Athen Boy’s Choir, 8:30 pm. April
8—Elisa Korenne, 6 pm. The Shee Bee Gees, 9 pm.
April 9, 16, 23, 30—Portland Spelling Bee, 7 pm.
April 10—Grand Hallway, Drew Victor, Widower, 6
pm. Kerry Campbell Quartet, 9 pm. April 11—Portland Songwriter’s Association, 7 pm. April 12—The
David Milne Group, 6 pm. Susuma with Chata Addy,
9 pm. April 13—The Djangophiles, 6 pm. The Builders and the Butchers, 9 pm. April 14—Lorna Miller’s
Little Kids’ Jamboree, 4 pm. Anomolous Quintet, 6
pm. Poncho Luxurio, 9 pm. April 15—Graham and
the Crackers, 6 pm. April 17—PDX Underground
Jazz Series, 9 pm. April 18—Bitch and the Exciting
Conclusion, Slim and the Competitive Eaters, 8 pm.
April 19—Thorton Creek, $3, 6 pm. Chad Hinman
& The Never Was, $3, 8 pm. April 20—Voodoo
BBQ—6 pm. The Unified Theory, 9 pm. April 21—
The Mojitos, 6 pm. Cubaneo, 9 pm. April 22—Mark
Bosnian’s Voice Recital, 5 pm. Kevin Dockter, 9 pm.
April 24—The Loafers, 6 pm. Kerry Campbell Quartet, 9 pm. April 25—R&B Blues, The Dent, 6:30pm.
April 26—James Hurley, Jeremy Serwer, 6 pm.
Al-Arwah, 9 pm. April 27—The Senate, 6 pm. April
28—Lorna Miller’s Little Kid’s Jamboree, 4 pm. Scott
Andrew, Jerin Faulkner, Justin Carroll, 9 pm. April
29—Njuzu Mbira, 4 pm. Cuba Ache, 7 pm.
(3552 N Mississippi Ave., www.mississippipizza.com).
Mississippi Studios
Page 14 • St. Johns Sentinel • April 2007
April 4—Richard Shindell, $20, 8 pm. April 5—Jim’s
Big Ego, Jaycob Van Auken, $13, 7:30 pm. April
6—Ashleigh Flynn, Julie Loyd, $13, 7 pm. Iretsu,
Opener: Au, A Cautionary Tale, $6, 10 pm. April
7—Claudia Schmidt, $12, 7 pm. Westerly, Parks &
Recreation, Andy Werth, $7, 10 pm. April 12—Nathan, Djangophiles, $10, 9:30 pm. April 13—Jon
Koonce, $15, 7 pm. Steve Poltz, $10, 10 pm. April
14—Girlyman, Chris Pureka, $15, 7 pm & 10 pm.
April 15—Keith Greeninger with Dayan Kai, $12, 8
pm. April 17—Joe Powers CD Release, $10, 7:30
pm. April 18—Blame Sally, Susie Blue, $8, 7 pm.
April 19—Breanna Paletta, Matt the Electrician, $8,
8 pm. April 20—Mark Berube, Dan Mangan, Garett
Brennan, $7, 7 pm. April 21—Sourdough Slim, $15,
7 pm. Anya Marina, Kurt Hagardorn, $8, 10 pm. April
26—Craig Markel, Zera Marvel, William Holley, $7, 8
pm. April 27—Vagabond Opera Live Recording, $10,
7 pm. A Weather, Robert Deeble, $8, 10 pm. April
28—Ellis Paul, Jim Brunberg, $20, 7 pm.
(3939 N Mississippi Ave., 503-288-3895, www.mississippistudios.com) All shows 21+, advanced ticket prices unless
otherwise noted.
Proper Eats
April 4, 11, 18, 25—Open Mic Night, 7 pm. April
5, 12, 19, 26—Portland Jazz Jams, 7 pm. April
6—Stumptown Jug Thumpers, 7 pm. Synesthe
Ensemble, 9 pm. April 7—Vivid Curve, 8 pm. April
8—Matt Meighan, 3-5 pm. April 9—Bonanza City,
9 pm. April 13—Triptonic, 7-11 pm. April 14—
Hawkins Wright, 8 pm. April 15—Beliss, 3 pm. April
20—Steve Ulrich, 7-10 pm. April 21—Pamela Goldsmith, 6 pm. Mike Wilcox, 9 pm. April 27—Slowly
Rising, 7 pm. April 28—Steve Cheeseborough, 7-10
pm. April 29—Theobroma, 3-5:30 pm. World’s
Greatest Ghost, 7 pm.
(8638 N Lombard St., 503-445-2007, www.propereats.org).
Twilight Room
April 6—Tyler Stenson. April 13—John Stapleton. April
20—Dannie Vickers. April 27—Another Fine Crisis.
(5242 N Lombard St., 503-289-5091, www.myspace.com/
thetwilightroom) 9 pm.
University of Portland
April 15—University Orchestra and Choral Union
Concert at St. Philip Neri Church (SE 18 and Division), 3 pm. April 18 & 19—Festival of Jazz, all
day in the Chiles Center. April 25—Jazz Band and
Concert Band Concert at Buckley Center Auditorium,
7:30 pm. For more information on these events, call
(503) 943-7228.
University of Portland (5000 N Willamette Blvd., 943-8000,
www.up.edu)
The Waypost
April 4, 11, 18, 25—Old-Time Open Jam Sessions,
7:30 pm. April 7—Brian Gallaway, Birger Olsen,
8 pm. April 13—andy and joey, THICKET (John
Niekrasz and Ben Kates), 8 pm. April 14—Shake
Speake, 8 pm. April 28—Baptist Arms, Sosimo
Venderbelt, 8:30 pm.
The Waypost (3120 N Williams Ave., 503-367-3182,
www.thewaypost.com).
White Eagle Saloon
April 4—First Wednesdays with reggae band The
Instigators, 8:30 pm. April 5, 12, 19, 26—Jammin’ Hour with Stevi Marie and Jackson Road. All
ages, 5:30 pm. Chris Harris, $4, 8:30 pm. April 6,
20, 27—“Eagle Time,” with the Reverb Brothers.
All ages, 5:30-7:30 pm. The Revenge Business, $6,
9:30 pm. April 7—Amy Bleu, Ne’ve, Annie Vergnetti,
$6, 9:30 pm. April 8, 15, 22, 29—Open Mic/Songwriter Showcase, 7:30 pm. April 9—Colin Lake, 8:30
pm. April 10, 17, 24—Joe McMurrian Trio, 8:30
pm. April 11—“Cocktail Hour” with local singer/
songwriters, 8:30 pm. April 12—Jacob Merlin, $4,
8:30 pm. April 13—Friday the 13th Party, featuring
Adrian H. and the Wounds, $6, 9:30 pm. April 14,
21, 28—“Happy Hour” with Sassparilla Jug Band.
All ages, 4:30-7 pm. Stan McMahon Band, Mike
Coykendall, Counterfeit Cash, $6, 9:30 pm. April
16—“Blue Mondays,” open electric jam featuring
the Tone Rangers, 8:30 pm. April 18—Unfiltered
Indie-Rock Showcase, featuring Quaker Gun,
The Quags, and Quiet Countries, 8:30 pm. April
21—Radio Giants, $6, 9:30 pm. April 23—“Magic
Mondays” with Jacob Merlin, 8:30 pm. April 25—
“Wrong Side of the Tracks,” featuring local hip-hop,
9 pm. April 26—Garcia Birthday Band, 9 pm.
(836 N Russell St., 503-282-6810, www.mcmenamins.com) All
shows 21+, free unless otherwise noted.
Wonder Ballroom
April 4—The Gossip, $10, 8 pm. April 13—Crosstide and guests, $6, 8 pm. April 17—Men, Women
and Children, Bedouin Soundclash, The Oolahs, We
Are the Fury, 8 pm. April 19—Blonde Redhead,
Midnight Movies, $19, 7 pm. April 20—Xiu Xiu,
Sunset Rainbows, $10, 8 pm. April 21—Peeping
Tom, $20, 7 pm. April 23—Cornelius, $15, 9 pm.
Wonder Ballroom (128 NE Russell, 503-284-8686,
www.wonderballroom.com).
FILM
Monday Movie Madness
April 9—Drugstore Cowboy (1989). Portlander Gus
Van Sant’s adaptation of James Fogle’s spun-out
April 2007 • St. Johns Sentinel • Page 15
art&community CALENDAR
novel. April 16—Coffee and Cigarettes (2003). Jim
Jarmusch’s vignettes feature the dark and smokey
wit the likes of Roberto Benigni, Steve Buscemi, Iggy
Pop, and Tom Waits. April 23—Robocop (1987).
Half man, half machine—keeping the future safe
since the worst part of the 1980s.
Pix Patisserie (3901 D N Williams Ave., 503-972-1178,
www.pixpatisserie.com). Free, 7:30 pm.
Tuesday First Amendment Films
April 10—1984 (1954). The 1954 BBC production
of George Orwell’s 1984. April 17—Unrepentant
(2006). Documents Canada’s plan to exterminate
natives in church-run Indian Residential Schools.
April 24—I Know I’m Not Alone (2005). Michael
Franti’s recently filmed documentary capturing images from Baghdad and Gaza.
Super Project Lab: Experiments in Improv
April 13, 14, 20, & 21—An interactive experiment
in improv comedy, Portland-based Super Project
Lab presents four nights of “Meet Your _____.” Each
show features a special guest from the community
who relates personal stories to the audience. The
improv group bases the night’s theme on the personal story. Members of the Super Project Lab have
also been involved in Brainwaves Improv Comedy,
Bay Area Theatresports, and Live Wire. Reservations encouraged, call (503) 230-9061 or visit www.
superprojectlab.com.
Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center (5340 N Interstate Ave.,
503-823-4322 www.ifcc-arts.org) $5, 10:15 pm.
VISUAL ARTS
Proper Eats (8638 N Lombard St., 503-445-2007,
[email protected], www.propereats.org) Free, 7 pm.
The Peep Show: Paintings by
Holly Cappello
Environmental Awareness Fridays
Through April 30—Artist Holly Cappello shows
her paintings at Lucrecia Variety Boutique (2150 N
Killingsworth St). Cappello’s “Peep Show” focuses
on colorful representations of birds.
Every Friday, local activists raise Environmental
Awareness at the Linnton Community Center. Films
focus on environmental issues.
Linnton Community Center (10614 NW St. Helens Rd.) 6:30 pm,
READINGS, LECTURES, SPOKEN WORD
Vinh Mason
April 5—As part of the Waypost’s Live Journalism
and Expert Series, PCC and PNCA Environmental
Studies Professor Vinh Mason presents “A poem by
Buckminster Fuller from Earth Inc.”
The Waypost (3120 N Williams Ave., 503-367-3182,
www.thewaypost.com) Free, 7 pm.
Herman Asarnow
April 10—University of Portland English Department Chair and Professor Herman Asarnow reads
from his new collection of poetry, Glass-Bottom
Boat. Asarnow, faculty member of University of
Portland since 1979, has had poetry published in
The Southern Review, Prairie Schooner, and The
Marlboro Review, among others. For more information, contact Herman Asarnow at (503) 943-7244 or
[email protected].
Hunt Center Recital Hall at University of Portland (5000 N
Willamette Blvd., 943-8000, www.up.edu) Free, 7:30 pm.
Hold On To Your NUTS
April 11—Wayne Levine, founding director of
the West Coast Men’s Center and BetterMen.org,
discusses his new book, Hold On To Your NUTS.
The NUTS are what Levine dubs “Non-negotiable
Unalterable Terms.” Levine helps men who have
been challenged by sex, money, marriage, family
and work initiate change in their lives and harness
support from other men.
St. Johns Booksellers (8622 N Lombard St., 503-283-0032,
[email protected]) Free, 7:30 pm.
DANCE, PERFORMANCE, COMEDY
For more information, contact Holly Cappello at (503) 9753795 or email [email protected].
Reuse^2
April 6-30—School and Community Reuse Action
Project (SCRAP) and Free Geek present “Reuse^2,”
an exhibit of local artwork that has been made from
75% or more reused and recycled materials. Artists
donate 30-50% of proceeds to SCRAP and Free
Geek. The exhibit’s opening reception takes place
on April 6, from 6:30-9 pm.
Free Geek’s Community Technology Center (1731 SE 10th
Ave., 503-232-9350, www.freegeek.org).
Legal Issues for Artists
April 20—Self-identified art cop and president of
Northwest Lawyers and Artists, Kohel M. Haver
leads a workshop for filmmakers and visual and
literary artists on the legal issues involving the profession of an artiste. Limited to 99, pre-registration
required at www.racc.org/workshops.
Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center (5340 N Interstate Ave.,
503-823-4322 www.ifcc-arts.org) $25, 9 am-noon.
Caring for Oregon’s Children
School and Community Reuse Action Project (3901A N Williams Ave., 503-294-0769, www.scrapaction.org) $20, 1-5 pm
April 21—Come listen to panelists from local
government, business, and law enforcement discuss
child abuse prevention and identification. Learn the
positive ways to enforce change in Oregon. Sponsored by CARES Northwest. For more information
and to register, visit www.caresnw.org or call (503)
335-3500.
COMMUNITY
Legacy Emanuel Children’s Hospital Atrium (2801 N Gantenbein Ave., 503-335-3500.) Free, 9 am-noon.
April 14—Learn the elusive technique of transforming an old library book into a sketchbook or journal,
as well as book-binding basics. 18+, Limited to 4
people, register early.
Food Not Bombs
North Portland Cleanup
Every Sunday under the St. Johns Bridge, Food
Not Bombs serves hot meals for free. Bring your
own utensils.
April 21—Clean up your home, yard, and the
neighborhood and keep reusable and recyclable
materials out of the landfill. Bring yard debris, dirt,
rocks, general household junk food, scrap metal,
wood, hazardous waste, tires, concrete, bricks, light
construction material, ARC for reuseable items,
clothing, plastic nursery pots, plastics, recyclable
building materials for the ReBuilding Center. This
year, also accepting electronics, laptop computers,
keyboards, mice, fax machines, scanners, power
supply units, printers, and any electronics with a
cord. For North Portland residents only.
Under the St. Johns Bridge, free, 5:30 pm.
Flight Night
April 5—Bitters, featuring Punt e Mes, Dubbonet,
Campari. April 12—Cognac, featuring Remy VSOP,
Maison Surrenne XO Single Vintage ’72, Hardy
Noces d’Or. April 19—Trappist Beers, featuring
Chimay Blue, Orval, Rocherfort 10.
Pix Patisserie (3901 D N Williams Ave., 503-282-6539,
www.pixpatisserie.com) $10, 5 pm-close.
University Park Baptist Church Parking Lot (4340 N Lombard
St.) $10 standard car trunk load, $20 and up standard pickup
load, 10 am-3 pm.
St. Johns Free Health Clinic
April 14—The American Legion, St. Johns Post #98,
and the Portland Lloyd Lions sponsor a Mobile Health
Screening Unit (MHSU) to St. Johns residents. The
MHSU offers free health screening, including hearing, visual, blood pressure, glaucoma, and diabetes.
Those who participate in the diabetes screening must
fast for three hours prior to screening.
St. Johns Safeway Parking Lot (8120 N Ivanhoe) Free,
9 am-4 pm.
Columbia River Chorus Seeks Performers
Columbia River Chorus seeks girls and women
15+ to join their award-winning choral group. The
Columbia River Chorus, which includes members from Vancouver, St. Johns, Portland, and
surrounding areas, is a nonprofit sect of Sweet
Adelines International.
For more information, contact (360) 887-4927 or visit
www.columbiariverchorus.org.
Columbia Slough Stewardship
April 7—Help restore habitat at Columbia Slough.
Plant native species and remove invasive species
and help keep trails maintained. Advanced registration required.
For more information, contact Melissa at (503) 281-1132.
9 am-noon.
For more information and to register, call (503) 775-3828.
$22, 9 am-noon.
Spring Bird Walk
April 7—Listen to the sounds of spring at Smith and
Bybee Wetlands, which brings more than 25 species of songbirds each spring, adding to an already
diverse population of birds and waterfowl. For more
information and to register, call (503) 797-1715.
Smith and Bybee Wetlands (5300 N Marine Dr.) Free, 9-11:30 am.
Painted Turtle Walk
April 7—Explore the painted turtle populations of
Smith and Bybee Wetlands with Metro naturalist
James Davis. For adults and children 5 and older.
Advanced registration required, call (503) 797-1715.
Star Spangled Girl
Smith and Bybee Wetlands (5300 N Marine Dr.) Free, 1-2:30 pm.
Through April 21—Neil Simon’s story of two liberal
roommates’ struggle to publish a political magazine
amidst a haphazard love triangle with their beautiful,
Southern conservative neighbor. Local actress and
director Kristen Ferris takes a new spin on Simon’s
play from the 1960s.
Animal Tracking Practice
Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center (5340 N Interstate Ave.,
503-823-4322, www.ifcc-arts.org) $16 advanced/$20 doors,
Thurs April 19, 8 pm, Fri-Sat 8 pm, Sun 5 pm.
Library Book Journal Workshop
North Bryant and Greeley avenues, 9 am-noon.
April 7—Let wild food expert John Kallas lead your
palette through the tasty woods of Forest Park.
Learn to identify wild violet, Solomon’s seal, fairy
bells, nettles, wild ginger, and more. Meet at the
entrance to Wildwood Trail off Germantown Road.
Mago Hunt Theatre at the University of Portland (5000 N Willamette Blvd., 943-8000, www.up.edu) Wed-Sat 7:30 pm, Sun 2 pm.
St. Johns Booksellers (8622 N Lombard St., 503-283-0032,
[email protected]) Free, 7:30 pm.
April 7—Keep Arbor Lodge pesticide-free. Join Saturday morning work parties to weed and restore the
park. Snacks, gloves, and tools provided. For more
information, call Megan at (503) 423-7549.
Wild Foods of Forest Park
April 18-22—Shakespeare’s dark comedy, Measure for Measure, examines the hypocrisy of the
self-righteous. For more information, call (503)
943-7228.
The Waypost (3120 N Williams Ave., 503-367-3182,
www.thewaypost.com) Free, 5-7 pm.
Knitting Party
Arbor Lodge Work Party
April 6-7—SE Portland-based dance company Minh
Tran & Company presents “Forgotten Memories,” an
evocative work that calls forth the terror of the Khmer
Rouge during 1970s Cambodia. The dance, which
premiered as a work-in-progress in 2005, is set in an
abandoned high school that has been transformed
into an interrogation center in the suburb of Phnom
Penh. “Forgotten Memories” incorporates dancers,
filmmakers, visual artists and music composers. For
more information, visit www.mtdance.org.
Measure for Measure
April 10, 17, 24—Knitting party at the Waypost
every Tuesday.
April 18—First monthly meeting of the St. Johns
Democratic Club. The club embraces activists and
supporters of progressive reform and strong candidates. St. Johns Booksellers host and serve light
refreshments.
OUTDOOR/RECREATION
Forgotten Memories
Wonder Ballroom (128 NE Russell, 503-284-8686,
www.wonderballroom.com) $22, April 6 at 7:30 pm, April 7 at
7:30 pm and 9 pm.
St. Johns Democratic Club Meeting
DIY/CRAFTS
April 14—Every second Saturday, let experienced
tracker John Halsell lead you on animal tracking adventures through Smith and Bybee Wetlands. Learn
to track deer, beaver, coyote, raccoon, and rabbits.
Advanced registration required, call (503) 979-1715.
Smith and Bybee Wetlands (5300 N Marine Dr.) Free,
9:30 am-noon.
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e
e loung
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April 2007 • St. Johns Sentinel • Page 15
Page 16 • St. Johns Sentinel • April 2007
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Jefferson High School dance instructor Steve Gonzales leads his class to local and international fame.
PHOTO BY JASON KAPLAN
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strut their stuff
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By Elizabeth Fuller
Jazz class at Jefferson Dancers: 20 sweaty
bodies jumping, bending, pointing, and
turning as an insatiable beat thumped in
the background. Steve Gonzales, the artistic
director and teacher, was not sitting idly on a
chair; he was lost in the middle of the pack,
dancing with as much energy as his students
as he demonstrated the proper timing for the
impossibly fast dance.
The ecstatic energy somehow remained
throughout the class as students time and
time again pushed their bodies to the
limit. These aren’t just normal high school
students.
The Jefferson Dancers program has spent
the last 33 years attracting the most talented
high-school-age dancers from across the city.
Students must audition and then commit
to rehearse at least four hours per day, five
days a week. The result is a group of students
who go on to train at such reputed schools
as NYU’s Tisch School for the Arts, Juilliard,
and North Carolina School for the Arts.
Graduates are sprinkled in companies around
the country including MOMIX Modern
Dance Company and Merce Cunningham, as
well as others found on Broadway.
“Over the years it has become one of the
best training grounds for young dancers
who want to pursue a career in dance,” said
Gonzales. “I have gone through the program
myself … and there are many success stories
of young students going through the program
and making it big in the dance world. And
See Dance / Page 24
Do North
IFCC exhibit highlights North
Portland “Now and Then”
By Anya Hankin
Page 16 • St. Johns Sentinel • April 2007
On April 1 at 6:30 p.m., the Interstate
Firehouse Cultural Center (IFCC) opened
“Do North,” a neighborhood arts celebration
recognizing the changing face of North
Portland. Dozens of local artists, including Amy
Stoner and (Sentinel cover illustrator) Bruce
Orr, are featured in the community exhibit.
Reuben Nisenfeld, the show’s curator,
cultivated the concept in 2006, while
working alongside IFCC Creative Director
Adrienne Flagg. The founding publisher
of Plazm magazine, Nisenfeld is dedicated
to supporting and enhancing Portland’s
art scene. In the past, he managed the
establishment of the Orlo Gallery in
Northwest Portland, and was the longstanding
organizer of the Portland Poetry Slam.
Nisenfeld has spent 33 of his 37 years living
in North/Northeast.
The “Do North” submission invitation
encouraged community folks and artists
residing or working in North Portland to
creatively reflect on the neighborhood.
With a theme of “Now and Then,” the
exhibit intends to highlight the “enormous
challenges and opportunities that have faced
and are facing the community.” Artists were
invited to submit visual work, performance
pieces, writing, film and installations.
Nisenfeld received over fifty submissions
to the show, coming from a diverse selection
of artists — some of whom have called
North Portland home for decades, and others
Autumn Maple is just one of many at this month’s
Do North exhibit at IFCC. PHOTO BY JOHN MCANULTY
who are new arrivals. “There are longtime
professionals, hobbyists, aspiring amateurs,
emerging stars, and those interested in being
a part of the culture of their community,” says
Nisenfeld. “This patchwork of styles, histories,
perspectives, and backgrounds captures the
spirit of the theme as it was intended.”
Staying true to a “populist” exhibition
process, each artist who submitted work will
have one piece displayed on the IFCC walls.
The exhibition is open for public jury, and
awards will be given in several categories.
The April 1 “revelrous reception,” which
included an unveiling of exhibited works,
an awards banquet, a featured reading, and
several film and performance presentations,
was the official “Do North” celebration.
“I really had no idea what to expect, and I am
extremely pleased with the work submitted,”
Nisenfeld shares. “Pleased is too restrained
even,” he corrects, “I’m awestruck.”
For more information about “Do North,” please
visit the IFCC website at www.ifcc-arts.org.
April 2007 • St. Johns Sentinel • Page 17
Just make it up as you go
Improv group The Liberators launch laugh offensive
By Todd Anthony
Our Humor Issue wouldn’t be complete
without introducing NoPo’s resident
improvisational comedy troupe — The
Liberators. Aptly named for their ability to
“liberate” their audience from the doldrums
of daily existence through comedy, the troupe
consists of Julie “The Earth Mother” Sparling,
Shelley “The Balm” McLendon, Tony “The
Quiet Storm” Marcellino, Nicholas “The
Vocabularian” Kessler and John “The Diva/
Goddess” Breen.
Last month, The Liberators began
their weekly show, “Surefire Sundays,” at
Mississippi Studios, performing two sets of
long-form improvisation (in which scenes are
loosely connected by themes and characters).
Opening acts have featured a variety of
local musicians including the hilarious Ed
Haynes who played songs from his third
album, “Snacking with a Vengeance.” With
upcoming performances on April 22 and 29
at Mississippi Studios.
“HOW MANY HOURS CAN YOU
STAND WITH YOUR FIST IN THE AIR
BEING MAD? WE TRY TO MAKE IT
FUN LIGHT AND MOBILE.”
- Julie Sparling
The Liberators
Native Oregonian John Breen, whose
legacy includes appearances on “Late Night
with Conan O’Brien” and “Upright Citizens
Brigade,” helped to establish the group in
December 2005.
Nothing in The Liberators act is predetermined. With only two chairs for props
and the use of some basic improv editing
tools such as “tagging out” (one member tags
another out to take his/her place in the scene)
and “sweeping” (members run across the stage
to close the current scene and start the next)
the group blends their varied styles to form
a melting pot of comedic talent. Audience
involvement is limited to suggestions in the
opening of each set, so no civilian need fear
being pulled onstage.
Originally, the troupe adhered to a more
rigid framework but recently, upon returning
from the Seattle Improv Festival, they decided
to cut the final strings. “We wanted to step
away from such a structured format and make
sure we were still playing and not getting too
far into our heads,” explains Kessler, who
attended the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film
Institute in New York City.
Emphasizing the different backgrounds
of the troupe, Breen said, “What’s cool
about this group is that there are three or
four different kinds of approaches [to our
comedy] as a result of our backgrounds.”
Kessler adds, “One of the tenets of improv
is to work hard to make your other players
look good. Even when we are not actively in a
scene we are all still engaged in that scene. If
we see something losing energy it’s our job to
jump in and help.”
Sparling, who had worked with Bay Area
Theatresports prior to The Liberators, talked
about her background improvising street
theater during protests. “How many hours can
you stand with your fist in the air being mad?
We tried to make it fun, light and mobile. If
you’re not locking yourself to something and
you’re just floating around being fun, you’re
more apt to avoid arrest.”
The Liberators are not limiting themselves to
improv performance alone. They starred in the
film “Tooth and Nail,” the Grand Prize Winner
of the 2006 “48 Hour Film Project.” They are
also featured in a film written and directed by
Breen called “Time Bike,” debuting April 13, 14
and 15 at the Clinton Street Theater.
The Liberators are also teaching classes
such as “Acceptance and Spontaneity”
with instructors Kessler and Marcellino.
Workshops typically cost $35.
In addition to Mississippi Studios the
troupe also performs at ComedySportz in
Northwest Portland every couple of months.
Sabi
2064 N. Killingsworth
Portland, OR 97217
503-517-7710
home & garden
Design Ideas, Furnishings,
and Accessories
monday - friday 10-6pm
saturday - sunday 9-5pm
Closed Tuesday
For registration or information about classes
call (503) 753-8008 or email info@liberators.
net. Catch the Liberators April 22 and 29 at
Mississippi Studios (3939 N Mississippi Ave.,
503-288-3895, www.mississippistudios.com).
Building a sound
Builders and Butchers mix bluegrass
instruments with interactive style
By Andrew R Tonry
Songs from The Builders and the Butchers
seem to ferment in the bottom of a cold, dark
and dead lake, but when they burst from the
surface the mood is anything but murky.
The band shouts out to the crowd and, in
between stomping feet and shaking hips, the
crowd shouts back. It’s a cathartic, gospel
sort of scene that feels both traditional and
avant garde at once.
“Initially the idea was to start a band that
was funeral- or death-themed,” says guitarist
and singer Ryan Sollee, whose voice naturally
recalls Neil Young’s. “I kind of ran with that
idea, but the songs didn’t end up being as
dark as we expected — they’re faster.”
Indeed, many Builders songs gallop heavily
along, which twists somewhat the traditional
bluegrass sound that pops from their acoustic
guitars, mandolins, washboards and the like.
“None of us really know how to play those
instruments in a way that people who play
that kind of music play them,” Sollee explains.
“The way we play those old instruments
might be a little more modern than someone
who’s schooled in bluegrass or blues.”
At the backbone, two percussionists
pound on a myriad of different items,
adding to the nuance.
“The way they play together, it sounds like
one person playing, but there’s this extra
little something that one person couldn’t do,”
says Ryan.
The unorthodox approach works. They
hit the drums hard and shout into the air
and hand out shakers and drums and other
instruments to the crowd, bridging the
separation between performer and audience.
“When we started the band, for the first
year we didn’t use any mics and didn’t plug
in at all,” Ryan says. “We would just play in
a circle wherever the crowd was — in the
middle of the floor if we could. That was a
lot more fun. People participated more.”
When they began performing back in
2005 — playing their first show, fittingly, on
Halloween — the Builders were able to keep
themselves close to the crowd. But since then
the audience has grown to the point that
requires the band to plug in.
As more and more people around town
took notice of the band, so too did Matt
Brown, proprietor of the local label Bladen
County Records. After the Builders played a
party hosted by Brown, he decided to release
their first record (which came out March 2).
“This is the first thing that has ever been
released by a label for me personally,” explains
See Builder / Page 24
April 2007 • St. Johns Sentinel • Page 17
Page 18 • St. Johns Sentinel • April 2007
RESTAURANT REVIEW
Denver Delicacies:
Kenton’s New Restaurant Row
By Vanessa Harless
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P.O. Box 3316 • Portland OR, 97208
PH: 503.287.3880 • FAX: 503.285-0042
www.stjohnssentinel.com
[email protected]
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8800 N. Lombard, Portland, OR, 503.286.4434
Page 18 • St. Johns Sentinel • April 2007
As existing businesses get a facelift and
Portland Development Commission dollars
flow to attract new businesses, Kenton has
sprouted a restaurant row filled with new
outposts of some of Portland’s favorite
existing eateries. Just across the street from
Kenton Station, the area’s stalwart go-to pub,
Pineapple Fried Rice inside a real hollowed-out
Pizza Fino, E-San Thai Cuisine and Cup &
Saucer sit side by side, sharing space in their pineapple. Red pumpkin curry and Fish Pad Khing.
We tried them all. Yummy.
fresh-looking building.
E-San Thai Cuisine
8233 N Denver Ave.
(503) 517-0683
A downtown favorite that branched out
with a new NoPo location, E-San is owned
by Mao and Ting Pathammavong whose
take on Thai is light and tasty. Boasting a
full-service bar, two kinds of Asian beer and
fresh coconut juice straight out of the opened
shell, E-San’s digs are open and inviting. All
the requisite Thai dishes are here: curries, stir
fries, noodles, salads and soups, and E-San
not only cooks up flavorful dishes but throws
in artful presentation as well. Starting with
C is for cookie, that’s good enough for me. Pizza
the sleeping prawn ($8.50), an appetizer of
Fino’s signature dessert Finoreos: a chocolate
prawns individually wrapped in wonton skin,
sandwich with mascarpone filling.
deep fried and served with sweet and sour,
our appetites were whet by this succulent
Pizza Fino
teaser cooked to perfection. The pineapple
8225 N Denver Ave.
fried rice with your choice of meats or tofu is
(503) 286-2100
made with pineapple freshly scooped from its
The latest entry from Bella Faccia owner outer skin and chopped into juicy chunks (no
Linda Zumoff will have you running over for canned pineapple here) and served in half of
a slice, or bringing out-of-towners for a great the pineapple ($9.50). Have it with lean thinsit-down meal. The front of Pizza Fino looks sliced pork for a sinful combination. The Pad
like a take-out counter, but if you follow the Thai noodles were yummy, not overly sweet
trail of large glowing tomato lanterns down or too peanutty ($9), and the Tom Kha, a
the narrow hallway you will find yourself in coconut soup with mushrooms, onions, kaffir
a cozy dining room that is nice but not “too leaves and chicken ($8), was rich and nicely
nice.” With a great selection of house specialty balanced without the stringent bitter bite that
cocktails and beer, Fino is doing pizza and a some restaurants seem unable to avoid.
whole lot more. Offering an array of freshly
made salads (the baby spinach is superb,
$5/half - $7/full), soups like minestrone
de fagioli (a mixed bean, veggie, pasta and
herb soup), and a selection of hot and cold
sandwiches (from meatball to an Italian
tempeh salad). This dimly lit eatery heats
things up with a variety of sensuous fingerlicking appetizers (like the house-marinated
olives, Fino Antipasti or fried mozzarella)
before diving into luscious pasta with your
choice of housemade Italian sausage, freerange chicken, meatballs, veggie meatballs or
Nice seating at Cup & Saucer, but some prefer
fresh prawns.
to stand.
Specialties range from the risotto of the
day, chicken parmesan, lasagna and eggplant
Cup & Saucer Cafe
rollatini. Bold, authentically Italian entries
8237 N Denver Ave.
fill their pizza menu, as well as a “create
(503) 247-6011
your own” opportunity. Not to be missed,
A third location for owner Karen Harding,
the Pronto ($13-12”, $22-18”), made with whose conscientious menu suggests “Enjoy,
Sopressatta (traditional Italian-style salami), recycle & please drive as little as possible,”
onions, black olives and red sauce, it’s spicy, brings the “hip” in hipster to the NoPo
delectable and not too heavy. The New breakfast scene. Although they serve breakfast,
Heaven ($12-12”, $21-18”) is exactly what lunch and dinner, Cup & Saucer is well-known
the menu calls it — heaven in a slice. Made for their scrumptious breakfasts featuring
with clams, crushed garlic, red peppers and omelets, scrambles, de-lish pancakes, Challah
shaved pecorino on a garlic and olive oil and sourdough French toasts, fresh-baked
base, this is pizza as art: Thin crusts with a coffee cake and scones, as well as vegetarian
great pull, vibrant sauces and toppings that and dairy-free options. Their special spinach,
are not overpowered by too much cheese. mushroom, cheddar and bacon omelet is
Pizza Fino’s chef even makes his own fresh fluffy and cheesy, the flavors melding nicely
mozzarella.
in each bite ($7). The Mary Ann Sandwich
But save room for dessert, Zumoff ’s is not to be missed: two eggs any way with
tiramisu made with real mascarpone, freshly bacon, ham or garden sausage and cheese
whipped cream and a dash of Kahlua is to die on grilled bread ($6.75), all served up with a
for, and the New York cheesecake is a deep side of home fried potatoes with “the works”
wedge of tartly creamy bliss. (See Advertiser (topped with cheese, sour cream and salsa,
Spotlight on page 10 for more details.)
$2.50). Scrummy! Don’t forget a Portlander’s
best friend and Cup & Saucer’s specialty — a
great cup of joe. They serve regular, decaf
and an assortment of the fancy stuff as well.
April 2007 • St. Johns Sentinel • Page 19
HEALTH FOCUS
It’s true: Laughter can be
good for you
By Vanessa Timmons
“Humor is energizing and creates
endorphins that make us feel good,” says
Portland therapist Katja Biesanz. “If you can
make a joke, there is awareness that it’s not
just your problem — you begin to see the
situation as universal, something that many
others have faced. You feel less alone.”
While we cannot avoid many of the changes
that induce stress and anxiety, we can choose
to look at stressful situations from a new
perspective. A humorous outlook helps diffuse
our anxieties and gives us a different view of the
situation. “I know healing is happening and the
situation is almost cleared when suddenly the
client is able to chuckle,” says Biesanz. “They
are able to view what was a dire situation from
a radically different place.”
Laughter forces us to look at our present
situation in a new way. We are either able to see
the world in a different context and take it less
seriously, or we are able to laugh at ourselves.
In either case, laughter helps us relax when the
stresses of the world seem overwhelming.
Anything from renting a funny video,
watching your favorite comedian or having
a good laugh with a friend can be effective.
So the next time the daily stress threatens to
steal your peace, have a good laugh. It’s the
best medicine.
The stresses of everyday modern life can be
overwhelming. We relive old choices, worry
about our past and our future. As a program
coordinator for a statewide domestic
violence and sexual assault coalition, I am
never surprised by the emotional ups and
downs that I experience daily in my job. I
am surprised, however, by how often my
coworkers and I laugh and how essential
humor is to our work.
There is truth to the old proverb, “Laughter
is the best medicine.” And new studies are
now showing that laughter may be one of the
healthiest things you can do.
In a recent study on laughter and health, Dr.
Michael Miller of the University of Maryland
Medical Center surveyed 300 people of
similar age, half of whom had suffered a heart
attack or had undergone bypass surgery. The
other half had no heart problems. The results
showed that the group with heart disease
were 40 percent less likely to laugh and were
also more likely to feel hostility and anger.
We don’t necessarily need a study to remind
us of the damage that can be done by ongoing
anger and resentment, or that a healthy sense
of humor is good medicine. Laughter, simply
put, feels great; it lifts our spirits and helps us
cope with stress and anxiety.
Katja Biesanz can be reached at (503) 703-1262,
or on the web at www.openingtolife.com.
‘Train like an professional’
Sports Lab opens its doors to weekend warriors
By Christopher J. Miller
Sports Lab Training Center, at North
Interstate and Ainsworth, has been grounds
for youth and elite local athletes for the past
seven years. Soon it will offer classes to the
general public.
The enthusiasm illuminating from owner
Phil Claud upon a first introduction is
enough to convince anyone of the validity of
his concept of “integrated sports training.”
He’s built a facility suitable for professional
athletes, but it’s also comfortable enough for
the novice.
“The best way to get in shape is to train
like an athlete,” Claud explains. That’s
what we do here — it’s a very structured
training program.”
The new “active” classes available to
the community are no different. They are
designed to not only keep an athlete in good
physical shape but also to remain injury-free.
The major benefit of a facility such as Sports
Lab, as opposed to any large commercial
gym, is that everyone is treated like an athlete,
and will work in a team-like environment,
pushing one another toward the common
goal of always heightening one’s ability.
Claud, a professional cyclist who retired
in 1992, has coached for 15 years and has
been an athlete for many more. Among the
people he’s trained are 52 other professional
cyclists, some of which display their jerseys
along the top of the workout room wall. He
says cycling was the vehicle for his education,
and consequently the opening of Sports Lab.
With it he’s been able to help some of the top
athletes in the Portland area — so, he figured,
why not open the Lab up for the masses?
“We’ve had a lot of interest from people
in the community,” he admits. “There are a
lot of people out there who might be former
athletes, and may not be able to participate in
a basketball game, but want the structure of
It takes balls to train at Sports Lab. But the facility
that was once only available to an elite group of
private clients will soon open to the public.
PHOTO BY COLLEEN FROEHLICH (SENTINEL ARCHIVES)
a team workout.” This is exactly what Sports
Lab offers.
Claud’s “integrated sports training”
is broken up into four parts: Movement
Efficiency, Performance Fundamentals,
Sports
Specific
Development,
and
Competitive Greatness. Combining these
parts with the other half of the facility —
treatment and recovery — participants of
any age are able to experience the “training
like the athletes are training” system.
For more information on Sports Lab Training
Center, call (503) 289-4047, visit www.
sportslabtraining.com, or drop by the facility at
1502 N. Ainsworth.
April 2007 • St. Johns Sentinel • Page 19
Page 20 • St. Johns Sentinel • April 2007
Ockley to green
up garden
By Vanessa Harless
Once resplendent but more recently
referred to as “the Shrub,” Ockley Green
School’s garden is looking for a rebirth.
Started in 1992 by Ockley Green science
teacher Mike Rowell as part of a summer
program aimed to reform troubled teens
through learning, hard work and interaction
with nature, the garden received more than
$10,000 in donated funds and services from
the private sector. The school created a lush
learning environment for Ockley’s students,
then middle-schoolers.
A lot has changed since then. Ockley
Green has morphed from a middle school
with a troubled reputation to a K-8 magnet
school specializing in the arts and technology.
Meanwhile, the garden has fallen into disrepair,
with five- to six-foot-tall weeds overtaking it
and students dubbing it “the Shrub.”
Enter Peg Butler, an ecological designer
and sustainability consultant hired as the
school’s gardening consultant last April by
Ockley Green Vice Principal Mary Scheets.
“When I came last year, from the street,
all you could see was a mass of vegetation,”
said Butler. Butler, along with a group of
volunteer crews made up of sixth-grade
science teachers from the school, local college
students and Nike employees, cleared “the
Shrub” to find what she calls “some really
beautiful bones.”
“They (Rowell and others) were very
thoughtful about the way everything was
designed. There is a woodland garden, a
meadow garden, a food area, insect boxes
and in the back there used to be a pond.
They also put in a good path, cut in for
wheelchair accessibility, and they had an area
for composting,” Butler says.
The garden in its original form had been
well-funded and cared for by Rowell for
eight years. A series of events, including
complaints about mosquitoes by concerned
neighbors during the West Nile virus
outbreak scare, ultimately shut down the
pond. Rowell’s own one-year leave of
absence left the garden untended by 2000.
It wasn’t until Ockley Green’s change from
a middle school to a K-8 magnet, as part of
a $5.2 million, three-year grant in 2004 to
revitalize Jefferson’s cluster schools, that the
garden became a focal point again.
“We wanted the kids to come up with
a project that they could work on,” said
Principal Joe Malone. “Since we were
changing from a middle school and adding
K-5, we needed a playground. At first we were
Peg Butler standing by the newly planted vegetable
bed at Ockley Green Middle School.
PHOTO BY LAURENT BONCZIJK
going to let them design the playground,
doing the work and the planning — getting
permits and such. Then the garden came into
play. What should we do with the garden?
“So we shifted the project to that, to make
a place the kids could explore, that the
community could enjoy and that teachers
could utilize with students.”
Malone has offered to donate picnic tables
for the new garden. “We want it to be not
only a place where kids can learn about
nature and the environment but a place they
can enjoy and go out to do some work or
read at the picnic tables. We hope for it to
have a dual purpose,” says Malone.
With the area cleared, the school’s garden is
now ready for a new beginning, one Butler sees
taking shape through the efforts of students
and community members. “We are trying
out different ways for people to know that
the garden is here. Especially in the planning
stages, we are open to anyone who would like
to make a difference in the garden.”
The newly formed Garden Committee meets
in the Ockley Green School Library every third
Tuesday of each month to discuss visioning,
finances, volunteer outreach, curriculum
and work parties. Next work parties: April
7th and 28th from 10am-2pm. Contact the
school at (503) 916-5660, or email Butler at
[email protected].
CLARIFICATION
Regarding last month’s cover story “Sauvie Island Sprawled”: Although Frevach Land Company, doing business
as Fred’s Marina, is mentioned among Sauvie Island M37 claims, it is technically across the channel from Sauvie
Island. Residents have expressed concern over the possible impact of timeshare condos on Multnomah Channel
as proposed in Frevach’s M 37 claim.
Page 20 • St. Johns Sentinel • April 2007
April 2007 • St. Johns Sentinel • Page 21
Ready? Safe?
Annual crime-prevention seminar gives helpful hints
By Anya Hankin
Presented by the Office of Neighborhood
Involvement’s Crime Prevention Program
and the Portland Office of Emergency
Management, the second annual Ready.Safe.
Go (RSG) event is scheduled for April 28.
RSG is a free event designed to both honor
volunteers and provide crime prevention
and emergency management training
to Portland residents. Held at Portland
Community College’s Sylvania Campus,
RSG 2007 boasts an extensive selection of
courses and trainings, including Enhanced
Safety Properties Program; Domestic
Violence in Neighborhoods; Identity Theft;
Pandemic and Other Public Health Disasters;
Neighborhood Watch, and many more.
RSG coordinators expect to host about 200
to 250 safety-minded community members
at this year’s conference.
William Warren works for the Office
of Neighborhood Involvement’s Crime
Prevention Program and is a citywide special
events coordinator. Since 2004 he has been
responsible for the public safety volunteer
recognition events and “National Night Out.”
“Ready. Safe. Go. has its origin in the annual
crime prevention recognition of Block Watch
Volunteers,” Warren explains. “Since 2002 that
recognition event has evolved to include trainings
in subjects related to crime prevention.”
Warren elaborates, “Last year the Office
of Neighborhood Involvement’s Crime
Prevention Program partnered with the
Portland Office of Emergency Management
to expand the event to include trainings about
disaster preparedness and recognition of
their neighborhood emergency management
volunteers. One difference from last year’s
RSG is the launching of the ‘Know Your
Neighborhood’ strategy and workbook.”
About a dozen neighborhood volunteers
will be honored in a lunchtime ceremony.
The Portland Office of Emergency
Management will recognize nine volunteers
in the area of disaster preparedness, while
crime prevention honorees will be chosen by
their crime prevention coordinator.
Portland Police Bureau Chief Rosie Sizer
and Amalia Alarcon, Director of the Office
of Neighborhood Involvement will speak at
the lunchtime recognition.
BEST FRIENDS BATH & MORE
For Cats and Dogs
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Ready.Safe.Go. Time: 8:30 a.m. for registration
and classes; lunch 12:30-2 p.m. Cost: Free. Register
by 5 p.m. Friday, April 5. Portland Community
College, Sylvania Campus, 12000 SW 49th Ave.
More information and online registration may be
accessed through a link to their website via www.
stjohnssentinel.com or by calling (503) 823-4064.
Parade day market gets bizarre
Businesses to sponsor market, music and
weirdness during St. Johns Parade
MONSTER
From page 2
into her room. He found the agent laying
atop his many pages of notes and a voice
recorder, enjoying his soup and sandwich.
Serling dragged him out by his feet as his
wife, Elaine Serling, called police.
A statement released later that day by an FBI
spokesman referred to “anonymous sources”
who said the fourth-grader and another girl
were planning to sabotage a Portland area
Gym-Naz-ium, a franchise-based children’s
activity center, allegedly because Serling
believed that “the ball room is stinky.”
“I was shocked to hear the explanation,”
explained Elaine Serling. “Catherine can’t
the Parade. The St. Johns Boosters organized
a carnival that was held on the James John
Elementary School grounds for several years.
This year the St. Johns Parade Committee has
been working with Rose City Chevrolet to
organize another such carnival. It was unclear
at presstime whether that would occur.
“I think with all the new and young and
creative people coming into North Portland,
the parade and events like a carnival and a
‘bizarre’ all occurring on the same day has
tremendous potential,” said Swart. “If you
think of all the people who are into the carnival
arts in this town, all the art cars and marching
bands, all the music acts, and fire dancers …
there’s potential for the parade to incorporate
a performance art festival feel to it.”
Swart then paused as if swept up by the
magnitude of his own visionary genius.
“Oh, sorry. Did I just zone out? I do
that sometimes.”
St. Johns Bizarre, Parade Day, May 12, 10 a.m. – 6
p.m., The Plaza, North Burlington and Lombard.
For information about the St. Johns Bizarre,
contact the Sentinel at pub@stjohnssentinel.
com, call (503) 287-3880. Downloadable vendor
applications can be found on our website at
www.stjohnssentinel.com. To enter the St.
Johns Parade (it’s free!), email Sharill Griffin at
sharillgriffi[email protected].
Yesterday and Tomorrow
Treasures of the Past & Future
A Place to Slow Down, Wander and Dream
Presents for your Home,
Garden & Friends
Local and National Artists
Vintage
Garden Art
Statuary
The Unusual & Found
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OPEN: Wednesday-Monday 10am-6pm,
Friday 10am-7pm, closed Tuesdays
503.459.3230 | 7506 N. Albina Ave. Portland, OR 97217
N. Lombard
N. Albina
In reaction to recent criticism that thousands
of residents flock to the annual St. Johns Parade
every year and then promptly leave when it’s
over, downtown businesses have joined with
residents to organize a market and concert for
the day of the parade. Currently called the St.
Johns Bizarre, the event promises to be fun
and slightly offbeat.
“Well, we want it to be fun,” said Our
Beloved Publisher Cornelius Swart, one of
the event’s sponsors. “But I think everyone
also wants it to be a little unusual, you know,
like that bumper sticker ‘Keep Portland
Weird.’ Well, we’re going to do our part.”
A vendor’s bazaar will be spread across
the St. Johns Plaza and the US Bank parking
lot. There are plans for a beer garden on
North Philadelphia, which will be closed
off for the day. A performance stage will
be set up in the plaza. Piper Dixon, one of
the owners of Proper Eats Cafe in St. Johns,
is programming the music. Dixon expects a
wide range of talent, from a local bluegrass
singer to puppetry.
“We’re hoping to provide something that’s
fun and gives folks a reason to stick around
downtown,” said Swart. “It’s the third largest
parade in the city. There should be something
akin to the Belmont or Alberta Street fair that
follows this kind of event.”
In the past, an artisan market ran two
consecutive years off North Richmond after
I-5
S
N. Portland Blvd.
even make a good water balloon. She hasn’t
the fine-motor skills to make a decent bomb.”
Federal courts have found specific sections
of the Patriot Act to be unconstitutional
and in violation of citizens’ civil liberties.
On March 9, 2006, President Bush renewed
a revised act. On March 9, 2007, The U.S.
Justice Department released information
concerning an internal audit that found the
FBI has repeatedly proceeded illegally in its
use of the revised act.
City caution parents to check beneath
all children’s beds. Though it is not illegal
for them to be there, these under-bed
government squatters should be removed
in order to preserve dwindling habitats for
imaginary monsters.
APRIL FOOLS
April 2007 • St. Johns Sentinel • Page 21
Page 22 • St. Johns Sentinel • April 2007
The fix is off
Portland’s best shoe restorer drops repair for retail
By Todd Anthony
For rent, suite B of a relaxed, quiet Art Deco building, at
5828 N. Lombard,
adaptable to a variety of uses: professional, retail or health.
Includes six rooms and two common areas.
Call 503-709-1858
or 503-699-1175
KOHLHOFF & WELCH Attorneys at Law A Mother Daughter Partnership
5828 North Lombard • Portland, OR 97203 • 503.286.7178
www.northportlandlawyer.com
Portland Recycling Center
60 Years’ Experience
Now accepting Electronic waste!
• Non-Freon Appliances
• Plastic Film, Bags, Bubble wrap, etc...
• Plastic Nursery Pots
• Motor Oil
• Auto Batteries Only
We Accept: Newspapers, Magazines, Cardboard, Scrap Paper, Plastic Bottles,
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7 days a week, 8am - 5pm
Denver
503.228.5375
2005 N Portland Blvd
(corner of Denver Ave. & N. Portland Blvd.)
N. Portland
DAD’s
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New Management, Newly Renovated, New Expanded Menu
International Fare
German
Chinese
Prime Rib
French
Italian
RENOWNED ENTERTAINER
“Jim Chan” as your Host
(once voted Best Host in the city by Willamette Week)
Dance to Live Cabaret-Style Performances
Friday & Saturday Nights 6:30pm - 9:30pm
Breakfast Buffet
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Starting April 14th
Saturday & Sunday
8 am - 2 pm
Call To Inquire About Parking
503-285-9489
8608 N Lombard in Historic St. Johns
Reserve for your Banquets now!
10%
off Lunch Menu
Buffet Excluded
Beverages not included
20%
off Dinner
Beverages not included
Expires April 30, 2007
Page 22 • St. Johns Sentinel • April 2007
Expires April 30, 2007
Marty Krogh, a third-generation shoe
smith who opened Art & Sole in 2003 and
was quickly dubbed “best shoe restoration in
Portland” by Portland Monthly, has decided
to shift his focus from the repair side of the
business to expanding the retail side.
While he will continue to do light repairs
such as sewing, the only resoling Krogh will
be doing is on Birkenstocks.
“There are only so many hours in the day,”
Krogh says. “I was back there (repairing shoes)
all the time, and it came down to having to
decide whether I want to be in business or
not, because my retail was suffering.”
With an overall price range of $50-$225, Art
& Sole specializes in “utilitarian footwear that’s
both durable and comfortable,” according
to Krogh. Many of the brands carried boast
special features that provide relief and stability
to many on-their-feet-all-day workers such as
those in the service industry. One important
feature to this population is a good skidresistant outsole like those offered by Krogh’s
newest line, Dansko.
BRIDGE
From page 1
presently crossing the Columbia River at North
Portland, Oregon.’ The St. Johns Bridge goes
across the Willamette, not the Columbia.
“So we assumed he meant the southbound
I-5 bridge, which is available. It made sense
to us.”
“All them rivers look alike to me,” Smalley
said in a subsequent interview.
After the discrepancy was discovered,
state and city officials began working
feverishly to save the sale. A hastily drawnup intergovernmental agreement, facilitated
by Commissioner Dan Saltzman, sweetened
the deal by throwing in the Portsmouth
Community Center.
“It’s nice, but we got a community center
already,” Smalley noted.
At presstime, ODOT and Smalley were
negotiating the purchase of the Alsea Bridge
near Waldport.
Krogh, a former freelance graphic designer
and an artist in his spare time, showcases
some of his art (the art in “Art & Sole”)
behind the counter in his shop. He feels shoe
repair and art both feed his creative spirit.
“When I was working for my dad, I always
knew (shoe repair) was a good outlet for my
creative side, because there was a lot of creative
problem-solving,” Krogh says. “People would
come in with patch jobs, custom stuff. That
was one of the things that was appealing to
me about opening this business.”
An exclusive North Portland retailer of
Dansko, Red Wing, Sanita and Naot, Art &
Sole also carries Robeez, a popular infant
and toddler shoe that features a soft sole and
elastic that keeps the shoe on without the
trouble of laces.
Socks, laces, waterproofing materials and
an array of other shoe care products are also
available at Art & Sole.
Art & Sole, 6517 N Interstate Ave.; phone (503)
285-SHOE
ADVERTISER SPOTLIGHT
The present I-5 bridges are tentatively
marked
for
obsolescence
under
recommendations by the Columbia River
Crossing project staff. Plans for a new I5 bridge still face months of process before
final approval by the federal government.
The deal with Floss was contingent upon that
approval.
Smalley said he had described the bridge
many times to city councilors in Floss, a
town of 2,500. Someone remembered the
success enjoyed by Lake Havasu City, Ariz.,
after oilman Robert McCulloch purchased
the London Bridge and had it rebuilt there in
1971. Smalley then approached Mark Jensen,
billionaire owner of the dental floss ranch
that gave the city its name. Jensen agreed to
finance the deal.
The northbound half of the I-5 bridge has
been earmarked for sale to an amusement
park near Hangzhou, China, which plans to
add bungee cords to the drawbridge to create
a thrill ride.
FAKE NEWS-APRIL FOOLS
April 2007 • St. Johns Sentinel • Page 23
RACQUET
From page 1
If the center is sold, it will be the first time
the Parks Bureau has liquidated an entire
facility in over a decade.
“We’re in the business of acquiring
property, not getting rid of it,” stated Matt
Grumm, Saltzman’s policy manager for the
Parks Bureau.
A Parks Bureau memo regarding its
“guiding principles” for the Racquet Center
stated that PP&R believed “recreational uses
should be retained at the site” and that Parks
was open to considering “recreational uses
other than racquet sports.”
“I’m not sure how that would work,” says
developer David Hassin, director of Terrafirm
Building Inc., which is also interested in
developing the site. “But there needs to be
something there. Whether the community
comes up with it or whether a developer
does, it doesn’t matter.”
The commissioner stated that the bureau
had a “no net-loss policy” for Parks Bureau
assets, but that money from a Racquet
Center sale could be “reinvested” in facilities
that currently serve the community such as
Cathedral Park, Pier Park, Pier Park Skate
Park or the St. Johns Community Center.
“We are pretty open,” said Commissioner
Saltzman. “But we have to do this lightly.”
CYNICISM AND SUSPICION TO OVERCOME
Redevelopment of the site will have to
overcome residents’ and park activists’
suspicions of the Parks Bureau and the
changes taking place as the area redevelops
and gentrifies.
Saltzman rankled neighbors last year
during the disposition of the former John
Ball Elementary School in Portsmouth. (See
Best land grab, Sentinel Jan. 2007). Many
neighbors felt left out of what they believed
should have been a careful public process.
“That’s a separate issue,” said Saltzman,
dismissing any concern about his public
image in North Portland. However, Saltzman
stressed that his office would be very involved
in the public input process for this project.
“We’ll participate in the steering committee,
and if the community comes up with a vision,
we’ll support it.”
However, a handful of residents see the
center as an asset that has gotten short shrift
from the city. Many, especially those active
with Friends of Pier Park, don’t trust the
Parks Bureau to hold to its promises.
“I looked into the Parks and Rec catalogue
of spring activities, and they don’t even list
the Racquet Center there,” said Friends of
Pier Park activist Mary Ann Aschenbrenner.
Aschenbrenner thinks that the facility is
simply ignored by the Parks Bureau. She is
skeptical about statistics that indicate the
facility is underused: “Every time I go over
there its full.”
“I don’t even use the Racquet Center, but
I think having it in the community seems
like a good thing,” says St. Johns resident
Anthony Pidgeon. Pidgeon, a photographer,
has lived in the area for a year. He fears the
Racquet Center will simply be handed over to
“business” interests and hasten gentrification.
I just don’t trust the bureaucratic process to
follow through with that (promise).”
Aschenbrenner is also suspicious but
would be open to the project if she was sure
the community didn’t lose a public facility.
“I’d have to wait and see what the proposal
is,” said Aschenbrenner. “I’m trying to get on
the advisory committee but no one’s calling
me back.”
The composition of the steering committee
had yet to be announced at presstime.
Grumm emphasized that the Parks Bureau
was listening to residents and wanted to
participate fully with the community as a
vision for the redevelopment site emerged.
“If there’s a public benefit, public support
and transparent process, we’ll support it,” said
Grumm. “St. Johns feels neglected. We’ve got
our eye on you. But we also want to be seen
as partners.”
The devil, as they say, will be in the details.
THE BUCKET BRIGADE
Free Estimates
Cleaning up the Community
one House at a Time
• Residential
• Commercial
• New Construction
30
~
WALKING LIGHTLY
Saltzman now joins BES Commissioner
Sam Adams in an unprecedented project in
which two city agencies under two separate
commissioners will attempt to develop a
public property without the involvement
of the Portland Development Commission.
The St. Johns town center is not in an Urban
Renewal District.
St. Johns Racquet Center is closed three months of the year and when heavy rains come flooding can close
two of its three courts. Redevelopment anyone? PHOTO BY JULIE KEEFE (SENTINEL ARCHIVE)
Locally Owned & Operated
Bonded
Dependable
~
RACQUETED BY PROBLEMS?
The idea for redeveloping the Racquet
Center as part of a diamond block
development was first suggested by stalwart
community activists Joe Beeler and Gary
Boehm in a development plan they released
last year. Since then, interest among residents
and city officials has grown.
Built from federal funds in the “tennis
boom” of the 1980s, the St. Johns Racquet
Center is considered underutilized by both
local residents and Parks Bureau staff (see
“Tennis Is Served,” Sentinel Nov. 2005).
“It’s a white elephant,” says Boehm,
president of the St. Johns Boosters since
1994. “It hasn’t lived up to the promises that
were made. I don’t see it as an asset.”
According to the city of Portland, the
center only recovered 22 percent of its
$219,000 operational cost in 2006 through
fees and programs. City staff estimate that
Portland’s sister facility, the Portland Tennis
Center in Northeast Portland, contains both
outdoor and indoor courts, which operates
at 95 percent capacity, while the St. Johns
facility has been closed for the last three
summers for lack of use. In general, the St.
Johns center is used primarily as an overflow
facility for the Portland Tennis Center.
Parks and Recreation senior maintenance
supervisor Gary DeVore says the center is also
stuck with a backlog of maintenance issues,
ranging from frayed indoor carpeting to a
decayed drainage system that can flood two of
the center’s three courts during a hard rain.
“I think it’s got another 5-10 years in its
current condition if they wanted to keep
it as a tennis center,” he said. “But because
we have so many projects for this facility, it
would need some serious investment to get it
in good shape.”
DeVore estimated the center has
between $300,000 to $400,000 in deferred
maintenance projects and upgrades. While
the city has leased the facility to private
operators in the past in the hope of making
it profitable, recent attempts to do so found
no interested parties.
Lisa Turpel, senior program manager for the
Parks Bureau, believes the center’s fiscal issues
are fundamentally due to a flawed original
design. Combined with its remote location,
the facility just doesn’t have enough capacity
to be self-sustaining, she said. “I don’t think
anyone would build an indoor tennis facility
with less than four to six courts now.”
503.332.7352
[email protected]
Family Law • Elder Law
$35.00 Consultations
2918 N. Lombard Street • Portland, OR 97217
Phone: 503-285-4523
* Next door to King Burrito
April 2007 • St. Johns Sentinel • Page 23
Page 24 • St. Johns Sentinel • April 2007
Words
from the
Heart
Uncle P: You’re making the point?
CeeCee: Yes, I’m making the point now!
Uncle P: You’re making the point, but
I’m not hearing a point. I’m listening, but
I’m not hearing points. There’s talking, but
there’s no pointing!
CeeCee: Dahling, don’t soil yer diaper …
Uncle P: Diaper! Diaper! What do you
know about diapers? You’re senile! You put
Preparation H on your toothbrush this
morning! Last night I stopped you from
putting the dog’s leash on the pot roast and
taking our dinner for a walk!
CeeCee: Don’t start with me, Howard!
Remember who helps you empty your little
“poo purse” every night.
The Sentinel is proud to be the first West
Coast publisher of the syndicated relationship
column Words from the Heart. This East
Coast original, which reached its height of
popularity in the late 1960s, still features
the wisdom and wit of CeeCee and Howard
Pupkis, a married couple who have lived in
the same Brooklyn brownstone for 31 years.
DEAR CEECEE & UNCLE PUPKIS:
My boyfriend and I have lived together
for a year and I still haven’t met his parents
… they live two miles away. What’s up
with that?
Puzzled About Parents,
Portland, OR
DEAR PUZZLED:
CeeCee: Dahling, I once had a boyfriend
who took me to meet his parents at their
funeral in Flushing. They had simultaneous
heart attacks moments before they drove
off the Bronx Expressway and seconds after
they realized someone had cut their brakes.
All we know is that they liked to play the
horses and the funeral service was packed
with Teamsters and guys with broken noses
… you know what I mean!
Uncle Pupkis: Will you get to the point
already? She doesn’t need your life story.
CeeCee: I’m getting there … So, I was,
of course, suspicious of this boyfriend,
and then, at that very funeral, I met my
third husband, Schmuel, rest in peace, my
little crabcake. I had never met a man who
could dig two graves and cater lunch for 30
diabetic crime lords all before noon.
Uncle P: Speaking of diabetes, I only got a
few more good years with this new pancreas
… can you hurry up with the story.
CeeCee: Hold onto yourself … I’m
making the point! Schmuel didn’t introduce
me to his parents until our wedding, which
was held at the Holy Moses Bingo Parlor on
King Blvd. in Long Island City…
POLE
From page 9
Kilbane said, and is also favorable because of
its proximity to the power line.
“That’s something that I think everyone
could get behind,” Kilbane said.
ONA member Kent Hoddick is less satisfied
with the offer from PGE and BES, however.
“They bought us off. This is payoff money
to stop fighting them and complaining to
them,” said Hoddick, who lives near the
power line. “I personally am not satisfied
with that settlement at all.”
Hoddick’s chief complaint is that the
projects ONA selects must adhere to certain
criteria set by BES and PGE. Hoddick, who
will lead the ONA committee that handles
project proposals, said he would like to use
the money for community cleanups and
events, but cannot do so because the money
must be used for “civic improvements” such
Uncle P: How dare you! That’s it! I want
a divorce! Right now! I have the papers!
They’re here in my desk! I’m getting them!
Hold on … where are my glasses …
NORTH PRECINCT
From page 1
that time modest changes at North Precinct
would occur.
The group stated that the negotiations
laid out a “Pilot Program” that could last
anywhere from eight months to a year.
During that time modest changes at North
Precinct would occur.
“The suggestion of a year was a good
one,” said Arbor Lodge Neighborhood
Association Chair Chris Duffy. “It’s a
reasonable timeframe to see if this works for
us and for other precincts... to see if it affects
crime stats.”
“I believe North Portland views
the police in a very unique way...
When I was here, they told me,
‘don’t mess with North Precinct,
that’s the St. Johns Police
Department”
- MAYOR TOM POTTER
CeeCee: Honey, they’re on your head. The
divorce papers are in the second drawer …
Uncle P: I know! I know where … yes,
you’re right ...
CeeCee: Okay, Puzzled, if your man is
so afraid of commitment that he won’t
introduce you to his parents after a year, then
you need to either sit down and talk about
where you want this relationship to go, or ask
him where you’ll be sending his luggage.
Uncle P: Who gives a woman who’s buried
three husbands a relationship column? Who
owns this newspaper, the Grim Reaper?
Duffy stated that she would also like to
see the bureau look at larger systematic
issues during that time period such as police
recruitment and a study of changing precinct
boundaries.
The mayor emphasized that the precinct
issue itself was not on a timeline. Residents
had so far speculated that the issue had
to be decided during this spring’s city
budget process. “It’s not tied to the budget,”
reaffirmed the mayor.
Still cautious
Sizer seemed far less confident upon
leaving the meeting.
“There was good dialogue there,” said the
chief. “There was a sense that all parties were
close to a compromise.”
But when asked if she believed they had
reached an agreement that would work for
all parties, the straight-talking police chief
responded, “Probably not.”
“I need to talk with the mayor to make
sure I understood what he said in there,”
she stated. She believed she could have an
agreement worked up in a “couple of weeks.”
The mayor also conceded that the deal was
a compromise and perhaps not optimal for
the police bureau.
“Optimal (for the bureau) is not what the
community wants,” he said. “I believe North
Portland views the police in a very unique way.
It’s not like that at other precincts.” Potter is
a former Portland police chief and previously
was commander of North Precinct.
“When I was here, they told me, ‘don’t
mess with North Precinct, that’s the St. Johns
Police Department.’”
In turn, residents came away with an almost
elated appreciation for being a part of the city
of Portland and not just St. Johns.
“They (the mayor and chief) came out
here with a demonstration of the new spirit
of Portland,” said Chris Duffy.
Resident Susan Abe quickly added, “The
city that works together.”
The nature of this story may have changed
dramatically since the time this publication went
to press. For up-to-date information, please go to
our news blog at www.stjohnssentienl.com.
CeeCee: Howie, calm down, your blood
pressure cuff is blinking …
Uncle P: Blood pressure nothing! I’m
moving in with my sister! Wait, I got the
papers, but I got no carbons. Where are
the carbons?
Here’s to keeping
the streets of North
Portland a little safer.
CeeCee: Sweetie, I’ll walk you to the
Woolworth’s tomorrow and we’ll get some
carbons for your little divorce papers.
(PHOTO BY DAVE PLECHL SENTINEL
ARCHIVES)
Uncle P: Now we’re getting somewhere!
I’m going to put the papers here in my desk
until I get my carbons, then we’ll see who’s
in trouble!
CeeCee: … in the second drawer, Howard.
Uncle P: Yes, yes, thank you, dear.
CeeCee: You’re welcome, my little
dumpling. And remember, Puzzled ...
commitment is mutual, especially when
you share a dialysis machine.
Uncle P: Finally a point! Enough with the
letters, I’m exhausted already.
as school playground equipment and new
community spaces.
“PGE wants to have photo options so
that they can use (the projects) for public
relations,” Hoddick said.
According to Funk, the criteria are in place
to ensure the money is used to benefit the
entire community. PGE and BES have given
ONA six criteria for the projects: feasibility,
public support, environment, community
benefit and/or livability, sustainability, and
cost.
Funk agrees with Hoddick that PGE
wants its partnership with BES and ONA
to be recognized, but said “publicity” is not
necessarily a negative objective. Funk said
PGE’s intentions are best summed up in a
letter BES Director Dean Marriott sent to
Kilbane earlier this month.
“It is our desire to have something come
of this that the city, PGE and the Overlook
Neighborhood can celebrate and enjoy for
years to come,” Marriott wrote.
30
Page 24 • St. Johns Sentinel • April 2007
BUILDER
From page 17
Sollee. “It’s really exciting. To have it done is
like a weight off our shoulders.”
What’s next for the band is unclear, though
it’s little cause for concern. As when they
began shaping their sound, the Builders just
let things fall into place naturally.
“We’re taking a step back, letting it be, and
relaxing for a little bit,” Sollee says. “It was an
exhausting thing to do.”
Relaxing, for the Builders, doesn’t mean taking
a break from playing. They have a number of
shows booked in the coming months.
There was a time, however, when the band
took to the streets to find ears for their sound.
“We played a lot outside of clubs, or on the
street, wherever,” Sollee said. “We’d just roam
around and play wherever there’s people.”
But the way things have been going, the
band won’t likely have to roam too far to find
an audience — fans are going to be looking
for them.
BURNED OUT
From page 6
Palmer, who at the height of his participation
spent near 20 hours a week on neighborhoodrelated work, was able to pare down his work
when his personal life demanded it — no
matter how hard it may have been.
“There’s an infinite amount of stuff that
needs to be done,” says Palmer. “It takes a
lot of homework, and often it’s a multi-year
process. It’s a huge commitment.”
Palmer stresses that activists working with
their neighborhood associations are doing
important, tangible work, though they may
not receive their just dues, as the work does
not always make for glamorous news.
But you never know when the
neighborhood association might accomplish
something great.
“When I started here, all the buildings were
boarded up,” said Chris Brown, who was
twice assaulted near Mississippi Street. The
incidents led to his becoming involved with
For upcoming show dates and a peek at the the neighborhood association.
“Back then we were arguing about ways
new album, see link to their website via www.
to control crime. Now we’re arguing about
stjohnssentinel.com
parking lots.”
30
CURFEW
April 2007 • St. Johns Sentinel • Page 25
February
DANCE
From page 4
From page 16
there is defiance” or a total lack of cooperation from a parent
whom police approach about their child’s violation.
This could be a relief for parents and others like Ruth Taylor,
Program Director for Parents Anonymous, a parenting support
program under Morrison Child and Family Services. Taylor
said a child’s teenage years can be especially difficult for parents.
Sometimes, said Taylor, “you tell them they can’t go out and
they walk out the door.” The fine, she said, “would be hugely
punitive” for parents. “There’s no way they could afford it.”
Regena Williams of grassroots nonprofit Northwest
Country Community Outreach has her own approach to
reaching youth on the streets at night. Williams periodically
walks on Martin Luther King Boulevard after hours to get to
know the young people she finds there. “I walked and talked
and did everything I could to get those children in,” said
Williams. “They’re bored, there’s nothing to do,” she added.
According to Hayden, the curfew program will be the first
of its kind to be implemented in a major city. Silverton, whose
2000 population is listed at 7,414, was the first city to enforce
ORS 163.577. Such enforcement here “will be very different
since Portland is much larger,” said Hayden.
30
because of this, our dance program has built a wonderful
reputation across the nation.”
One senior had just gotten her acceptance letter into
Juilliard, the equivalent of Harvard for a dancer, and as
Gonzales proudly mentioned, “We’ve had one at Juilliard
every year for the past three!” After working with these
students for four years, he has a paternal pride at seeing their
success.
The training is focused equally around a variety of different
types of dance including modern, tap, ballet, jazz, and African,
among others, that give these future professionals a good
technical base and variety to work from.
Though the program gets a good deal of support from
the community, they are still affected by budget cuts to
city schools. When Gonzales went through the program
there were 350 students with 17 teachers; now there are 120
students with six teachers, only two of them full time. Even
so, Gonzales points out that they are the longest-running
dance company in Portland and possibly the youngest,
performing more frequently than any professional dance
company in town.
“We do on average 40 performances a year. Many of them
are outreach performances at various schools across town...
and full concerts including our spring concert in May (at the
Newmark Theatre). We have been around for a long time and
a lot of people have heard about us..its s a win-win situation,”
said Gonzales.
Currently the class is preparing to go on tour in London,
Paris and Aix-en-Provence in France for two weeks. When
they get back they have just a few short weeks before opening
at the Newmark. Already pieces are in the works for that,
including new dances by choreographer Sarah Slipper, herself
a former ballerina.
For information (503) 916-5180, ext. 1316, or link to their website
via www.stjohnssentinel.com
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February
April2007
2007• St.
• St.Johns
JohnsSentinel
Sentinel• Page
• Page2525
Page 26 • St. Johns Sentinel • April 2007
1,104 WORDS
From page 3
The idea was to create recreational space
along the waterfront that would mirror the
kind of parklike public spaces you see across
the river, such as Tom McCall Waterfront
Park. It was also thought that moving the
freeway would allow some breathing room
for expansion of the Central East Side
Business District in Inner Southeast.
The unforeseen consequence: While most
Big Ideas run aground when it comes time
to figure out how to pay for them, the “Let’s
Move I-5” campaign foundered on an even
more fundamental question: “OK, so where
do you put the freeway then?”
***
Q. So does all this mean Portland’s lost
interest in building public spaces?
Not to worry, new kids in town. Next
time you’re downtown, gazing at the cranes
and orange pylons, swing by the Block Five
ROUGHRIDERS
From page 2
“The basketball season was a perfect
barometer for what’s happened in the school
community,” Ard said. “Things are happening
here. The school has a very positive image
and people want to be a part of it, and that’s
through athletics and with academics, too.
“It’s really great to see what’s happening
around here.”
SOOTHING A ROUGH SEASON
The Roughriders finished 17-7 during
the regular season and tied Jefferson for the
Portland Interscholastic League title with a
10-2 league record.
But, Roosevelt didn’t dominate the league
as did the Jefferson Democrats.
In its final three games against Cleveland,
Madison and Marshall – teams that went a
combined 10-26 in league play – Roosevelt
won by an average of nine points. Jefferson
beat the same three teams by an average of
31 points.
The Demos went into the state playoffs
ranked fourth in the state. Roosevelt went in
ranked eighth, having entered the top 10 in
just the final week of the regular season.
When Roosevelt played host to Crook
County, The Oregonian covered Jefferson’s
playoff game with Century of Hillsboro
rather than visit Roosevelt.
While the Roughriders seemed to be
overlooked in North Portland, they had
already proven to have playoff mettle. They
beat Jefferson twice, once by just two points
and once in overtime.
“Those were big wins for us,” Johnson
said, “but we knew we could play with them
and win.”
The wins against Jefferson followed the
King Classic at the Rose Garden on Jan. 15,
where the Roughriders played in the shadow
of a team from Moss Point, Miss., which had
been brought to Portland by former Blazer
Antonio Harvey. Roosevelt lost 54-44, but
rallied several times against a team with two
players who might play collegiately at the
NCAA Div. I level.
“I think we kind of impressed ourselves,”
Johnson said following the game. “They were
pretty good, but we played pretty good, too.”
Following the Moss Point game, Roosevelt
went 9-1 in league play.
Junior guard Cameron Jackson led the
team in scoring at 17 points per game, senior
Otho Lesure added 12 points per game, and
Jackson and sophomore point guard Larry
Richards combined for 18 points per game.
While the team’s play surprised much
of the state, it didn’t surprise Roosevelt
Athletic Director Cal Szueber, who coached
the football team to the state playoffs the
past two seasons. And it didn’t surprise the
players either.
development on Southwest Taylor, just west
of Broadway. The deep hole you see is the
parking lot under what will be a new Park
Block built between Taylor and Yamhill streets.
The land was donated to the city by developer
and movie-theater mogul Tom Moyer.
So … a new park downtown!! Surely, this
will be a testament to our city’s commitment
to public spaces and benefits for all.
The unforeseen consequence: Except this
won’t be that kind of park. As The Oregonian’s
Randy Gragg reported in an article published
Feb. 12, plans call not for grass, swings and
sunshine, but glass structures, food vendors
and a giant canopy.
The new park is a $6 million project that will
be built one block north of a long stretch of
Downtown Park Blocks _ and one block west
of Pioneer Courthouse Square. Given that
the Bureau of Parks & Recreation has at least
a $30 million backlog in park maintenance
and repairs, you wonder precisely what need
is being served here. Some might suggest that
sprucing up the pool at Pier Park might be a
better use of tax dollars than building a park
just so office workers and condo dwellers can
enjoy venti lattes without having to watch
shirtless people playing Hacky Sack in the
Square.
***
Q. So all of the good riverfront space is
taken, right?
You might think so. But on the West Side,
things get done a little differently. Just check
out the South Waterfront District, destination
and/or departure point for the infamous
tram running between the Ross Island Bridge
and the Oregon Health & Science University.
By clearing out an old shipyard, the city
found itself with the kind of waterfront
acreage dreamed of for years by east side
residents. But since OHSU was threatening
to move out of the city, Portland decided to
build the tram and devote the space to new
OHSU biomedical buildings.
The unforeseen consequence:
The
biomedical boom has stalled for now.
Instead, the prime waterfront location has
been turned over to high-rise condo towers
and one (1) OHSU building dominated by a
fitness club.
***
If there’s a lesson here, it revolves around
Tom McCall, the former Oregon governor for
whom Waterfront Park is named. Among
his legacies was the mid-’70s suggestion
that Californians “visit, but don’t move” to
Oregon. But McCall also pushed through
legislation that made it statewide policy to
maintain public access to Oregon’s beaches,
pioneered the bottle bill recycling program,
and led a vigorous campaign to reduce
pollution in the Willamette River.
McCall died in 1983, so we can’t say for
certain how he’d have reacted to the notion
of pricey, high-rise condos located right
beside the river, or parks made of concrete.
But my guess is he’d be unenthused.
30
Making beautiful
music together. RHS
B-ball players, left to
right, Girardo Rivas,
Isahia Johnson, Larry
Richards, Cameron
Jackson, Chris Teuscher
and Oscar Betancourt
regularly hang out at
the piano in the lobby of
the school after class.
“I could see the boys team being really
good this season,” Szueber said. “With their
players, I thought they’d be a year behind
the football program, so this would be their
year. And that’s how it worked out.”
With Jackson and Richards returning next
season, the Roughriders may be ready to
start a tradition of winning.
“We’ve got a good team coming back,”
Jackson said. “And guys are transferring in,
so we’re going to be a team to deal with.”
PHOTO BY CLIFF PFENNING
ATHLETICS DEPARTMENT: ALL GOOD
Roosevelt’s basketball success, for many
observers, started three seasons ago when
Szueber moved to the school from Tillamook
to become AD and football coach. In his
first season, the team went 0-9 with just 28
players.
Nearly half of the team’s football players
didn’t have cleats, and weeds and shrubbery
at the stadium actually blocked out portions
of the scoreboard.
That’s when Ard, whose son had joined
the team, joined forces with several other
parents, including John Teuscher, a longtime
community athletic activist. They began
weeding the stadium and Ard bought cleats
for the players who didn’t have them. He also
started buying the pregame meal for the team,
something he linked to sportsmanship.
“In one game that first season, there were
three players penalized for unsportsmanlike
conduct,” Ard said. “I told the team, if
that happened again, the pregame meals
would stop. We haven’t had one since, and
I don’t think the basketball team has had a
technical either.”
With pregame meals and all of its players
in cleats, Roosevelt football has reached the
state playoffs the past two seasons. And,
the number of players rose from 28 to 86,
allowing the program to field a junior varsity
and freshman team this past fall.
The football and boys basketball programs
aren’t the only success stories at the school,
Szueber said. The volleyball team reached
the state playoffs, there were boys and girls
soccer teams – the boys played in the state
playoffs, and there are 30 girls playing tennis
this spring.
“Everything is very positive around here,”
Szueber said. “It’s a great atmosphere. There’s
less animosity, more excitement. It’s really
been a turnaround the past two years.”
Szueber pointed to Peterson as the key to
the turnaround.
“She’s made a tremendous difference,” he
said. “She brought a lot of optimism and
positive actions and that’s a great thing to
have at the top.”
PRINCIPAL TURN AROUND
Peterson moved to Roosevelt from the
Camas School District at the request of
Superintendent Vicki Phillips in July of
2005. Peterson said she carried “interim” in
Page 26 • St. Johns Sentinel • April 2007
her title and even asked Phillips to continue
searching for a permanent principal.
But then she got to know the school. On
her first day, she drove to the Sandy area to
attend a summer league baseball game. The
parents there were stunned.
“They asked me, ‘What are you doing
here?’” she said. “When I told them I was
interested in the students’ activities, they all
had the same response: ‘Really?’
“And I got that at other events I went
to. Once I got to know the school and the
students, I knew I couldn’t leave.”
In the first days of the 2005-06 school year,
she had students walk throughout the school
to learn where resources were located and
what teachers provided them.
She hired a photographer to take photos
of students to place on walls. And she
developed a model for student behavior,
led by expectations for safety, respect and
responsibility.
And, Roosevelt got a school store courtesy
of Ard.
Prior to Peterson’s arrival, Ard offered to
donate more than $1,000 to open a school
store. But he wanted the school, with
student involvement, to produce a business
plan for how the money would be spent.
Nothing happened.
Peterson tracked Ard down, got an
economics class involved and the school
store opened.
“When you go to a football or basketball
game and look up in the stands and there’s
kids wearing Roosevelt shirts, they got those
from the school store,” Ard said. “I love seeing
that. That’s something every school needs.”
When the basketball team reached the state
tournament, 133 businesses raised $8,000 to
pay for the team expenses during the away
games. Ard said a factor in the school’s ability
to raise funds is the changing community.
“Five years ago, when people came in to
buy a washer or stove, they asked about the
cheapest ones we had,” he said. “Now, they
ask about quality. It’s becoming more of an
affluent community.”
“I think there’s been community interest
in the past,” he said, “but no one asked for it.
We’re asking for it, and it’s there.”
SINGING A HAPPY TUNE
While Peterson points to the lack of litter
around the school as a sign of progress,
visitors to Roosevelt might point to the piano
in the main lobby as a sign of social success.
Although the school has no music program,
students regularly play the piano, donated
earlier this school year, after school.
The school opened an auto shop earlier
in the fall, it has an open mic night as part
of a community project to record poetry,
and growing community support for
girls athletics.
While the basketball team’s trip to Eugene
resulted in a number of racial slurs and
incidents, which are being investigated by
the Oregon School Activities Association,
Peterson said she also heard continual
comments about Roosevelt students.
Some of the students had helped put
Crook County colors in the Roosevelt gym
before their state playoff game as a courtesy
for their Prineville guests. They took that
attitude to Eugene.
“People from other schools at the
tournament kept coming up to me because
of our students,” she said. “They were all
impressed with how well the kids were
behaved – even outside of the gym.”
Johnson said despite not winning a state
title on the basketball court, he felt like a
state champion at his school.
“What’s happened here at the school is
amazing and it’s something I’m going to feel
very proud of when I graduate because I did
this,” he said. “I did my part as a student, as a
leader to make this school a better place and
that’s something I’m going to leave behind
for other students to follow.
“That’s a great feeling.”
30
April 2007 • St. Johns Sentinel • Page 27
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