 I’m dedicating time to meet with District 4 constituents both virtually and in their own neighborhoods — to hear what’s on your mind and to provide information on a variety of issues. Please save these dates:
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Homestead Neighborhood Association: 6:30-8:30pm Tuesday, September 1st at OHSU Old Library, 3286 SW Research Drive.
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Bridlemile Neighborhood Association: 7-8:30pm Wednesday, September 9th on Zoom.
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Maplewood Neighborhood Association: Neighborhood Walk and Talk with Councilor Clark 3-5pm Tuesday, September 15th starting at Maplewood Coffee and Tea, 5206 SW Custer Street.
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Hayhurst Neighborhood Association: 7-8:30pm Monday, October 12th at Vermont Hills Church, 6053 SW 55th Avenue.
 Last week I toured the Bull Run Filtration Project construction site, where the City is investing in necessary infrastructure.
The Portland Water Bureau is building a new facility designed to filter up to 135 million gallons of water a day — providing clean, safe water to benefit public health for generations. The project is more than one-third complete, with 400-600 people working on site each day!
Climate change is increasing the risks of more frequent and severe wildfires. After a fire, rains can wash large amounts of dirt, plant debris, and ash into our water source. The filtration facility will be able to filter out this sediment and ash.
The Bull Run water system was built in the late 1800s using a gravity system and includes more than 24 miles of pipeline. Seven miles of new pipelines are being built to modern seismic standards and replace aging parts of the existing system.
 Last week Portland Fire & Rescue responded to a four-alarm fire at the 116-year-old, eight-story former Centennial Mills Warehouse. Northwest Naito Parkway will remain closed until it’s determined safe due to the potential of structural collapse.
I have urged Mayor Wilson and City Administrator Lee to exercise whatever tools they have in the interest of public safety to facilitate the immediate demolition of Centennial Mills in a controlled fashion.
Thank you to the nearly 100 firefighters, emergency personnel, and hazmat teams who were on the scene as well as the Portland Police Bureau for helping with crowd control.
Centennial Mills has a long history of complaints around graffiti, squatting, and permitting. This fire is a reminder of our urgent need to take action on vacant buildings.
I have been in contact with Pearl District Neighborhood Association leaders, who tell me that this site was once slated for a “gateway park” as part of the original River District Plan. The current owner, who will pay for the cleanup and demolition, has a plan to redevelop the site. My hope is that he proceeds with a plan that benefits the community.
 Lots of fun at Yoga in the Park last month!
The Pearl District Neighborhood Association invites people of all experience levels to this free summer series as part of its effort to foster a healthy, connected community. Sessions run from 11am-noon on the last Saturday of the month at The Fields Park, 1099 NW Overton Street.
Special thanks to Michelle from CorePower Northwest for your instruction! Save the date for the next session August 29 featuring music and food carts.
 Last month I attended the opening of The Malarkey, a woodfired steakhouse and seafood grill helmed by Portland-born celebrity chef Brian Malarkey, in the Pearl District. A welcome addition to the neighborhood!
After making it big on reality television (Top Chef, Guy’s Grocery Games, Cutthroat Kitchen) and opening dozens of restaurants (including The Hawkeye & Huckleberry Lounge in Bend), Brian decided to come home to Portland by making The Malarkey a playful ode to his hometown.
Rooms include a midcentury-inspired sunken bar; a psychedelic Pacific Northwest forest; and a private dining nook inspired by Portland’s own Hazel Ying Lee, the first Chinese-American woman to fly for the U.S. military. Chef Jose “Lalo” Camarena, formerly at República, helms the kitchen.
 Last month Mayor Wilson, Councilor Zimmerman, and I met with Casey Baker, General Manager of the Hi-Lo Hotel, to discuss recent livability challenges in the central city. I admire his perseverance and willingness to have an open conversation to consider solutions.
Hi-Lo is located in the Oregon Pioneer Building, the city’s first major all-concrete building, constructed in 1910. Hotel amenities include the restaurant CRAFTpdx, which serves excellent locally sourced, Northwest-inspired cuisine, as well as free bike rentals for every guest.
 This week I had the pleasure of joining the Sylvan-Highlands Neighborhood Association for their bimonthly meeting. We had a great conversation covering a range of important issues, from traffic safety and crime prevention to housing and neighborhood concerns.
It’s always great to connect with community members, hear their perspectives, and see some familiar faces along the way. A big thank-you to President Sally Kneuven for hosting us and for all she does to bring the community together!
 This week I joined Councilor Zimmerman for National Night Out at DeWitt Park in my former Hillsdale neighborhood!
It was a joyous evening of kid’s activities, ice cream, raffle prizes, and community connections with more than a dozen organizations. Appreciation to the Hillsdale Neighborhood Association!
 The Multnomah Neighborhood Association has been keeping busy this summer!
🕊️ They recently dedicated a memorial bench in honor of Moses Ross, a steadfast civic advocate who died last year. It’s located at Village Park, Southwest 36th Avenue and Troy Street.
🎨 While you’re there, check out a new mural designed by local artist Kevin Tudball! Neighbors came together to paint this wonderful project from Art in the Village.
🎉 I hope to see you this Saturday at Multnomah Days Festival & Parade, featuring an art fair, 150+ vendor booths, and food and beverage vendors!
🗑️ And don’t miss your chance to dispose of bulky, difficult-to-recycle items at SW Green Dumpster Day from 9am-1pm Saturday, August 22nd at Portland Christian Center, 5700 SW Dosch Road. Organizations will be on hand to collect, recycle, repurpose, and reuse as much as possible.
 The 9th Annual Goose Hollow Days continued last week with a festive picnic at Providence Park! Save these dates:
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Sunday, August 30th: Vista Bridge Centennial Street Festival (11am-4pm at Vista Bridge)
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Friday, September 4th: Heritage Tree Tour (5:30pm at Goose Hollow Inn)
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Saturday, October 3rd: History Walk (10am at Providence Park Gate B)
Pictured here are Goose Hollow Foothills League Board President Scott Schaffer; his wife, Dr. Tracy J. Prince, author of “Portland’s Goose Hollow,” leader of neighborhood history walks; and their son, Price Schaffer, who designed PortlandNativeArt.org, a digital map for Indigenous public art.
Neighbors recently came together to create a mosaic mural at the end of Southwest 20th Avenue and Jefferson Street. A vibrant addition to this community of 7,000 residents and businesses!
 What better way to start the day than with a District 4 stroll organized by Oregon Walks!
Executive Director Mike Dennis led us on an engaging walk through downtown, highlighting exciting new projects and unique areas like the Pink Light District. A great morning exploring Portland on foot!
 Last weekend I rode the Willamette Shore Trolley from my neighborhood in District 4 in South Portland to Lake Oswego. It’s a great, scenic 45-minute ride along the river.
The historic rail line dates back to the late 1800s, and the tunnel was built in 1921. The vintage trolley is a replica of the Council Crest streetcar line.
The trolley runs Saturdays and Sundays through September. For tickets and schedules visit wst.oregontrolley.com.
 Last week my staff attended a Portland Japanese Garden reception honoring the 35th anniversary of the Oregon-Toyama Sister-State Relationship.
For more than three decades, this partnership has strengthened cultural, civic, and trade ties between the United States and Japan: Toyama and Oregon have been exchanging employees, forging business relationships, and supporting each other’s language and cultural studies.
Guests included Governor Kotek; Toyama Prefecture Governor Hachiro Nitta; State Representative Mari Watanabe, Oregon’s first Japanese American lawmaker; and former Governor Barbara Roberts, who signed the original friendship agreement in 1991. Dillon from the Portland Pickles was even on hand to present a commemorative baseball jersey to Governor Nitta!
 Last week I welcomed civil rights leader Kathleen Saadat to City Hall as she delivered public comment to Council about the need to set aside personal egos for the greater good. I couldn’t agree more.
For decades Kathleen has advocated for the LGBTQ+ community, people of color, and women. In 1976 she helped organize Portland’s first gay rights march. Her leadership in government and nonprofit roles has prompted many to call her the “social conscience of Oregon” and a “pioneer of intersectional organizing.”
Kathleen is also an amateur jazz singer whose talent was discovered by Pink Martini bandleader Thomas Lauderdale while she was in her 70s. If you haven’t heard their 2018 album “Love for Sale,” I highly recommend it!
 I appreciated last month’s Oregon Historical Society program “How Willamette Week Does It: An Evening with the Newsroom.” At a time when freedom of the press is under federal attack, local independent journalism is more important than ever.
Oregon Historical Society Executive Director Kerry Tymchuk moderated a candid conversation about the stories shaping our community with City Hall reporter Sophie Peel, education reporter Joanna Hou, and editor Aaron Mesh.
 Last week I attended Portland Art Museum’s Summer Soirée, where British-Nigerian artist Yinka Ilori unveiled his monumental mural Mountains Full of Blessings — transforming a section of the urban street grid into a pedestrian plaza haven.
Portland was one of only 10 cities in North America to receive a grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Asphalt Art Initiative that made the artwork possible — along with support from the Portland Office of Arts and Culture, Portland Bureau of Transportation, and City Repair Project. Kudos to the 400+ volunteers who participated in last month’s community “painting party” to create this masterpiece!
 Last week I attended the opening of a plein-air exhibition at Oregon Art Center, which is located in Goose Hollow and celebrating its centennial.
Pictured here are, from left, artist Sandra Takabayashi; gallery co-director Emma Wallace; artist (and District 4 Coalition Board Member) Leslie Hammond; and gallery manager and instructor Sharad Malek Fezeli.
Included in the exhibit are paintings honoring pioneer women who photographed the Columbia River Gorge in the early 20th century. Their images, which captured the Gorge’s dramatic scenery, serve as crucial documentation of a landscape on the brink of rapid industrialization. To connect with this history, a group of artists boarded the Sternwheeler, immersing themselves in the river to inspire this collection.
“Honoring a Century of Art and Photography in the Columbia River Gorge” continues through August 27th at 2185 SW Park Place.
 ► Portland Business Journal reports that the fifth annual PDX-Live concert series, which concludes August 20th, is generating at least $3.5 million in downtown economic activity. It’s a huge tourist draw: Organizers have sold tickets to residents of 48 states, from as close as Washington to as far away as Florida! Pioneer Square Board President Courtney Posey says, “When we bring 14 national touring acts to our city’s living room, we don’t just fill The Square with music, we fill local hotels, restaurants, and retail stores with customers.”
► The longtime Willamette Heights home of Ursula K. Le Guin, one of the nation’s most influential literary voices, has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places. After she died in 2018 at age 88, her family donated the property to Literary Arts to establish the Ursula K. Le Guin Writers Residency. According to The Oregonian, it will be the nation’s first physical site honoring her life and work, giving writers time away from daily responsibilities to focus on their work and engage with the Portland community.
► Music to my ears: Sellwood Community House’s jam-packed summer programming includes two weekly concert series in Sellwood Park on Thursday and Friday evenings. (I will be introducing the closing concert on September 11th and hope you can be there!) Executive Director Ashley Murray tells Portland Mercury, “Prioritizing music and art in all of the programs we do creates a layer of beauty that’s accessible to everyone.”
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