Each day members of our community quietly celebrate milestones, achievements and accomplishments—big and small. This department highlights these triumphs for the community.
If you’re sending a submission, include all details that apply: individuals’ names, details of the milestone and a contact name and phone number. If you have photos, send them. The submission deadline for November issue is Saturday, Oct. 15. For best results, e-mail editor@midcountymemo.com or mail submissions to 3510 N.E. 134th Ave., Portland, OR 97230. Call 503-287-8904.
Olympian visits former high school
Last month, Olympic bronze medalist Kim Hill returned to Portland Christian Jr./Sr. High School, where she was a part of three state championship teams: two in volleyball and one in basketball. She poses with eighth-grader Jenaya Ballard, a big fan.
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U.S. Women’s National Volleyball team member Kim Hill brought her Olympic bronze medal to an assembly at Portland Christian Jr./Sr. High School in September. A 2007 PC alumna, Hill shared stories of what the Olympics were like and what the life of a professional volleyball player is like in Turkey and Europe. In addition, Hill answered students’ questions. “What’s your vertical [jump]?” Hill was asked. She hesitated for a moment before replying, “I don’t know … should I?” Which elicited laughter from students. According to statistics from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, just 0.7 percent of American women are 5’10” or taller, so it’s easy to understand why the 6’4” Hill was fascinating to the young volleyball players in the audience, who mobbed her for autographs after her appearance.
Hill was a two-time 2A state volleyball champion and 2007’s 2A Volleyball Player of the Year. In addition, she was part of one state title-winning basketball team while attending the private school. In 2007, the Memo published a profile (“Ahead of the game” MCM Aug. 2007) of not only Hill, who grew up in Parkrose’s Argay Terrace neighborhood, but also her entire family.
Learning to be healthy
Ron Russell and Floyd Light middle schools in the David Douglas School District have been designated Healthy Schools Award winners by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation. Schools receiving this honor have created a culture of health at school by serving healthier meals and snacks, getting students moving more, offering physical and health education and empowering school leaders to become healthy role models. Students who attend healthy schools perform better academically, have better attendance and exhibit improved behavior. Healthy schools make economic sense, too. School districts can lose tens of thousands to millions of dollars annually in attendance-based state funding because of absenteeism.
Only three schools in Oregon received this designation, and David Douglas is home to two of them.
Learn more at healthiergeneration.org.
Police retiree takes neighborhood job with city
Assistant Chief of Police Donna Henderson will be acting as the interim liquor program coordinator for the Office of Neighborhood Involvement. “The Office of Neighborhood Involvement has a strong partnership with the police bureau, especially in crime prevention and livability,” says ONI’s director, Amalia Alarcon de Morris. She continued, “Donna’s extensive experience in the community and [in] enforcement is a natural fit for this program in the livability center.” ONI and Donna Henderson have been discussing for several months the possibility of Henderson joining ONI in some capacity that could utilize her expertise to support livability programs as she prepared to retire from the police force. This is an interim assignment while the city of Portland goes through a permanent recruitment process for the recently vacated position, which has a particularly busy workload during this time of the year. Henderson’s experience will be valuable to ONI and the community, as the liquor program coordinator plays an important role in problem solving around public safety and nuisance activities related to the sale and service of alcohol.
Please direct questions to Theresa Marchetti, livability programs manager, at 503-823-3032 or theresa.marchetti@portlandoregon.gov.
Mayor-elect announces transition team
Mayor-elect Ted Wheeler announced several additions to his transition team. These people will join Wheeler’s longtime chief of staff, Tom Rinehart, who is directing the transition.
Jennifer Arguinzoni, who served as Wheeler’s finance director during the campaign, was named transition manager and is focused on project management for the transition. Arguinzoni has more than a decade of state and federal legislative experience in Georgia and Washington D.C.
Nathan Howard, who was Wheeler’s deputy campaign manager, was named community liaison and is focused on outreach and policy development for the transition. Howard worked previously for the Oregon Senate Democrats and State Senators Arnie Roblan and Mark Hass. He also served as interim director of the Bus Project.
On Sept. 1, Michael Cox will join the transition team as communications director. He was previously Wheeler’s campaign manager and his communications director at the Oregon State Treasury. He has more than a decade of experience in campaigns and government in Oregon and California.
The transition team will operate out of the Crowne Plaza Building, 1500 S.W. First Ave., Suite 985. Contact the transition team at 503-432-8170 or info@tedwheeler.com.
Metro seeks to extend parks levy
The Metro Council recently decided to ask voters in November to consider renewing the current parks and natural areas local-option levy that pays for restoration and maintenance, park operations and opportunities for people to access parks and natural areas.
A yes vote in the Nov. 8 election would extend the end date of levy funding from June 2018 to June 2023.
Renewing the levy would continue the existing tax rate for an additional five years beyond its current term. The levy costs 9.6 cents per $1,000 in assessed home value—about $20 a year for the owner of a home with $200,000 in assessed value.
The levy, if renewed, is projected to raise about $81 million over the course of the five additional years.
About half of the money would go toward restoring and maintaining natural areas in order to improve water quality and fish and wildlife habitats. About 20 to 30 percent would go toward regional parks operations. The rest would go toward improving parks and natural areas for people, grants for community nature projects, nature education and volunteer programs.
Levy money would also be aimed at diversifying the contractors that Metro hires, as well as improving programs and facilities for underserved communities, such as communities of color, low-income communities and youths.
The levy renewal request comes after the Metro Council on Feb. 4 unanimously approved a road map for future parks and nature work (oregonmetro.gov/news/metro-council-approves-road-map-future-parks-and-nature-work-consider-levy-renewal). At that meeting, Metro Council President Tom Hughes said the council would consider asking voters to renew the levy in November to sustain Metro’s parks and nature system.
Metro owns more than 17,000 acres of parks, trails and natural areas. Much of the land was acquired with money from natural areas bond measures that voters approved in 1995 and 2006.
In 2013, voters in the greater Portland metro region approved a five-year, local-option levy to protect clean water, restore wildlife habitat and provide opportunities for people to access natural areas and rivers.
