This past Saturday morning, Nick toured Collins Sanctuary, recently purchased by Metro, in Forest Park.

The Collins Sanctuary, over 80 acres of natural space, was donated to the Oregon Parks Foundation (OPF) by the Collins Family Foundation in 1976. Metro purchased the land from OPF in 2008 and began the intensive work to remove invasive species and restore the Sanctuary's native plants.

Also touring the site were Metro Councilor Rex Burkholder and Metro President David Bragdon.

Metro is partnering with Friends of Trees to fully restore the Sanctuary.

Last week, the Portland Housing Bureau (PHB) released the annual Tax Increment Financing Affordable Housing Set Aside Annual Report. The report "provides an annual update of accomplishments and challenges under the set aside during FY 2008-09 and highlights the City and PDC's cumulative efforts for the first three years of the set aside program."

In 2006, City Council and the Portland Development Commission (PDC) created the "TIF Set Aside," which dedicates a minimum of 30% of tax increment financing (TIF) in urban renewal areas to develop, preserve and rehabilitate affordable housing for Portland individuals and families.

In the first three years of the TIF program, $67 million was spent on new affordable housing in Portland's urban renewal areas, in addition to the $178 million in other TIF funding invested in those urban renewal areas.

TIF funding contributed to a large number of affordable housing developments, including Pardee Commons, Rivergate Commons, Lents Landing, University Place, in 2008/09.

Nick is excited to be a contestant in tonight's 10th Annual Wells Fargo Celebrity Spelling Bee, presented by Comcast, held in the Grand Ballroom of the Portland Art Museum. Emcee John Erickson, from K103fm, will lead judges Susan Castillo, Superintendent of Oregon Public Schools, and Donna DuBois, 2009-2010 Oregon Teacher of the Year.

Contestants joining Nick include China Forbes of Pink Martini, Storm Large, Dave Dahl of Dave's Killer Bread, Oregonian columnist Margie Boule, former Blazer Antonio Harvey, and National Scrabble Champion Dave Wiegand. The event will be moderated by Mary McDonald-Lewis, the voice of OnStar.

The silent auction, dinner, spelling bee, and reception will benefit Schoolhouse Supplies, which has distributed more than $11 million in free school supplies to local classrooms in the last 10 years. Founded in 1999, Schoolhouse Supplies is Oregon's first and only volunteer-run Free Store, providing teachers with the classroom supplies they need.

Nick partnered with the local non-profit last summer for ReUse Week 2009, a City-County effort to highlight reuse organizations around Portland - and a friendly competition to see whether City or County staff would donate the most supplies. We're not saying who won!

UPDATE: Nick had a lot of fun at the spelling bee. He survived the first few rounds but eventually stumbled on umlaut. The event raised over $185,000 for Schoolhouse Supplies - congratulations on a great event, and congratulations to winner Pat Janowski of Live Wire! Radio!

Commissioner Fish with Secretary Donovan at PSU

Commissioner Fish, Governor Kulongoski, and Oregon State Representative Tobias Read

Shaun Donovan, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) visited Portland State University this morning to announce HUD's new office of Sustainable Housing and Communities.

Nick had the opportunity to discuss a number of housing issues with Secretary Donovan in a one-on-one meeting.

Read more about Secretary Donovan's visit in Amy Hsuan's piece from the February 5 Oregonian.

"During the worst recession of my lifetime, when there is tremendous growth in homelessness, I believe a compassionate city can work out a way to accommodate people who do note have homes," Commissioner Fish told the Portland Tribune's Jim Redden in an article on the Tribune's website this morning.

The Commissioner is working to develop guidelines to allow a limited number of people to camp on private property such as churches, and is working with Commissioner Dan Saltzman to shape guidelines regarding camping on public property.

These guidelines will be evaluated as part of a pilot program before becoming permanent - "I believe in test-driving the guidelines before asking a court to impose them on the city," the Commissioner told Redden.

The Portland Metro area is home to more than 30 farmers markets, and at least two more at planned to debut this Spring, writes Karen Brooks in the February 1 Oregonian.

Portland Farmers Market, (PFM), nearly 20 years old, enjoys a collaborative, successful relationship with the Parks Bureau, and operates a collection of farmers markets in Portland which together serve some 20,000 shoppers per week.

This year, those shoppers will have more to choose from, as PFM opens a Monday market in Pioneer Courthouse Square and a new market at NW 23rd and Savier. The South Park Blocks market will also expand, nearly doubling in size when the season opens in late March.