Montavilla Neighborhood Association
By Jacob Loeb
The Montavilla Neighborhood Association (MNA) skipped the August meeting to give members a summer break and Board members a rest after a successful showing at the Montavilla Street Fair. The next meeting will feature information regarding Portland Community College’s (PCC) 2022 bond initiative and information concerning a Montavilla Dumpster Day later in the month.
Amy Bader, PCC’s Community Relations Manager, will present information about the 2022 bond measure appearing before voters in the November 8 election. Attendees will hear about the measure and then have an opportunity to ask questions. If voters pass the proposed bond, funds will go directly to projects improving access to higher education.
On August 20, members of the Montavilla community joined the Jade District in a Dumpster Day and Solve Oregon cleanup. In total, event coordinators filled five, 30-yard dumpsters with rubbish collected from city streets and neighbors looking to discard bulky items. After four hours of accepting community dropoffs and bringing in more dumpsters to meet demand, staff had to turn people away.
The event’s popularity indicates a great need in the city to remove bulky trash. Consequently, the MNA will announce plans to host another neighborhood Dumpster day in September. Details will be revealed at the next meeting and through the email newsletter.
The annual Board member elections are in October. People interested in joining the Board should attend the next meeting or email jacob@montavilla.org for more information about running for an open position.
The next MNA meeting is Monday, September 12, 6:30 pm. Register for the Zoom link at the MNA website, montavilla.org/mna-calendar. Audio recordings of the previous gatherings are available online at montavilla.org/pdx-mna-meeting-podcast.
Mt. Tabor Neighborhood Association
By Nadine Fiedler
MTNA hosted a community meeting August 17 on Zoom. Three special guests attended to talk about plans for the empty reservoirs in Mt. Tabor Park- Jodie Inman, chief engineer of the Water Bureau; Goldann Salazar, policy adviser to Commissioner Mapps and Water Bureau liaison; and Katie Meyer, Mapps’s chief of staff. Inman shared the two-year schedule for repair, which indicated that the Water Bureau is going ahead with plans to use ground-penetrating radar to investigate the voids that were discovered under the floor of the reservoirs, and they will continue to seek funding for further study and repairs. Neighbors had many serious questions and concerns for them and the discussion will continue.
MTNA is planning to host a meetup event for new residents of the neighborhood, either the end of September or the beginning of October. We hope this will help new Taborites connect with people and learn about the role of the neighborhood association and how the city government operates. Look for fliers around the neighborhood and we’ll post an update here.
MTNA will host a community meeting on Zoom Wednesday, September 21, 7 pm. Find links for this and all of our meetings, under the “Meetings and Events” tab of our website, mttaborpdx.org.
North Tabor Neighborhood Association
By Kim Kasch
At the August North Tabor Neighborhood Association meeting, we discussed upcoming officer elections, scheduled for the month of October, as well as CJ Alicandro stepping down as chair of the NTNA. Ross Hiner volunteered to step into this position in the interim. We also discussed partnering with the Mt. Tabor Neighborhood Association to assist with a spring clean-up.
Please join us at our monthly meetings, the third Tuesday of the month at 6:30 pm via Zoom. You can find more information at the NTNA website, northtabor.org.
Richmond Neighborhood Association
By Allen Field
The Richmond Neighborhood Association held its monthly meeting on August 8. Zoom meetings are the second Monday of the month, 7-9 pm. The link to preregister is on the agenda, which is posted to richmondpdx.org and the RNA Announce listserv. To be added to the listserv, email richmondnasecretary@gmail.com.
Peaceful Villa Affordable Housing Redevelopment – Several members from the redevelopment project team (Bora architects and Home Forward) gave an overview of the redevelopment plan of the affordable housing complex on SE Clinton between at 46th and 47th Aves. They presented many schematic drawings of the redevelopment plan. Email richmondnasecretary@gmail.com if you want a copy of the presentation.
There are currently 70 units on the four-acre site. Several buildings are in need of compete rebuilds due to settling of the foundation, causing several buildings to be sinking. Plans are for 180 units, mostly studios and one-bedroom apartments in three- and four-story buildings with lots of green space between buildings. Density regulations allow for 500 units to be built with .25 per unit parking provided. Construction is expected to begin 2024 with residents returning 2026.
Our next meeting is Monday, September 11. Please attend to be more involved in and informed about your community.
Sunnyside Neighborhood Association
By Gloria Jacobs
At the August Board Meeting we elected Chris Waldmann as President but we will rotate the responsibilities of President between four board members over the coming year. Each person will assume the presidential duties for three months but Chris will remain the official elected President.
General Meetings will be on the second Thursday of the month, every other month. There will be a General Meeting in September, November, January, etc. (One way to remember the timing is they happen in odd numbered months.)
Melanie Billings-Yun from the City Charter Review Commission will speak at the Thursday, September 8 General Meeting about the upcoming Portland Charter Commission ballot initiative, so come with questions. We would like the SNA membership to vote on whether or not to endorse the initiative. We need at least 15 members to hold a full vote. Please join us either in person at Southeast Uplift, 3534 SE Main St., or on Zoom, 7-8:30 pm. Meeting link on website.
The next SNACC meeting will take place Thursday, September 15, 6:30-8 pm.