Solarize Northeast -- Enroll by April 15

Solarize Northeast, a volunteer-driven, community-based volume purchasing project for solar electric panels organized by Portland's Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods (NECN), expects to create over 20 new green jobs in the Portland area in the coming months. The project is designed to simplify the process of going solar as well as bring significant cost reductions through volume purchasing. Enrollment for the group purchase program is now open at http://solarize.necoalition.org and closes April 15.

The program is structured so that the price of solar panel installation goes down for everybody as more neighbors join the effort. Group purchasing creates a 25 to 35 percent savings below current prices, depending on how many sign up. This group discount, in addition to current available tax credits and cash incentives, gives Solarize Northeast participants a significant cost savings. These are the lowest prices ever seen in Portland for solar installations. Information is available at http://solarize.necoalition.org.

-- By David Sweet, SCA Land Use and Transportation chair and key Solarize NE organizer

The Sabin Housing Market Revival

Urban living continues to be a coveted lifestyle across the US and Europe, and Sabin is no exception. We remain a destination neighborhood because of affordability when compared with Irvington & Alameda, and yet still enjoy the same proximity to the city. Residents and potential home buyers are also attracted by our diversity, the walkability, and of course our outstanding elementary school rating. Adding to all of this, there is a continuous low supply of homes on the market here, creating a healthy supply and demand balance which has helped our property values weather the housing bust remarkably well. The Sabin neighborhood’s average home sale price in 2009 was $381k. Comparing that with an average sales price of $377k in 2008, and $419k in 2007, home owners here are well placed. (Note: The Sabin values above were defined by single family homes served by Sabin School.) -- by Suzanne Clark, Sabin resident and realtor

Do Fences Really Make Good Neighbors?

Ever wished you had another way of communicating with your neighbor about their unwanted pet traffic on your property besides glaring at each other from over the fence? Ever had a roommate, landlord or tenant that you just couldn’t communicate with in a civil manner? If you’ve ever wished for a better way to handle conflict situations, I’m here to help. Recently I attended a volunteer training for community mediation with Resolutions Northwest. It opened my eyes to a whole realm of possibility – solving conflicts by talking them out and learning how to communicate better in the process.

But you don’t have to be trained to enjoy the benefits of mediation. A group located in the nearby Hollywood district, called Resolutions Northwest (RNW), might be your answer to enjoying the benefits of mediation.

PDX: App City?

Been noticing something in your neighborhood deserving of the City’s attention, that pothole that still hasn’t been fixed or the streetlight that’s gone out? Well, if you are an iPhone user (or know someone who is), this just might be your lucky day. In an effort to increase the City of Portland’s interactions with its citizens, and hopefully expedite the City of Portland’s awareness and resolution of various issues, a new iPhone application has been developed. The City of Portland Citizen Reports can be downloaded for free by a quick trip to the “App Store” (also available for download from iTunes).

Using the new iPhone App, you can select the type of issue to report, take a photo (or upload one from your camera roll), and even give the City the location of the issue using your phone’s GPS or interactive map capabilities. You submit this information along with any comments you have and it is reported to the appropriate bureau for resolution. The application keeps a history of issues you have submitted so that you can check the status or resolution of the issue.

For more detailed instructions, visit the City’s website: http://www.portlandonline.com/bts/index.cfm?c=51917

I have not yet personally attempted to report an issue, but I hope those of you that do will use the comments section to let us know how it works!

Perhaps now we can truly say “there’s an app for everything!”

Mayor Adams Breaks Soil for Sabin Community Orchard

Saturday, February 13th, Mayor Adams, Commissioner Fritz and The Fruit Tree Project joined the Sabin community to plant fruit trees at Sabin's new Community Orchard. Supported by a grant from the city’s Neighborhood Small Grants Program, we planted pear, Asian pear, apple, persimmon, fig, plum and cherry trees in the stretch of land between NE 18^th and 19th. Sabin stewards will maintain and pick the fruit, in part to benefit local charitable organizations’ food pantries. Thank you to Jeff Strang, Rosemarie Cordello and Katy Kolker for your leadership that made this project such a success. Thank you to all of our community members who came out to participate in the event!