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October, 2024- Vol. 119, No.2 Scroll down to read this issue! Memories of THE BEE's first 100 years! In 2006, THE BEE celebrated its centennial of serving Southeast Portland! A special four-page retrospective of Inner Southeast Portland's century, written by Eileen Fitzsimons, and drawn from the pages of THE BEE over the previous 100 years, appeared in our September, 2006, issue. Click here to read the special centenary retrospective!
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At the Sellwood Community Houses Grand Reopening and 5th Birthday Bash here, deftly wielding giant scissors, Sellwood Community House Board Secretary Julie Currin snipped the ceremonial ribbon to reopen the building, after its recovery from catastrophic winter storm damage. Holding the ribbon were former SMILE Presidents deeply involved with starting up the Community House Nancy Walsh at left, and Gail Hoffnagle at right. (Photo by David F. Ashton)
Sellwood Community House finally reopens after storm repairs
By DAVID F. ASHTON For THE BEE
One week in January hammered the Portland area as it had not been hammered before. Portland’s forecasters were hard-pressed to remember another weather incident here in which such low temperatures were accompanied by such gusty east winds – a dangerous combination that brought down swathes of trees and limbs all over the area. At its peak, some 160,000 people in Portland were without power.
But the last two days of low temperatures and ice in Portland did enormous damage to two Inner Southeast institutions – in both cases, due to burst water pipes. SMILE Station in Sellwood had just completed a complete renovation and update in its basement to create new meeting and office spaces, and was in the midst of renovating the upstairs main meeting room, when a pipe in the north wall broke late on Thursday, January 18th. Everything in the basement was destroyed by the flood there, and that space had to be completely cleared and rebuilt from scratch, while the damage upstairs was more easily repaired. The building was fully restored by spring and reopened by March 20th.
But Sellwood Community House suffered a much greater catastrophe in the late morning of Friday, January 20th, and had much more repair work to do. The fire suppression sprinkler system main supply pipe burst in the attic, releasing a torrent of water down the stairs into every room on each floor in the building. The structure was occupied at the time, and the response was immediate; experts said if the water flow had not been suppressed within 20 minutes by the firefighters at Westmoreland’s Station 20, the building would have been a total loss and would have had to be torn down. As it was, restoration of the historic building – it’s listed on the National Register of Historic Places – took nine months, and an enormous amount of money.
The staff at the Community House quickly found locations at which to continue its classes – among them, the Trackers Earth facility on S.E. Milwaukie Avenue near Holgate, the Moreland Presbyterian Church on Bybee Boulevard, and – after its own repairs were completed – SMILE Station. And they immediately began an historic fundraising effort to pay for the extensive repairs. But the funds were raised, and the work was done by the end of summer.
Celebrating the completion of eight months of extensive repairs, staff and supporters held a “Grand Reopening and Fifth Birthday Bash” on Saturday, September 14.
“Yes, we are indeed celebrating that our building has been made whole again, after 82% of the interior had to be stripped down to the studs after being flooded,” said the organization’s Executive Director Ashley Murray. “Also, we’re celebrating that we are coming up on five years of being a community-run nonprofit 501c3 organization, too.
“It’s important to have a place like this – a meaningful ‘third space’ for the community to build connections,” remarked Murray. “All ages and generations are able to come together here, and spend time with one another – which really fosters a deep connection among everyone.
“And, the Sellwood Community House helps our neighborhood to be more resilient and vibrant, with everyone working together and supporting our space.”
After the snipping of the ceremonial ribbon outside the front door, signaling the official reopening, the organization’s Board Secretary – Julie Currin – pointed out an otherwise unheralded feature of the building’s restoration: “One of my favorite things here is the sign above the main entrance doorway. When we took over the building and changed the name, we replaced the existing sign with the vinyl banner – it felt temporary.
“Just in the last month, workers took down the original sign, flipped it over, and with the exact same style and colors, engraved on it ‘Sellwood Community House – Built 1910 • Established 2019’ – it looks perfect!” enthused Currin.
Throughout that afternoon, many of those who attended the festivities enjoyed a free slice of birthday cake; others purchased food, beverages, and ice cream sundaes from vendors. Inside the building, staffers were on hand – providing crafts, games, and activities for people of all ages. And, many visitors took the opportunity to tour the renewed facility, admiring the craftsmanship of the restoration work.
Dobrodošli v razburljiv svet iger na srečo! Naše kazino vam ponuja edinstveno priložnost, da doživite vznemirjenje in se potopite v širok spekter iger. Izberite med klasičnimi in modernimi igralnimi avtomati ter priljubljenimi namiznimi igrami, kot so blackjack in ruleta.Začnite svoje nepozabno igralno doživetje zdaj in playfina!Z rednimi turnirji, privlačnimi bonusi in programi zvestobe vsak obisk prinaša še več vznemirjenja in večje zmage. Potopite se v razkošno vzdušje in pustite, da vas vodi sreča — vaš trenutek zmage je že na dosegu roke!
As for the history of the place, which led some time ago to its national historic listing – the building started out in 1910 as a YMCA; but after a few years it became the property of Portland Parks and Recreation, which operated it until five years ago as the Sellwood Community Center.
It was PP&R’s announced plan to close it down permanently to save money that led the community to form a committee to find a way to lease it from PP&R and to run it for the benefit of the Inner Southeast Community, just as it had always been – and the result was the Sellwood Community House. It is located on the southwest corner of Spokane Street and S.E. 15th Avenue in Sellwood.
Just around this bend in the Brooklyn Train Yard, and out of view in this photo, Portland Fire & Rescue paramedics were tending to a man who was apparently clipped by this passing Union Pacific freight train around noon on Sunday, August 25th. (Photo by David F. Ashton)
Unidentified man hit by UP train in Southeast; suffers traumatic leg injury
By DAVID F. ASHTON For THE BEE
The report of a “Light Rail Incident” in Southeast Portland sent fire crews and paramedics looking for an injured man, down on the MAX tracks, near S.E. 8th Avenue and Division on August 25, at 12:45 p.m.
Meantime, Central Precinct police officers were dispatched to what was also described as a “TriMet Incident” at S.E. Gideon Street and 11th Avenue. These initial dispatches proved inaccurate, as we soon discovered.
PF&R crews hunted for an injured man near where a trio of westbound Union Pacific Railroad (U.P.) locomotives had stopped near Division Street, with a long freight train behind them. And it didn’t take long for firefighter-paramedics to determine that the victim was actually located along the U.P. tracks, near S.E. 16th Avenue and Brooklyn Street. That’s where crews were drawn by people screaming and shouting for help.
“We’re going to need a tourniquet, there’s one down on the tracks; and we’re going to need a trauma kit here,” a rescuer radioed to other crews. “We do have one patient down on the tracks.”
A PF&R Battalion Chief asked if the patient was pinned under the train. The report back was no, he wasn’t under the train, but just north of the train tracks. “We do have a tourniquet in place, and have a right leg injury,” the emergency responder notified dispatchers.
By 12:58 p.m., the man – now described as having a “severe leg injury” – was readied to be rushed by ambulance to a local hospital for treatment. Due to privacy laws, his condition now remains unknown.
A Portland Police spokesperson confirmed to THE BEE that the incident did take place, but told us that Union Pacific Police were handling the investigation. And so far, the railroad has not responded to our requests for further information.
We work to reduce chronic crime problems, explained PPB NRT officer Laura Frear, during the SMILE Community Safety Forum. Her partner in this endeavor is NRT officer Joseph Bernard, at left. All Portland Police Precincts have their own NRT officers. (Photo by David F. Ashton)
CentralPrecinct NRT police officers speak at SMILE meeting
By DAVID F. ASHTON For THE BEE
At the regular Sellwood Moreland Improvement League (SMILE) neighborhood association General meeting on September 4, at SMILE Station in Sellwood, some 50 people filled the hall (with a dozen online on ZOOM) for an announced Community Safety Forum.
“This is the second Community Safety Forum we’ve held; our first one was a year ago, in September,” said SMILE Board Member Grant Huling, who is also Chair of both the standing Crime Prevention Committee (informally known as the Community Safety Committee), and the Transportation Committee.
“This is an effort to bring the city closer to our neighbors here; in this case, we want people to go away feeling like they actually know a police officer,” Huling told THE BEE as attendees were being seated before the meeting began. “Even more, they’ll have the email address and phone number of our Neighborhood Response Team [NRT] officers here with us this evening.”
After the brief SMILE business meeting, Huling presented crime statistics for the neighborhood, before introducing Portland Police Bureau Neighborhood Response Team Central Precinct Officers Laura Frear and Joseph Bernard.
Taking turns, the NRT officers told how, unlike district patrol officers, their mandate is to focus on chronic crime locations, dealing with issues like drugs, theft, burglary, and shoplifting.
A neighbor asked if the officers were aware of the “growing number of homeless camps” near S.E. McLoughlin Boulevard and in the Oaks Bottom Natural Area
“Yes, we’ve been there for five times, when we go in we offer them resources for services,” Officer Bernard responded. “These are areas we’re aware of, and keep visiting –but resolving these issues often requires us to go there several times.”
Another attendee asked their reaction to the recriminalization of Measure 110: “What is your approach to working with people who are actively using drugs?”
Officer Frear responded, “So far, we have not made any arrests; nor have we had any deflections’ – part of this being that the Deflection Center isn’t open yet. With ‘deflection’, the individual cannot have any other crimes outstanding, or have any open warrants for their arrest. And, the individual has to be able to care for themselves, too. But when it becomes available at this time, deflection will be available only during daytime hours.”
Another concern expressed was about criminal activity near a well-used motel on S.E. Powell Boulevard. “One of the things we do is look carefully at cars in the area,” Officer Bernard replied. “For example, we found an illegal shotgun in one of the cars that we stopped in that area.”
Participants continued to ask both specific and general questions about crime and its relationship with homelessness, guns, and other criminal behavior in the neighborhood; the officers answered candidly, with their visit extending beyond an hour in length.
Judging by the rousing round of sustained applause at the end of the meeting, it appeared that this SMILE Community Safety Forum was a success.
Fire crews searched and cleaned up several floors of the Sellwood Center apartment building, after putting out the fire which started on a balcony briefly igniting spot fires on balconies both above and below. (Courtesy of PF&R)
Here, a firefighter brought a dog that he found in the building back to its evacuated owner. There were no injuries reported among residents or their pets in this incident. (Courtesy of PF&R)
Balcony fire in Sellwood high-rise apartment building
By DAVID F. ASHTON For THE BEE
Reports of heavy smoke billowing and fire erupting from the fifth floor balcony of an apartment in the towering, publicly-owned Sellwood Center at 1724 S.E. Tenino Street, on Wednesday evening, August 21, sent numerous Portland Fire & Rescue (PF&R) and Clackamas Fire District #1 crews to that address at 7:52 p.m.
While still some distance away, crews radioed seeing a column of smoke rising into the air above the eight-story, project-based, Section 8 apartment building operated by Home Forward, formerly known as the Housing Authority of Portland.
The first arriving Battalion Chief took command and requested a Second Alarm, to bring more firefighters and equipment to the high-rise residential structure fire.
While some of the crew members hauled fire hoses up the stairs to spray water into the burning apartment, others were evacuating the building. The sprinkler system helped keep the fire at bay.
Firefighters reported that the fire had spread to the sixth floor balcony above the fire’s origin, and flames were dropping embers, sparking active fires on the fourth and third floor balconies below.
This fire was kept mainly to the balconies and the exterior of the high-rise. All occupants were safely evacuated. Pets left behind were reconnected to their owners by fire crews, as they searched the entire building to be sure all occupants and pets were safely evacuated.
Three occupants were displaced by the fire. PF&R officials have yet to announce a cause; the blaze remains “under investigation”.
Seated in The Oaks Oktoberfest Grand Festhalle, enjoying Oktoberfest, we found Nancy and Allen White in authentic German dress. They confided, Were from Milwaukie the Oregon kind! (Photo by David F. Ashton)
Oktoberfest revelry fills Oaks Amusement Park with cheer
By DAVID F. ASHTON For THE BEE
After our hot summer, a quick change to autumnal weather graced this year’s Oktoberfest at historic and nonprofit Oaks Amusement Park in Sellwood, over the long weekend of September 20-22.
In addition to all of the Oktoberfest attractions you’d expect to find at such a Germanic celebration, many guests also chose to enjoy the park’s amusement rides and attractions, as well.
When we asked “What’s new this year?” of Oaks Park Association Marketing and Events Director Emily MacKay, she smiled. “Actually, we’ve learned just to keep the Oktoberfest traditions going, year after year. People tell us they return every year because they look forward to the same lineup of authentic brats, beers, music, and the same dancing they’ve come to enjoy!
“But, there actually are a fewnew things this year – we do have a new food vendor, and every Alpine Village space has local artisans and vendors – all themed to our celebration,” MacKay told THE BEE.
During the day, there were the favorite outdoor events – like the Wiener Dog Races, and children's activities in the Kinderplatz. Later in the day, in both the Grand Festhalle and in the smaller Northwest Festhalle, music and dance kept this family-oriented celebration lively.
“We’re so pleased that this Oktoberfest has grown to be the prime celebration of its kind in the Portland area,” confided MacKay. “Part our popularity is that we feature top-tier polka bands. But also, our Oktoberfest is for everyone, because children can be in all venues, at all hours – we want the kids here celebrating with mom and dad! It’s the ‘Oaks Park way’!
“Everybody loves the food, the beer, and the activities; but I think what people who come here really like is the community – enjoying a celebration together is the thing that really makes this special,” MacKay reflected.
Want to see more of this year’s Oaks Park Oktoberfest? Enjoy this brief and exclusive BEE VIDEO of all the festivities! –
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