In March, Mid-county homeowners and other Friends of Trees volunteers planted 245 trees in the Argay, Parkrose, Parkrose Heights, Russell, Sumner and Wilkes neighborhoods of east Portland.

Following the planting, Friends of Trees‘ nonprofit partner, Verde, planted an additional 310 trees from Friends of Trees in the same neighborhoods.

Cal Calloway behind one of six new Golden Raindrops Crabapple® trees recently planted for him by Friends of Trees.

The 555 tree orders were the result of an overwhelming response to a special offer of free trees to residents in some of Portland’s neighborhoods most in need of trees.

Noted Portland pianist Michael Allen Harrison will perform a benefit concert for Human Solutions at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 26 St. Matthew’s Episcopal at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, 11229 N.E. Prescott St.

Michael Allen Harrison

Donations collected at the concert will benefit Human Solutions’ Daybreak Shelter for Homeless Families, a 15-bed shelter that operates year-round and accommodates between four and eight homeless families at one time.

The Daybreak Shelter is supported by a network of 28 churches and synagogues located throughout Multnomah County.

Admission to the concert is free and open to the public. Donations to support the Daybreak Shelter will be accepted during the event.

The April 2012 Mid-county Memo is posted online. A recap of its contents follows:

Bre’Shay Barnes was named Rose Festival Princess from Parkrose; the new Neighborhood Prosperity Initiative areas struggle to meet financial goals; Parkrose School District declares impasse with teachers; PSD Superintendent Karen Fischer Gray is one of four finalists for Reynolds job; the first meeting between Metro and Glendoveer golf course lovers since a contentious open house in August; the Argay Neighborhood Association hires a lawyer to help fight infill development across the street from Argay Park and an east Portland high school winter sports roundup.

СВЕТИ ГЕОРГИThe Parkrose Neighborhood Prosperity Initiative wrapped up its three organizational meetings last month with creation of a seven-person steering committee for the next step: a formal commitment to the Portland Development Commission and city, then formation of an “urban renewal light” district bringing physical, permanent improvements along Sandy Boulevard, from Northeast 99th to 120th avenues.

Colleen Gifford, from left, David Ableidinger and Luke Shepard at a Parkrose Neighborhood Prosperity Initiative organizational meeting held last month. Gifford, hired by the Parkrose Business Association through a grant from the City to recruit steering committee members for the Parkrose NPI, one of six areas in Portland designated by the City and Portland Development Commission.

According to participants, nights at Outdoor School are magical: the glow of the campfire, songs and skits with friends old and new, the quiet walk back to the cabin, wrapped up in an individual goodnight from the student leaders.

Captain Conservation lectures Outdoor School students how to reduce waste.

The cost for a 6th grader to spend the night at Outdoor School is around $60. Donate $60 to provide one night for one student; get friends and family together to sponsor a night for a cabin of kids for $600; $1800 will pay for one night at Outdoor School for one class of 6th graders.

As part of its citizen outreach, the Portland Planning and Sustainability Commission held one of its three hearings on the draft Portland Plan at Parkrose High School Community Center last month. Several local residents gave testimony on issues the Plan should address.

The Portland Plan will set policies to guide the creation of a new City Comprehensive Plan, replacing one enacted in 1980. This will set zoning and other regulations to guide both public activity and private development.

Parkrose High School sophomore Max Denning, right, Metro representative of the Oregon Association of Student Councils, testifies at the Portland Plan hearing at Parkrose High School Community Center held last month. Mid-county Memo photos/Tim Curran

Dave Luce — the Can Man — holds his monthly pop-can drive today at Parkrose Middle School, 11800 N.E. Shaver Street.

Bring your returnable soda cans and bottles to the east Portland middle  school from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Luce and his crew will take them off your hands and see that they get put to a good use.

As reported in the March edition of the Mid-county Memo, a live music event held in benefit for Parkrose Music Boosters in January, was filmed and will be airing tonight on PDXposed. The e-mail below is from our friends at the online music magazine, Buko Magazine.

“Jon Olson and the PDXposed team lands at our PG3 show to interview all three stars and talks to Ty (Hitzemann) about k-12 music education programs.
Three local guitar greats, Geoff Metts, Terry Robb and Jennifer Batten made it all happen.
Buko Magazine offers fine optional musical entertainment for those tired of the status quo…PG3 rocked the Roseland in a huge way!

Right now, today — from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Parkrose High School Community Center, 12003 N.E. Shaver St. — there’s a Fix-It Fair being held. Fix-It Fairs are free events designed to save Portlanders money and connect them to resources. Join your Mid-county neighbors and talk to experts about how to spend less and stay healthy. Fix-It Fairs are crammed full with resources for helping you to create a healthy home, including:  How-to classes on various home and garden topics, money-saving, cost effective tips and free giveaways. Bring your bicycle, free, minor tune-ups and flat tire repairs are available for students and families.
Fix-It Fairs are held 3 Saturday mornings during the winter at various locations around the City of Portland from November to February.
The 2009-10, 23rd Annual Fix-It Fair season Is presented by The City of Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability with support from these sponsors: Energy Trust of Oregon, Pacific Power,  Portland Development Commission, Portland Lead Hazard Control Program, and Portland General Electric.

We received a note from the Portland Police Bureau about a rash of burglaries at Portland schools, and in east Portland at David Douglas and  Parkrose schools. If you have any information, call Detective Mary Wheat at 503-823-0010.

“Portland Police are investigating a series of burglaries at schools in the Portland area that began in early December. Investigators believe that twelve burglaries have occurred at various schools and that the burglars are attempting to steal laptops and computer equipment.”