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FEATURE ARTICLES | |
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To fully serve the community, the Mid-county MEMO offers this section to showcase upcoming special events, celebrations of milestones in our readers’ lives, those seemingly small accomplishments that often do not receive the recognition they deserve, and everyday events that should be shared with friends and neighbors.
MEMO Pad submissions for the January issue are due by Wednesday, Dec. 15. For best results, e-mail Darlene Vinson at editor@midcountymemo.com. Or mail editorial submissions to 3510 N.E. 134th Ave, Portland, OR 97230. To leave a phone message, call 503-287-8904. The fax number is 503-249-7672.
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| Bringing an urban forest to a neighborhood short of trees. Susan Barthel, Columbia Slough Program Coordinator for City of Portland Environmental Services, distributes Friends of Trees flyers at a recent Parkrose Business Association meeting. |
| MEMO PHOTO: TIM CURRAN |
What makes a neighborhood more attractive, more inviting, safer, and increases property values? The answer is: trees.
Argay Neighborhood Associa-tion is sponsoring a major tree-planting effort. While Argay neighbors generally have beautiful yards - it’s one of the defining characteristics of the area - the area is short of trees. According to Susan Barthel, coordinator of the Columbia Slough Project for the Department of Environmental Quality, Argay needs more trees. “Computer simulations of the Argay neighborhood, show that an additional 900 trees could accommodated in your area,” said Barthel.
Trees really do add to the quality of a neighborhood. When Kylie Nero, with Friends of Trees, a co-sponsoring group for the Argay effort, was asked, “Why get a tree?” her response was, “Trees increase the value of a home up to 21 percent more than the same house without trees. They can keep a house up to 20 percent cooler in the summer, they improve air quality, they provide privacy and help muffle noise, they improve water run-off, and they beautify and unify neighborhoods.”
Because Argay is “under-treed,” and because of the potential environmental and neighborhood benefits of adding more trees, a program is available to make trees affordable. Trees for parking strips can be obtained for $20. The fee includes site inspection to make sure that the trees will not be planted over utility lines, digging the hole, planting, mulching, staking the tree and monitoring its early growth. The tree selection would be made from a list of six species of trees that are appropriate for parking strips.
While the actual tree planting will not occur until March, tree ordering needs to occur by mid-December. To indicate your interest in obtaining one or several trees through this program, please fill in the enclosed yellow flyer in today’s Memo. For more information, contact Argay Neighborhood Association Board members Pete Schmidt, peterschmidtus@yahoo.com, phone 503-257-8136, or Jane Roffey Berry jane@yesolutions.net, phone 503-253-8625.
Parkrose career counselor influential
Meg Kilmer, the Director of Parkrose High School’s College & Career Center, was elected to a position on the Oregon Career Information System’s Board of Directors. CIS provides a system of occupational and educational information to help Oregonians learn about the world of work and education. The organization works with schools, colleges, social agencies, and businesses who provide career guidance and employee development services. Kilmer will join the 18-member board representing consortium institutions and affiliated interest groups in January for a three-year term.
Kilmer and the PHS counselors introduce the Career Information System to hundreds of students each year. “CIS online is the most accurate and up-to-date tool in the Career Center,” she says. “We use it everyday to help seniors look for scholarships and to coach juniors researching their college options.” Parkrose also uses the CIS curriculum and Web site in Freshman Focus classes. Kilmer says she continues to be impressed with the quality of CIS products and innovative online tools. “I have always been satisfied with CIS products, so I look forward to making a contribution through such a high quality organization.”
Kilmer is also a member of the East Multnomah County School-to-Work Partnership and the National Career Development Association. She celebrated her tenth year at Parkrose High School last March.
Melody Wymer, Teen of the Month
According to her teachers at David Douglas High School, Melody Wymer is an ambitious and highly motivated student. One, Kristy Aalberg, says, “Melody’s enthusiasm for learning and for life is contagious.” Her GPA of 3.80 in a rigorous course of study that includes Advanced English, College Biology, Honors Math, College U.S. History and College Government has helped earn recognition as the Gateway Elks Lodge December Teen of the Month.
Wymer, a senior, is a member of the National Honor Society. She volunteers for the American Red Cross Blood Drive, the Oregon Food Bank and at Kern Park Church.
Her love of music has lead to participation in the Scot Jazz Band, the Orchestra, the Symphony and the Wind Ensemble at DDHS. She shares her musical talent with younger students in the form of lessons.
Wymer excels in language arts. Her teacher praised her ability to analyze literature and to make connections beyond the text. In addition, this teacher says Wymer’s writing is clear, logical and well supported. She also is described as an excellent speaker, who is poised and polished in front of an audience.
For relaxation Wymer likes to golf, read and paint.
Looking to a future as a language arts teacher specialist, Wymer plans to complete her post-secondary education at Mt. Hood Community College and Oregon State University.
Melody lives with her parents, Wayne and Diane Wymer.
Northeast 99th Avenue gets straightened
City crews were busy last month re-aligning the intersection of Northeast 99th Avenue and Glisan Street. Long identified as a community priority, the project cost $650,000, including the purchase of some property from the southeast corner of the intersection, all of it coming from Gateway urban renewal funds.
The change will help relieve traffic backlogs at the intersection, and also help 99th Avenue serve its planned function as a “main street” with higher density development. Completion is expected by early December.
Santa’s reindeer return to Rossi Farms
Santa Claus has loaned Prancer and Comet, two of his special reindeer, to Rossi Farms again this holiday season.
The reindeer will be visiting the farm from Friday, Dec. 10 through Sunday, Dec. 19. Many area residents are making a stop at the farm a part of their holiday tradition because they know the farm also sponsors a Giving Tree and canned food drive.
Your donations of new or used hats, gloves and scarves will be used to decorate the Giving Tree. These donations are then distributed to local families.
In addition, Santa’s helpers at Rossi farms will accept your donation of non-perishable food items for the Portland Police Sunshine Division.
Enjoy a cup of warm hot apple cider inside the barn, make a donation to benefit a neighbor and whisper a secret to Prancer or Comet. Who knows, maybe your Christmas wish will make its way back to Santa!
Rossi Farms is located at 3839 N.E. 122nd Ave., across from Parkrose High School. There will be expanded holiday hours, including Sundays. Call the farm at 503-253-5571 to learn more.
Sheriff’s office declared surplus
Multnomah County has moved a step closer to selling one of its properties, the Hanson property, currently the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office at 12240 N.E. Glisan St.
Last month the Multnomah County Commission declared the Hanson property and three other parcels “surplus,” and authorized their staff to begin moving toward their sale. The four are among 24 properties, containing 300,000 square feet of floor space, that the county is looking to get rid of in order to reduce their maintenance costs, provide better siting for their services, and obtain money through sales to upgrade their remaining facilities or purchase new ones, facilities manager Doug Butler told the commission.
In the case of the Hanson property a sale will take some time, since the county must first find a new place for the sheriff. Butler and Multnomah County Commissioner Lonnie Roberts hope to incorporate it into a new Justice Center that will also contain courtrooms and holding cells for misdemeanor criminals and minor felons to be located somewhere in Gresham. The politically sensitive siting process has been narrowed down to “five or six” choices, Butler says.
Roberts’ aide Gary Walker says a Hanson sale is “18 to 36 months” away. When it happens, he says, the county will look at the type of uses it wants to see on the property in the future, and possibly place some conditions on the sale other than price.
The proposed Justice Center would be paid for in part by the proceeds of sale of the Hanson and Edgefield sites. The latter consists of a total of 110 acres of vacant land in the vicinity of the old Edgefield Manor home for the developmentally disabled, now the flagship of the McMenamin Brothers brewpub empire. The Reynolds School District is interested in some of the land, Butler said.
Another parcel, known as the Pig Farm, is, at 45 acres, “one of the largest industrially zoned properties available.”
These combined sales would at a minimum save the county $2.5 million a year in maintenance costs, Butler said. It would allow it to move its programs “into space that actually support them, rather than something we’re trying to deal with,” he said.
Help support SnowCap
Unitus Community Credit Union (formerly Oregon Telco Community Credit Union) has announced that they will be supporting the Mid Multnomah county charity SnowCap for the third consecutive year.
Between now and Dec. 15, Unitus Community Credit Union will be collecting non-perishable food items, including diapers, at their Mall 205 Branch, 10555 S.E. Washington St. and the Main Branch downtown. In addition, Unitus will donate $5 to SnowCap for each new membership account and every checking account established at either branch.
Last year, Unitus Community Credit Union collected over 2,400 food items in addition to 48 packages of diapers. During that time, Unitus was also able to raise $3,800 for SnowCap.
For the 2004 holiday season, Unitus hopes to collect over 2,750 food items and donate $4,000 to SnowCap. Members and non-members alike are encouraged to donate non-perishable food items and diapers. For more information, please visit www.unitusccu.com or call Marketing Coordinator Mandi Linstrom at 503-227-5571, ext. 346.
SnowCap is a nonprofit organization that provides food and clothing to over 4,000 underprivileged families in Multnomah County. SnowCap has been working diligently to serve the underserved for over 37 years.
Founded in 1937, Unitus Community Credit Union is headquartered in Portland and serves individuals residing or working in Multnomah, Washington, Clackamas, Marion, Polk and Yamhill counties.
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