Commentary:
This issue is missing an obvious story: the one-year anniversary of the dramatic Oct. 8, 2008, landslide on Burlingame Place.
You will recall that the collapse of the Hendrickson house down the steep slope destroyed it and two other houses beneath it.
Familiar with the ways of journalism, I knew that Shasta Kearns Moore at The Southwest Community Connection would be doing the anniversary story. So too would The Oregonian. And I knew it would be a long, complex story to tell.
And I didn't count out the television stations. Anniversary disaster stories are a great opportunity to haul out compelling video footage. And the slide story was a visual story.
But to me, the story wasn't about "visuals." It was mostly about the victims and their efforts to recover from the disaster. The monetary recovery is still working its way through the legal system.
As predicted, in the October Connection Shasta laid out the legal morass that has ensued and remains unresolved. And in the Oregonian's "inPortland" section on October 8, Mark Larabee, covered the same ground but added the element I focused on a year ago: neighbors and the community coming to the aid of the slide victims.
One of the major problems with stories that involve litigation is that the parties have been instructed by their attorneys not to talk to the press. That's the bad news for reporters. The good news is that the attorneys have laid out the details of their cases in court filings, which are public documents.
The filings are a mother lode of information.
Both Shasta and Mark did solid jobs of mining the courthouse files. You can find their work on-line HERE and HERE respectively.
It will be interesting to watch the continuing coverage of the legal story. I'm counting on Shasta and Mark to stay on the case. Or I should say "cases," plural, as there are several pending.
I'll keep my ear to the ground as well. If I hear of anything worth passing on, I'll let you know.
In the meanwhile, from one scribe to two others: thanks Shasta and Mark.
Problems as Opportunities
In any discussion of Portland's culture of neighborhood activism the famous quote from Margaret Mead is likely to come up. It's the one that goes: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
A lesser known Mead quote comes to mind as I think about those thoughtful, committed citizens changing the world.
It's this one: "We are continually faced with great opportunities which are brilliantly disguised as unsolvable problems.""
The citizens mentioned in the first quote are usually the ones who answer "unsolvable problems" by turning them into "great opportunities."
A local example is the story of the new speed bumps on Capitol Hill Road. They represent the stunning, hard-won success of a band of moms who refused to see opposition as an "unsolvable problem." Instead, they took it as a challenge and willed it into an opportunity.
Nationally, one year ago, the same grass-roots spirit fired up a campaign that refused to accept "You can't do that!"
Its answer was "Yes, we can!"
And it did.
Rick Seifert
Editor
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Neighborhood Association approves
10-foot-high Wilson outfield fence
 A proposed Wilson High School outfield fence, twice as high as the current five-foot tall one (see photo to the right), won the approval of the Hillsdale Neighborhood Association at its Oct. 7 meeting.
Portland Public Schools required Wilson baseball backers to get neighborhood support for the higher fence before it could be installed.
The approval came with the stipulation that trees be planted along Vermont Street to soften the visual impact of the fence, which would run on the field's western perimeter.
The motion also calls for landscaping at the batting cage as well.
The 10-foot-tall, 294-foot-long outfield fence will allow baseball supporters to elevate "pennant" signs to a new tier above advertising placards. The pennant-shaped signs celebrate Wilson's past championship seasons.
The 7-3 vote (with two absentions) reflected concerns by some that the new height would intrude on the sweeping view of the coast range from the Wilson campus.
Mikal Apenes, a neighborhood association board member, said that he often enjoys the sunset vistas from the campus.
Board member Peter DeCrescenzo likened the enlarged fence and its advertising placards to a massive, intrusive billboard.
But fellow board member Fred Fazeluke called the comparison to a billboard unfair, adding that city dwellers who want unobstructed views should consider moving to the country. Besides, he added, the baseball program deserved recognition for its achievements.
Baseball Coach Mike Clopton, who presented the proposal to the meeting, said he would explore the suggestion that some sponsors share signs so that there could be fewer of them.
He noted that the commercial signage on the fence is not up year-round and is taken down after the five-and-a-half-month-long spring and summer seasons. The approved motion included the time limitation.
The new fence is needed because the old one is deteriorating and too low, posing a danger to outfielders, Clopton said.
Clopton argued that the sponsorships are necessary to fund the baseball program. The school district limits its funding to paying for umpires and team transportation. The $8,000 cost of the fence will come from team funds and not the district.
Those interested in finding out more about the Wilson baseball program can visit its web site.
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One of the new speed "tables" slows traffic in front of West Hills Christian School.
Neighbors' initiative pays off
Capitol Hill Road gets "bumped"
Most folks don't welcome bumps in life's road.
But for neighbors on SW Capitol Hill Road, it's a different story on their busy, winding street. For years they have fought to get the traffic-calming bumps in their road.
During the last weekend of September city workers installed them.
The eleven bumps (which are called "tables") resulted from determined lobbying and fundraising by a core group of Capitol Hill Road neighbors concerned about the safety of pedestrians, particularly children.
A major turning point in the campaign to raise $24,000 for the bumps came this summer when Mayor Sam Adams and the City of Portland found unused traffic safety funds and anted up 60 percent of the cost.
That, coupled with earlier funds raised, left approximately $2,000 to be paid, but the Portland parks bureau kicked in $1000 (its Custer Park is on the street). Al Stefan, principal of the West Hills Christian School, which abuts the street, picked up the balance.
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HAP seeks support, but says it's not required
Neighbors again voice concerns
about Hillsdale Terrace project
 After a third presentation by the Housing Authority of Portland (HAP), The Hillsdale Neighborhood Association still has taken no position on endorsing a proposed new $41.5 million Hillsdale Terrace public housing project.
With the deadline for an application for $16.5 million in federal money a little more than a month away, the Portland public housing officials made another pitch for support at the association's October 7 meeting.
(In the photo, architect Bill Lanning displays conceptual drawings at the meeting.)
Troubled by a lack of details and a failure to address additional access to the isolated site, neighbors made no motion for or against the $41.5 million 122-unit project.
The project would replace the current 63-unit complex located off SW 26th Avenue down a steep grade. The site is in a "bowl" behind "Hoot Owl Corner."
Demolishing the existing structure and preparing the site for new construction would cost $5.7 million of the $41.5 million. The Housing Authority now estimates the per unit cost at $209,852 including construction and site work.
Mike Andrews, HAP's director of development, said that the design for the new complex is evolving and still in its formative stages.
HAP hopes to hear whether it has won the federal HOPE VI grant by February, although Andrews cautioned that the news could come later. The agency is also counting on raising $13.6 million through tax-credit financing.
If HAP is successful with the Feds, it and its architects at Michael Willis Architects will return to the drawing board to work out a final design. Andrews said the community would be consulted in those deliberations.
He cautioned that the competition for the federal money will be intense. He said that with $100 million available, there would be eight projects chosen from as many as 50 applications.
He added that while the neighborhood's endorsement would be helpful, "as a matter of law" it isn't essential.
But Wes Risher, who successfully fought HAP on the original siting of the Turning Point Project, said that lack of neighborhood support could work against the city agency in any land-use appeals process.
At the Oct. 7 meeting, Neighbors like Don Baack and Peter DeCrescenzo pressed HAP to provide better access to the site by improving the one-lane California Street that runs at a higher elevation on the southern border.
As Hillsdale Terrace is - and as the new project is planned - the site has only one way to get in and out: 26th Avenue. DeCrescenzo said that in a disaster like an earthquake, the hundreds of residents could easily be cut off from emergency assistance. "This seems crazy," he said.
Neighbors also expressed concern about the uncertainty of the design. DeCrescenzo and Baack said that resolving "fundamentals" such as access were essential to gaining neighborhood support.
The site has also been criticized by Hillsdale Terrace residents and neighbors for being isolated from the rest of the community.
Yet HAP officials cite its location in Southwest as an advantage. "There are a lot of opportunities in this community," said Andrews. "We want to create a culture of work and opportunity" for the residents.
Meanwhile, Hillsdale Terrace has a list of 200 applicants waiting for spaces to open at the current facility. About six units become available each year. That's proof of the pressing need for the new project, officials say.
HAP officials will be scheduled for the next Neighborhood Association meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 4, 7 p.m. at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church, 2201 SW Vermont.
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Bogus Beaver?
A mystery for young (and old) biologists
 Calling all biology sleuths, especially those in our schools.
We have a major mystery on our hands in Hillsdale.
Call it the case of the questionable large rodent.
Cathy Biber, a close reader of the Hillsdale News, maintains that the photo printed in the last issue (That's the top photo shown here) was misidentified as depicting a beaver. Eamon Molloy took the photo in Stephens Creek Nature Park in February.
(The second photo, definitely a local Fanno Creek Beaver, was printed in issue #51 and was taken by Jeff Colling.)
Biber writes that Molloy has actually taken a photo of a nutria. You read that right, student sleuths. And we are not talking about some kind of nuitritious power bar.
A nutria is a very large rodent.
Molloy, who manages the Hillsdale Farmers Market, says he thought the Stephens Creek critter was a beaver but concedes Biber could be right. He's just happy to see signs of aquatic critters in the park, which parallels Bertha Boulevard.
For the convenience of our student rodent detectives. the park is a mere field-trip walk from Rieke Elementary School and Wilson High School.
In her letter, Biber gives some clues of what to look for to solve the mystery.
"Nutria have prominent ears, 'whiskers,' and long skinny tails," she writes. In contrast, "Beaver have more uniform dark coloring, no whiskers, and of course the flat tails."
A search of the web (search "beavers" "nutria") gives other distinguishing features. This site tells the tale of a family that raised a baby nutria.
Other evidence to look for are differences between beaver and nutria spoor, should you be so fortunate to come across any. Also nutria are known to scream. Not so with Beavers. The only screaming Beavers in Oregon are found in Corvallis in the fall.
Elsewhere on the local wildlife beat: Neighbors in the Wilson Park area are being visited frequently by one or more curious coyotes. A few weeks back, as volunteers and farmers were setting up the Sunday market, a coyote dropped in on the slope beneath the Wilson baseball field to check out the human activity. It lingered a while before lopping off.
And market patrons on Sunday, October 4, were visited by a friendly hawk. The large bird was no more than 10 feet from the busy booths, again on the slope above the market. It spent its time searching through newly cut grass for rodents.
Molloy says he has seen the hawk perched on the new street lamp post at the junction of Bertha Boulevard and Bertha Court. The high perch offers a great raptor site, says Molloy, who lives nearby.
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The Date Book
Thursday, Oct. 15, 7 p.m.
SWTrails looks at City's Draft Bicycle Plan
SWTrails discusses and prepares to comment on
Portland's Draft Master Bicycle Plan, which was released Oct. 5. St. Luke Lutheran Church, 6835 SW 46th Ave., across from the SW Community Center.
Sunday, Oct. 18, 9:45 a.m. - noon
Films about arranged marriages
Films and discussion about arranged marriages in Jewish and Muslim cultures. Free, Mittleman Jewish Community Center.
Sunday Oct. 18, Noon - 4 p.m.
Hand-to-Hand Charity
donation
drop-off
Several charities are accepting donations at Mittleman Jewish Community Center. Dozens of organizations will be accepting donations from clothing to lamps to plastic storage bins with lids to non-perishable food, to sheets, towels and blankets.
Mondays, starting Oct. 19, and Wednesdays, starting Oct. 21 through year's end. 9:15 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.
Playgroups for Jewish Families in Portland
Groups give families the opportunity to know their Jewish peers, A 0-12 month group meets Mondays, A 12-36 month group meets Wednesdays. Light refreshments provided. Open to the community. At Congregation Neveh Shalom, 2900 SW Peaceful Lane. $25 Neveh Shalom Family/$35 Non-member Family. For more information Contact: Caron Blau Rothstein, crothstein@nevehshalom.org or 503-246-8831 x139 or visit the web site.
Tuesday, Oct 20, 6:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Hillsdale MicroCinema: Two films on Aging Artfully in America
Portions of "Geezer Gallery presents: A Whole New Old" will be shown. All of "Still Kicking." Discussion with film makers will follow presentations. Suggested donation $5. The Waterhshed, Bertha Court at SW Capitol Highway.
Sunday, Oct. 25, 7 p.m.
Oregonian Film Critic Sean Levy on "Jews in Hollywood History"
Levy, a SW Portland resident, is the author of "Paul Newman: A life." His lecture is part of the Northwest Writers and Scholars Lecture Series. Admission $5. Students free. Neveh Shalom, Stampfer Chapel, 2900 SW Peaceful Lane.
Monday, Oct. 26, 7 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Meet City Commissioner Amanda Fritz
Commissioner Fritz, a SW Portland resident, heads the City's Office of Neighborhood Involvement. She is in her first term. Bring questions and topics to be addressed. Bridlemile Elementary School cafeteria.
Tuesday, Oct 27, 6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Spooky Stories for Adults
Storyteller Anne Rutherford tells original and vintage horror tales, mixing them with spooky songs. Hillsdale Branch Library.
Wednesdays, 7 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. from Oct. 28, through Dec. 9,
Childbirth Education in a Jewish Context
For first time expectant parents in at least their 20th week of pregnancy. All family constellations and religious backgrounds (e.g. interfaith, same sex, etc.) are welcome. Classes include pregnancy, labor and delivery, and post-partum care as well as the topics of Jewish welcoming ceremonies, choosing a baby's Hebrew name and making a Jewish home. The course is open to the entire community. $180 for Neveh Shalom families and $225 non-member families. Congregation Neveh Shalom 2900 SW Peaceful Lane,
For more information contact: Caron Blau Rothstein, crothstein@nevehshalom.org or 503-246-8831 x139
Saturday, Nov 7, starting at 9 a.m.
Southwest SWNI/SOLV Litter Patrol and Fall Clean-up
9 a.m. - 1 p.m. for disposal; 9 a.m. - 11 a.m. for litter patrol
. Volunteers help clean-up litter in the neighborhood, and neatniks bring scrap, yard debris and donated items to the Portland Christian Center Parking lot at 4700 SW Dosch Road. Litter volunteers should bring work gloves. Pick-up trucks are also needed. Suggested contributions for disposal is $10 per carload to cover dumping charges.
Saturday, Nov 7, 5:30 p.m.
Rieke Elementary School Auction
Mary Rieke Elementary benefit auction will be held at the Mittleman Jewish Community Center. Businesses and individuals interested in donating an item or being a sponsor of the event may contact Anne Eddy.at 503-816-9054 or via email aeddy@cascadecs.com
To purchase tickets, contact Mary Jo Cohen at 503-708-2100 or at thecohen4@comcast.net. You may also purchase tickets and view the auction catalog at www.rieke.tofinoauctions.com/riekeauction2009/
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Rick Seifert
Editor, Hillsdale News
(503) 245-7821
editor@hillsdalenews.org
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