By Brenda Reddaway
South Tabor Neighborhood Association (STNA) had its monthly meeting Thursday June 18.
Jessica Bond, representative from the local and regional nonprofit Clean Energy Works spoke to the Association about the service they offer. Clean Energy Works focuses on single family homes, providing a “one-stop-shopping” experience that begins with a free energy audit consisting of a two hour assessment of energy efficiency and possible areas of improvement. Clean Energy Works is also one of the sponsors for Movies in the Park this summer and will have an information table at all of the movies. More information can be found at www.cewo.org.
The idea of having a weekend-long neighborhood-wide garage sale in late August was brought up at the meeting. The idea is that neighbors would stage their own yard sales and shoppers could go from driveway to driveway in a shopping extravaganza. The weekend of August 22 – 23 was proposed. Details will be finalized at the July meeting. If you are interested in participating, send an email to president@southtabor.org.
The Land Use Committee met Thursday June 11; their meeting will probably be moved to the third Tuesday of each month, depending on room availability at Trinity Fellowship Church. One of the topics of discussion was the Bureau of Planning & Sustainability’s upcoming study on single family zones and the accompanying community outreach. The goal is to increase density while addressing community concerns.
Another topic was the Powell-Division Transit and Development Project. Two options are being considered. The first is a bus rapid transit route that would come from Gresham down Division St, cut over on 82nd Ave to Powell Blvd and then into downtown. A second option would go down Division St as well, but cross over at 52nd Ave to Powell Blvd.
One of the other topics was the Mt Tabor Reservoirs. The Portland City Council had tabled a vote on the issue at its May 28 meeting after a controversial hearing. Much of the controversy surrounds provisions of the Historic Landmarks Commission decision that requires the Portland Water Bureau to restore the reservoirs and the buildings, and to maintain the water in the reservoirs at “historic levels”. The issue was to be decided at the June 25 City Council meeting (FYI – the decision has been tabled until their July 15 meeting).
There is an ongoing discussion on the neighborhood Facebook group page about the possibility of creating a street painting at the intersection of SE 67th & Woodward St.. To do this, an application needs to be made to City Repair Project (available in late September), participants need to come up with an approved design, and 80% of the people in the surrounding area and all 4 houses on the intersection need to sign off on the project. An estimated budget for a simple street painting is about $300. Money and labor for the project would have to be provided by the participants, or by asking for donations from local businesses and from the neighborhood association. City Repair pairs with some businesses to provide discounts; on paint purchases and barricade rentals, for instance.
Several neighbors have expressed interest, and the next step is to gather a team by September, at the very latest, to get the process started. Brenda Reddaway is willing to be a contact person, and can be reached at communications@southtabor.org. More information on community-based art, and the process to make it happen, can be found at www.cityrepair.org.
STNA meets the third Thursday of every month, 7 pm, at Trinity Fellowship Church, 2700 SE 67th and Clinton St.; enter from the back parking lot and follow the signs inside the building to STNA’s meeting room. The next meeting is July 16. Hope to see you there!