Neighborhood Notes weighs in on our Project!

Our Happy Block: Neighbors Transform Lot Into Livable, Sustainable Community Space

Link to story

Some of the Volunteers at a planting party for Our Happy Block.

This Saturday!

Native Plant Learning Garden

Feb 19th - Adding Soil, Plants and Mulch Day!
Contact us to Volunteer!

------------------------

Thanks to the Volunteers
who showed up this Saturday for the Site Prep Day!

We Sod-Cut 1,000 square feet of Sod and spread 10 yards of soil...

among other things.

Thanks to His Bakery (pastries, scones)
W'Yeast Pizza (3 pizza pies)
and Anne Holm (chili and corn muffins)
for providing Food to Volunteers!

 

 

Native Plant Garden

Volunteer to make the Native Plant Learning Garden a Reality!

(1,000 Square Feet!)

Site Preparation: Feb 12th (Saturday)

(1st) Planting Day: Feb 19th (Saturday)
More Planting Days to come....

Please contact us to volunteer!

Looking for more partners to make the Garden a success!

(native plants, gravel, plant 'name' signs..etc)

 Thanks to:

East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District (EMSWCD)
for the funds to make this project a reality.

Eric Rosewell for volunteering to do the Planting Plan

 TBBVdesign for project management and Landscape Layout

Chris Modderman for working the desodder and rototiller at a very discounted rate!

Greetings, my Dear Neighbors!

I wanted to let you guys know about our future Native Plant Garden, if you don't know already....

<< This great project is paid for by East Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District SPACE Grant . We were awarded $1,500 for the Community Resource Native Plant Learning Garden! >>

Native Plant Garden first planting day on February 19^th!

The garden will replace existing turf and become new habitat for wildlife (while improving soil, water and air quality.)

The garden will be located adjacent to the parking lot and right along the sidewalk on Martins Street.
The hope is that (one day) the garden will have little plaques with the native 'plant names' so that it can become a learning resource for our community.
I think this is a great project for the young and old! We'd love to see some little kids getting their hands dirty while learning about our native plants.
Please let me know if you are interested in helping in ANY way! Spread the word!

1. We need Volunteers to Plant on Feb 19th - 1:00 pm - this will be fun and quick
   
2. We can pay someone to de-sod, rototill and amend the soil. (This needs to be done at least a few days prior to Feb 19th.)
   We will need to rent the equipment (unless we can find someone to donate the equipment for a day.)
   Let me know if you are interested... or if you know someone in our neighborhood who would like to get paid to do this work (or volunteer)
   
   
3. A Truck to haul the bare root plants from EMSWCD Native Plant Sale on Feb 19th (10 or 11 am)
   EMSWCD is located at 5211 North Williams Ave
   
4. An open-bed Truck to haul mulch to the site from Mt.Scott Mulch  (this can be done whenever you are available.)
   

Thanks to East Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District for this great opportunity!
. It's not too late for you to order the great-priced natives for your own yard...check out their website for more info.

East Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District

THANK YOU!

We'd like to THANK EMSWCD for awarding Our Happy Block with their SPACE grant!

We were awarded $1,500 for Native Plant Gardens along SE Martins Street!

This grant will enable us to plant natives in the newly formed planting strip just south of the church parking lot and along the sidewalk adjacent to the parking lot.  These funds will go toward Project 2, explained below.

• Project 1: Street Tree Planting- 29 new street trees (along SE Woodstock & SE Martins St) through Friends of Trees (we raised money to pay for trees through Community yard sale and McCollum Automotive, plus Friends of Trees worked within our budget. Thanks FOT!)
  
• Project 2:  Removal of (2) Driveway Approaches connecting Calvary’s church parking lot to SE Martins Street and pour a new sidewalk and new street curbs. This will create new landscape opportunities and, by removing the driveway approaches, will stop stormwater from entering SE Martins Street from the southern portion of the parking lot (approx 6,400 S.F.)
  
  -Portland Development Commission's Community Livability Grant ($5,000) funded the removal of the driveway approaches and the pouring of new sidewalk and street curbs. Thanks PDC!
  
  - EMSWCD Space Program Funds ($1,500) will be used to Amend, Plant (natives where possible) and Mulch newly defined landscape areas. Also funds will be used to rent de-sod and rototill tools and to pay someone to operate these machines.
•  Project 3: Community Mural on McCollum Automotive’s Wall. (SE Uplift Graffiti Abatement Grant:  $2,250 to pay for permits, artists, paint, sealant and lighting. early Summer 2011) Thanks SE Uplift!
   
• Project 4: Remodel a 17,000 SF impenetrable parking lot. This project will further improve soil/water/air quality, watershed health and wildlife habitat. This parking lot  sheds 379,000 gallons of stormwater run-off per year to SE Woodstock BLVD and SE Martins Street before entering Portland‘s sewer system.  We will depave a portion of the lot and  manage all stormwater onsite while restoring natural habitat.
  (We will apply for EMSWCD PIC Grant, Jan 2011.)  Plus, DePave has committed to the depaving and hauling away of asphalt  for this project.

Depave Bowling Fundraiser!

 

Let's give back to Depave for being an amazing organization! Remember, they will help 'Our Happy Block' this Spring to depave approximately 4,000 square feet of asphalt!

Join DEPAVE for a family-friendly night of bowling, raffle, and general merriment to raise funds for their DEPAVE Summer 2011.

Date & Time:   Saturday, Jan 8th at 4:30pm
Location:          3031 SE Powell Blvd. , Portland, OR

---

Reconnect with friends you met at past DEPAVE events, and learn all about what Depave has in store for 2011!

Raffle prizes will include:
AN ITEM FROM PATAGONIA
FREE HAIRCUTS AT BISHOPS
$50 AT NEW SEASONS
FREE OIL CHANGES
GIFT CARDS TO LOCAL BAKERIES, RESTUARANTS, AND MORE!!

$15 At the door will get you 3 games, shoes, and 2 raffle tickets.

29 New Street Trees to be planted on December 11th.

Saturday, December 11th:

Come help with our Planting! We will be planting 29 street trees on SE Woodstock and SE Martins Street,, between SE 80th and SE 82nd Ave!

You can help with physical planting, refreshments, snacks, sandwiches...or whatever!

                                                                                                                    
                           Please email Terah Beth at our.happy.block@gmail.com to Volunteer!       
                                                                                                                    

 We want to thank Friends of Trees for working with us to make this Tree Planting a reality!

Plant It Portland! 

Our Happy Block in The Oregonain (Oct 23rd Paper)

View the Article on Our Happy Block in The Oregonian!

Beth Nakamura/The Oregonian
Pastor Carl Stenzel and Terah Beth B. Varga stand in the middle of the Calvary Lutheran Church parking lot that will be transformed next year. Over the summer, Varga mobilized residents in a pocket of Southeast Portland's Mt. Scott-Arleta neighborhood and created a plan that won a Portland Development Commission grant.

I, Terah Beth,  just want to add this:
The article focuses mostly on PDC...but  SE Uplift, Depave and Friends of Trees have been AMAZING for our grassroots group...they've made the process so much easier!
I want to give big shout-outs to them!
THANK YOU! 

DePave is officially involved in our Project!

DePave is bringing $4,190 to the project and $4,000 of volunteer in-kind donations for work parties (work parties will involve depaving & planting)

This is exciting news...because DePave is very experienced with turning 'Parking Lots into Paradise.' and who doesn't want that?

Depave has been created to inspire and promote the removal of unnecessary concrete and asphalt from urban areas. Depave is a project of City Repair, a nonprofit organization based in Portland, Oregon.

We'd like to thank Ted Labbe, at DePave, for his interest in O.H.B.'s mission.

See the Grants & Donations Page to see the money we've raised to sustainably uplift our community!
So far we've raised $12,088! WOW!

Meet at Lion's Eye on Wednesday, July 22nd! (10% profits go to OHB!)

Please join Our Happy Block for a
Casual Neighborhood Social Meeting at
our local Lion's Eye Tavern
SE Woodstock Blvd & 82nd Ave
September 22nd (Wed) at 6pm.

R.S.V.P.
(or just show up)

***********************************************

10% of Tavern Sales will be donated to Our Happy Block
Thanks, Lion's Eye!

Other topics to be discussed:
* Fund-raising Ideas
* Neighborhood Watch
* Mural & Parking Lot Project
* Livability Issues / ideas for future

************************************************

Let's celebrate the Grants we've been awarded
and talk about the bright, vibrant future of our Neighborhood!
21+ and Cash Only
* Calvary will host another yard sale before the end of the year.

Begin gathering sale-able items to donate!

Lion's Eye (facebook)

Neighborhood Yard Sale Raised $500!

Calvary Church hosted a Community Yard Sale on Sept 10th and 11th!
They raised $500, which will be matched by PDC, equaling $1,000!
Thanks Calvary! (This money will go towards Parking Lot improvements and Street Trees!)

Calvary Plans to host another yard sale in October.
Begin gathering your sale-able items to donate!

Pictures of Event:

WOW! SE Uplift awarded Our Happy Block!!!

CONGRATULATIONS!

Very exciting news....Our Happy Block coalition has been selected by SE Uplift to receive funds to construct a neighborhood Mural!  Link to SE Uplift

from SE Uplift's website:
Amount requested:  $2500. Funded $2250.
Grant funding will be used to produce a mural on the wall of a chronically tagged building near SE 80th & Woodstock. In addition to supplies to create the mural, funds will also be used to purchase a graffiti-proof sealant and light fixtures to deter future tagging and make the mural more sustainable.  The mural is an integral component of the grassroots/ community-driven organization’s efforts to build community and make positive livability changes in the neighborhood.

We Submit our SE Uplift Graffiti Abatement (Mural) Grant Today!

I'm biking it down to SE Uplift to submit
Our Happy Block Mural
grant application today!
We'll find out if we are awarded Sept 1st!

Ice Cream Social

 Drop by Our Happy Block's 

Ice Cream Social!
tueday...august 3rd!

We Submitted our Initiative to PDC!

We've Submitted our PDC Community Livability Application!
We are on our way to making our community Safer and more Livable!