Hi Neighbors!

This month’s newsletter is going to be a short one because I have a very specific ask for you all. According to the ONI standards and our bylaws we have to hold Board Elections once a year in October. I know this might seem like a formality but I really think that following process and believing in institutions is very important in society, and for orgs like us. Did you know we have robust bylaws that we reference any time we meet to help us stay true to the organization and following our guidelines?

One other thing that I think about often with institutions, even ones as tiny as ours, is that the institution itself will exist longer than any of the members currently serving. The City of Portland officially started recognizing Neighborhood Associations in 1974. Think about how cool that idea is, could you imagine what a historical documentation of all boards that represented St. Johns dating back to 1974 would look like? How about the stories of those individuals and where they might be now? Spoiler alert, we do not have this data. Any historians out there who want to look into this? I’m only kidding of course but it really does show how even the smallest amount of involvement can really make a difference to this place we call home.

Okay so why am I writing all of this? I have an ask for you all. For those able, can you come out on October 16th at 7pm to James John (or on Zoom) and vote in our election? You showing up and being a part of this election will allow the board to put another page in that imaginary history book of SJNA and allow us to get through the rest of 2023 and 2024. Also elections are open to all so if you have an extra 4-5 hours a month you can dedicate to this little non-profit of ours why don’t you come out and raise your hand! Worst case you try it for a few months and say its not for you. All of us can be added to the list of names that have come and gone over the years.

Thanks for reading this and we hope to see you out at our Meeting on October 16th. Miss last month’s meeting? You can always rewatch the recordings on our YouTube channel which you can subscribe to here: SJNA YouTube

Upcoming Events:

• 10/16 7pm SJNA General Meeting - James John Elementary School and on Zoom (Click Here to Join via zoom)

We hope to see you at our general meeting next Monday! Here are a few topics we will be discussing:

• Board Elections

• Community Corner (hear directly from you)

• And more!

October General Meeting Agenda - October 16th

September General Meeting Minutes

Actas: Junta General Lunes 11 de septiembre de 2023

Previous Recorded Meetings

More community updates below!

Take care,

Patrick Theiss

Chair

Community updates:

St. Johns Farmers Market Harvest & Holiday Markets!

October 28th will be the last Farmers Market of the year but don’t worry there are some exciting Fall Markets! Mark your calendars.

For the first time since 2017, St. Johns Farmers Market is proud to announce that we have added a Harvest Market and a Holiday Market to our fall market schedule!

You’ll have more chances to stock up on goodies from your favorite market vendors for all of your holiday entertaining and gifting needs. Both markets will feature fresh seasonal local produce, artisan foods, and handcrafted art. They will be held at our regular market location at the intersection of N Central St. & N Charleston Ave. As always, SNAP will be accepted and matched up to $20!

Harvest Market

Saturday, November 18

10am-2pm

Holiday Market

Saturday, December 16

10am-2pm

Emergency Preparedness Tip of the Month October 2023 - Earthquake!

We all know that Portland lies in the heart of Earthquake country. We might have smaller shocks from shallow crustal faults, and someday we might have The Big One, as the oceanic Juan de Fuca Plate dives beneath the North American continent. This subduction zone has been quiet for the past 300 years, but geologists say that sooner or later we could have what is called a “megathrust event”, which just means, Very Big Earthquake.

If you are out in the open and the ground starts shaking, get out from under trees and away from building if you can. If you are indoors, you want to duck and cover - and hold on! The table you duck under might slide across the room if you don’t hold on tightly.

After the shaking stops, you can move about and look after loved ones, but be ready for aftershocks, which can be just as big as the original earthquake.

Once it starts shaking, it’s too late to get ready. We have to BE ready in advance. We’ll talk about that in coming weeks, but here are two important things to be thinking about now: seismic proofing of your building, and of your water heater. Will your house still be standing after an earthquake? One thing that will make a big difference is making sure your house is attached to the foundation so that it won’t slide off in an Earthquake. If you own a house that was built prior to 1993, it probably is not well attached to the foundation. Don’t despair: houses are regularly retrofitted for seismic protection. You can find out about retrofitting your home at https://www.oregon.gov/ccb/homeowner/Pages/earthquake-retrofit.aspx.

If you rent, talk to your landlord. Retrofitting isn’t cheap. You can make the argument that retrofitting will add to the value of the property, and is the right thing to do. Be persistent, and if you are in multiunit housing, talk to your neighbors and consider approaching your landlord as a group. And, check the link above for possible financial assistance.

Thanks for reading.

Next month: Water!

This column is brought to you by the St. Johns NET team, neighborhood volunteers who have been specially trained to help out in emergencies. https://portlandprepares.org/net-teams/north/st-johns/

SJNA Contacts:

Position - Name - Email

Chair - Patrick Theiss - info@stjohnspdx.org

Vice-Chair - Robert (RJ) DeMello - vicechair@stjohnspdx.org

Secretary - Drew Gremel - secretary@stjohnspdx.org

Treasurer - Bernadine Lee - treasurer@stjohnspdx.org

Safety & Livability Chair - Austen Courpet - salt@stjohnspdx.org

Outreach - Carol Tricoche outreachoutreach@stjohnspdx.org    

Land Use Chair - Vacant

At Large - Paul Rippey

At Large - Lesley Hollon

At Large - Juan Vildosola

At Large - Matthew Gimbel

PDX Reporter

Help us fundraise for SJNA

We are looking to fundraise to continue providing services to our community. Our goal is to revamp our forms of communications to meet community needs better.

Ideas, but not limited to enhancing our subscriptions Zoom/Mail-Chimp, Multi-Language captions, polling accessibility, membership enrollment, etc.

Our SJNA Treasurer Bernadine will provide blue bags to anybody interested. Please email Bernadine at minimouse1950@outlook.com with the subject line SJNA Bottle Drop, and she will provide two bags to start.

-Bernadine Lee

SJNA Treasurer