Your input is needed as the Portland Bureau of Transportation plans improvements to the MLK-Columbia (and Lombard) area! The focus of the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) is about freight mobility, but input from the Woodlawn neighborhood is particularly needed to ensure that the needs of pedestrians (especially parents and small children coming from north of Lombard to Woodlawn school) and bicyclists are understood and incorporated as much as possible.  Come to the next meetings:

Thursday, September 24 from 3:30-5:30 pm (follows an agenda)

Thursday, October 15 from 4-7 pm (open house – drop in anytime)

Both meetings are at the Oregon Humane Society at 1067 NE Columbia Blvd. Portland, OR 97211

ALSO – Woodlawn School will be talking with parents and proposing changes to how traffic approaches the school to ensure the safety of children.  If you are a parent, you’ll hear about it at Back to School Night (Sept 24) and we’ll keep you posted here…

The old bakery and bar at the corner of NE Dekum and Durham is renovated and ready for a good tenant(s).  There is a total of 3400 sf that can be divided in a couple of different ways.  In addition, there are three studio apartments.

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by Jennifer Coughlin (Woodlawn resident)
Jake Greenburg hasn’t moved in yet, but has already proven himself time and time again to be a great neighbor. If you search for him on the internet, you will see that he has owned and operated Classic Foods, a Portland-based specialty food wholesaler catering to restaurants, for the past 25 years. You’ll also find out the man is heavily involved in many social causes—donating food, services, and support to organizations like Birch Community Services, Self Enhancement, Inc., Our House, and Community Cycling Center. Read the rest of this entry »

A group of Woodlawn neighbors has come together to discuss plans to revitalize the underused “pocket park” at the corner of Holman, 13th, and Durham. There’s been some good work done and some great ideas generated but now…..WE NEED YOUR HELP!!! This project will only be successful if we get help, ideas, and creativity from a wide range of our neighbors in Woodlawn. Please join us in creating a fun and beautiful park that we can all be proud of.

WHERE: The park at Holman, 13th and Durham
WHEN: Saturday, April 25th, 11am to 1pm

(From Laura Demeri)

Hello Woodlawn Neighbors,

Please join us this Saturday in beautifying the neighborhood with our scheduled tree planting with Friends of Trees.  The activity is planned around family and neighbors who come together to make the day memorable.  There will be plenty to do and the more volunteers the better.

Many friends and local businesses within the Woodlawn/Vernon/Concordia areas will be providing breakfast, lunch, and snacks. We will have a special opportunity to sample some desserts made by local pastry chef, Gretchen Glatte, who, along with Matt Busetto (co-owner of the Firehouse restaurant), will be opening the new Woodlawn Coffee and Pastry shop next to Good Neighbor Pizzeria this Spring.

We will meet for breakfast and assignments by 8:30 AM at the Redeemer Lutheran Church located at the Southwest corner of 19th and Killingsworth.  Please dress for planting trees and be prepared for rain.  Bring your own tools if you can (make sure they are ID’d).

If you have questions or are able to donate a dish, please contact Laura Demeri at 503.285.5005 or Laura //at// BelieveMovementStudio.com.

Thank you – Laura

Sunday Parkways is a day when the city opens a loop of streets so people may freely spend the day walking, skateboarding, rollerblading, wheelchairing, biking and strolling along.   Though there won’t be a Sunday Parkways coming through Woodlawn, it will pass right near us along Ainsworth and we have been encouraged to get involved.  Below is a note from one of the coordinators:
I wanted to invite you and any of your interested neighborhood residents to our brainstorming cafe.  Vernon neighborhood is hosting a Sunday Parkways Cafe on Saturday, March 21st, 9-11 am, at the Redeemer Lutheran Church (5431 NE 20th @Killingsworth). We would love for you to help us brainstorm ideas for activities in the parks and along the route, music, food vendors and anything else that would make this a great event.

The Northeast Portland route will link Alberta, Fernhill and Wilshire Parks. The date of the actual event is July 19th, 9am – 4pm. We will be sending out an invitation to register as a volunteer as the event gets closer – we need about 400 people!

Hope to see you on March 21st. Please feel free to pass this email along.
Cheers,

Janis McDonald
Transportation Options, Project Manager
City of Portland, Bureau of Transportation
ph: 503-823-5358
janis.mcdonald@pdxtrans.org

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On Thursday, February 12th 1,000 Friends of Oregon is offering a free Citizen Advocacy Training from 6-8pm. This workshop is an opportunity to learn about and discuss what community members can do together to advance our common goals of building and protecting livable communities in inner N/NE Portland. There will be training and resources on how to make your voice heard by local officials and legislators, along with building skills and techniques to advance our shared visions for our neighborhoods. The group will look at a case study of an issue in our neighborhoods (the case study is to be decided).  If you are interested in attending, RSVP with Tara Sulzen at 1,000 Friends of Oregon.  1,000 Friends of Oregon recommends you RSVP soon as spaces fill up quickly.

// MORE INFO: 503-497-1000 and Tara@Friends.org.

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Dekum Family Health, located on the second floor of the historic Dekum Firehouse, is now open and offers acupuncture and Chinese medicine, including Chinese and western herbs, massage, diet therapy and natural family healthcare.  Felicia Ferruzza, licensed acupuncturist and herbalist works at the health center alongside Dr. Elizabeth Busetto, a naturopathic physician.

Felicia explains the benefits of acupuncture as being a way to “enhance the immune system, increase energy, alleviate pain, decrease stress and help with a wide range of health concerns from cancer and chronic disease to depression, anxiety, insomnia, and stress, as well as to improve overall grounding, healing, and vitality.”

// More Info: 503.954.1697

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From the Portland Sentinel:

It all began with planting trees.

Gregg Lavender, who moved to Portland from Oakland, Calif., 18 months ago, decided to volunteer with Friends of Trees as a way to get to know some of his Woodlawn neighbors. It worked. Soon after his first tree planting, he started attending neighborhood association meetings and connecting with other people who shared his ideals and vision for a strong community, including the revitalization of public spaces into thriving neighborhood parks.

Lavender has had his eye on sprucing up Holman Park, a run-down, little-used space at the corner of Northeast 13th Avenue and Holman Street, ever since he moved into a house in close proximity to it. 

“In Oakland, there are lots of pocket parks,” says Lavender — small patches of land transformed into well-trafficked parks. “Folks end up maximizing every square inch with play structures, kid-specific toys. It makes neighborhoods safer — things are more visible, people are out walking with their children, traffic is slower …”

In contrast, Lavender says, “I’ve seen two kids play once on this 1960s cement structure [at Holman Park], and I’ve seen someone smoke crack there … that’s about it.” 

Last month, Lavender and his wife, Nikki, took action, walking around Woodlawn with their dog and placing fliers around 30 houses near Holman Park for a park brainstorming meeting at the Lavender residence.

Gregg Lavender was stunned by the turnout.
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Join your neighbors to discuss the possibility for a City Repair project in the tiny pocket park at the intersection of Durham, Holman and 13th (or potentially elsewhere).  The meeting is at the house of Gregg and Nikki, the dark green house at the corner of Durham and Highland (facing Highland).  Tuesday, December 2, 6:45pm.  Come with your idea hat on or just to sit and listen.

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