HAND
By Jill Riebesehl
Hosford-Abernethy is a neighborhood of contrasts, from St. Phil Neri to a Buddhist temple; customer-owned Peoples Co-op to giant New Seasons; tree-lined streets to three main traffic arterials. Half the residents rent their homes, the other half owns theirs. Then, there is the railroad, the river and OMSI. In October, the neighborhood board heard from three well-established organizations invested in making Portland a better, more vital city. And we also heard from folks who want a new place to just have fun together.
Jenny Stadler, with the 24-year-old PHAME Academy (which teaches art of all kinds to adults with disabilities and provides exhibit, work and gathering spaces and public entertainments) said they are hoping to raise enough money to buy the triangle building at SE 20th Ave. and Hawthorne Blvd. for a permanent home. Our board welcomes this possibility and will gladly provide them a letter of support.
Kory Smith brought us up to date on a new venture, Karibu Stabilization Program, that will be a live-in/helping site for disenfranchised adult Black men. It sits just across SE Powell Blvd. at 21st Ave. Smith, the program manager, anticipates a March opening. It will operate under Central City Concern, a nonprofit working on the problems of homelessness in Portland for 43 years.
OMSI is in the first stage of converting its 24 acres, many of them full of empty lots, into a dynamic urban district. This involves extensive permitting and new infrastructure, including new roads, trees, and electrical, water and gas installations. The enormous effort involves a collaboration among governments, OMSI and private interests. Preston Greene, vice president of real estate for OMSI, said he had heard our concerns and will keep us up to date on the process. He said multistory residential buildings won’t be coming to the district for a decade or two.
And, finally, Frank Rudloff of the Portland Bocce League Association, a non-profit since 2003, outlined plans to establish four bocce ball courts on the St. Philip Neri campus. There are courts around town, but they want to bring the ancient sport back to this old Italian neighborhood.
Montavilla Neighborhood Association
By Jacob Loeb
All candidates for the 2022-2024 Board member term secured a majority vote at the annual meeting last month. The next Montavilla Neighborhood Association (MNA) meeting addresses proposed changes to the format of the monthly meetings with a new interpretation of in-person association meetings.
Two out-of-cycle appointed members ran for full two-year terms on October 10. Former chair, Louise Hoff, returned to the Board this year as the Parks Chair and new MNA member Natalie Mallis recently joined the Board as the SE Uplift Liaison. Running unopposed, both secured their position for an additional two years.
The MNA will hear a proposal at the general meeting regarding a change in format for future meetings. Board Members will then vote on whether to accept the changes at the Board meeting that follows. The membership is invited to join and comment ahead of the vote.
The next MNA meeting is Monday, November 14, 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.
Richmond Neighborhood Association
By Ann Sandvig
The Richmond Neighborhood Association (RNA) held its monthly meeting Monday, October 10. Zoom meetings are the second Monday of the month, 7-9 pm. The link to pre-register 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.Â
RNA’s guest speakers were Michele Veenker from Family Promise of Metro East and Dave Brink, Pastor at Central Christian Church. An interesting and informative presentation was given on working with families facing houselessness and the services each organization is providing, as well as volunteer opportunities available. You can listen to the discussion via the audio recording on the RNA’s website under the Meetings tab.
A short discussion was held about the Public Environment Management Office (PEMO), which is a new City of Portland office focused on cleaning up and beautifying our city.
RNA is looking for a newsletter editor.
The Houseless Committee purchased and donated over 100 hygiene kits plus toothbrush/toothpaste sets and feminine hygiene products to Hyginene4All.
SE Uplift is offering several grants with applications due by Tuesday, November 22.
A discussion was held about safety issues at SE 26th Ave. and Powell Blvd. following a recent bike fatality.
There was also a discussion on upcoming Charter Commission Forums being held.
It was announced that there will be a Community Safety Forum at next month’s meeting which will include representatives from the Neighborhood Response Team, Community Safety, PEMO and possibly someone from the Street Service Coordination Center. Our next meeting is Monday, November 14; we hope you can attend.
Sunnyside Neighborhood Association
By Gloria Jacobs
The October meeting was a successful combination of in-person and Zoom so we will continue to offer both options for our general and Board meetings. Much of the focus was on the newsletter. We heard from our newsletter team about their process and we are looking for ways to improve and streamline it.
We had a presentation from Land Use & Transportation Committee chair Jamie Smith about efforts by neighbors at SE 45th Ave. and Madison St. surrounding the tent camp behind the commercial building at 4511 SE Hawthorne Blvd. The building is being vacated and the development company, Killian-Pacific, will be fencing off the property to the edge of the sidewalk on Madison St. to deter future encampments until they proceed with a project on the site.
SE Uplift has opened applications for two grant programs: Community Small Grants and Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility Communication Grants. Deadlines are midnight Tuesday, November 22. Details at seuplift.org/grants.Â
Own a small business that has had broken windows or doors, graffiti or other damage? You can apply for up to $10,000 in assistance from the city’s Local Small Business Repair Grants program. Details at prosperportland.us/portfolio-items/local-small-business-repair-reopening-grant/.
The next general meeting is on Thursday, November 10, 7 pm.
During November, Molly Twohy is helping raise funds for the Sunnyside Shower Project (SSP) by collecting cans. Funds will increase SSP’s ability to provide toiletry items, food, first aid supplies, clean clothing, laundry cards, tents and tarps. If you’d like to contribute, please label your bags with “Sunnyside Shower Project” and drop them over Molly’s fence at 3333 SE Salmon St. (look for the Rosie the Riveter flyer) any time this month. Don’t have enough cans to donate but still want to contribute? You can donate on SNA’s website via PayPal, Venmo or Zelle or email treasurer@sunnysideportland.org to arrange a cash or check donation.