Buckman Community Association
By Susan Lindsay
At the June BCA meeting, the Board voted unanimously to support the Alder Map for new Districts and we urge all Buckman residents and our friends and neighbors in nearby neighborhoods to write in and testify in person and urge the same. The Alder Map will link the areas of Sellwood and Moreland to the west side of Portland in a new District. The other two maps either completely divide the Buckman, Kerns and Hosford-Abernethy neighborhoods (Cedar Map); even worse is the Maple Map, which places all of Buckman and Kerns into a representational district with the entire westside of Portland, a really poor and disempowering fit for our two eastside neighborhoods. We support the Alder Map, which will keep the historic connections and geographic communities together, including those of Sellwood, which historically and demographically has always been tightly tied to the westside, and strongly oppose Cedar and Maple, which we see as a detriment to the entire inner SE community and a weakening of our individual constituency.
Testimony and feedback on the Maps can be provided in many ways, but please do give input, as well as attend one of the many upcoming hearings. Find out more about the Drafts District Plan at portland.gov/transition/districtcommission/district-plan. Provide direct input on the maps at surveymonkey.com/r/YPRFD5R or email your comments to districtcommission@portlandoregon.gov. Public input is due by Saturday, July 22.
It’s event month and “Buckman in July” begins! Friday, July 14, the Buckman Community Association, in partnership with Portland Parks & Recreation, presents Movies in the Park. The classic, quirky sci-fi film, “The 5th Element,” starring Bruce Willis, Milla Jovovich and Chris Tucker will light up the blow-up screen at Colonel Summers Park at dusk. Bring lawn chairs, a blanket and stop by the BCA booth.
Sunday, July 23, 4-8 pm, also at Colonel Summers Park, and coming after a three-year pandemic hiatus, will be the 11th Buckman Party in the Park. The event features kids games, a bouncy house, splash pad fun, complimentary ice cream for the kids, live music and door prizes. Bring the family, a picnic meal and enjoy seeing your neighbors after such a long break. We need volunteers to help. Contact Volunteer Coordinator, Rie Nakata at rie@kanemasu.us or buckmanpicnicteam@googlegroups.com to get involved.
Our nine-member Board has two open positions (a one-year term and a two-year term) and we are actively seeking new members. Board membership involves commitment to attend monthly meetings and serve on a committee, Board service position or project of the member’s choice.
The Buckman Community Association meets monthly every second Thursday of the month, 7-9 pm on Zoom. Our regular meeting space, the Multnomah County Board Room, has still not reopened to the public. All are welcome at the meetings. Contact the full Buckman Board at buckmanboard@googlegroups.com at any time to be put on the agenda and to get the Zoom link. Sign up for our monthly e-newsletter at buckmanpdx.org. Our next meeting is Thursday, July 13, 7-9 pm and we’d love to see you there.
HAND
By Jill Riebesehl
As a good friend used to say when he walked through the door, “I have much to tell.” In keeping with that, following is brief account of our very busy Hosford-Abernethy neighborhood association June meeting.
Regarding the imminent homeless encampment at 1490 SE Gideon St., a Good Neighbor agreement between the Brooklyn and Hosford-Abernethy NAs and the city is near and will set out a list of expectations. The city’s plan describes three zones: Zone 1 is the area in a notional 1,000 ft radius around the encampment, for which Urban Alchemy is responsible; Zone 2 will be treated similarly to Zone 1, but will be the city’s responsibility; and a wider Zone 3 that will get increased oversight but only a modest increase in services. Zones 1 and 2 will get enhanced city services, which we hope will result in a reduction of unsanctioned camping, faster trash removal and graffiti abatement. There will be a community-led “oversight council” that will monitor issues related to the camp. We expect a public meeting with Urban Alchemy and neighbors soon. Join the HAND mailing list by sending a message to handannounce+subscribe@googlegroups.com to be notified.
Regarding Avalon (a 10-pod respite village near New Seasons), the non-profit organizer WeShine reports that city permitting and utilities are moving along, as is a Good Neighbors agreement. WeShine will have a revocable four-year lease with the city, which will include an annual review. They hope to open this summer.
Regarding the redesign of Portland’s governmental structure, per charter approval by voters last year, a commission is working out how to divide the city into four districts, based on population. Each district will have three elected commissioners on City Council. As deliberations proceed, HAND Board’s goal is to keep our neighborhood boundaries intact, to not be broken up as two of the three proposed scenarios would do. The city will adopt the plan in time for the November 2024 election.
Regarding summer fun and other business, the Board agreed to continue its financial support of the Richmond neighborhood’s traditional Movies in the Park showing “Hidden Figures” at Sewallcrest Park Saturday, August 19, event starting at 7:30 pm and movie at dusk. Please stop by the HAND table to say “hi.” The Board also voted to support Richmond NA’s request that Southeast Uplift (the official coalition of Southeast NAs) open its in-person Board meetings to all interested residents, not just Board members.
Our next meeting will be in Carvlin Hall on the St. Philip Neri campus Tuesday, July 18, 7 pm. Welcome, all.
Montavilla Neighborhood Association
By Louise Hoff
Building, road work and construction are happening all over our neighborhood, as well as a number of meetings.
Neighbors of Harrison Park School are eager to retain their community garden, currently situated on school grounds. Some neighbors are growing vegetables which are difficult to find at local shops and some simply enjoy the interaction with neighbors. Others feel it is important for children to understand healthy food sources and eat organic food which is otherwise costly at the market.
The 82nd Ave. Association initiated neighborhood conversations at Portland Community College (PCC) about how we residents envision 82nd Ave. in the future. PCC is itself an active hub of neighbors beginning college, beginning a career or simply enjoying community education classes.
Events that have taken place or are continuing include an 82nd Ave. cleanup hosted by Pick it Up, Portland! June 24; Montavilla Farmers Market takes place every Sunday 10 am-2 pm on SE Stark St.; the Montavilla Park and Pool is open for swimming and children’s lunches; and neighborhood garage sales, plant exchanges and block parties are already underway. Apply to host your own block party at portland.gov/transportation/permitting/apply-block-party-permit.
No date has been set for a neighborhood meeting with Safe Park Village to be situated at 333 NE 82nd Ave. Find out more information at multco.us/shelters/montavilla-safe-park.
Save the date for these upcoming events: Montavilla Street Fair Sunday, July 30; Jade International Night Market Saturday, August 19; and Montavilla Jazz Festival (MJF) September 1-3. MJF is already featuring local events to introduce neighbors to the array of very talented musicians involved.
Monday, July 10 is the next Board meeting of the Montavilla Neighborhood Association. Zoom info and meeting agenda at montavilla.org.
Mt. Tabor Neighborhood Association
By David Petrozzi
MTNA hosted our regular monthly meeting Wednesday, June 21 via Zoom. A guest speaker from the Richmond Neighborhood Association asked for our support in writing to address Southeast Uplift’s (SEUL) recent decision to bar the public from attending its Board meetings. In the spirit of openness and transparency, the vote was unanimous in support of this action with the hope that SEUL will come back into partnership with neighborhood associations and compliance with its statutory requirements.
We received a highly informative presentation regarding Portland’s Critical Energy Infrastructure hub along the Willamette river, the size and scope of these storage facilities, some of the risks they may potentially represent to our community and various citizen’s initiatives underway to raise awareness and promote safety. We also heard some exciting news: Mount Tabor Park recently won America’s first Urban Park Award! Stop by and enjoy a free summer concert in the park Thursday evening, July 13, 6:30 pm.
Our next meeting will take place Wednesday, July 19 via Zoom. Please find links for this and all of our meetings, under the “Meetings and Events” tab of our website, mttaborpdx.org.
Richmond Neighborhood Association
By Allen Field
The Richmond Neighborhood Association (RNA) held its monthly meeting June 12. Meetings are the second Monday of the month, 7-9 pm, except January. Meetings are held in-person at Central Christian Church, 1844 SE Cesar E. Chavez Blvd.; people can also participate via Zoom. The link to pre-register for Zoom 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. The RNA now has an Instagram account: @richmondNAPDX.
Board Officers, Committee Chairs and RNA Representatives were appointed by the Board for the 2023-24 term. Reappointed were Debby Hochhalter as Chair, Simon Kipersztok as Treasurer and Allen Field as Secretary.
Mae Holsapple explained the Community Needs Assessment project that Cascadia Behavioral Healthcare is conducting. She will be providing the Board with updates in future meetings.
Due to the great success and popularity of our May 19 Household Hazardous Waste collection event with Metro, we will do another Household Hazardous Waste collection on Saturday, October 21, 9 am-noon, at Central Christian Church. Save the date. As in May, we will collect ONLY batteries (including lithium-ion and rechargeable) but NO car batteries or other large batteries (small power tool batteries are okay); sharps and epi-pens; prescription medication (pet meds too), but take pills out of bottles and put in Ziploc bags; compact fluorescent bulbs (CFL) but NO LED bulbs or fluorescent tubes. NO cleaning products, paint or other chemical liquids will be accepted. CNBSeen.org will also be there to repair car/truck rear taillight bulbs as a way to prevent pretext stops by the police.
We will also have a Bottle & Can Drop Off as a fundraiser for C3 Food Pantry who can take the bottles and cans to a collection center for the deposit money. So, save up your returnable bottle and cans to bring to Central Christian Church on October 21.
The next RNA meeting is Monday, July 10. Come and check out a meeting.
South Tabor Neighborhood Association
By Cathy Kudlick
The STNA hosted a successful third annual garage sale/garden tour June 10 with more participants and local business involvement than ever before. Our next event will be street painting at the intersection of SE Woodward and 67th Streets Sunday, July 16 9 am-3 pm. Bring the whole family to help refresh the existing mural, meet neighbors and add your strokes!
Our next Board meeting will be held in person Thursday, July 20, 7-9 pm, location TBA. We will have a meeting focused on neighborhood safety with a representative from the Safe Blocks Portland coalition at the end of the summer.
STNA meets the third Thursday of every month; all who live and/or work in South Tabor are welcome. For the latest info, visit southtabor.org.
Sunnyside Neighborhood Association
By Gloria Jacobs
The Sunnyside Neighborhood Association is on a summer recess for general meetings. The next general meeting is on Thursday, September 14. While we are on recess, we want to know what you think the SNA board should be addressing, what are things you want to hear about and if you have any projects brewing where the SNA can help out. Please reach out to board@sunnysideportland.org with your ideas, concerns and questions.
The Land Use and Transportation Committee is working on issues surrounding vacancies and redevelopments in the southeastern section of Sunnyside.
SNA Care Committee (SNACC) continues to do outreach and aid to our less fortunate Sunnysiders. The Sunnyside Shower Project (SSP) is not going to become a nonprofit in the near future. The SSP will continue to use Southeast Uplift as their fiscal sponsor. There is now a sewing kit at the SSP so guests can mend buttons and holes while they wait for their showers. In the future, SNACC will meet every other month. The next SNACC meeting will be held on Thursday, August 3, 6:30 pm at SEUL’s conference room. The focus will be on planning the winter clothing drive, so please join if you’re interested in helping out!