Buckman Community Association
By Susan Lindsay
Join the Buckman Community Association Thursday, November 14 for our General Membership meeting. Meetings are held in person at Hinson Church, 1137 SE. 20th Ave., every second Thursday of the month, 7-9 pm. Enter via the keypad on SE Salmon St.; parking is always available in the lot. We also have a hybrid option for the meeting that can be easily connected to. To get the meeting link, past meeting minutes, a list of local events and Buckman news updates, check our website, buckmanpdx.org.
At the November meeting we’ll host a presentation from a free neighborhood mediation service who’ll attend to explain their services. We’ll also have follow up discussion from the November local and general election, with a focus on the new City Council and County Commissioners.
Ongoing communication continues about a Good Neighbor Agreement for Multnomah County’s new deflection center, now open and located at SE 9th Ave. and Oak St. Check our website for updates on this process.
We have one open Board position and would love to have it filled! Board service involves attendance at once monthly meetings and volunteer service on a committee or project of one’s choice. We often go out after the meetings to a local tavern for networking and further discussion, a great way to meet fellow Buckman neighbors!
Join our FB group and post your event. Contact the Buckman Board (buckmanboard@googlegroups.com) anytime with queries, requests for help navigating city issues, to volunteer to help with our annual Movie and Picnic in the Park and to get on the agenda.
HAND
By Jill Riebesehl
Neighborhoods bordering Powell Blvd., in partnership with SOLVE, are revving up for a November 9 cleanup along the boulevard from 82nd Ave. to the bridge, 10 am-Noon. Hosford-Abernethy will station two sites, Jack in the Box and Rudy’s Pizza. Check with SOLVE for signup.
Our main involvement for a year has been the relationship with Portland’s first large homeless campsite, the Clinton Temporary Alternative Shelter Site. On September 17, the Aladdin Theater hosted a well-attended progress report on the project. Slides can be found at the top of HAND’s website. HAND also heard reports from two spinoff citizen/city groups facilitating neighborhood relationships with the site. The small Avalon sanctuary off Division St. that is nearly full held its first community meeting and is seeking a larger venue so as to accommodate everyone wanting to keep up with the project.
Elsewhere, we discussed illegal camping, such as behind Safeway off SE Hawthorne Blvd., SE 8th Ave. and Caruthers St., Powell Blvd. and SE 23rd//24th avenues, the power station at SE 8th Ave. and Stephens St. and off-limit areas around the train tracks. We also heard from a neighbor trying to nail down the source of noxious smells intermittently plaguing residents around SE 20th Ave. and Taggart St., and we brainstormed on how to get the city’s help. Regarding trains blocking SE 11th and 12th avenues, the Portland Bureau of Transportation and Federal Railway Association are negotiating the scope of an agreement to investigate the situation and anticipate it will be ready to go to City Council within two months.
In September, HAND sent out questionnaires to candidates for city offices requesting their commitment to support established rules and processes for public engagement. We will make public the responses we get.
Our next meeting is Tuesday, November 12, 7 pm on the St. Philip Neri campus. We welcome all neighbors, residential and commercial.
Kerns Neighborhood Association
By Rebecca Boenke
Kerns Neighborhood has been voted fifth coolest neighborhood in the world according to an article in Time Out. We’re excited to share this article highlighting Kerns! While it primarily focuses on our vibrant neighborhood, we’d also like to acknowledge the mentions of our beloved sister neighborhoods, Buckman and Laurelhurst. (Note: It seems Time Out may not have a complete neighborhood boundary map.) The featured photo, along with Nationale Bookstore, is actually located in Buckman, and Laurelhurst Park is nestled in Laurelhurst. Regardless, our beautiful part of Portland is globally famous for its charm, walkability, restaurants and so much more. Enjoy the read at timeout.com/travel/coolest-neighbourhoods-in-the-world!
Kerns Neighborhood Association meets every third Wednesday of the month, except August and December, 6:30-8:00 pm at Pacific Crest School, 116 NE 29th Ave. Enter through the door in the parking lot, or attend via Zoom if you prefer at kernspdx.org/zoom.
Mt. Tabor Neighborhood Association
By David Petrozzi
Our friends from Portland Transition stopped by to chat about the city’s recent government redesign. With ranked choice voting already under our belts, we dove deeper into the opportunities (and challenges) as Portland continues to transition from the commission form of government. The new structure features the separation of Mayor and Council, and a new City Administrator overseeing all of the Bureaus. Many of these organization changes have officially been in effect since July 1, so it’s important to see how they’ll shape our community.
We also heard from our representative at Southeast Uplift. They’re offering community grants for small-scale projects that make neighborhoods more livable and enjoyable. And guess what? MTNA is applying for funds to design and create beautiful neighborhood banners that will hang on various utility poles throughout our area, demonstrating our community pride. In other news, we learned about the value of “walking audits” for neighborhood improvement, which is an engaging way to identify areas for enhancement. Locals will be delighted to know that Mt. Tabor’s off-leash dog park has reopened following successful erosion mitigation efforts. Finally, the Tabor for All initiative continues to explore accessibility challenges for individuals with disabilities, ensuring everyone can enjoy our beloved park.
We’d love to see you at our next meeting. Join us Wednesday, November 20, 7 pm, held both in-person at Taborspace and online via Zoom. Register and read more about our neighborhood initiatives and successes on our website, mttaborpdx.org. Be sure to sign up for our mailing list to stay connected!
North Tabor Neighborhood Association
By Kim Kasch
Help shape the future of our neighborhood. North Tabor Neighborhood Association (NTNA) wants our neighbors to have a voice. Come to our neighborhood meetings every third Tuesday, 6:30 pm and sign up for our community conversations on our Discord channel at discord.gg/8FG6N74b.
Board elections were held Tuesday, October 15. Current Board members are Adam Sparks, Ross Hiner, Pamela Rico, Amanda Sparks, Gail Morris, Sarah Mongue, Andrea Lehman, Kim Kasch, Lisa Maddoxs and Lars Kasch. Officer elections will take place at our neighborhood meeting next month.
The North Tabor and Mt. Tabor Neighborhood Associations collaborated to provide the District 3 Candidate Forum Tuesday, October 22, 6-8 pm at Mt. Tabor Middle School. The forum included a Q&A session and pizza for all attendees.
NTNA expressed concerns about the rapid development of infrastructure without adequate support, citing recent accidents as evidence. They suggested documenting these incidents to present to PBOT and requested a follow-up meeting to discuss the matter further.
Check out our website at northtabor.org/about-north-tabor.
Richmond Neighborhood Association
By Allen Field
The Richmond Neighborhood Association (RNA) held its monthly meeting October 14. 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, email richmondnasecretary@gmail.com.
Nate Powers, Program Director of Community Mediation Services (cmswa.org), described the free mediation services provided for neighbor-neighbor or neighbor-business disputes. They serve Multnomah County, providing alternative dispute resolution and conflict coaching. Call 360.344.5862 or visit their website to seek free mediation services.
Paul Keltner, Portland Fire & Rescue, gave a presentation on the Community Health Assess & Treat (CHAT) program. They provide medical response to persons in need who are homeless, as opposed to the mental health focus of Portland Street Response, with whom they coordinate. They are contacted through 911 for urgent medical needs.
The RNA voted to support a SE Uplift Small Grant application for a Richmond PorchFest to occur one day in Summer 2025, likely in June.
The October 12 Styrofoam and Metro collection event at Central Christian Church was well attended, with 71 cars dropping off Styrofoam and plastic film/bags, and 72 people dropped off CFL, batteries, meds or sharps for Metro. We also collected about 50 trashbags of deposit bottles for the C3 food pantry to help fund their program.
On November 9, 10 am-noon, the RNA is partnering with SOLVE and several other neighborhood associations for a Powell Blvd. litter cleanup. Go to the SOLVE website and register via their calendar or contact Richmondcleanup@gmail.com to register.
The next RNA meeting is Monday, November 11. Everyone is welcome. Please join us and learn about ways to get more involved in your community.
South Tabor Neighborhood Association
By Taran Nadler
The latest issue of the South Tabor Crow is out, which you can see at southtabor.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/South-Tabor-Crow-Issue-2_September_2024.pdf.
At the October Board meeting a representative from NET came and gave a great presentation on emergency preparedness.
Join us Saturday, November 9, 10 am-12 pm for The GREAT Powell Cleanup sponsored by SOLVE! South Tabor Neighborhood will be hosting three different South Tabor volunteer sign-in sites at SE 56th, 67th and 80th avenues on the north side of Powell. Find a site at the SOLVE calendar page at volunteer.solveoregon.org by scrolling to the date and signing up at the sign in location closest to your heart/home. Pre-registration preferred so we can bring enough tools and waste bags.
Sunnyside Neighborhood Association
By Gloria Jacobs
We’d love to see you Wednesday, November 13 when Representative Rob Nosse joins us for a discussion on the upcoming legislative session. Bring your questions! Meetings are held at SE Uplift (3534 SE Main St.). Both the agenda and Zoom link are typically posted 48 hours before the meeting at sunnysideportland.org.
Have you emailed the SNA but not gotten a reply? If so, sincere apologies. We identified an issue that seems to block some emails (without any notification) to our board@sunnysideportland.org email address. Until we resolve this issue, please feel free to reach out to the SNA Board president directly at cjwaldmann@gmail.com.
Sunnyside Neighborhood Association Community Care committee is organizing a Winter Clothing Drive for our houseless neighbors. The drive will be Sunday, December 8 in the basement of the Sunnyside Methodist Church (SE 35th Ave. and Yamhill St.). Volunteers will be on hand to collect clothing donations 9:30 am-1 pm. The main event, the clothing giveaway, will be held 1–5 pm the same day. Items most needed are warm clothes, rain gear, boots, shoes, tents, sleeping bags and tarps. See Instagram at @sunnysideshowerproject for more information. To help publicize the event or if your workplace can donate gear, clothing or gift cards, please reach out to Valerie Ross at valerie.e.ross@gmail.com.
¿Por Qué No?’s Hawthorne location (4635 SE Hawthorne Blvd.) will donate 10 percent of its Wednesday, November 6 sales to the Sunnyside Environmental PTSA. This money will be used to support the Sunnyside Environmental School’s garden, music and field studies programs.