Arbor Lodge Newsletter – August 2026

August 2026

Message from the Chair

I can’t believe we’re so close to September already. Don’t miss the Sparrowhawk Native Plants fundraiser that will help the Arbor Lodge Tree Team continue its annual fruit tree giveaway to add to our neighborhood canopy (see the Arbor Lodge Tree Team section below). 

If you have ideas for how we can improve the neighborhood, connect neighbors, or improve our events and newsletter, please use our new arborlodgepdx.org/contact form to let us know. We’d also love it if you could join us to discuss them at our meeting on Thursday, August 20, either in person at the Kenton Firehouse or on Zoom. Everything that happens is driven by volunteers, whether on the board or just passionate about getting things done. There’s always room for us to do more together. 

Thanks!

Kevin Micalizzi, Chair, Arbor Lodge Neighborhood Association

Neighborhood Meeting

August Meeting

When: Thursday, August 20, 2026, 7:00-8:30 pm

Where: Historic Kenton Firehouse, 8105 N Brandon, or via Zoom.

Agenda:

  • Arbor Lodge Shelter Updates & CAC
  • Events & Fundraising
  • Volunteers and Board Elections Prep
  • Neighborhood Areas of Concern
  • District 2 Updates
  • Finances: FY2027 Budget Approval, PIR Grant
  • Tree Team
  • See full agenda

June Meeting Summary

The June 18 meeting featured a visit from City Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney, who shared city budget wins (restored St. John’s fire engine, preserved after-school programs, saved tree-permitting staff) and fielded neighbor questions about vacant properties near North Montana and the North Lombard Transit Center. Sean Rotbergs reported the shelter at 90% occupancy, and the Tree Team previewed upcoming tree walks and the Sparrowhawk Native Plant Sale. See the minutes

Arbor Lodge Tree Team

Note: The Overlook Park Tree Walk, originally scheduled for September 13, is being rescheduled.

Sparrowhawk Native Plant Sale to Buy Trees

The Arbor Lodge Tree Team is again partnering with Sparrowhawk Native Plants to raise money to buy trees to give away next spring as part of the Brian Duncan Memorial Fruit Tree Giveaway. Sparrowhawk Native Plants are healthy native plants. 

  • Today: The link is live today to browse the selection at https://sparrowhawknativeplants.com/
  • August 16 (9am) – Sept. 13 (midnight): Ordering open. Order early before supplies run out. (Note: Make sure you select “Arbor Lodge Tree Team” when you check out, or the donation will not be to add trees to our neighborhood.)
  • October 8-10: Pickup event for Sparrowhawk Native Plants orders in the parking lot at Peace Lutheran Church, 2201 N. Rosa Parks Way. 

Seeking Crafters and Artists for Oct. 9-10 (Free booth space)

If you are a crafter or artist and would like to have a free booth to sell your crafts at this event, please use this link to sign up.  You’ll have to have your own awning, table, chairs, etc.  We will have a porta potty available to all, but no water or electricity.

We Need Your Help

We need your help on October 8-10.

  • We need 4 wheelbarrows delivered to the parking lot of Peace Lutheran Church at the corner of Liberty and Newcastle by 8 am on October 8.   These will be used to unload plants on Oct. 8, then to help deliver plants to cars Oct. 9-10.  They can be picked up at 1pm on Oct. 10.
  • We also need volunteers to help staff the event.  Please use this link to see your volunteer opportunities.   It’s all fun, rain or shine and you’ll be helping to build the canopy in Arbor Lodge, Piedmont, and Overlook.

Want to share your love of trees?

The Tree Team meets on the second Wednesday of each month at 7pm to talk about trees and tree policies, and to plan events like tree walks and bike rides. We would love to have you join us! We meet at  Arbor Beer Lodge, 6550 N. Interstate. Please check arborlodgetrees.org for more information.

For a Better Arbor Lodge

Get Involved: Help Us Do More 

Another reminder that there’s no better time to get involved with the Arbor Lodge Neighborhood Association (ALNA). Here are some of the things we do, we have done in the past, and new ideas that we’d love to continue doing, but we can’t without your help.

Recurring Events

  • Annual Dumpster Day & recycling (with Overlook, Piedmont, Kenton)
  • Spray-free work parties at Arbor Lodge Park
  • Tree Team fruit/native tree giveaway
  • Tree Team walks
  • Tree Team native plant sale (with Sparrowhawk)
  • Delitter Arbor Lodge (monthly litter pickup)
  • Neighborhood Yard Sale
  • Monthly general membership meetings
  • Shelter 4th of July BBQ

Ongoing Programs & Services

  • Monthly newsletter
  • ADA porta potty at Arbor Lodge Park
  • Arbor Lodge Shelter liaison
  • Monthly joint trash pickups with the Shelter
  • Tree Team monthly meetings
  • City/neighborhood advocacy & representation (councilor meetings, PBOT/PPR liaison, etc.)
  • Website (arborlodgepdx.org)
  • Board elections (annual, October)

Used to Do / Could Revive / New Ideas

  • Jazz in Arbor Lodge Park (music in the park)
  • Annual picnic in the park
  • Roving trash pickups
  • … [your idea here]

If you’re thinking about joining the board, or stepping up to help lead some amazing work without joining the board, please use our new contact form on arborlodgepdx.org to let us know. 

Arbor Lodge Shelter

Shelter Updates

  • Arbor Lodge served 104 participants in July; 20 of those were exits into positive destinations! 
  • Supplies from our wonderful neighbors continued to come in. Thank you for the socks, underwear, coffee, and toiletries! 
  • Sunday, August 9th, was the Arbor Lodge Block Party- hosted by Peggy. It went really well. Neighbors connected and information was shared about the shelter. 
  • Arbor continues to support transfers from our closing shelters; our waitlist is currently closed with efforts to get shelter closure participants re-sheltered. 
  • Multco Library continues to donate books to us- we share in that excitement by adding some to our free library. Please feel free to donate books as well; our free library is located outside the shelter at the Denver/Lombard intersection.  
  • Shelter supply needs list will be updated asap; the shelter always appreciates coffee donations. 
  • Weather preparedness: our participants were offered N-95 masks during the smoky weather Portland experienced. We are pretty well stocked on warm-weather clothing, but we’d like to prepare for the cold. Please feel free to donate lightly used winter coats, socks, and boots.

Arbor Lodge Shelter Community Advisory Committee (CAC) Updates

Around the Neighborhood

Neighborhood Events

Please Note: There are too many events for us to include them all and have this email reach you. Please check the calendar for more. 

See the North Portland Events Calendar

Highlighted Events

Other Neighborhood Calendars

Neighborhood Areas of Concern

As neighbors reach out to us, we’ve been tracking parts of the neighborhood where there are persistent challenges. If you know of any areas not yet on the list, please let us know. We have brought this list to the attention of our city councilors and others who may be able to influence finding a resolution: 

  • N Colfax abandoned development property
  • Abandoned houses on N Maryland (see the KGW article)
  • Issues in parking lot behind 7-Eleven and Heavenly Donuts – PEMO involved
  • Drug issues at N. Portland Dental parking lot (N Lombard & N Fenwick)
  • Behind Fred Meyer (N Buffalo)
  • Transit center (N Interstate, N Lombard)
  • Next to Aaron’s (N Concord) – Neighbors calling Aaron’s corporate to report issues
  • N Boston-N Omaha Alleyway drug issues
  • Drug use at old barn lot, concrete wall by the Laundromat

Support ALNA

Money

The Arbor Lodge Neighborhood Association is an all-volunteer 501c3 nonprofit. Donations are always welcome to help us continue our work for Arbor Lodge, like: delivering neighborhood & park cleanups, the porta potty in Arbor Lodge park, annual fruit tree giveaway, this newsletter, and more. 

Donate Now

Volunteer

Love keeping up with everything that’s going on around Arbor Lodge? We need someone to help us build the events list for the newsletter each month. 

Offer to volunteer

Share Your Ideas

If you have an idea for a future newsletter topic or neighborhood project, please let us know. 

Share Your Ideas

Resources

Thank you to everyone who has suggested resources. We’ve updated the pages on our site to give you access to even more. If you have more that we’re missing, please let us know.