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Gentlemen . . . Staaaaaarrrrrrt your engines!
Mid-County non-profit honored with national award
Gateway rezoning heads to City Council hearing Parking limits still an issue
Secretary of State encourages immigrant voter registration
McKnight, others challenge Leonard
Midway Business Association forming
Employees’ and owners’ dedication and teamwork help Mid-County insurance agency grow
Underage nightclub springs to life in Parkrose

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Memo Calendar...

The MEMO Calendar is your vehicle to publicize community events. Let your Mid-Multnomah County neighbors know about events of interest, meetings, fundraisers and the like. To ensure publication, please send submissions for each month by the 15th of the previous month. Calendar submissions for the May issue are due Thursday, April 15. For best results, e-mail Darlene Vinson at editor@midcountymemo.com. Or mail your editorial submissions to 3510 N.E. 134th Ave., Portland, OR, 97230. To leave a phone message, call 503-287-8904. Mid-county MEMO fax number is 503-249-7672.

EVENTS
Your new park, from the ground up
The Parkrose community is establishing an organization to be known as The Friends of Senn’s Dairy Park. This group will get together to discuss issues and topics pertaining to the park-in-progress at Northeast 112th Avenue and Prescott Street.

Currently, the park is going through many vital changes. Progress at the site will be very visible over the next month.

Your questions, concerns and help will be part of the process. You are invited to attend regular monthly meetings on the last Tuesday of every month, beginning Tuesday April 27 at 7 p.m., at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, 11229 N.E. Prescott St.

In addition, two special events are planned for this month. Childcare will be available at a special potluck dinner on Tuesday, April 6 at 6:30 p.m. at St. Matthew’s. Share you favorite dish and your ideas with the community.

Saturday, April 24 will be a workday at the park. Volunteers will move soil and plant new areas. The work begins at 9 a.m. You will be done by 1 p.m.

For more information, call Amy Salvador at 503-453-2781

Recycling training course to begin
The first session of the spring Master Recycler course begins Tuesday, April 6, from 7-9:30 p.m. at the Sunnybrook Service Center, 9101 S.E. Sunnybrook Blvd, in Clackamas. The popular eight-week program will continue on Tuesdays through May and includes two half-day Saturday field trips.

Over 400 people have participated in the training that provides instruction in topics such as waste reduction, recycling processes, alternatives to hazardous household products, composting and green building. Courses are taught by professionals from the private and public sector who are working on innovative solutions to environmental challenges.

Course graduates agree to donate 30 hours putting their skills to work to help others learn the three Rs: reduce the amount of solid waste generated, reuse material for the purpose for which it was intended and recycle material that cannot be salvaged.

Master Recyclers volunteer to staff information booths at community events, make presentations and work on special projects.

A $50 course fee includes all materials. Information and applications are available online at www.masterrecycler.org and by calling the Master Recycler program at 503-823-7530.

Metro, Clackamas and Washington Counties, the City of Portland, DEQ and Recycling Advocates support the Master Recycler Program.

Be a better landlord
Portland’s landlord training program teaches good management that benefits landlords and the community alike.

The majority of attendees report this seminar helps them feel more confident in managing property, helping tenants, and working with City agencies.

Since 1989 the nationally recognized Landlord Training Program has brought the message to over 10,000 Portland-area property owners and managers that effective rental housing management paired with active citizen involvement is crucial to the safety and health of a community. Over 90% of landlords who have taken the course agree that they feel more confident in their ability to screen applicants, recognize signs of illegal activity, and deal with problem tenant behavior should the need arise.

This is the original program, updated to current laws and issues, which has been adopted by over 400 cities and counties across the nation. Presented by the program’s author, John Campbell of Campbell DeLong Resources, Inc., the content of the course reflects in-depth research with organizations and individuals in police work, housing maintenance, property management, law, and public housing. Topics covered include applicant screening, rental agreements, lease enforcement, property maintenance, and crisis resolution including problem solving techniques when working with police and housing maintenance inspectors.

The Office of Neighborhood Involvement is sponsoring a series of presentations of the Landlord Training Program this spring. The all-day training begins at 8:30 a.m.; there is no charge to attend. The program’s manual, now in its 11th edition, will be available for purchase at the trainings and through the registration office. The 124-page manual is a valuable resource for property management that is updated to include recent changes in Oregon landlord-tenant law and has key information on residential property maintenance requirements in the city of Portland.

There will be one seminar on Friday, April 9 at Kaiser Permanente Town Hall Ballroom, 3704 N. Interstate Ave. (near N. Fremont St., across from Overlook Park) and one on Saturday, April 17 at Reed College - Vollum Lecture Hall, 3203 S.E. Woodstock St.

For registration or more information on the Landlord Training Program call the Office of Neighborhood Involvement at 503-823-7955.

Everything you want to know about lot segregations and property line adjustments
Lunch and Learn Community Education BrownBags are sponsored by the Bureau of Development Services, or BDS, and are held on the second Friday of every month.

The presentation/discussion topic for Friday, April 9 from Noon to 1:30 p.m. will be the basics of lot segregation and property line adjustments.

This public education, discussion, and feedback session will include:

•Overview and benefits of lot segregation and property line adjustments.
•Getting a good start ~ How to research your property
•Common issues that arise with lot segregation and property line adjustments
•Submitting a successful application ~ Putting the pieces together
•Q & A session with BDS planning and zoning experts

All are welcome to attend this free event. Bring your lunch and join in the discussion. No reservations required.

Meet in the 1900 S.W. 4th Avenue Building Second Floor Conference Room 2500-A. For more information contact Martha Shonya at 503-823-7822.

Soup on the slough
Join the Bureau of Environmental Services, or BES, for lunch, slough stories, and a tour of Whitaker Ponds. Whitaker Ponds is the junkyard turned environmental education center located on the Columbia Slough. This casual event is open to everyone interested in learning more about the Columbia Slough watershed.

Meet at Whitaker Ponds Environmental Learning Center, 7040 N.E. 47th Ave. (1/4 mile North of Columbia Blvd.) on Friday, April 9, from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

An RSVP is required. Contact Joe Annett at 503-823-2934 or e-mail josepha@bes.ci.portland.or.us

Meet the candidates
In cooperation with other Eastside organizations, the East Portland Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring a series of Public Affairs Forums to inform business people about local political issues and campaigns.

On Tuesday, April 13, candidates for the Portland City Council Nick Fish and Sam Adams will be on hand to discuss the issues and answer questions at an event cosponsored by the East Portland Chamber of Commerce and Foster Avenue Business Association at 11:30 a.m. at New Copper Penny, 5932 S.E. 92nd Ave.

Two City of Portland mayoral candidate forums are scheduled. The first will be on Monday, April 19 at 6:30 p.m. at US Bank, 3230 S.E. Milwaukee Ave. and is cosponsored by East Portland Chamber of Commerce and Greater Brooklyn Business Association.

The second will be on Monday, April 26 at 5:30 p.m. at Ambridge Event Center (formerly Portland Conference Center) 300 N.E. Multnomah St and is cosponsored by the East Portland Chamber of Commerce and the Alliance of Portland Neighborhood Business Associations, or APNBA. For more information about the political forums and other chamber activities, check www.eastportlandchamber.com

Your input valued
The Office of Neighborhood Involvement, or ONI, is in the process of updating the guidelines that set forth the roles and responsibilities for recognized and acknowledged organizations in Portland’s neighborhood system.

Dubbed GREAT, or Guidelines Review, Empowerment and Assessment Team, consists of volunteers from neighborhood and business associations, district coalitions, unaffiliated neighborhood associations, communities beyond neighborhood boundaries and the ONI. They are working to identify and discuss organizational policies that impact an individual’s access to Portland’s neighborhood system, the operation of the associations and coalitions, and their relationships with ONI.

You are welcome to attend meetings and make short comments during the public comment agenda time. Meetings are held the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month from 8:30 to 10 a.m. in the Lovejoy Room of City Hall, 1221 S.W. 4th Ave.

Written comments, which are encouraged, may be sent to Brian Hoop at 1221 SW 4th Ave., Room 110, Portland, OR 97204. You may also contact Hoop at 503-823-3075 or bhoop@ci.portland.or.us. Upcoming meetings are Tuesday, April 13 and 27, and Tuesday May 11 and 25.

Russian-Speaking youth leadership conference
Local immigrant organizations and community groups will host a leadership conference designed to promote youth leadership within the Russian-speaking community in the Portland Metropolitan area. Focus of the conference will be on career development, staying in school and after school activities.

The event will take place on Friday, April 16 on the Mt. Hood Community College campus.

The Russian-speaking population in the Portland metropolitan area has been estimated at approximately 70,000 people. Currently there are 1,100 Russian speaking English as a Second Language, or ESL, students enrolled in Portland Public Schools. This does not include those who have developed enough English language to move out of the ESL program. There is currently a high dropout rate among these students. In an attempt to stem the drop-out rate and promote a career development focus, community activists organized the conference based on the successful conference models done in the Hispanic and Asian communities.

Each year the number of the conference partnering organizations grows. Lutheran Community Services Northwest took the lead this and last year. Current partnering organizations include Portland Public Schools, or PPS, Mt. Hood Community College, Beaverton School District, International Refugee Center of Oregon, or IRCO, Portland Police Bureau, Portland State University, Portland Parks & Recreation, City of Portland, Multnomah County, Russian-Speaking Community Forum, Family Support Services, and the Police Activities League (PAL) who has taken financial overview.

Past participants have included high school students from PPS, Centennial, David Douglas, Parkrose, Gresham, Milwaukie, Silverfalls, Woodburn, Beaverton and Vancouver, School Districts. Four hundred young people and guests are expected to attend.

For more information, contact Vadim Riskin, Project Fundraising, Portland Public Schools, at 503-916-5840, ext.357, or John Laws, Treasurer, Portland Police Bureau, at 503-823-0428, or Chair Marina Grozina, at 503-231-7480.

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