This fundraiser was successful – but, see why
they really need your help in the coming weeks …
Cassie Goulart, Chef Curt Martin, and Patricia Tarkington help serve up turkey dinners at the CherryBlossom Loaves & Fishes Center in an outer East Portland fundraiser.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
There’s nothing better than a hot meal featuring roast turkey or ginger ham – served with potatoes, yams, and all the trimmings, on a cold, blustery day – to lift the spirits and cheer the soul.
That’s what visitors to the CherryBlossom Loaves & Fishes Center got, for a small donation, on November 2, when more than 200 diners attended the organization’s annual fundraising dinner at the East Portland Community Center.
Donated food and labor
“It’s our 11th year doing it here at the Center,” said Director Bennett Bailey when we stopped by to donate to the cause. “Because the food is donated, and volunteers help prepare and serve it, all of the money from our event goes directly into supporting our meals program.”
Even though Loaves and Fishes is a nonprofit agency serving seniors in need, less than 25% of their budget comes from public sources, Bailey reminded us. “So, in addition to our generous corporate and private sponsors, we’re left with a substantial amount of fundraising to do, to keep our centers going. This is one of our big fundraisers for the year – supporting the meals we serve both here at the center, and those we deliver to seniors at home.”
Bennett Bailey, director of the CherryBlossom Loaves & Fishes Center, serves guests at the annual Turkey Dinner benefit.
Nutritional support served with side order of kindness
The CherryBlossom Center is one of several Loaves & Fishes operations in the greater Portland area, but this one puts out about 600 meals per day. “Our service is important, because we provide about 60% of our home-bound clients’ daily nutrition,” Bailey said.
Almost as important as the food delivered, Bailey added, is the social interaction the delivery volunteers provide when they drop off meals. “When they talk with the senior for a moment, and give them a smile, they give the client a human connection with their community.”
Although they aren’t a full-service social service agency, volunteers also check on the seniors they visit. “They make sure their house is warm, and safe, and that the senior isn’t living in an unhealthy or dangerous environment,” Bailey added. “Occasionally they have found an at-risk senior unconscious on the floor. So, it’s not just the meal. It’s making sure that there is some social interaction, and finding out what their other needs are, other than the hot meal we bring every day.”
More than 200 diners tucked into a hot turkey dinner to support the efforts of their outer East Portland Loaves & Fishes Center.
Volunteers needed, especially during the holidays
We’re happy to report that this year’s Turkey Dinner Fundraiser was indeed a success – seeing an increase of about 50% over the previous year, we learned.
“We really appreciate the support of our community members. But now, especially during the Holidays when our regular volunteers take time off for their families, we need more volunteers in the kitchen and as drivers,” Bailey said.
If you can spare a couple of hours a week, brighten a senior’s life by helping out. Call Bailey at (503) 256-2381 to volunteer, or e-mail him at bbailey@lfcpdx.org.
© 2008 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News
Why did so many law-abiding citizens turn their weapons at this event? We’ve got the answer right here …
Portland Police Bureau East Precinct Sgt. Tim Sessions checks out a gun being turned in at the Lents Neighborhood Association event.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
The Lents Neighborhood Association, in cooperation with Ceasefire Oregon and the Portland Police Bureau, provided citizens the opportunity for citizens to turn in working handguns and rifles on November 1.
“I guess the word got out,” said Dewey Akers, the immediate past chair of the neighborhood association. “We had people coming here, from as far away as Canby and Gresham, from the hour we opened.”
Akers said that Ceasefire Oregon made a presentation to the neighborhood association, at which time they agreed to sponsor the turn-in program.
Gets guns off the street
In charge of the day’s program was Portland Police Bureau East Precinct Sgt. Tim Sessions, who talked with us about the event, as he made sure guns were made safe and ready for transport.
“The number one reason do this is to help keep us all safe,” Sessions began. “And, we encourage people who don’t want guns they inherited or have to bring them to events like these. It gives them a safe way to turn in a gun to be destroyed without any questions asked.”
Sessions said gun turn-ins help “keep us all safe” because, “When you think about it, if a person doesn’t know how to be responsible for a gun doesn’t know how to secure the weapon, there is the possibility of an accidental shooting. Add to that is the potential of a theft or burglary that can put the gun ‘on the street’, and in the wrong hands.”
Portland Police Bureau East Precinct Cadets Houck and Cisneros help at the event.
Said most successful ever
“Ceasefire Oregon”, we were told, collects donations used to buy gift certificates which are then given to citizens who surrender a “workable firearm weapon”. At this event, each citizen turning in a working weapon received a $75 Fred Meyer certificate, with a maximum of two certificates for two guns turned in.
“We started out with 375 certificates, and gave out 100 IOUs after we ran out,” commented Akers. “I didn’t think anyone would leave their name and address on the envelope, but they did.”
We observed some citizens deciding to keep their gun after they learned the supply of gift certificates was exhausted.
534 guns were surrendered at the Lents turn-in; organizers said it was their most successful event ever.
© 2008 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News.
Just how old was the document from which Portland City Commissioner Nick Fish read, supporting his decision to deny industrial development? You might be surprised to learn …
Golfers at this year’s East Portland Chamber of Commerce tee off at the northern edge of Colwood National Golf Course, located next to Portland International Airport.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
At a regular session of the Portland City Council a couple of weeks ago, the commissioners decided – once and for all – whether the Cully Neighborhood’s only green space, Colwood National Golf Course, would be bulldozed for industrial development.
To the chagrin of neighbors near the airport, owners of the 138-acre property located between NE Columbia Blvd. and Portland International Airport had hoped to sell the land to a developer who wanted to build an industrial park.
Because a hearings officer rejected the plan, Haertl Development Company, the applicant, and Colwood Partnership, the property owner, sought to appeal the decision, and took their case to the City Council.
The Portland City Council met at City Hall to decide the fate of Colwood National Golf Course.
Commissioner Fish quotes report
When the vote was called, Commissioner Nick Fish said he’d like to reread information he’d voiced during the earlier hearing on the topic.
“I want to read briefly from the following report,” Fish began.
“And I quote: ‘The remaining great landscape feature of the City is that of the Columbia Slough which borders the eastern part of the city on the north. The region is low and distant from the city and seems to be at present comparatively valueless for any other than farming purposes. It is therefore to be hoped that a much larger park, of the meadow type, than can elsewhere be afforded, will gradually be acquired here by the city.'”
He continued quoting the report, “No other form of park has been proved so attractive and so useful to the masses of the people as a meadow park, particularly where there could be associated with it long stretches of still water as a landscape attraction and for boating purposes.”
Commissioner Fish tells the City Council that honoring Olmsted’s vision is a “historic opportunity”.
Says century-old report stands up
After reading several more passages, Fish concluded by saying, “I’m quoting from the 1903 Olmsted report which addressed the question of the possible use of the land adjacent to the Columbia Slough. We have a historic opportunity through this vote to honor the vision of Olmsted, over 100 years ago, to maintain the current designation of open land – and, in my judgment, to correctly apply the law to the facts before us. Aye.”
Mayor Potter abstained from voting because he’d missed earlier meetings on the subject – and so the rejection of the industrial plan was upheld at the City Council session on October 22. As a result of the decision, Colwood National Golf Course will remain as it is.
For now, the property will remain a duffer’s delight.
© 2008 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News
It’s not a reading lesson! Find out what outer East Portland neighbors learned about Asset Based Community Development, right here …
“Asset Based Community Development” expert Ron Dwyer-Voss leads the training held in the Centennial neighborhood.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
Folks from many outer East Portland neighborhoods – all of them looking for ways to help make better their communities – attended a unique training session held at the Parklane Community Church last month.
The workshop’s organizer, Mike Vander Veen, told us, “‘Asset Based Community Development (ABCD)’ is not a program or solution, but rather a way of approaching community.”
Centennial Community Association chair Tom Lewis, and board member Patty Hicks, discuss ABCD concepts with neighbor Aimee Krouskop.
Focusing on strengths
While the attendees were involved in small group discussions, the trainer, ABCD expert Ron Dwyer-Voss, talked about the program with us.
“ABCD is an approach to engaging one’s community,” Dwyer-Voss began, “It’s based on the premise that residents and local institutions will get better results and by first considering the community’s strengths and assets, rather than the traditional approach of starting with the community’s flaws and needs.”
He said they refer to assets as “gifts” – gifts of individuals, the gifts of association, and the gifts of institutions.
During the workshop, neighbors learn to focus on the “gifts” in their community, instead of its problems.
Better communities from the inside out
Dwyer-Voss said he got involved with the ABCD concept years ago when he worked within very poor communities in inner-city Chicago.
“We realized if we just talked about food stamps, and welfare, gangs, and drugs – we would be overwhelmed with problems. But we looked around and saw some people who were good at taking care of kids, some who were good at cooking, others who were in voluntary associations that could be used to help the community.”
It was there, Dwyer-Voss said, that he saw how this positive approach helps communities build “from the inside out”.
Creating sustainable improvement
“The result of stronger connections between existing community assets is that it provides a stronger community,” noted Dwyer-Voss. “This helps people better deal with problems in a way that is sustainable over time.
“It’s not dependent on whether or not there is a government grant, or a nonprofit organization survives, or an expert is available. Instead it’s sustainable because the community is controlling it.”
Participants in the ABCD workshop learn that the process can help them solve outer East Portland’s problems on a long-term basis.
Ongoing meetings
If you’re interested in participating in on-going ABCD discussions, these monthly sessions are held at the East Portland Neighborhood Organization offices. Contact Vander Veen at (503) 823-4550 for more information.
© 2008 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News
Here’s the story behind the summer-long scurry of construction activity on SE Division Street at SE 68th Avenue …
This auspicious group, ready to dedicate the newly-reconstructed Egtvedt Hall at Warner Pacific (WP) College, are: WP alum and Church of God pastor John Parker; Bill Jones, VP with Bank of the West; Steve Stenberg, WP Director of Facilities and Planning; Conner Peckham, Student Body President; Jim Teague, Chair, Board of Trustees and an alumnus; Andrea Cook, interim WP President; Jay Barber, President Emeritus; Wayne Peterson, WP’s CFO; Frank Harris, who is with contractor SD Deacon; Skip Spanaway, from SRD Partnership, architects; and, Ray Cotton, pastor of New Hope Community Church, alumnus and parent of a current student.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
People motoring east or west along SE Division Street have probably noticed a recent flurry of construction activity at SE 68th Avenue – on the campus of Warner Pacific College (WP).
In what Andrea Cook, interim WP president called “amazing work in a very short time,” the school’s Egtvedt Hall underwent a complete renovation. “Groundbreaking for the project was on April 3, and we got our occupancy permit on August 21.”
Although the turnout was light for the dedication ceremony, everyone at the ribbon-cutting ceremony appeared to be ebullient about the project’s successful, rapid, and timely completion.
Warner Pacific’s interim President, Andrea Cook, introduces the speakers at the building’s dedication ceremony.
Speeches accompany ribbon cutting
After introducing distinguished guests standing behind the dedication ribbon, the school’s interim President, Andrea Cook, said, “Now, our students will have a place in which they can feel proud, when they bring their families and friends.”
Jim Teague, an alumnus and the Chair of the school’s board of trustees, told how, in 1976, the impetus behind the construction of the original building was to have a place to host then-President Gerald Ford when he came to speak at their graduation ceremony.
In the foreground, newly renovated Egtvedt Hall stands ready to serve students, faculty, and the community, school officials say.
“That was our motivation then,” Teague told the assemblage. “The motivation [for the improvements] is really all about our students. We felt deeply that we needed a place to really host our community. This includes our students, our faculty, our alumni – and our staff, as well. What you see here, now, is a place that is all about community. Community is what Warner Pacific is all about.”
Representatives of the architects, contractors, and the school each took turns praising the project and offering up dedication prayers. With that, the ribbon was cut and visitors toured the building.
With a snip of the mighty scissors wielded by Cook, Egtvedt Hall is official open.
Will provide a ‘community space’
Greg Moon, the school’s Development Director, told us that Egtvedt Hall now provides the campus with a spacious dining room, a coffee shop, a student center, and a bookstore. “Additionally, faculty, admissions, the registrar, and the business and financial offices occupy the second story of the building.”
“The renovation gives students a place they can relax,” Moon said. “The dining room, coffee shop, and multi-purpose room are open and available for our neighborhood community to use. The building also houses our ‘black box’ theater and music rehearsal studios. We hope you’ll come to our events.”
Learn more about this unique SE Portland educational facility by visiting their web site: CLICK HERE.
© 2008 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News
Officials suspect her son of actually dealing the dope. But the question remains, doesn’t anyone check on kids in foster homes? Learn the answer right here …
Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office detectives say they could smell the pungent aroma of marijuana from outside this Powellhurst-Gilbert neighborhood home.
Story and photo by David F. Ashton
We wanted to make sure we had all of the facts before we brought you this sad, unusual story about an outer East Portland foster mother, 49-year-old Sherry L. Feightner, being caught this week with 11 pounds of marijuana in her home – some of it said to be drying in her foster son’s bedroom.
Child visit 10 days before pot bust
We asked Lauri Stewart, communications officer at Oregon Department of Human Services, how a large-scale pot packaging operation could go on, undetected, in a foster home.
“First, all foster homes are visited for ‘certification’ every 180 days – or every 90 days, if many children are placed in the home,” Stewart told us. “The most recent inspection of Feightner’s home was in August, 2008.”
Stewart added that caseworkers visit foster children at least every 30 days. There had been two visits on October, she said, the most recent on October 17 – just 10 days before the pot bust.
She wouldn’t comment on whether or not she suspected that Feightner’s son, 28-year old Michael Chastain was responsible for bringing the pot into the foster home.
“We did send [Feightner] a letter stating that her adult son [Chastain] was not to visit the home, nor have any contact with the foster children,” Stewart said. “This isn’t a suggestion; it is a directive in the form of a warning letter.”
Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office detectives snapped this photo of the suspected marijuana drying in the bedroom of a foster child. MCSO photo
Smelled the pot outside
Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office detectives, following a tip about possible drug activity at a children’s foster care home, conducted a welfare check 3626 SE 132nd Avenue on October 27, according to Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Deputy Paul H. McRedmond.
“Our detectives said they could smell a strong odor of marijuana while standing on the sidewalk outside the house,” explained McRedmond. “Upon ‘consent entry’ into the home, detectives said they found eleven pounds of marijuana in an upstairs kid’s bedroom, drying on clotheslines strung about the room.”
Detectives said they found 11 pounds of pot being prepared for sale in this foster home. MCSO photo
McRedmond stated that one of the detectives said the odor of marijuana within the house was “so strong it made my sinuses hurt”. Detectives added that they believe that the pot had been in the house for two days.
A nine-year-old male foster child, whose bedroom was next to the “drying room”, was turned over to Child Protective Services. A two-year-old female child left the scene with her mother; the 13-year-old foster child, whose bedroom was the drying room, was not at the residence at the time of the bust.
Whether or not she was actually dealing dope, 49-year-old Sherry L. Feightner was arrested and booked on multiple charges – some of them felonies.
According to McRedmond, Feightner was arrested booked on two counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Minor, misdemeanors; two counts of Child Neglect 1, a Class B felony; Possession of a Controlled Substance and Manufacturing of a Controlled Substance – both class-B felonies; and Delivery of a Controlled Substance, a class A felony.
Although he wasn’t supposed to be at the home, 28-year old Michael Chastain was taken into custody there on a Federal pre-trial release supervision program violation, and lodged at the Multnomah County Detention Center.
© 2008 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News
It’s hard to believe the driver and passenger in this Nissan Pathfinder weren’t killed when he swerved off the road, bouncing and rolling down the dyke, and landing upside down at the edge of the Columbia River …
Officials say the pair were lucky to have walked away with hardly a scratch, after their SUV rolled, bounced and jolted down the steep embankment along Marine Drive – and almost into the river!
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
Those wanting to commute using NE Marine Drive the morning of October 28 were disappointed to find it was shut down, due to what police describe as a drunk-driving mishap.
“At 8:03 a.m., officers were called to the 7000 block of Northeast Marine Drive,” reported Portland Police Bureau spokesman Sgt. Brian Schmautz. “A Nissan Pathfinder driven by 39-year-old Carlton Cherry drove off the road and came to a stop near the Columbia River.”
Investigators determined that Carlton was traveling eastbound on NE Marine Drive when he veered into the oncoming lane, attempted to swerve back into the correct lane, and then lost control of his vehicle.
A Portland Police Bureau Traffic Division officer looks at the crumpled Pathfinder far below his vantage point on the Marine Drive Bike Path. You can see the wheels of the SUV in the lower right-hand corner of this photo.
A tow truck driver hands the vehicle’s keys to the traffic officer before the SUV is recovered. Perhaps this wouldn’t have happened if someone would have taken the driver’s keys before he got behind the wheel.
Crumpled SUV tells a tale
When we arrived on-scene, we couldn’t see the wrecked vehicle while we were standing on Marine Drive. After making our way carefully down to the bike path – about halfway between the top of the levee and the water’s edge – we then could see the crumpled vehicle lying at the water’s edge, next to an estuary. It the accident had occurred during the springtime, high-water months – the car would have been underwater.
The top, front, sides, and rear of the Nissan Pathfinder were smashed in. No wonder – we could clearly see where the vehicle had dug a foot into the earth just above the bike path. It apparently flipped and rolled across the path, continuing down across the jagged boulders on its way to the edge of the Columbia River.
Two wrecker crews arrived, trying to figure out how to recover the mangled SUV. They called in a third, “Heavy Recovery Vehicle”, to yank the vehicle up the steep, rock-covered embankment, so they could load it onto a waiting flatbed truck.
It took several tries to find a strategy – and a heavy-duty “recovery vehicle” – to pull the wrecked SUV up the steep embankment to the flatbed truck waiting on the Marine Drive bicycle path.
Only minor injuries sustained
“Carlton sustained a minor injury,” Schmautz told us, “and his passenger, 47-year-old April Brunson, was not injured. Carlton was transported to Emanuel Hospital for evaluation and has been charged with one count each of Reckless Driving and DUII.
No other vehicles were involved in the accident.
© 2008 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News
How does one keep one’s neighborhood from looking trashed? See what these volunteers did – and how much money they raised for their association, in the process…
Neighbor John Bassett recycles his metal and gets rid of his junk – and also spends a few minutes helping Powellhurst/Gilbert Neighborhood Association Vice-Chair Elaine Medcalf organize a Dumpster.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
Unlike almost any other grassroots local project, “neighborhood clean-ups” are specifically to help beautify sections of East Portland.
The Powellhurst/Gilbert and Pleasant Valley Fall Clean-Up was one such event.
“We do this to help our neighbors,” said its organizer, Powellhurst/Gilbert Neighborhood Association Vice-Chair Elaine Medcalf, as she closed the doors on a filled-to-the-brim metal recycling dumpster. “It also helps keep debris, trash, and unwanted appliances from being dumped off.”
Medcalf said there were seven sites open across Powellhurst/Gilbert, which is outer East Portland’s geographically-largest neighborhood. “One of our sites is on the border of the Pleasant Valley Neighborhood; they’re participating in the clean-up,” she noted.
At one of the sites there was a bulky waste Dumpster and a Dumpster for metals; at two sites there were a bulky waste Dumpster and a yard debris Dumpster; and at three sites there was a bulky waste Dumpster only.
“It’s great being able to get the trash out of the neighborhood,” neighbor John Bassett told us. “Especially out of my yard!”
Here’s some of the 19.7 tons of bulky waste that won’t be dumped in a park or along a road.
The results? Medcalf said the clean-up netted:
- Bulky Waste: 19.7 tons
- Yard Debris: 2.54 tons
- Metals: 4.3 tons
- Donations: $1,215.
Collection services were provided by Flannery’s Drop Box Service and Scott’s Metal Recycling. Tipping fees were provided by a grant from the City of Portland Office of Sustainable Development, and Metro.
© 2008 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News
Area residents were worried when reports of a teenage girl being raped surfaced last week; see how alert Portland Police Bureau officers got the man they say is the perpetrator …
Usually Lents Park is a place of fun and recreation for families. Neighbors started getting worried when they heard a girl had been raped here.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
A broad daylight rape on October 20 left the residents who live around Lents Park – in the area of SE 92nd Avenue and SE Holgate Boulevard – feeling uneasy.
“We have some bad characters running through there,” said Lawrence Brookmeyer, a retired Lents neighborhood resident whose house overlooks the park. “I hope they catch the guy – we’ll all feel a lot better.”
Portland Police Bureau spokesman Sgt. Brian Schmautz told us that, based on information from an interview with the teenage victim, detectives believe she was walking through the park and saw the suspect crouched against a tree. The victim approached the suspect to ask him a question. As she walked towards the suspect he stood up.
“As the suspect stood up,” Schmautz reported, “the victim observed that the suspect’s pants were partially open and his penis was exposed. Before the victim could escape, the suspect grabbed and sexually assaulted her. The victim physically resisted the suspect, who walked out of the area after completing the assault.”
Schmautz said the victim was able to give police a detailed description of the suspect, and helped the bureau’s sketch artist make a drawing of the suspect.
Police say they suspect this man, 26-year-old Andrea Tito Pascua, is the one who sexually assaulted the teenager in Lents Park.
Officer checks transient camps
East Precinct Officer Rian Hamby got on the case and checked several locations frequented by transients in southeast Portland. His work paid off; three days later, on October 23, Hamby found his man.
“In the area of SE 87th Avenue and SE Powell Boulevard, Hamby found and detained 26-year-old Andrea Tito Pascua,” Schmautz said. “Pascua was later positively identified as the suspect by the victim.”
Pascua was arrested and charged with one count of Sex Abuse in the First Degree and one count of Unlawful Sexual Penetration in the First Degree in connection with the sexual assault in Lents Park, Schmautz stated.
This investigation is continuing. Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Mary Wheat at (503) 823-0885.
© 2008 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News
Discover how and why these two SE Portland artists are giving this former gas station and coffee shop an entirely new – and delightful – appearance …
A board member of the non-profit Cafe au Play – located at Tabor Commons – Charles Heying prepares the exterior for painting.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
The building on SE Division Street, across from Atkinson Elementary School, that started out as a gas station 50 years ago, and ended up being a coffee shop that was actually an illegal drug dispensary, is a step closer to becoming a community center.
The former “Drive-thru Wake-up and Deli” is getting an exterior makeover as part of its transformation into the Tabor Commons Community Center.
“When you drive past now, you’ll see a colorful design covering three walls of the building,” said Paul Leistner, a board member of the Southeast Uplift neighborhood coalition. “The public art is a combination of geometric elements with garden and bird motifs.”
Sees building as a canvas
The design was created by John Early and Laura Bender of Site Painters, a local firm that’s been doing murals and commissioned public artwork for 25 years. You’ve seen their work around town – at the former Nature’s Market on SE Division Street, for example.
“We live in the neighborhood, and have been following the progress of this project,” Early told us, while taking a brief break. “This nondescript little box of a building seemed like the perfect place for community art treatment.”
Grant funds local muralists
Early and Bender created a design, and then prepared a grant application to the Regional Arts and Culture Council’s neighborhood mural program.
“Thanks to the support of the community – and in-kind donations from companies like Powell Paint Company – we were awarded the grant. Volunteers prepared the exterior by sealing, sanding, and priming the surface.”
SE Portland residents, and professional mural painters, John Early and Laura Bender transform the former drug-dealing storefront into a work of public art.
Center to create a ‘sense of neighborhood’
“This is our neighborhood – we love this area,” smiled Bender, as the husband-and-wife duo mounted the scaffolding to continue their work. “I like the idea of helping to create art that promotes a sense of neighborhood.”
When they’ve completed their work, Early said, they’ll coat the exterior with an ultraviolet-shielding varnish that will also help fend off potential graffiti vandals.
Working to fulfill their goals
Leistner reminded us that the main goal for the project is to create a community gathering place. “One way the Tabor Commons is achieving this goal is through partnership with a local non-profit, Café au Play,” he said “They’ll create a family-and-community-friendly coffeehouse program to support children and families, by nurturing connections among caregivers and empowering people of all ages to see themselves as both givers and receivers of resources.”
Community members hope to finish the building and site renovation this winter.
© 2008 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News
Although she’ll represent all of Portland – find out why so many East Portland folks threw their support behind Portland’s newest City Commissioner …
Moments before the election results were posted, Amanda Fritz watches the coverage – with a couple hundred close friends and supporters – to see how her second attempt at gaining a seat on the Portland City Council would resolve.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
Portland City Commissioner-elect Amanda Fritz became an “instant success” this week – after 17 years in the making – as she won Seat #1 on the Council this year by a wide margin over her opponent, Charles Lewis.
A 17-year journey
Just before the first results were posted, Fritz stepped in front of about 200 friends and supporters – including Mayor Tom Potter, and Portland City Commissioner Nick Fish – and talked briefly about her latest campaign.
“This journey started for me 13 months ago,” Fritz began.
“Actually, I started this journey 17 years ago when a neighbor left a flyer in my mailbox saying trees were about to be chopped down and I needed to come to the neighborhood Association meeting.
“At the time, I had children – ages five, three, and one – I like to describe it as being ‘knee deep in babies’. I went to that neighborhood Association meeting; I’ve been going to them ever since.”
Fritz concluded saying, “If you ever wonder about being a neighborhood activist – whether or not you can make a real difference in your neighborhood and city – the answer is yes. Yes, you really do.”
Outer East Portland neighborhood leaders – and Fritz supporters – Arlene Kimura, Alesia Reese, and Linda Robinson, say they’re cheered by the election of Amanda Fritz.
Outer East Portland volunteers recognized
One of the many supporters Fritz went on to recognize was Linda Robinson, current Chair of the Citywide Parks Team. When asked if she would help in the campaign, Robertson outlined four different ways that she could help, and then suggested a few more, Fritz commented.
We asked Robinson why she so actively supported a candidate who lives in deep Southwest Portland – when she, herself, hails from the outer East Portland neighborhood of Hazelwood.
“Where she lives,” Robinson responded, “There are many infrastructure deficiencies, like we have in East Portland. Her neighborhood was also annexed within the last 20 years.”
But what really made Fritz stand out as a potential leader, she said, were her group interaction skills. “I’ve watched how she carefully thinks things through and how she communicates with people. But most of all, she really understands citizen advocacy and has actively participated in government. She both ‘gets it’ and ‘does it’.”
Popular in East Portland precincts
Fritz opined that she won the election because she’s worked with neighborhood and business groups all over East Portland for ten years.
“My support and interest is issue-based,” Fritz told us after the election. “The problems and challenges in outer East Portland are the same ones in deep Southwest Portland. The City made promises to many neighborhoods that have never been fulfilled.”
During her two campaigns for office, Fritz said she found that both neighbors and businesspeople all across Portland expressed similar concerns. “I found that ‘most every group considers themselves unheard and uncared for.”
Portland City Counselor-elect, Amanda Fritz, thanks her supporters after elected to Position #1 by a landslide margin. Her son, Luke, sits in the background.
When we asked how she’ll use her office to remedy this situation, Fritz responded, “When people come to the City – that will be me – to express their concerns, I’ll let them know I’ve heard them, and will respond with practical solutions.”
Because Fritz was already meeting with city officials and civic groups, she was pressed to move to her next appointment.
We asked if she’d enunciate how she’ll use her soon-to-be invested authority.
“As one of five members, I’ll do my best to help the City Council work together for the common good. Bringing people together is what I’ve done for the last 17 years,” replied Fritz.
© 2008 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News
See why firefighters were delayed in helping this tree-trimmer down, after the tree in which he was working became electrified …
An arborist waits until a PGE crew arrives to untangle a rain-soaked branch from the tree in which he was working from a high-voltage power line.
Story by David F. Ashton; PF&R/Dick Harris photos
A project that started as a simple tree-trimming job turned into a harrowing rescue on November 6 in the Hazelwood Neighborhood.
“The call came in from the homeowner at 9:52 a.m.,” reported Portland Fire & Rescue (PF&R) spokesman Lt. Allen Oswalt. “Firefighters from PF&R Truck 7 responded to the 500 block of SE 130th Avenue on the report of a man that had been electrocuted – and that the man was still hanging in a tree.”
Hangs in electrified tree on fire
Oswalt said a branch of the tree in which the arborist was working was wet with rain, and had fallen into the power line. “When the crew arrived, the branch was arcing, sparking, and starting to catch fire.”
The treed man appeared to be a professional arborist, reported PF&R’s Lt. Jeff Klug. “He told us if he touched anything got a severe shock. We kept talking with him to keep him calm, and let him know our plan of action.”
Klug noted that the arborist’s boots were insulating him from the tree, and that he was not getting a jolt of electricity as long as he didn’t touch anything. He added that this arborist’s proper use of safety gear kept him from taking a nasty tumble from this electrified tree.
Apparently the whole tree was energized with electricity, and an immediate rescue attempt would have exposed firefighters to electrocution, explained Klug. Although the arborist was cold and tired, and hanging in midair in the rain, he had to wait for a crew from Portland General Electric (PGE) to de-energize the power lines – or come up with another solution.
Instead of shutting down the entire power grid, a PGE worker uses an insulated pole to dislodge the branch from the live power lines.
PGE to the rescue
“Within minutes, PGE workers were on-scene,” Oswalt told us. “Working from a boom rig on a truck, and using an insulated pole, the PGE lineman was able to pull the fallen tree limb free of the power line. This broke the circuit that was allowing electricity to run through the entire tree.”
Once the power was shut off the arborist was able to climb down, and was checked by paramedics. He had no injuries from the harrowing incident, and he refused transport to the hospital.
“Several things worked together that helped this event have a good conclusion,” summarized Oswalt. “The arborist had good safety equipment and used it, the neighbor called 9-1-1 promptly – and PGE arrived quickly.”
PF&R’s Lt. Jeff Klug checks with the arborist after he climbed down tree to determine if the man has been injured. It seemed the tree-worker was more embarrassed than anything.
© 2008 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News
