In a historical piece about the Sunnyside neighborhood that we published in our November issue, we referred to Dr. Perry Prettyman as “one of the first settlers” to the neighborhood. By telling the history of this area only from the perspective of white Europeans we erase the rich cultural history of Indigenous Peoples of the Multnomah, Kathlamet, Clackamas, Chinook, Tualatin Kalapuya, Molalla and many other Native American tribes who made their homes here. We apologize for the error and are taking action to implement an equity lens in our editorial process so that future publications will be more accurate and inclusive.
Author: SNA
Portland Tillamook Cooperative Preschool is Looking For a New Home
For 25 years, Portland Tillamook Cooperative Preschool has called the Presbyterian Church of Laurelhurst home. That history is about to change. Last October, the Tillamook Preschool board of directors received notice that the school must vacate its classroom at the end of the 2022-2023 school year. The preschool is seeking help to find a new space to lease.
“We are saddened and truly grieving the loss of our amazing location,” said Tillamook Preschool’s board president, Anne Lagasse. “As a small nonprofit, we are now looking to build a strong relationship with an organization that has a space well suited to support the needs and minds of young children.” Started in 1973 in a house on NE Tillamook Street, the preschool has evolved into a mixed-age, play-based preschool enrolling 38 children and families each year.
Please visit TillamookPreschool.org to learn more and contact Anne Lagasse, Tillamook Preschool Board President at [email protected] if you have any leads!
The Scourge of Gas-powered Leaf Blowers
Is your quality of life enhanced by the sound of gas leaf blowers or the fumes those blowers emit?
Quiet Clean PDX (QCPDX) is a coalition of concerned Portlanders working to eliminate gas leaf blowers locally and beyond. We have over 1,800 subscribers to our monthly newsletter and you can find the organizations that endorse us—including 15 Portland neighborhood associations at www.quietcleanpdx.org.
Gas leaf blowers:
• Create high-intensity intrusive noise that disturbs neighborhood residents, passersby, and shoppers and can lead to permanent hearing loss for the operator
• Create health risks with the emissions of toxic substances that can cause cancer, heart and lung disease
• Cause air pollution with the emission of smog-forming chemicals
• Require fossil fuels (gas and oil) for operation and thereby emit carbon dioxide, which contributes to climate change.
QCPDX is hopeful that the Sunnyside Neighborhood Association will endorse our goal of transitioning to alternatives including battery-operated leaf blowers and manual tools like rakes. We hope to encourage a healthier and simpler approach to lawn and garden care that reduces the need for gas-powered equipment.
Thank you for your consideration- The Quiet Clean PDX Steering Committee
Note: The SNA will be voting at our General Meeting on January 12th about whether or not to endorse Quiet Clean PDX’s mission.
Celebrate the Holidays on Peacock Lane
Greetings! The residents of Portland’s beloved “Christmas Street” are pleased to announce the schedule for this year’s Lights on Peacock Lane Event. The lights will be on daily every night from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. starting on December 15th and ending on December 31st.
Returning this year are the Hot Cocoa Booth and pedestrian-only nights!
The Hot Cocoa Booth provides hot cocoa and cider (free of charge) to the public during the event. Donations are, of course, accepted and help defray certain costs, but they are not required. The booth runs from December 15th – 24th, while supplies last.
We’re delighted to announce the return of pedestrian-only nights, which will take place on December 15th, 16th, and 17th!
During these nights, the Lane will be closed to vehicle traffic, which means the public may walk on the Lane itself for an even better view of the lights. On December 18th, pedestrian-only nights end and vehicles can drive down the Lane, though we recommend planning ahead as traffic will get heavy.
And, of course, Peacock Lane is always free!
Emergency Preparedness is a (Community and Individual) Act of Kindness
The ways in which we are kind during, and after, any type of weather-related emergency also manifests itself in many big and little ways.
Give yourself credit for the invisible and visible ways that you are kind on a daily basis.
The other day I had the opportunity to hand deliver about forty SNA newsletters. On the north side of SE Taylor and the south side of SE Yamhill, from Cesar Chavez to SE 42nd Avenue, and on the east side of SE 42nd Avenue between these two blocks. There was a lot of climbing up and down the mostly uneven stairs with many not-so-stable handrails to guide me. It was a sunny day with no snow or ice – just a few damp leaves and branches scattered about.
I share this story with you so that you consider making it safer for those who deliver mail and other items to our homes every day. Making it easier for people to navigate to our front doors would be an act of kindness.
As winter comes (well, it feels like it’s already here), let’s keep the streets and sidewalks in front of our homes free from leaves, garbage, ice and snow so that it’s safe for all of us to get around by car, bicycle and on foot.
Be prepared, not scared.