As mitigation, they should plant some filbert trees outside city hall -- to go with the rest of the nuts working inside.

What are they gonna grow there, pot, for the clinics?
It would be more sustainable inside with grow lights.

Insanity reigns supreme. Any answers Nick Fish? Can your "brain trust" on your staff rationalize this?

First of all, that would likely be Portland School District property, not COP Parks for the tree in the photo. Trees by the tennis courts could be a different story. And, it's hard to tell from the perspective, but that tree may be close enough to the foundation to be doing some damage. Certainly looks like it blocks light in some of the windows.

It looks like there is tape all along the building - is there other work going on?

Indoor grows of any size chew up more energy than three homes, each with a family of four. Got this from a college prof in (where else?) california who taught courses related to renewable energy. He was asked by some students to give them "the numbers" as they were thinking of doing it. He guessed four homes (family of four) after they told him how many plants, halogen bulbs, etc.,
Then he took out the calculator and it was three. Humboldt State did a study I thin k in 09 or 10 and their result showed indoor grows (I'm probably blowing this don't blame them) have a "jumbo jet" sized carbon footprint. I don't recall wny I know any of this.....

Paul, one way they find grow-houses is by checking with the power companies for who has the exorbitant electrical bills.

Not sure PG-&-E does.

But Jack, it's for the "community."

I think that your so caring for the environment! Your one of the most caring person I know online!

I love trees. I love the fact that they are so easily replaced when they get old, fall down in a storm, get a disease, or get hacked up by an insensitive owner. I know people who live in such forested areas that they would give a lot to have a storm selectively take out half their trees just to get some daylight into their house, but the city won't let them cut their own trees. These being on public property should have a bit more scrutiny before removal. Doesn't look like a good spot for a garden to me though.

Pompous Nick had a tree fall down on his house.... He has it out for trees... Sad really. I have an affinity for trees. I will not shop at Safeway, on Hawthorn, they too, took out trees.

That's why at least one grow operation out in the countryside has been found with 300 kw diesel generators ..

For all those folks who like trees, better take another look at the Portland's density plan, trees are continually being destroyed to make room for the infill.
Would be interesting to see an aerial view
before UGB and now.

This is (was) the tree across from my house. It was a total shock to see them cutting it down. Had I been home before they were so far into it I may have gone over and tried to stop it! I was aware of the garden going in but they told the community that the tree would stay. The trees next to the tennis courts were no where near the courts....probably 60+ feet away. I couldn't see any disease. I am aware of 6 very large trees taken out of Grant Park over the past year. It has been awful to watch. I would like to see more communitcation to explain the removal of trees. We haven't had trees falling down killing people in Grant Park why are they murdering our trees?

Thanks for posting this Jack... There needs to be more information available.

Heather,
Sorry you had to witness this.

How can the community be told the tree would stay and then??

Years ago IN Pier Park, 75 huge firs and cedars already had red x's painted on them to be cut, those trees were saved by the community and their outrage.
Remember, Hales was Parks Commissioner at the time, and he wants back in...
he doesn't like huge trees, but runs around with the Friends of Trees to plant little ones, and it creates an image that he is a friend of trees.

I wonder about Fish, he doesn't seem to be a good steward of our parks either...
Remember he was going along with Leonard to offer up Lents Park for that stadium. He should have said NO from the beginning, instead the citizens had to organize and worked very hard to save their park.

Why should citizens have to gear up to save parks and trees?

We need elected officials to be good stewards of our parks, why aren't they?

I should have said about Fish, he evidently isn't a good steward of our parks.
He also isn't a good steward of our Bull Run Water.
I hear he carries a superior attitude, how superior is it to not value Portland's resources?

SuckerFish.

Re: "Hey, Nick Fish, what's up with this?"

Perhaps he might have responded had his birthday been remembered this year as it was in 2010:
http://bojack.org/2010/09/livin_the_dream.html

But was there any greater reason to remember the day of his birth this year than last?

Is this Ham Fish spawn just another disconnected, disappointing drain on the public purse?

class clown,
The way it works around here, is no problem cutting down the big trees by the city or their policies anyway. Then come the little street trees to replace the others.
All A OK then.
By the way, citizens have been pleading for many years for a good tree policy...
so when?

My name is Lena Wright and I am a member of the project that is working to get a community garden in this space. I am also a senior at Grant and am a member of the Northeast neighborhood. Over thanksgiving break, the tree was removed without our knowledge. As part of our plan for the garden, we incorporated the tree. It's a little sickening to see you blame a community project, one sponsored by an environmental club that's purpose is to make Grant Park more livable, for an executive decision by PPS.

As far as we have heard, the tree was taken down because it was partially split in half. This was PPS's decision, not the Garden Project's. Nick Fish has been a large supporter of the garden, but this does not mean that he advocates cutting down trees.

If you are interested in our student run project, you can check out: http://ghscommunitygarden.wordpress.com/