December 20, 2023
Page 3
l
oCal N ews
INSIDE
Grab Your Skates!
Portland Winter
Ice Rink is Open
Arts &
ENTERTAINMENT
page 7
C lassified /B ids
pages 10
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SPOTLIGHT
Holiday Cookie Project
Sat., Dec. 23rd | 1 - 3 pm
Windermere Realty Trust
MLK Office Conference Rm.
2045 NE MLK Blvd.
Join Positive Charge PDX as they host their
Annual Holiday Cookie Event
The Portland Winter Ice
Rink and Woodsy Winter Vil-
lage opened on December 16 in
downtown Portland. In addition
to the skating rink, the Woodsy
Winter Village features a pop-
up marketplace, food, warm
beverages, and a cozy lounge
with board games, seating areas,
and warming pods. Tickets are
now on sale! Prices are $20 for
Adults and $12 for Youth under
12. Tickets include skate rentals;
the Bobby The Seal Skating Aid
can be rented for an addition-
al $10. Ticket discounts will be
available with purchases from
local retailers.
The rink is located at 499 SW
Naito Pkwy in downtown Port-
land near the waterfront at the
west end of the Morrison Bridge-
head. It’s open now until Sunday,
January 28, 2024. Ninety-min-
ute skate sessions run 10 am to
10 pm from December 16-31
Portland Winter Ice Rink
(closed on Christmas Day); hours
will change in January. The Win-
ter Village is open 12 pm to 8 pm
through December with modified
hours in January. Sponsors in-
clude Alaska Airlines, Portland
Trail Blazers / Rip City Remix
/ Portland Winterhawks / Rose
Quarter, The Standard, Travel
Portland, ZGF Architects, and
Hotel Rose/StayPineapple, the
official hotel sponsor of the Port-
land Winter Ice Rink.
The city, the private sector,
and non-profit partners have been
hard at work planning events for
the holiday season and the new
year, both longtime favorites and
brand-new activities like the Ice
Rink, to encourage residents and
visitors to explore downtown,
support local businesses, and
enjoy all that our amazing city
has to offer. P.S. Plenty more
is happening in neighborhoods
throughout Portland as well.
The Walking School Bus for the Win
Championing
Safe Routes to
School
Nicole’s personal journey with-
in the Clackamas County Safe
Routes to School program be-
gan when her eldest child started
kindergarten. They intentionally
moved to be within walking dis-
tance of their local school. How-
ever, she soon realized that while
she had a relatively complete
pathway system for her kids, some
neighbors on the other side of the
school did not. This prompted Ni-
cole to work alongside Safe Routes
to School advocates, securing
grants, creating action plans, and
organizing encouragement events
at Linwood Elementary/Sojourner
School in Milwaukie. Nicole con-
tinued her involvement in Clack-
amas Safe Routes to School as a
Confluence AmeriCorps member,
serving Clackamas County.
Her advocacy efforts fo-
cused on House Bill 2017, which
played a crucial role in securing
cyclical grant funding crucial to
sustain the program and support
the Linwood Ave Improvement
project. This project stands as Ni-
cole’s proudest accomplishment,
as it had a profound impact on
her community. Over the years,
Nicole has seen her efforts lead
Nicole (second from right) The Street Trust's Clackamas County
Safe Routes to School Coordinator alongside fellow parents,
advocates and students.
to increased community involve- users grows. I envision my role
ment and higher participation of as a conduit of information and
kids in active transportation, all opportunities for people to grow
while raising safety awareness. their knowledge and put forth ac-
Her motivation to continue stems tion toward more active transpor-
from the program’s increasing tation choices” Nicole said.
longevity and the growing inter-
Looking ahead, Nicole envi-
est from school districts and cit- sions a promising future for the
ies in collaborating on solutions Clackamas Safe Routes to School
to transportation challenges.
program. Today, she supports
Nicole is passionate about the program full time as a staff
teaching kids how to safely nav- member of The Street Trust. She
igate their communities and is is hopeful for the resurgence of
optimistic about the revitalization programs like Safety Town and
of programs that encourage active crossing guard initiatives, and an-
transportation choices. “There ticipates additional pedestrian and
are so many ways kids can get to bicycle education opportunities.
school and around their communi- The program’s focus on multiple
ty, and there needs to be resources modes of transportation in Clack-
to teach them how to do so safely. amas County is set to raise aware-
Clackamas County is considering ness among all users, encourag-
multiple modes of transportation. ing active transportation choices.
By prioritizing pedestrians, bicy- A donation to support this cause
clists, and other wheel-operated can be made at Give! Guide - The
contraptions, the awareness of all Street Trust (giveguide.org).