Happy Friday, Overlook! This is a busy week; please join us for the monthly OKNA meeting on Tuesday night and consider joining the board. I know many of you have expressed interest–now is the time to put your hand up. No experience necessary, jus
t a willingness to pitch in and make Overlook the kind of place we like to live in.
1) Edible Gardens on Tour (9/15)
2) ONRG Meeting This Monday (9/17)
3) OKNA General Membership Meeting & Board Elections (9/18)
4) Public Safety News
5) Final Storyteller Presentations (Mondays through September)
6) Email Invites Gone Astray—Solutions?
7) Naturescaping Workshop (9/30)
8) Ethos/IFCC Open House (9/15) ß-bonus reminder
9) Industry&Art, Swan Island’s Must-See Art Exhibit and Sale (9/20-9/23)
10) Salvage Home Tour: Design + Build + Decorate (tickets now for 10/6)
—————————————–
1) Edible Gardens on Tour (9/15)
Do you ever walk by a particularly amazing garden and marvel at the abundance? Come out to meet some of our green-thumbed neighbors and learn what they’ve been up to and get inspiration for your own site. This year we have seven verdant examples of impressive food gardens spread across Overlook.
Overlook Edible Garden Tour
Saturday, September 15, 10am-3pm
For details on the sites, tour route and map, visit https://sites.google.com/site/overlooksustainability/home/2012-edible-garden-tour
—————————————–
2) ONRG Meeting This Monday (9/17)
What’s Up with that 65 Unit Overlook Park Apartment Building with No Parking? FIND OUT… GET INFORMED AND BE HEARD!
Overlook Neighbors for Responsible Growth (ONRG) Meeting
When: Monday, Sept 17, 7-9 PM
Where: The Overlook House, 3839 N. Melrose Drive
ONRG members and other Overlook residents concerned about the proposed development of a 65-unit apartment building with no onsite parking are invited to an ONRG general meeting from 7-9 pm on Monday, Sept 17 at the Overlook House. The meeting will focus on recent ONRG developments, outreach efforts, and strategic preparations for OKNA’s Sept 18th meeting with Don Sowieja, Myhre Group architect, who will deliver an update on the proposal.
ONRG leader Gary Davenport testified at City Council this past Wednesday, along with members of 4 other neighborhoods affected by this type of development. They did a tremendous job of highlighting the safety, livability and equity impacts on our neighborhoods. This has become a city-wide conversation, and we appreciate and benefit from all the voices!
—————————————–
3) OKNA General Membership Meeting & Board Elections (9/18)
Join your neighbors for our monthly meeting this Tuesday, September 18, from 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm.
On the agenda:
– Elections to the OKNA Board; your chance to participate in neighborhood business.
– A presentation kicking off a volunteer supplemental food program for students at Ockley Green School.
– An update on the proposed 65-unit apartment building on N Overlook Blvd by architects from Myhre Group
– Public Safety and other reports.
—————————————–
4) Public Safety News
Good news from our Neighborhood Response Officer, Steve Jacquot. Steve tells us that federal, state and local officials have taken actions against the infamous ‘House on the Hill’ owners and the site is under new, experienced ownership and management. Problem tenants were given 24-hour eviction notices recently and Officer Jacquot expects that Overlook residents will see the property crime rate in the area drop significantly over the coming months.
The dramatic April raid and disruption of the fencing operation run from this property represents a huge victory for Officer Jacquot and our other North Portland officers; they estimate that this was THE worst crime address in the entire city, spanning over 15 years.
Thank you, PPB, for your persistence and sticking through to a solution to this neighborhood problem!
—————————————–
5) Final Storyteller Presentations (Mondays through September)
The Monday Storyteller sessions at Overlook House conclude this month after a long, fun run, so that Jerry Cowan, The Storyteller, can participate in more Portland Storytellers Guild activities.
Thank you, Jerry, for so enthusiastically sharing your stories, song and music with Overlook kids of all ages!
—————————————–
6) Email Invites Gone Astray—Solutions?
Do one of you clever people have an idea to help your Overlook neighbors and Communications staff-of-one?
At every OKNA meeting and event, we collect email addresses from people who would like to be added to this mailing list. We dutifully send out the Yahoo! brand invitations, but notice very little to no subscription return on them. We suspect that our invitations go to a junk or spam folder, never to be seen again.
These ghost invitations must be frustrating to the people who were expecting to receive weekly OKNA news, but of course we have no way to reach them.
Does anyone have an idea to make this work better? If people do go to the OKNA website, they can sign up on their own, but there is still another step for them to take.
Facebook is one easy way to know we are reaching people. Plus, we sometimes post things there that don’t make it to the Weekly OKNA Email. Make sure you ‘like’ OKNA on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/OKNAinPDX
—————————————–
7) Naturescaping Workshop (9/30)
The Overlook version was such a hit that I thought you’d like to know about a near-by one.
Dig into sustainable gardening! Naturescaping is the practice of using native plants to create sustainable landscapes that are good for people, animals and the environment. Learn how to design a low-maintenance, chemical-free landscape that conserves water and minimizes pollution, all while saving you time, money and energy! You’ll get natural gardening and landscape design tips, take a field trip to a nearby naturescaped garden, and receive a comprehensive workbook and a native plant to get started! Space is limited and advanced registration is required. Information: 503-222-7645
What: Naturescaping Basics Workshop
When: Sunday, Sept. 30 from 9am – 1pm
Where: East Multnomah SWCD Office – 5211 N Williams Ave, Portland, 97217
How: Pre-register online at http://www.emswcd.org/workshops-events/register-for-a-workshop
—————————————–
8) Ethos/IFCC Open House (9/15)
Come for the kid-friendly activities, a dance workshop, an instrument test-drive, music and more!
Saturday, September 15 10am-3pm
Food, Music, & More at Ethos/IFCC: 5340 N Interstate Ave
View the 2012-2013 IFCC Community events calendar, see our new class offerings, & stellar theater partnerships. Learn about our new Community Partners: Rock n’ Roll camp for Girls, CAN Creative Advocacy Network, The Aspire Project. For more information please contact Reba Sparrow, IFCC Program Manager: reba@ethos.org
—————————————–
9) Industry&Art, the Fall’s Must-See Art Exhibit and Sale (9/20-9/23)
“Celebrating the Worker” honors the diligence and hard work of creation, whether it is a design schematic for a ship, a 300 foot long barge, a photograph, a painting or a sculpture. There truly is an art in mastering most of life’s tasks and an expansive common ground between Industry&Art. Through the work of more than 30 professional artists, this year’s exhibit seeks to create awareness for the Pacific Northwest’s unique, often hidden, industrial culture. It is an unprecedented 21st century look at the industrial worker of today—the kind of tools they use, the environment they work in, what they create and how those creations make lives better. We hope to see you there.
Thursday, Sept. 20: 12pm – 6pm
Friday, Sept. 21: 12pm – 6pm
Saturday, Sept. 22: 11am – 6pm
Sunday, Sept. 23: 11am – 6pm
Vigor Industrial Shipyard on Swan Island
5555 N. Channel Avenue, Portland, OR 97217
Admission FREE with a suggested donation of $5
If you’ve never been to the shipyard prepare to be inspired. Nothing quite compares. Last year’s photos give you an idea of what you might see: http://www.industryandart.com/photo-gallery/#!prettyPhoto
—————————————–
10) Salvage Home Tour: Design + Build + Decorate (tickets now for 10/6)
Founded on the principles of environmental respect, historic preservation and embracing the idea that the most sustainable building is the one that already exists is the core of what Rejuvenation, Arciform and Shannon Quimby Designs represent. They have joined forces to bring to Portland the first annual Salvage Tour: Design + Build + Decorate on October 6, 2012. Ticket holders will have the unique opportunity to learn more about working with salvage and tour five residences that exemplify the use of salvage materials. Tickets are $15 per person, with all proceeds going directly to p:ear, a Portland non-profit that mentors homeless youth. The self-guided tour of all the homes in Westmoreland, Overlook, and Richmond will be open for ticket holders from noon to 6pm including Anne’s and Shannon’s.
Tickets can be purchased beginning August 1, 2012 at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/258532. For more information, visit www.rejuvenation.com/pdxevents.