Fall 2014 - AlamedaPDX.net

ALAMEDA NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER
FALL 2014
Volume 28 Number 3
Fishing in Autumn
by Nguyen Khuyen
(translated by Dun Gifford Jr.)
The fall pond cheerless, the water clear,
Alameda Neighborhood Association
3118 NE 32nd Avenue
Portland, OR 97212
NON-PROFIT ORG.
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
PORTLAND, OR
PERMIT 1388
I fish from a small boat drifting here.
Tiny blue ripples roll through the mist,
The wind, the leaves fly past with
the year.
From a deep blue sky hang rows of clouds,
On a bamboo path, no one appears.
Take a peek
INSIDE
Letter from the Editor.............................. 2
The Broadway Streetcar........................ 3
“The 20s Bikeway” .................................. 4
Greetings from Celeste Carey.............. 4
MyPod...................................................... 5
Putting Your Garden to Bed............... 6-7
Home Demolitions in Alameda ........... 8
“I Am From Alameda”........................... 9
Changing Alameda.............................. 9
Knees to chest, I can’t
put down this pole,
ANA Board Member Profile................. 10
Many fish tug at
the duckweed here.
What’s In A Name?...............................11
Reinvention of Self.................................11
Neighborhood Events.......................... 12
2
FALL 2014
AlamedaPDX.net
Letter from the Editor
by Blythe Knott
I
never write
this ‘Editor’s
Letter’ before
seeing the layout
of the Newsletter
and reading all
of the articles at
one time. Dave
Sparks - Newsletter
Designer
Extraordinaire of Hawthorne Media Group
- just loves this, because then he gets to
monkey around with the layout when
the issue is basically already complete.
But, I’m not doing this to be a diva. It’s
because, in each Newsletter, there is a
theme that emerges, and I only realize it
once I see everything at once. It’s fascinating
to me how this always happens, when
the only theme that’s presented to any
of the writers is “Summer” or “Fall.”
In this issue, the theme that has emerged
is “Reinvention.” Reinvention of one’s
self, reinvention of a dormant building,
reinvention of a neighborhood, reinvention
of a career, even reinvention of identity.
This issue starts with a great article from our
neighborhood historian, Doug Decker about
the Broadway Streetcar that once connected
Alameda to Portland’s downtown. Alameda
Board member Jim Brown then writes about
a new north/south bikeway that will go
directly through our neighborhood, as well as
plans for a new building that will go in at the
Perry’s old parking lot on 24th and Fremont.
Andre Hulet, our writer/thinker, talks
about an old iPod and the way it has kept a
place in his life. Cathy Gibson clearly knows
everything there is to know about gardening
- she is such a great resource. Dan LaGrande
wrote a very interesting and informative
article about home demolitions, and Gail
Jeidy’s Picture Windows this issue is a lovely
“I Am” poem. George Ivan Smith - who can
write about anything - covers changes in
Alameda and a profile of Alameda Board
member Gene Avery. Last but certainly not
least, musician John Silliman Dodge writes
about a career reinvention; and Will(ie)
Levenson writes about a name reinvention.
As you read this, summer will be ending,
school will have started, and new beginnings
will be forced upon us. It’s interesting to
think about this, in relation to the topics
covered in this Newsletter, because there
is a world of difference between ‘change’
and ‘reinvention.’ and I love the idea of
creating a new reality, rather than just
accepting the one that presents itself.
My best wishes for a fall full of interesting
changes, transitions, and, even, reinventions.
–
Blythe
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Alameda Neighborhood Association Contacts
activate your marketing
Scott A. Rider - Chair
[email protected]
Jamie Waltz - Vice Chair
[email protected]
Charles Rice - Secretary
[email protected]
branding
Gene Avery - Treasurer
[email protected]
printing
Blythe Knott - Newsletter Editor
503-577-0554 [email protected]
web design
David Sparks - Layout and Design
[email protected]
social media
e-marketing
Jim Brown - Land Use / NECN
[email protected]
hawth rne
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503.238.4024 • hawthornemediagroup.com
OWNED BY DAVE AND KIM SPARKS
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Adam Karol - Emergency Network /NECN
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Peggy Valenti - Outreach/Communications
pegvalenti@gmail
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wine and beer on tap
2723 NE 7th Ave just north of Knott
Monday-Saturday 6:30am-6pm
Sunday 7:30am-6pm
This seasonal quarterly newsletter is a publication of the Alameda
Neighborhood Association, Portland, Oregon. Deadlines are:
Winter – November 1 for December 1 mailing; Spring – February 1
for March 1 mailing; Summer – May 1 for June 1 mailing; Autumn
– August 1 for September 1 mailing.
Business Manager: Gene Avery (above). Distributed by USPS to
2150 Alameda residences plus libraries, shops, etc.
For advertising options contact Gene Avery.
FALL 2014
3
AlamedaPDX.net
THE BROADWAY STREETCAR: Alameda’s Early Lifeline
by Doug Decker
T
oday, us Alamedans take
for granted our ability to
travel out of the neighborhood
any time of the day or night.
When we need to be on
the move, most of us travel
by car down our familiar
thoroughfares: Fremont, 33rd,
24th, 21st. There was a time,
however, within the reach
of one good memory, when
the notion “neighborhood
thoroughfare” meant something
completely different than the
busy streets we know today.
Two generations of our neighbors grew up here in
Alameda relying on the Broadway streetcar to take
them where they needed to go. Ever-present, often
noisy, sometimes too cold (or too hot), but always
dependable, the Broadway car served Alameda
loyally from 1910 to 1948. And though its been
gone from our streets and our lives now for 54
years, physical clues remain when you learn how to
see them, and neighbors are still pleased to recall
their memories about one of Portland’s premier
streetcar routes.
During its lifespan, the Broadway car witnessed
major changes to the life of our city. When our
streetcar first traveled Regents Hill—which the
motormen had dubbed “Mud Hill” due to the
pre-construction mudbowl of the early Alameda
Ridge—the automobile was still a novelty.
Construction had just begun on the Broadway
Bridge. The Alameda Land Company was hatching
its plans to sell the lots we all live on today.
Portland’s population stood at 207,000.
Sensitive to the transport needs of its prospective
customers, the Alameda Land Company financed
construction of the rails and overhead electric lines
that brought the car up Regents Hill to 29th and
Mason. Developers all over the city knew access was
one key to selling lots, particularly in the muddy and
wild environs that Alameda represented in 1909.
The builder of my own home, William B. Donahue,
figured out this selling point and picked four lots in
the neighborhood within a one-block walk of the
streetcar upon which to build.
The Broadway streetcar
was replaced by bus on
August 1, 1948. By 1950,
all of Portland’s once
ubiquitous streetcar lines
were gone. In the early days
of neighborhood life, our
streetcar was indispensable.
It was one catalyst that made
development of Alameda
possible. It linked us to
downtown and to other
neighborhoods near and far.
To hear the stories, it linked
us to each other in a way too.
A narrative map of the streetcar’s complete 8.8 mile
circuit would go something like this, beginning here
near us at the outbound end. Once arriving at the
end of the line at 29th and Mason, the motorman
would step outside, drop the trolley pole on one end
of the car and secure it to the roof. He would raise
the pole on the other end for the trip downtown and
hook it to the overhead line. And off he would go
to the south, passing straight through today’s “Bus
and Bicycle Only” notch at Regents and Alameda,
then down the hill to 24th, where the rails bent
south. At 24th and Fremont, the line jogged west
for two blocks before turning south on 22nd. The
car continued south on 22nd toward Broadway,
with a minor “s” turn at Tillamook before the
corner onto Broadway, where the car turned west
toward downtown and across the Broadway Bridge.
The downtown end of the line was Broadway and
Jefferson, where the process began again as the
motorman readied for the outbound trip. A key
difference on the outbound leg was that the car
turned north on 24th not 22nd. The 2.2 mile long
loop formed by the 22nd and 24th couplet—the
Fremont Loop—makes for a nice walking circuit
even today.
Want to look for clues to our lost streetcar
line? Next time you are up at Northeast 29th
and Mason, notice how 29th narrows on the
north side of the intersection. The wider
stretch of street to the south was necessary
to accommodate the rails and the traffic. Or
have a good look at Northeast 22nd and you’ll
notice how much wider it is than any of our
north-south streets. There are other clues to
be found in the alignment of power poles, in
the remnants of rail unearthed from time to
time during street repair, and in the memories
of those who remember the clanky, drafty,
dependable Broadway steetcar.
Neighborhood historian Doug
Decker prepares studies of
neighborhood homes and
families for current residents
of Northeast Portland
neighborhoods, and those
interested in learning about
vintage buildings and
neighborhood history. Visit www.alamedahistory.
org or write him at [email protected].
In 1923, a trip downtown cost an adult 8 cents.
Kids could buy a special packet of school tickets
allowing 25 rides for $1. In 1932, a monthly pass
for unlimited rides cost $1.25. Alamedans used the
streetcar as a vital link to shopping, churchgoing,
commuting to the office, trips to the doctor. Some
even rode the line for entertainment.
During the day, cars ran every 10 minutes, and
Alamedans referred to them as “regular cars” or
“trains.” During the morning and evening rush
hours, additional cars called “trippers” were put into
the circuit to handle additional riders. Trippers did
not climb the hill to 29th and Mason, traveling only
on the Fremont Loop to save time. At night, our
line was one of the handful in Portland that featured
an “owl car,” a single train that made the circuit once
an hour between midnight and 5 a.m. Owl service
was a special distinction.
Visit the Alameda Neighborhood association website at AlamedaPDX.net
4
AlamedaPDX.net
FALL 2014
Coming Soon to a Neighborhood Near You
by Jim Brown
T
he “20s Bikeway” will be
another designated bicycle
route through Portland. With
speed bumps, “sharrows”,
and a 20 MPH vehicle speed
limit, bikeways are intended
to improve safety and
facilitate pedal-powered travel
throughout the City. As the name implies, the 20s
Bikeway will be made up of avenues numbered in
the twenties, mostly. For general information on the
project, type “20s Bikeway” into your browser.
In the Alameda Neighborhood, the planned 20s Bikeway
route heads north from Knott Street on 26th Avenue to
the foot of Regents Drive. It then follows Regents Drive
to 32nd Avenue and turns north and proceeds on 32nd
Avenue. The project will be completed sometime in
2016. To enhance cyclist and pedestrian safety, a median
“refuge” was planned for the point where the Bikeway
crosses Fremont, but a recent change in the plan calls
for curb extensions instead. More about that follows.
Another planned project is a new commercial building
on the site of Perry’s parking lot, the northwest
corner of 24th and Fremont. The current plan is
for a seventy-five hundred square-foot, one-story
structure with a mezzanine. The exterior design will
be substantial and reminiscent of the early 1900s, when
our neighborhood was in its infancy. The building
will be an attractive addition to our neighborhood
and should bring new businesses within convenient
walking distance of many Alameda homes.
These two projects interact in an interesting way. The
new building will decrease available off-street parking,
having just four off-street parking spaces instead of the
eighteen now in place. Some patrons of businesses in that
building will drive their vehicles to get to it. When the
Perry’s Restaurant building is put back into service, there
could be some off-street parking on the site, but still it
is likely there will be a net increase of parking needed
for that building during business hours. If the median
in the original plan were to be constructed at 26th and
Fremont, parking on Fremont Street would be eliminated
for one-hundred feet east and west, on both sides of
Fremont – eliminating about twenty parking spaces.
The good news is that the Bikeway project plan has been
changed. At the Alameda Neighborhood Association
(ANA) Board meeting on June 23rd, Rich Newlands of
the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) gave a
presentation on the 20s Bikeway plan. Board members
expressed approval, except for the proposed median.
It was felt that people would not feel safe standing on
a median in the middle of Fremont. A representative
from the Fremont United Methodist Church (FUMC)
expressed deep concern about eliminating so much
adjacent parking. FUMC also had been in direct contact
with PBOT. FUMC scheduled a public meeting on July
29th, which was well-attended. Prior to the meeting,
PBOT decided on a change. Now, curb extensions are
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planned for the northeast and southwest corners of 26th
and Fremont. Instead of eliminating parking spaces,
the new plan will add two more while still enhancing
cyclist and pedestrian safety. ANA and FUMC appreciate
PBOT’s cooperation in addressing our concerns.
The not-so-good news is there will be more vehicles
parking on Fremont and the avenues adjacent. From
23rd to 29th, Alameda School, FUMC, and the several
businesses have little or no off-street parking. The
additional businesses will increase the number of vehicles
traveling through and parking in nearby residential areas.
In the coming months, the ANA will be discussing ways
to keep the area safe for cyclists, drivers, and pedestrians.
One possibility the ANA has discussed is reduction of
the speed limit on NE Fremont, at least between 23rd
and 29th; this was brought up at the FUMC meeting
as well. Other possibilities include eliminating parking
on avenues within a few feet of NE Fremont to improve
visibility and making drivers keenly aware that driveways
must not be blocked. Perhaps, you have a suggestion.
As you know, our neighborhood has been pretty stable
over the years, but times, technology, and society
gradually change. Some of these changes directly affect
the way a neighborhood functions. This recent interactive
cooperation with PBOT shows that we can be proactive
and effective in dealing with change. Your Alameda
Neighborhood Association can help you deal with issues
that affect your daily life and your rights as a homeowner.
Your attention and participation make it work.
Greetings from Crime Prevention Program
Coordinator Celeste Carey, City of Portland
Hello Inner Northeast Portland and Neighbors.
I am your “Friendly Neighborhood Crime
Prevention Program Coordinator” (official title!)
and I provide crime prevention, livability and
community organizing services to Alameda,
Concordia, Humboldt, Irvington, King, Sabin,
Vernon, and Woodlawn neighborhoods.
Please contact me at 503-823-4764 for assistance
with crime and livability issues. I look forward
to working with you to create a safe and livable
community!
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FALL 2014
AlamedaPDX.net
5
MyPod
by Andre Hulet
I
still play music with my
iPod. It’s black and has 30
gigabytes of storage, which
makes it a “5th generation”
iPod dating to late 2006. I like
it for a number of reasons.
to it is song by song in alphabetical order. The
collection is so vast, it’s akin to putting the iPod
on the random play setting - but alphabetical is
better. How many hours will it take just to listen
to all the songs beginning with “A”? The C’s go on
forever - there must be something about English
words beginning with C that result in song titles.
I get lost in the shifting genres and styles, and
suddenly I notice I’m not longer listening to the
M’s but the N’s. The emphasis on this trivial
form of organization brings communication to
mind: I’m more conscious of the titles themselves
- what each adds to its song. Someone is talking
to me, and as the titles come one after the other,
I’m left with the feeling that it’s Steve himself
who’s talking, quietly offering title after title in
an attempt to make my day a little better. This
was true in 2007, and it’s just as true today.
So rapid is the evolution
of consumer technology that I get the same
quaint feeling when using the iPod as I get
when admiring any well-made item from the
past. I like its crisp black and white screen and
its system of menus, just the right number and
variety to categorize all your tunes and find
them quickly. And the multi-function circular
pad and button - how clever! Way back in 2006,
once I got the hang of clicking in and out of
menus and spinning the volume up and down,
it was hard to imagine a more sensible device.
But it doesn’t have any online capabilities. It
accepts music by copying it from your computer.
By today’s standards, loading up a classic iPod
with music would feel irritatingly slow and
complicated. Maybe that’s why I don’t put music
on it anymore. Haven’t for years. It’s become a
kind of appliance for playing the specific songs
that are on it. The music’s stranded inside this
little flat box, not moving from device to device
the way my current online library of music can.
So my iPod has become this peculiar thing.
It’s not the third-lobe crutch of a socializing
entertainment & communications personal
assistant that my phone is. It is a kind of furniture:
it stays in my house and I use it at specific
times to relax; when I’m not feeling restless.
In a way, I’m the lucky recipient of someone
else’s iPod. It started out as mine, but my friend,
Steve, got ahold of it not long after I bought it. It
was a difficult time in my life, and Steve offered
to put some music on the iPod to help me forget
- or at least mitigate - my troubles. He out-did
himself, loading the device over the course of
a day or two with more than a thousand songs
from his personal collection. As he put it, the
copying of all the music was “totally illegal.” But
the artifact resulting from this act of friendship
was unique and priceless - and still is.
Steve is a collector of music. His taste exceeds the
eclectic. He has an encyclopedic interest in finding
and knowing music, and his collection is immense,
taking up an entire basement with vinyl, CD’s,
some tapes, and a trove of MP3 copies of these
recordings. His contribution to the iPod dwarfed
mine, and at this point, I can’t even remember
what music I had on it at the time he loaded it up.
When I’m picking a new album or collection to
play, I tend to think of Steve as I pick: Why did
he choose to include Laura Veirs? Califone is just
the kind of band he’d listen to all afternoon.
These thoughts bring me to the curiosity of the
collection itself- what motivated him to choose
the the artists, albums, songs and collections that
he did? He did it quickly, and - at least in part - in
response to my life circumstances. There’s such a
diversity of content, yet some areas aren’t really
touched. There’s no classical music; no country &
western (though a fair amount of country blues);
plenty of jazz and rock; some ambient; gospel. At
times I conclude that he chose the styles of music
that I like. I’m sure that’s true to some extent:
there are certainly a lot of recordings I return to
over and over again - I can’t resist them, like a
favorite dessert. But there are just as many that
I listen to only occasionally, or have only sought
out once, which is bound to happen, I suppose.
I’ve listened to the iPod all sorts of different
ways: by album, by artist, by collection. But the
most deeply affecting way I’ve found to listen
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I’m bothered by the fact that the iPod won’t
last forever. Well, make a copy of its contents,
you may say. But its music isn’t really a fungible
resource. Integrating the collection with an upto-date music playing device would risk getting
the collection mixed with other music I’ve bought.
Other aspects of the perpetually online experience
would intrude. The very breadth and limitations
of the collection would be dulled. It would be
harder (and therefore less of a pleasure) to simply
turn on the thing and recall how all these songs
came together in the first place, and why.
So, while it keeps spinning its little stand-alone
hard drive, I’ll keep listening to Steve’s iPod.
Like any great object, it will leave its own traces
with me when it finally quits. I’ll never listen to
a Steely Dan song all the way through without a
flashbulb memory of spinning down the iPod menu
to the “Citizen Steely Dan” compilation. Same
for the Division of Laura Lee; or Lyrics Born; or
Ronald Shannon Jackson, or Yo La Tengo. There’s
a lot of life in that iPod. How lucky for me.
6
FALL 2014
AlamedaPDX.net
Putting Your Garden to
by Cathy Gibson
D
on’t put those tools away
yet or put your feet up and
relax! Do I need to remind you
that fall can be one of the busiest
times in the garden? Putting the
garden to bed is an important and
sometimes time-consuming job.
If you have a lawn and it needs refreshing or
reestablishing, now is the time to do it. On the other
hand, if you want to convert your lawn to garden beds
now is also the time to do it. One way is to mark the
area you want to convert is to cut the grass as short
as you can, then cover it with an overlapping layer of
cardboard or several layers of newspaper (none of the
shiny stuff!). Soak this well with water and then add
several inches of good garden compost to cover it. You
can cut holes to plant or you can let it sit until spring
when it has had more of a chance to decompose. This
method is called sheet mulching. Another approach is
called “lasagna gardening”. It is like composting in a pile!
you can’t
put a price
on being
FIT.
( b u t h e y, w e ’ l l t r y )
c omplimentary first cl ass
You add alternating layers of kitchen scraps and grass
clippings, newspaper, yard waste, leaves and unfinished
compost, ending with a layer of compost or mulch. The
layers will deteriorate into rich, well-drained soil ready
Here are a few Fall gard
September:
• Protect tomatoes and/or pick
green tomatoes and ripen indoors
if frost threatens.
• Harvest potatoes when the tops
die down. Store them in a dark
location.
• Optimal time for establishing a
new lawn or restoring an old one
is August through Mid-September.
Aerate lawns.
• Stop irrigating your lawn after
Labor Day to suppress European
crane fly populations.
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for planting. Alternate the layers of green materials, such
as grass clippings, with browns, such as cardboard, just
as you would in a compost pile. For more information
on this method, Patricia Lanza has written a book called
• Plant daffodils, tulips, and crocus
for spring bloom. Work calcium
and phosphorus into the soil
below the bulbs at planting time.
October:
• To suppress future pest
problems, clean up annual flower
beds by removing diseased plant
materials - overwintering areas for
insect pests; mulch with manure or
garden compost to feed the soil
and suppress weeds.
• Plant garlic for harvesting next
summer.
• Save seeds from the vegetable
and flower garden. Dry, date,
label, and store in a cool and dry
location.
• Plant ground covers and shrubs.
• Dig and store geraniums,
tuberous begonias, dahlias,
gladiolas.
• Pot and store tulips and daffodils
to force into early bloom, indoors,
in December and January.
FALL 2014
7
AlamedaPDX.net
Bed
Lasagna Gardening. I used the first method when I
“did away” with the grass in my backyard. Both these
methods are easier and as effective as using herbicides
or the backbreaking way of digging up the sod. Plus it is
better for the soil structure and the microbes and other
organisms that live in the soil.
Speaking about lasagna there is a “lasagna method” for
planting bulbs. I have done this before but never heard
it called by this name. Choose a container that is wide
enough and deep enough. A 14-inch-deep container
will hold three layers of bulbs. Select bulbs with varying
planting depths. For a succession of color choose bulb
varieties that have early, mid and late blooming times.
Plant the largest bulbs (tulips, daffodils or alliums) first,
cover them with about 2 inches of soil and a sprinkle
of bone meal or bulb fertilizer. Next plant bulbs such
as hyacinths, narcissus or snowdrops followed by more
soil. Last plant shallow planted bulbs like crocus, grape
hyacinths or scilla and cover these with more soil and top
the pot off with pansies or violas. Sometimes I have also
put screen or other protection across the top of the pot to
keep the squirrels from digging up the bulbs. You can use
whatever bulbs you like, just keep in mind their size and
depth requirements.
A great website for looking up plants is Great Plant Picks
at www.greatplantpicks.org. It is an educational outreach
program of the Elisabeth C. Miller Botanical Garden in
Seattle, Washington. A selection committee made up
of horticulturists from Western Oregon, Washington,
and British Columbia meets to make a list of plants every
year. The goals of this committee are to:
1. “Create a comprehensive list of hardy,
reliable plants for home gardeners and industry
professionals specifically focused on the
maritime northwest.”
2. To provide easily accessible information on
the selected plants
den tips
• Leave ornamental grasses up in
winter to provide winter texture in
the landscape. Cut them back a
few inches above the ground in
early spring.
• Last chance to plant cover
crops for soil building. You can
also use a 3- to 4-inch layer of
leaves, spread over the garden
plot, to eliminate winter weeds,
suppress early spring weeds and
prevent soil compaction by rain.
• Watch for wet soil and
drainage problems in yard during
heavy rains. Tiling, ditching,
and French drains are possible
solutions. Consider rain gardens
and bioswales as a long-term
solution.
• Plant window garden of lettuce,
chives, parsley.
They have been picking and recommending plants to NW
gardeners since 2001. The website lists all of the plant
picks which now number almost 900. You can search for
plants using several different categories - i.e. plants for
shade or sun, plants with scents, plants for small spaces,
etc. Each plant recommended on the web site includes a
picture, a list of outstanding qualities, facts and cultural
requirements. If you are looking for a specific plant or
a plant for a specific place or just looking at plants it is a
wonderful website.
HAVE A GARDEN
QUESTION OR PROBLEM?
The Multnomah County Master Gardeners
November:
• Place mulch around berries for
winter protection.
3. And to provide and clarify accurate
nomenclature and identification of the selected
plants.”
provide
• Good time to plant trees and
shrubs. Consider planting shrubs
and trees that supply food and
shelter to birds; e.g., sumac,
elderberry, flowering currant, and
mock orange.
• Still time to plant springflowering bulbs, such as tulips,
daffodils, hyacinths, crocuses.
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8
FALL 2014
AlamedaPDX.net
Home Demolitions: A Problem for Alameda?
by Dan LaGrande
T
he first clue is usually
a very large dump box
in front of the house. Soon
thereafter, a crew appears and
begins demolishing the house
- sometimes leaving exterior
walls, but frequently tearing the
house down to the foundation.
Then a new, much bigger house goes up on the site.
If you think you’re seeing this around the Alameda
neighborhood more often, you are right. A sense of
unease in many people is becoming a cause for concern.
“While the 279 residential demolitions recorded
in 2013 exceeded that of any year in recent
memory, by year’s end 2014 is likely to surpass
last year’s record,” according to the Restore
Oregon web site. “By all accounts, this trend has
implications not only for preservation of historic
buildings, but also for the environment, equity,
gentrification, and neighborhood stability.”
Founded in 1977, the nonprofit Restore Oregon
says even though it has evolved over the years “we’ve
always focused on taking care of the places that
make Oregon, OREGON: the historic homes and
neighborhoods, bridges and barns, churches and Main
Streets that make this place so authentic and livable.”
That includes Alameda and many of the neighborhoods
on Portland’s east side. What we are seeing here
is becoming a citywide concern and it’s moving
onto the Portland City Council’s radar.
At a Council hearing in late July, the Bosco-Milligan
Architectural Heritage Foundation, a nonprofit
dedicated to raising awareness of the value of
older homes, made a compelling presentation.
Its president, Fred Leeson, asked the Council
to address what he called “the demolition
syndrome, which is chewing its way through our
most livable and affordable neighborhoods.”
He said many of those neighborhoods were built in
the early decades of the 20th Century, the streetcar
era, and are valued today for their well-built homes.
“What we are losing are houses built with oldgrowth wood and some of the best building materials
known to man…and we’re shipping them to the
landfill,” Leeson exclaimed. “For the environment
and the carbon footprint, we should be rehabbing
and retrofitting instead of demolishing. The
“greenest” building is the one that’s already built.”
Data from Restore Oregon supports Leeson’s point.
“This year alone, over 21 million pounds of waste
has been created due to residential demolitions
in Portland. Only 2% of it was salvaged.”
Additional data from Restore Oregon shows that
“on average, replacement houses are nearly twice
the size of what existed before demolition. With
the exception of high-density apartments, most
replacement housing contributes to rising home prices.”
Alameda and nearby neighborhoods are well
aware of escalating home prices, and the
challenge that presents to younger families,
often trying to buy their first home.
According to a recent report from the US Census
Bureau, home ownership for people age 35 and
under has been declining for the last decade, and is
now at the lowest level since the government began
tracking quarterly home ownership 21 years ago.
Clearly, Portland’s trend of demolishing
smaller, more affordable homes is an additional
hurdle to young people, many of whom are
also carrying large student loan debt.
While Portland must take steps to increase density
and prepare for the thousands of people who will
move here in the years ahead, Restore Oregon
contends the removal of smaller homes will be of
little help. “Only 9% of residential demolitions
result in any meaningful increase in density,
and almost half result in no increase at all.”
Home demolition does, Restore Oregon contends,
have a major – often adverse - impact on Portland
neighborhoods. “Even when not-so-great houses are
demolished, many of the new replacement houses
compete with existing neighborhood character.
With the exception of a few plan districts, new
construction is not required to respond to existing
neighborhood characteristics, such as setback or size.”
As we’ve experienced in Alameda, a new, imposing
three-story home next to a single story craftsman or
bungalow is a jarring sight. Confronted with that,
neighbors ask one another, “how can this happen?”
Restore Oregon knows the answer: Portland’s
building code does not define “demolition,” an omission
that allows developers to strip an existing building to
its foundation and call the new building an “alteration”
or “addition.” An evaluation of recent permits suggests
that the actual number of tear downs may be 3050% higher than the official “demolition” tally.
Restore Oregon - along with many of its partners
and friends - will be advocating that City Council
support an emergency response to the demolition
epidemic. Unless changes are made, upwards of
400 Portland houses will be lost in 2014 - the
vast majority of which will disappear without
any opportunity for community dialogue or
proposed development alternatives. Demolition
has implications that reach far beyond backyards.
The Board of the Alameda Neighborhood Association
(ANA) has expressed its concern over this issue.
To learn more, or let the Board know your views,
please email the ANA’s Land Use and Transportation
Committee at: [email protected]
http://portlandpreservation.wordpress.com/
http://restoreoregon.org/
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FALL 2014
9
AlamedaPDX.net
PICTURE WINDOWS
by Gail Jeidy
O
regon newest poet
laureate Peter Sears says
‘prompts’ are a fine starter
for good and continuous
writing. So when the quiet of
summer struck me blank with
inspiration, I remembered the
“I am” poem I found during
summer cleaning, the one
my daughter wrote years back as a get-to-know you
activity at the start of middle school. It prompted me
to write one for the neighborhood.
I am from Alameda
I am from India, China, The Netherlands,
Australia, Britain, Germany,
Iran, Iowa, The Dakotas,
Wisconsin and Vancouver,
within a half-block radius.
I am from London Planes, Japanese
Maples,
Hawthorne, plum, wisteria,
ginko, fig and cherry
within a skyline sketched by old
growth firs.
I’m from Four Square, Colonial, Tudor,
Craftsman,
colorful front doors,
rooflines that angle winter rain,
and solar panels that belie it.
I am from Alameda Ridge, Deadman’s Hill
and Harvard Square
hillside steps and stone walls
the Zen garden around the corner
and the Mary Oliver poem on the
illuminated post.
I’m from “KEEP PORTLAND WEIRD” and
“SAY NO TO CELL TOWERS”,
from ‘LOST KITTEN’ to ‘LOST BOWL AT
BLOCK PARTY!’
from the street bounce of basketballs to
train whistles on a still night.
I’m from a pale yellow grade school,
bright yellow bins for recycled bottles
and scorched yellow grass—August style.
I’m from tree swings and fairy houses,
enchanted hedges and giant tree roots,
garage-sale treasures and parking strip
pumpkins.
I’m from the magic pond on the corner
after a downpour
that vanishes with help from
neighborhood wizards.
I’m from smart cars, recumbent bicycles,
and more than one teal Eurovan,
bumper stickers of past progressives,
green plastic ‘SLOW’ men, (fluorescent)
like the one my little girl ran over with
her bicycle.
I’m from sharrows on pavement,
Horse rings at the curb,
crows high in the sky,
and knitted foliage at stop sign level.
I’m from the shuffle of dawn
walkers walking dogs
and dogs walking joggers
among squirrels and occasional coyotes.
I’m from streets long gone but
not forgotten,
names cemented on curbs,
like Woodworth and Glenn.
I’m from 50 shades of sidewalk gray,
crazy quilt patches etched with
Elwood Wiles 1908, Joplin & Meeks 1912,
Klebisch & Joplin 1912, Gebisc & Beichell,
Jacobsen Jensen 1928, Edelfsen &
Weygandt 1930,
Kern & Kibb and J. Rebman 1930
for starters.
I am from no mosquitos or fireflies,
random sightings of butterflies
yellow jackets peeking through my
window
and cobwebs that capture morning
and night.
I’m from gardens of every shape and size,
but mostly small
and the wobble of honeybees hustling
blossoms
heavy with pollen.
I am from a place where
Madeleine is not a cookie,
Grant is still a General
Klickitat suggests the Cleary tribe
And Alameda means home.
Changing
Alameda
by George Ivan Smith
A
n urban legend
tells of a mom in
neighborhood of rapid
remodeling who sent her
young daughter back to
a grocery three blocks
away to get bread. The
girl turned on the wrong street, and soon
returned home without the bread, and told
her mom, “they’ve already torn it down and
built something else there.”
The story resonates today in Alameda. At
the corner of NE Alameda Terrace and 32nd
Place, at large old Portland mansion has been
for sale for some time. Late in May surveyors
marked off the large surrounding grounds
into two lots for development. One lot faces
Alameda Terrace, the opposite lot faces
Alameda.
Neighbors said the stand of large fir trees
was to be cut down. When I got there with
a camera June 25th, only one stripped
trunk was standing. A feller with a large
chain saw quickly had it down. On August
7th I returned to the lot, and, behold! In
the 43 days, a large two-story house with
full basement was rising like a rectangular
brachiosaurus from the grave of that fir tree.
If construction continues unabated, we can
imagine the family roasting a turkey in the
oven by Thanksgiving.
10
FALL 2014
AlamedaPDX.net
ANA Board Member Profile: Gene Avery
by George Ivan Smith
George Ivan Smith: Gene, you serve as
Treasurer on the ANA Board of Directors.What does that require you to do?
who know how to respond to a natural disaster
emergency. They work to maintain communication, coordinate rescue work, distribute
emergency supplies and aid, and keep up to
date with procedures for responding to potential disasters.
Gene Avery: I pay bills, prepare a monthly financial statement for the Board, bill and collect
payments for advertising in the ANA Newsletter, and file annual corporation reports.
What sort of work did you do before retiring? Did it require special education
or credentials?
How long have you lived in NE Portland? Where were you born?
We’ve lived here 23 years in the same house.
I was born in Binghamton NY, and spent my
years from 2 to 40 in California.
I’ve always said that I’ve never held a job that
required me to actually know anything to get
the job. I sold medical insurance to large union
groups,
Who or what got you involved with the
Alameda Neighborhood Association?
What kind of activities do you enjoy?
My wife and I were long time anti-war activists, and the threat of war was winding down
in the early 90’s. I talked with a friend on the
board of education about my interest in race
relations. He thought it would be great to create Hate Free Zones in neighborhoods. At the
time SE Uplift was doing diversity training so I
took the training. I visited an Alameda Neighborhood meeting with that in mind. My first
meeting was election night and I volunteered
and was elected Vice Chair. I’ve been involved
ever since. And we did write and pass a Hate
Free resolution in Alameda.
I play tennis five times a week, usually golf
once or twice a week, play bridge, and volunteer as a Court Appointed Special Advocate for
children in foster care.
You did some diversity training here, and
were a volunteer in the Alameda team
What would you like to see the ANA
that worked to reduce sewer overflow by
bring into reality?
disconnecting rain downspouts.What
other activities have you been involved in? I don’t have an agenda. I think the ANA exI got involved in the Northeast Emergency
Team (NET) which seeks to help neighborhoods and neighbors have trained volunteers
ists to champion the interests and issues of its
neighbors.
Visit the Alameda Neighborhood Association website at AlamedaPDX.net
Expect Eastside Expertise

Billy Grippo

2620 NE Fremont Street, 97212
503-284-4647
Linda Quanstrom, Pastor
www.fremontumc.org
www.facebook.com/FremontUMC
9:15 Sunday school ~ resumes September 7
10:30 Sunday Worship
We are collecting for the Northeast Backpack Lunch
Program this fall—food and cash donations are
welcome. Please contact the church office to donate.
Blessing of the Animals Service
September 28, at 10:30 am
At Fremont United Methodist Church,
we embrace diversity
and come together in the unity of the Spirit
to do justice, love kindness and
walk humbly with God.
Principal Broker
Living, working,
and serving in
our community for
over 21 years.
Top Eastside Producer
Portland Monthly Five Star Real Estate Agent
Windermere Leadership Advisory Council
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FALL 2014
11
AlamedaPDX.net
Reinvention of Self
by John Silliman Dodge
R
einvention sometimes means coming full
circle. For ten years, beginning in my early
20s, I was a professional musician and a recording
artist. Talent and perseverance are requirements for
success, of course. But without luck and timing,
there’s only so far talent will take you. I was lucky
to make it farther than most, recording for ATCO
Records and opening major concerts for James
Taylor, Jerry Garcia, Joe Cocker, Jimmy Buffett
and dozens of other popular 70s and 80s artists.
Sometime around my 30th birthday, wanting
more control over my future, I consciously
pivoted away from music and got into radio.
It wasn’t like going from painting to nuclear
physics. I was still performing (on-air), still
writing (in the recording studio), still working
directly with music but in a different way, one
which allowed me to make a living and achieve an
important goal: creating a stable home life with
which I might attract a wife and start a family.
What followed were interesting and varied radio
positions in New Hampshire, San Antonio, Boston,
Seattle, a national gig with Sirius XM, and most
recently here in Portland where, from 2005
to 2009, I was the VP of Programming for the
public classical radio station. Then came the Great
Recession. Some very cool consulting gigs arose,
including stations in San Juan, Puerto Rico and
Tbilisi, the capitol of the Republic of Georgia.
nationally-directed playlists making it harder than
ever for new artists to break in. Digital downloads
of single songs have significantly eaten into CD
sales, making it harder for artists to earn a living.
So I admire but don’t necessarily envy young talent
today. It’s always been tough but now it’s tougher
than ever. I feel blessed to be able to do what I do
for the love rather than making my living at it.
Not a bad way to wind down a 30-year radio
career, but I wasn’t ready to stop working yet.
The first thing I did after retiring from All
Classical was return to my first love and make
a new record. I called it “Greetings from
Bridgetown” and one piece, “Jupiter” featuring
acoustic guitar backed by a string quartet from
the Oregon Symphony, has received more
airplay than anything I’ve ever done. My favorite
Portland band, 3 Leg Torso, plays on another
track. Bela Balogh, their violinist, also guests on
my latest 2014 CD, “TRIO” which we recorded
at a Portland studio called Kung Fu Bakery
Recorders, a place frequented by Pink Martini,
Storm Large, Esperanza Spalding and others.
The radio and the record businesses are very
different today than they were when I made my
first record in 1980. Consolidation of station
ownership has resulted in more restrictive, more
Today I’ve “reinvented” myself by going back
to where I started, performing in wine bars,
art galleries, churches and coffee shops.
And I find that I enjoy it now more than ever
because after playing guitar since 1959, I’m
finally starting to know what I’m doing!
John Silliman Dodge is an Alameda resident. For
music clips, full songs, photos and performance
dates, visit www.JohnDodgeMusic.com
What’s in a Name?
by Willie Levenson
I
attended a family wedding in Lake Tahoe earlier welcome the love from our community should this
this year. The names of two relatives, passed
or should this not be the case. I think Pamela may
away long ago were brought up - Willie and Tilly. have been relieved that I didn’t go with my second
choice - Kareem.
Never had a chance to meet this couple, but it
occurred to me with names like Willie and Tilly
This is why I decided to change my name:
they were probably pretty cool.
1) Although every action in life has a consequence,
Exactly how the following idea popped into my
be it good or bad, there are no rules. In other
words - why the “heck” not.
mind I am not sure, but almost as quickly as it
did - I decided to adopt it. I would be changing
2) With a name like Willie (decided to go the “ie”
my name from Will to Willie, contingent
route in tribute to Mr. Nelson) it will be harder to
upon approval from my wife Pamela, who was
take myself too seriously (which believe it or not
supportive, perhaps ambivalent, as she likely has
can happen).
built up a tolerance for my unusual behavior.
3) I feel like I’m more of a Willie than a Will, it’s
more expressive about who I am and who I want
to be.
Everyone seems to be going along with this - it’s
so fun!
2) Willie is very disarming - I find that my name
does express that I don’t take myself too seriously
and that opens people up. Willie to me expresses
immediately “I come in peace”. There is no greater
gift than receiving the benefit of the doubt which I
find I am receiving more easily as a Willie.
3) Being vulnerable to express myself in this
unconventional way has brought me closer to
my friends. When I made my announcement
(I utilized Facebook to act as my press release)
people started sharing their nicknames with me
which brought a new level of informal-ness and
intimacy to our friendship.
The hardest part of the name change.....
I have now been living with my new moniker since remembering to introduce myself as Willie. I keep
catching myself mid-stream, introducing myself as
May. It is said that men prefer blondes? I believe
“My name is Will….ie”
people of both sexes prefer Willies. I have been
surprised how my life has become easier in many
So does this story have any lessons to share? Not
ways as a Willie.
really, outside of the fact that life is short, and
I must disclose that this summer I had my 44th
birthday. I am open to this move being part of
some subconscious-mid-life-crisis-cry for help. I
The unexpected benefits I have found from
my new life of Willie:
interesting things may happen when you follow
the advice of the funny voices in your head.
1) It frequently makes me laugh or smile when
people call me Willie. Somehow I have this
mischievous feeling like I am getting away with
something, it still takes me by surprise when I
hear it. Is it really that easy to change your name?
If you have known me as Will and don’t call me
Willie immediately, I understand it takes time, I
am just still getting used to it myself.
Willie Levenson is the founder of the Human
Access Project, www.humanaccessproject.com.
12
FALL 2014
AlamedaPDX.net
PLAYING WITH
YOUR FOOD IS
ENCOURAGED
Go ahead—make something
you’ve never made before.
newseasonsmarket.com
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NEIGHBORHOOD EVENTS
AQUIFER ADVENTURE 12 - 4PM, September 13th, 2014
NE 166th Avenue at Airport Way.
Join us at Aquifer Adventure for an afternoon of piratical fun. Big and little pirates alike are invited to this free
family festival all about groundwater. Free T-shirts for the first 300 kids.
This event is full of hands-on activities, giving participants of all ages the chance to learn about hidden
treasure - not gold, but groundwater, a precious resource that flows below your feet! Come dressed in your
finest pirate togs, or just learn to speak like a pirate when you arrive.
The Portland Water Bureau and the Columbia Slough Watershed council have teamed up to bring you this interactive Saturday afternoon. Educators will
help young scientists navigate a larger than life aquifer; learn the obstacles that our water travels through on its way to our drinking water supply. Young
pirates will make their own edible aquifer and discover how delicious learning can be. As a family, make a household cleaner that really works and is a
green alternative to harsh chemicals. Take a ride on a pirate ship (disguised as extra-stable canoe bi-marans) and voyage in search of a treasure island.
The fun and activities will include:
• Canoeing for the whole family
• Make your own edible aquifer
• Piratical scavenger hunt
• Face painting
• Food for purchase
• Green cleaners
• Water conservation
• Groundwater obstacle course
The event is free and no registration is required.
Questions? Contact Columbia Slough Watershed Council:(503) 281-1132 or [email protected].
L’Arche Portland’s 4th Annual Benefit Concert
with Julianne Johnson and Michael Allen Harrison October 18th, 2014
L’Arche Portland will host its fourth annual benefit concert featuring renowned Northwest artists Julianne Johnson and Michael Allen Harrison. The concert,
on Saturday, October 18, 2014 at 7:30pm at the Madeleine Parish at 3123 NE 24th Avenue, will directly support L’Arche Portland’s work of creating home and
building community for people with and without intellectual disabilities. The concert will celebrate L’Arche International’s 50th Anniversary, joining festivities in 146
communities around the world to honor this golden “Jubilee.”
Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door. The event will also feature a raffle for a 7-day stay at a condo in Las Vegas, including airfare.
The concert will showcase a new song by Johnson in honor of the 50th Anniversary of L’Arche, as well as guest performances by the Portland Community College
choir Voices of Soul. www.larche-portland.org