Buckman Community Association
By Susan Lindsay
The Buckman Community Association (BCA) Summer Events are here! Thursday, July 17, co-hosted with Portland Parks “Summer for All Programs,” the BCA presents Buckman Movie Night in the Park showing Galaxy Quest, the 1990s spoof on Sci-Fi genre films and TV series starring Sigourney Weaver, Tim Allen and a host of other actors. All are welcome! The movie starts at dusk. Come by the BCA booth to find out more about us, our upcoming picnic and to get a free seltzer while supplies last.
Next, Saturday, July 26 is a chance to clear out your garage and bring your gently used (or new!) building materials to donate to the ReBuilding Center 9 am-12 pm, in the Salmon St. parking lot of Hinson Church (SE 20th Ave. and SE Salmon St.). What to bring: doors, windows, lighting, tools (hand and working power tools), working appliances, bricks (no mortar) and pavers, complete boxes of fasteners, tile, insulation…..but no paint, chemicals or lumber with nails.
Finally, Sunday August 3, 4-8 pm, is our annual Buckman Picnic in the Park at Colonel Summers. Music, games for kids, bouncy house, free ice cream and more. This all volunteer, all donated funds event is partially sponsored this year by our picnic partners Key Bank and Central City Concern, as well as a host of individual donors. Please consider being one! Tax-deductible and great local cause of community building, donations $5-$1,000 gratefully accepted and you’ll get a receipt! Just visit our website, buckmanpdx.org, and give directly via the Give Lively Link! Volunteers are needed! Please contact buckmanpicnicteam@googlegroups.com. BCA Board and general meetings are held every second Thursday of the month, save in August. To contact the BCA anytime, reach us at buckmanboard@googlegroups.com.
Kerns Neighborhood Association
By Rebecca Boenke
Kerns Neighborhood Association and Buckman Community Association have successfully signed a Good Neighbor Agreement with Central City Concern for the CCC 16XBurnside location (formerly Lolo Pass Hostel). This agreement has been long in the making and was a respectful collaborative effort.
Kerns has secured a group to study our streets to make them safer. The PSU Masters of Urban Planning students have selected two key high-crash intersections in our corridor, E Burnside St. at 20th and 28th avenues. The study, called “Better Block PDX Pathways,” will look at ways to make them safer over the course of a year. The students were so excited about this project that a rare two groups will be studying our high-crash corridor! The output of their project can help inform proposals to the city on investments in green space and safer crossings for the four schools between 20th and 28th avenues. It was clarified that while implementation of the students’ proposals isn’t guaranteed, many “Better Block PDX Pathways” projects have historically been adopted by the city
Debbie Caselton from the Portland Bureau of Environmental Services (BES) delivered an informative presentation about upcoming rainwater infrastructure improvements in Kerns. Stormwater planters throughout the neighborhood capture rainwater and filter it through natural processes, thereby diverting rainwater from the sewer system. The most significant component of the project involves “daylighting” several key intersections to enhance safety by improving visibility. Working in partnership with PBOT, BES has identified four priority locations for these improvements: the intersection at NE 28th Ave. and Couch St., behind the Laurelhurst Theater; the area around Vino and Sidestreet Arts at SE Ash St. and SE 28th Ave.; and the corners near Pine Crest Terrace at SE Pine St. and SE 28th Ave. PBOT focused on SE 28th Ave. because it has the highest number of pedestrians within the project area. This project will likely remove very little parking, and much of the parking that is removed will be places where people were not actually parking legally. Next steps includes business consultation, particularly regarding temporary removal of street seating. Residents can request additional catch basins, although they would likely fall outside the current project’s scope (details at portland.gov/bes/buckmankerns). BES primarily has the responsibility for both planters and trees, but community members can participate through the Green Street Stewards program by “adopting” a planter. For more information, contact Debbie at debbie.caselton@portlandoregon.gov.
Kerns Neighborhood Association is hosting another FUNdraiser at Migration Brewing Co. Thursday, July 17, 5-9 pm. We’ll have live, local music and BINGO. Join us for some great food and drink and fun times. Migration is located at 2828 NE Glisan St.
Mt. Tabor Neighborhood Association
By David Petrozzi
Looking for some family fun for the 4th of July holiday? The Mt. Tabor Open tennis tournament will be held Friday, July 4-Sunday, July 6 at the tennis courts in the park. This free daytime event will feature 100 players, most of whom live in our area, playing matches throughout the day beginning at 9 am. And on Thursday, July 10, enjoy a free concert brought to you by Friends of Mt. Tabor Park (show time 6:30 pm). Protip: bike or take public transit to avoid any pesky parking issues!
During our June meeting, MTNA explored building on recent outreach events to continue engaging and supporting older adults in our neighborhood. We’re interested in ensuring all seniors have a voice in our community to discuss important issues like building resilience, disaster recovery preparedness, traffic safety, park access, support for home repairs, aging in place and more. Working with our partners, we plan to assess all of the resources currently available for seniors and ensure they have easy access to any help they may need. In the future, MTNA plans to provide the same type of support for kids and families living in our neighborhood as well.
In May, MTNA was a proud participant at the Archeology Roadshow—displaying pictures and information from Mt. Tabor dating back to 1892, a testament to our continuing neighborhood history project. We were especially proud to be joined by the Montavilla Neighborhood Association and the Wisdom of the Elders organization for this rich, cultural event. Also, keep an eye out for information on our second ‘Taborhood’ community forum planned for Fall. This is an opportunity for you to speak directly to our District 3 city council members. You’ll hear what priorities our government is currently pursuing and have an opportunity to let them know what you value as a member of the community.
Join us at our next meeting Wednesday, July 16, online via Zoom and in person at Taborspace. For more information, visit our website, mttaborpdx.org to sign up and for further details.
Richmond Neighborhood Association
By Allen Field
The Richmond Neighborhood Association met June 9 at Central Christian Church, 1844 SE Cesar Chavez Blvd. Meetings are the second Monday of the month 7-9 pm, except January. Everyone is welcome to attend and participate. People can participate via Zoom—the link to register is on the agenda, posted to richmondpdx.org and the RNA’s listserv. Meetings are recorded and posted to the website. Email richmondnasecretary@gmail.com to get on the listserv.
The RNA’s annual Board election took place June 9 and 10. At the June 9 meeting, candidates Claire Cofsky, Brian Hochhalter, Debby Hochhalter and Audrey Moss gave candidate statements. All the candidates were elected to the Board.
The Board voted to donate $100 to the Hawthorne Street Fair, August 24. The RNA is hoping to have a booth at the street fair. The Board also voted to pay the $125 booth fee for the Clinton/Division Street Fair, September 6.
Saturday, July 19, 9 am-noon, Richmond Styrofoam/Stretch Plastic and Metro’s Batteries/CFL/Sharps Collection will be at Central Christian Church. The event is free—the RNA will cover the $10 per 45 gallon bag styrofoam recycling fee charged by Green Century Recycling. Styrofoam must be sorted, clean and dry, and without tape, labels, cardboard, laminate, staples, glue, ink, paint or food residue, or it will be rejected. Please check the RNA’s website for important details on sorting styrofoam and plastic film at bit.ly/44bww8t.
We will also have bottle drop fundraiser for Love Our City Community Food Pantry—bring your Oregon refundable bottles and cans.
We are offering a senior/disabled person pickup service for the July 19 event. Contact richmondcleanup@gmail.com by Monday, July 14 to sign up for the pickup service or to volunteer for the event.
Come to our next meeting, July 14, to learn about the RNA and issues in the neighborhood.
South Tabor Neighborhood Association
By Cathy Kudlick
Thanks to everyone who joined us for our neighborhood’s annual garage sale/garden tour June 7! More than 50 households opened up their yards and exchanged wares. This year, we added a refreshing intergenerational, multi-genre mix of live music. Neighbors gathered in front of a pop-up garage stage to enjoy the full band sounds of Charboneau, solo songs of echo onda and 90’s covers from Franklin High School band, Wire Tap. And STNA Board member Taran Nadler launched his photography show “Inhuman Portraits,” that will be up at The Porch Coffee Space, 6725 SE Kelly St., through July. For more, see our latest issue of the South Tabor Crow at southtabor.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/South-Tabor-Crow-Issue-5.pdf.
STNA continues to push for greater traffic safety along SE Powell Blvd. Construction has started on a few crossings, but we remain vigilant, knowing that more needs to be done.
Along with residents at Findley Commons, an affordable housing complex opened in 2022 for formerly houseless veterans at SE 54th Ave. and Powell Blvd., we’re co-hosting a summer BBQ Friday, July 25, 5-8 pm. We’ll have dinner, followed by lawn games and socializing. All neighbors are welcome. Bring a side dish or dessert if you’d like! For questions, contact treasurer@southtabor.org.
We’re also working with SE Uplift’s Climate Justice Action Committee to increase the tree canopy in our neighborhood as part of Urban Forestry’s Yard Tree Giveaway Program. Stay tuned for details through STNA’s mailing list.
Neighborhood associations aren’t about telling you what color you can and can’t paint your house or to be gatekeepers about who belongs. We’re here to build community, stay informed and act on things we collectively agree are important to us. Everyone who considers South Tabor home is welcome at our monthly STNA meetings, held in person on the third Thursday of every month.
Join us at our next in-person meeting Thursday, July 17, 7 pm at a location TBD. We’ll hold our annual Board elections, so come get involved. To get the latest and to sign up for our low-traffic mailing list, visit southtabor.org.