Ray Langston, 80, is going EDITION RUNNING MAN the distance again — SEE SPORTS, B1 GREATER PORTLAND PortlandTUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2014 • TWICE CHOSEN THE NATION’S BEST NONDAILY PAPERTribune • PORTLANDTRIBUNE.COM • PUBLISHED TUESDAY AND THURSDAY Scoggins Wild re fi re fi ght brings ‘waiting out best for rain’ ‘friends’ County water supply Thousands use threatened by new 36 Pit Fire Facebook blaze on timber land groups for info, needs By SHASTA KEARNS MOORE Pamplin Media Group The Tribune Fire crews battled to con- Linda Arnett is trying to tain the Scoggins Creek Fire fi nd someone to take donated that fl ared up Friday after- books, but Red Cross volun- noon on about 400 acres of teers turn her away, saying private forestland owned by they have nowhere to put Stimson Lumber Co. eight them. miles west of Forest Grove The manager of the Book near Hagg Lake. Nook nonprofi t bookstore in Es- No buildings had been lost TRIBUNE PHOTOS: JONATHAN HOUSE tacada is taking a break from and no one has been injured, A house on Northeast 44th Avenue recently was torn down to make way for a larger one, something many Portlanders oppose. her Facebook vigil for news on according to fi re offi cials. the 3,600-acre 36 Pit Fire that Ashley Lertora of the Ore- threatens her home and ani- gon Department of Forestry’s mals. Incident Management Team 2, Arnett says the Facebook told reporters that the week- Neighborhood activists group “Estacada Pit 36 Fire end’s hot, dry and windy Watch” has been her lifeline as weather pushed firefighters face maze of issues she awaits news on whether she, struggling to contain the blaze. too, needs to be evacuated. The fi re’s cause is under in- KNOCKED as they try to save old “It’s the only place we’re get- vestigation. ting accurate information,” Ar- More than three dozen homes from demolition, nett says. “Nobody is telling the homes, many along Northwest public anything. All the info Stepien Road, have been evac- we’re getting is on Facebook.” uated, with more homeowners in ll development She added that she expects warned that they might need AROUND fi re and other government offi - to leave if the fi re worsened. By JIM REDDEN cials to be on Facebook answer- By Monday, many of those The Tribune ing questions, streaming confer- were allowed to return home ences and posting meeting no- after the mandatory evacua- Neighborhood activists trying to stop tices, not just giving the informa- tion order was lifted. residential demolitions and infi ll proj- tion to news outlets. Firefighters battling the ects are running into bureaucratic ob- “It’s impossible to explain how blaze faced several hazards, stacles — both at the city and within unnerving it is when, as an including tree snags, rolling their own organizations. adult, you’re not able to get the logs, poison oak and bees. Representatives of Portland neighbor- information you need,” Arnett On Saturday, the Depart- hood associations and others want the says. ment of Forestry was organiz- City Council to prevent existing homes In the new digital age, it ing “a transition between local from being torn down and replaced with seems, residents are not about fi re districts” — including Gas- larger ones. They are joined by preserva- to sit around and wait to be told ton Rural Fire District, Forest tionists alarmed about historic properties what to do. “Estacada Pit 36 Fire Grove Fire & Rescue and Tu- being purchased by developers. But the Watch” has 4,445 members and alatin Valley Fire & Rescue — coalition has not yet convinced the counting who are sharing, to state teams mobilized by council to take immediate action. And its requesting, learning and con- Gov. John Kitzhaber, who de- own attempts to draft a proposal for clared the fire a “conflagra- council have run into delays and schedul- See FACEBOOK / Page 6 tion” overnight Friday. ing problems. Nearly a dozen hand crews, “There are so many things going on at fi ve bulldozers, two water ten- once,” says Al Ellis, a former president of ders and air support from heli- the Beaumont-Wilshire Neighborhood copters were battling the Association, who has taken the lead in or- blaze, Lertora said. ganizing the activists. “Some neighbor- “We’re waiting for the rain,” hoods are trying to save houses, some An anti-demolition sign sits on the front yard of Erin and Doug Clark’s house on said Forest Grove Fire Marshal neighborhood associations won’t meet for Northeast 35th Place, next to a house that was demolished. Dave Nemeyer. awhile, and there are several historic The fi re could pose a poten- preservation organizations to coordinate with.” tize the proposals that are being dis- ed that the city has not acted already. See SCOGGINS / Page 3 Ellis had originally hoped the activists cussed. The next, scheduled for Oct. 7, is Dozens of them packed the Council would draft a proposal during a so-called intended to adopt a fi nal proposal to be Chambers on July 31 to complain that de- demolition summit held on Sept. 9. But so submitted to the council. Both start at molition and infi ll projects are destroying many people showed up to testify about 7 p.m. at Grant Park Church, 2728 NE 34th the character of their neighborhoods. At problems that organizers changed the Ave. They are free and open to the public. the end of the meeting, Mayor Charlie agenda to allow everyone time to speak. Hales said his offi ce would make a pro- Two follow-up meetings are scheduled. Land rules, demolition split TRIBUNE PHOTO: SHASTA KEARNS MOORE One, set for Sept. 29, is intended to priori- In the meantime, activists are frustrat- See DEMOLITION / Page 2 Donations of personal hygiene items fl ood a table at Estacada First Baptist Church’s Red Cross shelter. Tigard parents turn PAMPLIN MEDIA GROUP: CHASE ALLGOOD A helicopter tanker pulls water from Henry Hagg Lake Saturday while fi ghting the Scoggins Creek fi re that fl ared up Friday afternoon. tragedy into hope this year and named in honor Loss of baby son Foundation tourney of their son who died of spinal Who: Cole Parker Randall muscular atrophy in 2012. to genetic disorder Foundation SMA, a genetic disorder leads to non pro t What: Smile for SMA golf tourna- that attacks the spinal cord ment, dinner and auction and brain stem, blocks mes- By GEOFF PURSINGER Where: The Reserve Vineyards and sages to and from muscles, Pamplin Media Group Golf Club, 4805 S.W. 229th Ave., making movement and in Aloha control of the head, neck, Above the front door of When: Saturday, Sept. 27 chest, abdomen, legs and Shawna and Dave Randall’s More information: arms difficult. Tigard home is a single smilesforsma.org and at facebook. It’s a deadly disease, re- word: Smile. com/coleparkerrandallfoundation sponsible for more deaths of It’s a reminder for the cou- children ages 2 and younger ple and their two young sons few years. than any other genetic disor- Jace, 8, and Cade, 5, to find The Randalls are the found- der, according to Boston Chil- COURTESY OF THE RANDALL FAMILY happiness through adversity. ers of the Cole Parker Randall dren’s Hospital. Statistics Cole Parker Randall was 76 days old when he lost his battle with And the Randalls have Foundation, a nonprofit orga- spinal muscular atrophy in 2012. His family is hosting a golf faced their share in the past nization they launched earlier See COLE / Page 9 tournament Sept. 27 to raise money to fi nd a cure. “Pamplin Media Group’s pledge is to Portland Tribune deliver balanced news that re ects the AN URBAN OASIS stories of our communities. Thank you — SEE LIFE, PAGE B10 for reading our newspapers.” Inside — DR. ROBERT B. PAMPLIN JR. OWNER & NEIGHBOR A2 NEWS The Portland Tribune Tuesday, September 23, 2014 TRIBUNE PHOTO: JONATHAN HOUSE Erin Clark explains how sunlight in the back yard of her Northeast Portland home will be blocked by a new multi-level residential construction project on an adjacent lot. Demolition: Group whittles list of proposals ■ tion of the Bureau of Planning sion, and Jessica Engeman and sociations in the city and bring From page 1 and Sustainability could be ad- Caroline Dao, both of whom them into the process, Ellis dressed in the ongoing compre- “We can’t wait for this to be resolved serve on the city’s Historic says. posal in the foreseeable future. hensive land-use plan update Landmarks Commission. Another problem is the large But he then deferred to Commis- process. The update, which is in- for a couple of years or longer.” Ellis says the additions are number of proposals the activ- sioner Amanda Fish, who is in tended to govern growth in Port- — Al Ellis, Beaumont-Wilshire Neighborhood Association welcome, but notes that DRAC ists are discussing. Ellis be- charge of the Bureau of Develop- land during the next 20 years, itself is still dominated by de- lieves their proposal needs to ment Services, the agency that was drafted by BPS. But it is not velopers, which could be why be limited to a handful of issues demolition and construc- scheduled to be considered by demand. Portland’s close-in prefer an apartment or condo, activists are intent on coming achievable reforms. But, after tion permits. It has an appointed the council until next spring, neighborhoods are becoming in- and just 7 percent prefer a sin- up with their own proposal for the Sept.