Buckman Community Association
By Susan Lindsay
Thursday evening December 12, 7-9 pm will be the Buckman Community Association’s monthly meeting and our annual holiday meetup! Join us at 1137 SE 20th Ave. (enter on Salmon St.) and bring snacks to share. We will be inviting the WINNERS of the recent election to join us to…..local that is of course :)), as well as outgoing County Commissioner Sharon Meieran for meet and greet. We have a hybrid option too. Email buckmanboard@googlegroups.com to get the link or to request time on the agenda.
We have applied for a grant to help fund our Summer Events, the Movie in the Park and Buckman Picnic. But you can also help keep these all free, all fun, all volunteer organized and run and open to all events alive and well with a fully tax deductible end of the year donation to our fiscal sponsor, Southeast Uplift. It’s easy. Just send a check made out to SEUL for any amount and mail it to 3534 SE Main St., Portland, OR 97214. Be sure to write in bold letters “FOR BUCKMAN PICNIC 2025” in the check memo. Alternatively, you can donate directly to these events from our website, buckmanpdx.org. You will get a receipt mailed out to you from SEUL.
Deflection center meetings continue weekly in an effort to craft a good neighbor agreement that will help all parties and provide safety for all. Check our website for details.
Breaking news! We have an open Board position! Board service is a two year commitment with a once monthly meeting and service on either a committee and/or project of your choice. Email us for more information. BCA meeting participants often go out after monthly meetings for networking and social fun.
HAND
By Jill Riebesehl
The HAND November meeting opened with a Prosper Portland staff report for improvements and financial assistance within the Central Eastside Corridor via Tax Increment Financing (TIF). Beginning in January, the five year plan will have some funds available early on, gaining the most toward the end. Staff pointed out that Prosper Portland can provide financial help in case of emergencies; for example, a business’s broken windows, if people apply. Money from TIF comes from growth in property taxes within a district. HAND and Buckman are invited to participate in the planning; HAND will discuss this in January. For more information, visit drive.google.com/file/d/10ZFRGjPegQnEFHQhj46OcCl61ET-qB8X/view.
We received a rundown from our trusty volunteers/city groups monitoring and interfacing with the Clinton Street Triangle sanctuary, and we discussed certain neighborhood trouble spots. Avalon, the small sanctuary off of SE 19th Ave., has volunteer Friday pantry stocking, and planting boxes will be in place in December. HAND will contribute to the St. Philip Neri food pantry, as the church won’t be holding its annual Thanksgiving dinner.
We brainstormed how to get to know and interact with our three new city councilors, who will begin work in January. Further discussion included how best to work with other neighborhood associations so as to effectively handle mutual concerns. One example was the Powell Boulevard Neighborhood/SOLVE cleanup November 9, which was declared a success. The mayor-elect and his wife participated.
HAND meets the second Tuesday of each month at 7 pm (except in December and August) on the St. Philip Neri campus. All are welcome. A committee, open to all, meets monthly to set the agenda, available on our website and other local social media sites.
Mt. Tabor Neighborhood Association
By David Petrozzi
We received progress reports on several neighborhood initiatives during MTNA’s year-end meeting this November. Among them, MTNA voted to support the inchoate Burnside Pedestrian Safety Project as it explores the idea of community-led walking audits to assess and improve the experience along this bustling community corridor. Working with neighborhood partners, their goal is to address crossing gaps and marshall resources to improve the experience for people and families using all modes of transportation. In a similar vein, the Tabor for All project continues its mission to increase access to the park for all members of the community and to ensure improvements to the park will enhance accessibility, particularly for people with diverse abilities that may impair movement. Partnering with the MTNA, along with the Friends of Tabor Park and other neighborhood associations, this group is launching a website to build on their recent efforts securing a new universal access parking spot near the park, and to tap the community for their own stories and personal experiences in this regard.
The Southeast Community Coalition (S2C2) is a group that seeks to articulate a more unified identity for the important metro area between E Burnside St. and SE Powell Blvd., from 12th St. to Mount Tabor. This broad stretch of the East side encompasses five neighborhood regions which S2C2 seeks to bring together for better communication and efficiency in identifying issues and advocating for the core priorities of the area as a whole. We explored this idea more broadly in the conversation that followed, with the possibility of formally electing a neighborhood representative to this group as its organizational efforts continue.
MTNA does not meet in December. Join us in-person or via zoom for our next meeting, Wednesday, January 15, 2025. Register on our website, mttaborpdx.org, where you can read more about our neighborhood initiatives and successes, as well as sign up for our mailing list to stay connected. We wish you a wonderful holiday season and a very happy new year!
Richmond Neighborhood Association
By Allen Field
The Richmond Neighborhood Association (RNA) held its monthly meeting November 11. Meetings are the second Monday of the month, 7-9 pm, except January. They are held in-person at Central Christian Church, 1844 SE Cesar Chavez Blvd. People can participate via Zoom; 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 events, email richmondnasecretary@gmail.com.
The RNA filed for and was approved as a 501(c)(3) tax exempt entity. The Board voted to cancel their fiscally sponsorship account with SE Uplift.
The November 9 Powell Litter Cleanup with SOLVE and five other neighborhoods was a great success. The RNA, with 22 volunteers, cleaned up the north side of Powell Blvd., from 29th to 52nd avenues. About 30 bags were collected, equaling about 200-250 lbs of material, with five sharps collected. State Representative Rob Nosse, Dist. 42, was part of the group–he gave us his insights on the recent local election.
The Board discussed creating a list of neighborhood priorities to provide to the new District 3 council members. It will distribute a poll to the neighborhood for input on the list priorities to give to the new council members.
The next RNA meeting is Monday, December 9. Everyone is welcome. Please join us and learn about ways to get more involved in the community.
South Tabor Neighborhood Association
By Cathy Kudlick
Keep your pixels peeled for the next edition of The South Tabor Crow in the next couple of weeks. To read past issues and to sign up, visit southtabor.org. The upcoming issue will feature a neighbor profile, volunteer opportunities and more. If you want to be involved, we’d love to have you; email us at info@southtabor.org. Ideas for content, cool photos and event descriptions are especially welcome. We publish four times a year, so the next issue will be out in March.
At our November meeting STNA joined MTNA and Friends of Mt. Tabor Park to endorse Tabor for All, a grassroots community effort to make the park more accessible for people with disabilities. More details will be coming in the new year.
STNA won’t meet in December, but mark your calendar for Thursday, January 16, 2025, 7 pm. Come meet neighbors and explore new ways to bring warmth, kindness, and post-holiday cheer to our tiny corner of a turbulent world. We need each other more than ever. Find us at southtabor.org.
Sunnyside Neighborhood Association
By Gloria Jacobs
Rob Nosse attended the November SNA General Meeting for a conversation on the 2025 legislative session. He hopes to spend much of the coming session working on one of his priority issues—strengthening Oregon’s arts community. As the health committee chair, Nosse is determined to find more money to continue the much needed expansion of mental health services. Additionally, he hopes to find excellent working relationships with our new city and county leaders to move the region forward, together with a common vision for continued recovery. On transportation, Nosse hopes that new mechanisms can provide the funds needed to modernize our transportation system and provide climate resiliency.
The Sunnyside Environmental School (SES) will be holding its Winter Craft Fair Friday, December 13. Additionally, the Screen Door’s E Burnside location (2337 E Burnside St.) will donate a portion of its December 3rd sales to SES.
Peacock Lane’s Christmas Street celebration will be Sunday, December 15-Tuesday, December 31. Pedestrian-only nights are the 15th and 16th. Parking is very limited so consider either walking over or taking the #15 or #75 bus.
The Sunnyside Shower Project’s annual Winter Clothing Drive will be Sunday, December 8, 1-5 pm. The Drive helps our less fortunate neighbors stay dry and warm through the winter. Please drop off adult-sized winter clothing and other cold-and-wet-weather gear to the Sunnyside Community Center, 3520 SE Yamhill St., Saturday, December 7, 9:30 am-1 pm in the basement. (Drop-off at the basement entrance on SE 35th St.)
Finally, if you are planning any end of year donations, please don’t forget your local neighborhood association! Your donation to the SNA is fully tax-deductible and helps fund projects such as the Shower Project, the Sunnyside Piazza, the upcoming bike garden planned at 4511 SE Hawthorne Blvd. and our neighborhood newsletter. You can make your donation at secure.givelively.org/donate/southeast-uplift-neighborhood-program-inc/sunnyside-neighborhood-association.
Wishing all of our neighbors a very happy holiday season.