Community Events and Announcements

Please see below for upcoming community events and announcements shared with us by the Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods.

1.           Turning Brown into Green
Restore our Community, Rebuild our Wealth

Please join the People of Color Health Equity Collaborative (P.O.C.H.E.C.) and Oregon Action for an Economic Forum that will focus on brownfields and local economic community development.

Date:   Saturday, November 12, 2011

Time:   11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Place:  Constructing Hope
             408 NE Church Street

             (@ the north east corner of MLK Blvd.)

             Portland, OR 97211

             Phone: 503-281-1234

To RSVP or for more information contact:
Steven Gilliam
Phone: 971.634.0004
Email: Steven@oregonaction.org

2. Want to help Portland residents effectively resolve conflicts?

Resolutions Northwest (RNW) is now accepting applications for our annual Volunteer Mediation Training.  This 38-hour basic mediation training is free in exchange for a one-year weekly ongoing training and volunteer commitment to help diverse neighbors and communities in Portland resolve conflicts with each other. Application deadline: November 18, 2011.  Training dates in Jan., 2011.  More information and application forms can be obtained at http://www.resolutionsnorthwest.org/become_volunteer_mediator or (503) 595-4890.  RNW is committed to the goals of equal opportunity and affirmative action in education and volunteerism. We encourage all interested to apply.

3. The proposed draft of The Portland Plan is now available.  You can find both the full length plan and the summary online here:http://www.portlandonline.com/portlandplan/index.cfm?&c=56527

The Portland Plan is a community-wide process to create a 25-year strategic plan for the future of the city. Ultimately, this plan should help to set direction and prioritize funding decisions for the City.  If you are interested in commenting on the plan, please send comments to psc@portlandoregon.gov with the subject line "Portland Plan testimony." Or attend one of three upcoming hearings on the Plan.  The NE hearing will be November 8^th at 5:30pm at Jefferson high school.

4.  Families are Invited To Celebrate the Launch of the New Citywide Curbside Collection Service at the Portland Farmers Market Great Pumpkin Event on October 29

Pumpkin carving contest, children’s costume parade and prizes to celebrate curbside collection service changes starting Halloween week

On Saturday, October 29^th all Portland area children and adults are invited to the Portland Farmers Market at Portland State University for pumpkin carving, a costume parade and more.  For more info, please contact Jocelyn Boudreaux of BPS at 503.823.3660 or,jocelyn.boudreaux@portlandoregon.gov

5. And please remember, Neighborhood Small Grants and Graffiti Abatement Grant applications are due November 1^st! November 1^stis also the date of the CEDC Speaker Series Kick-off event, A Historical Perspective for Today's Understanding: Economic Development in NE Portland!  Please let us know if you will be joining us at 6pm at Curious Comedy for this exciting event. For more infohttp://necoalition.org/page.cfm?TITLE=news&RECORDID=111 and to RSVP, please call 503.823.4575 or email info@necoalition.org

Cell tower public comment session on Wednesday, October 26th

Courtesy of Representative Michael Dembrow's newsletter:

"Proposed T-Mobile Wireless Installation—Good Thing Or Bad?
Neighborhood opposition to cell towers is not a new issue in Portland.  The City Council recently created a new public process for proposed wireless installations, including a requirement that the cell company hold a public community meeting where neighbors can provide input and suggestions for changes to any proposed installation.  One of these meetings is coming up on Wednesday, October 26th, regarding a proposed installation in the Alameda-Concordia neighborhood.  T-Mobile is proposing a wireless installation on top of a utility pole on NE Prescott and 31st.  We’ve been hearing a lot from constituents about this proposed installation, with strong feelings on both sides of the issue.  I’ll be attending myself to hear first-hand what people have to say.  I hope you’ll join me.

What: Community Meeting on T-Mobile Wireless Installation
When: Wednesday, October 26th from 7:00-8:30 PM
Where: The Little Church (5138 NE 23rd Ave.)"

Class: Building an Accessory Dwelling Unit in Portland

Kol Peterson, a Sabin neighborhood resident, is offering a one day class called 'Building an Accessory Dwelling Unit in Portland' on Sunday, November 6^th. Learn more at pdxadu.blogspot.com

If you’re like me, you enjoy walking the streets around our neighborhood, marveling at what neighbors have done with their houses, landscapes and yards. If you look more closely, you may spot a second smaller house, set back from the street, sitting where a lawn might normally be. These small, standalone houses, sometimes converted from old garages, and sometimes built as new construction, are called Accessory Dwelling Units, or “ADUs”.

Two months ago, I completed an ADU in my backyard. My partner and I immediately moved into our 800 sq ft charmer and now are renting out the main house. I had many motivations for building an ADU, but the notion of a building a financially sustainable housing situation for myself was the most compelling reason.

While the upfront cost of building the ADU was expensive ($92K), I now live for “free”, as the mortgage on the primary house is offset entirely by the rental income that the primary house now generates. Building an ADU on a property is neither cheap nor simple, but if you’re a homeowner with an inclination to have an ADU on your property, NOW is a great time to think about building one. Not only does Portland’s zoning/building code allow ADUs (which is surprisingly rare), but Portland has temporarily waived System Development Charges (typically, $7-12K) through June, 2013, in an attempt to popularize ADUs. The City recognizes that ADUs are a smart way to add density in the city core, while not dramatically changing the character of its neighborhoods. The $7-12K incentive is nothing to scoff at, and with June 2013 only one and half years away, many homeowners have begun to think about building an ADU more seriously.

If you are a homeowner in the area, think about whether building an ADU may be an interesting option for you to pursue for your property: Maybe you’d like an ADU for some flexible living space for a family member, or maybe you'd like to have one as rental property for some additional income, or maybe like me, you actually want to live in a smaller space that you built for yourself from scratch so you can live at little to no cost in perpetuity.

And, for those of you who enjoy sustainability, and community housing….maybe you have been inspired by Sabin Green, or by other green buildings in the neighborhood....consider this: reducing your environmental footprint is primarily about where you build and what size you build. Building an ADU in Portland is actually one of the most green building decisions you can make for you and for future residents of Portland.

In the course of building my ADU, I became so passionate about them that I have begun to offer classes to help others who want to build one. The one day class is an on-ramp to the elaborate process of designing and building an ADU. It will open your eyes to the spectrum of information that you’ll need to know to design and build an ADU on your property. The class is intended to help you understand the ADU design, permit, management, and building process.

If you’re interested in learning more, visit Kol’s blog at http://pdxadu.blogspot.com/p/adu-class.html

Sabin School Boundary / Enrollment Changes...AGAIN

Portland Public Schools is again looking at making changes to many of the K-8 and middle schools in N/NE, including Sabin. The changes are not set yet, but could possibly involved boundary or grade reconfiguration changes.

Please come to one of the upcoming community meetings to ask questions and provide input.

Here are the community meeting times.

Oct. 27, 6-7:30 p.m. Sabin PK-8 School auditorium, 4013 N.E. 18th Ave.

Nov. 2, 6-8 p.m. Rigler K-8 School auditorium, 5401 N.E. Prescott St.

Nov. 3, 6:30-8 p.m. Alameda Elementary School cafeteria, 2732 N.E. Fremont St.

Nov. 7, tentative date, time to be determined Irvington K-8 School, 1320 N.E. Brazee St.

Nov. 8, time to be determined Beaumont Middle School, 4043 N.E. Fremont St.

Vernon PK-8 School, time and date to be determined.

For the latest meeting schedule, go to pps.net (click “Enrollment Balancing” at bottom left) or email enrollment-office@pps.net.

General Meeting TONIGHT at 6:30pm at the Sabin School!

In case you haven't heard through our printed newsletter, tonight is the Fall General Meeting for the Sabin Community Association. We're holding it at the Sabin School (2nd floor auditorium) and once again, there will be a plant exchange outside. We're beginning tonight at 6:30pm with social time and will be reviewing plans for the Sabin Triangle design. Friends of Trees will be there if you want to sign up to have a tree planted. Do come and meet your neighbors, fill us in on what is going on with you and learn how you can get involved in making our neighborhood a great place to live!

Free childcare will be provided.

See you there!