Buckman Community Association
By Susan Lindsay
The Buckman Community Association (BCA) hosted District 3 City Councilors Angelita Morillo and Steve Novick separately at our February 12 meeting. Both were well spoken, informed and engaged dynamically with attendees as they addressed questions and concerns ranging widely from the recently found $100 million in City budgetary dollars to local concerns of transportation cuts and exposed hazards in streets.
March 12 we’ll host our third D3 Rep., Tiffany Lane Koyama, who served as Council VP last year. Looking ahead, we plan to invite sitting Multnomah County Commissioners Shannon Singleton and Julia Brim Edwards to our April meeting. Both are planning on running for the position of Multnomah County Chair.
Good News! Buckman has again been awarded a Summer Free For All: Movie in the Park. While we can’t yet reveal the exact date or movie title (due to Parks protocol), we can say it will be a very fun summer afternoon and evening. This year we’ll be combining some of the elements of our traditional Buckman summer picnic to hold before the film comes on. The movie is “free for all” except for the hosting neighborhood and we’ll start fundraising for those fees and our related picnic activities soon. All donations are tax-deductible and will go directly to pay for the movie, music and any special attractions for the kids. Buckman picnics are 100 percent volunteer and sponsor/donor supported so please consider volunteering.
The food cart pods at SE 28th Ave. and SE Ankeny St. are doing significant upgrades to include indoor restrooms, roof deck, covered seating, but keeping the fire pit.
The Fifth Annual Qing Ming Festival will take place Saturday, April 4, 11 am-1 pm at Lone Fir Cemetery to kick off construction of the Chinese Worker Memorial at Block 14. Registration link for this event and more land use information is on our website buckmanpdx.org. You can also register there for our monthly e-newsletter, read past meeting minutes and get more comprehensive land use updates. Contact the BCA directly anytime at buckmanboard@googlegroups.com. We meet the second Thursday of every month, except August, 7-9 pm at 1137 SE 20th Ave. (enter on SE Salmon St.). Hybrid option too! Find the link on our website.
HAND
By Jill Riebesehl
Top ongoing concerns for the Hosford-Abernethy Neighborhood Association (HAND) Board continue to be the Clinton temporary alternative shelter site (TASS) and a proposed bottle-drop. The shelter lease expires at the end of June. It is under negotiation and waiting on City Council budget appropriations. Discussion among those at our February meeting covered a variety of pros and cons on the TASS as well as the bottle-drop site. Meeting attendees suggested that the city add neighborhood groups to the ongoing city/bottle drop discussions. Portland Solutions Deputy Director Hank Smith joined us with updates.
Representatives of the Abernethy PTA returned to HAND with more information on activities in April and May: spring cleanup, fundraiser, bike fair and carnival. They also described the many adjunct activities available to help students who are learning to read. Those interested in helping can contact Felice Lamb at felice.lamb@supportabernethy.org. Regarding the ongoing Portland Public Schools budget negotiations, Abernethy could end up with blended 1st-2nd and 3rd-4th grades, as well as some support staff loss. The PTA meets at 6:30-8 pm, on third Thursdays in the school’s auditorium.
Nancy Chapin gave us a rundown on celebrations (which have been extended to cover three days) around the 82nd Avenue of Roses Parade. The parade is Saturday, April 25; other activities include a carnival, classic car show, farmers market and two contests. The theme this year is History of East Portland.
The HAND Board agreed to approve Willamette River’s Human Access Project grants up to $50,000 this calendar year. PSU student Diane Odeh, a PSU PHd candidate, is studying why people join neighborhood associations, ways to sustain participation and how to help recruit and retain members. And a neighbor mentioned scheduling a possible neighborhood cleanup. HAND contact is Chris Eykamp, HAND chair.
The Board holds open meetings on the St. Philip Neri campus, the second Tuesday of the month, 7-9 pm. All neighbors and businesses are welcome.
Mt. Tabor Neighborhood Association
By David Petrozzi
MTNA was pleased to host an intimate Q&A session for the public with District 3 Councilperson Steve Novick at the February meeting. Novick spoke openly about various legislative initiatives currently underway, including his priorities around nuisance properties, enhancing gun safety, cracking down on questionable massage parlors and cutting regulations to make permitting easier and less costly for small businesses in our community. Councilor Novick also revealed some of the deliberations currently underway on how to spend resources from Portland’s Clean Energy Fund and the Housing Bureau. We’re always delighted when a government official makes time to drop by and chat with our members, as it shows a willingness to hear from and represent the very public who elected them.
Our February meeting also featured updates on the Pedestrian Safety Project, which is planning a future panel to be hosted by the Mt. Tabor Adventist Church. This body will solicit community input directly from neighbors on how to improve safety at challenging crossings they may face during their walking or biking commute. Thursday, April 2 the Tabor Heights United Methodist Church will host a screening of “No Place to Grow Old” followed by community discussion. Finally, check this space for future information on “Roll in the Park,” an event currently in the planning phase from the Oregon Wheelchair Hiking Group in conjunction with our Tabor for All initiative, ensuring absolutely everyone has the opportunity to enjoy our beautiful park.
In this era of technological acceleration and political outrage, stay positive by taking action and making a difference in your community. Just looking someone in the eye, smiling and saying hello can be your way of making a meaningful difference in the world. After all, if those who don’t have our best interests in mind want us divided, then clearly the solution is that we should come closer together. Why not join the MTNA at our monthly meetings, held in person at Taborspace and online via Zoom, on the second Wednesday of each month? You can sign up and get much more information at our website, mttaborpdx.org.
Richmond Neighborhood Association
By Allen Field
The Richmond Neighborhood Association (RNA) Board met February 9 at Central Christian Church, 1844 SE César E Chávez Blvd. Meetings are the second Monday of each month, 7–9 pm, except January. Everyone is welcome to attend in person or via Zoom. The Zoom registration link is at richmondpdx.org and on every agenda, which is sent to the RNA listserv. Meetings are recorded and posted on the RNA’s website, richmondpdx.org. To join the listserv, email richmondnasecretary@gmail.com.
Most of the meeting was a presentation by Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) and Q&A about César E Chávez Blvd. safety issues. Clay Veka, Vision Zero Program Director, was the lead presenter, with several other PBOT staff present. Also in attendance were District 3 Councilors Tiffany Koyama Lane and Steve Novick.
PBOT is launching a transportation safety planning study for César E Chávez Blvd., focusing on the segment from SE Powell Blvd. to the I-84. It is currently in a public engagement phase on César E Chávez Blvd. (SE Lafayette Ct. to SE Schiller St.). The Safety Project will likely reduce lanes, either to two lanes or three lanes with a center turning lane. For information about these projects and to sign up for project updates, visit bit.ly/4rrJKbN.
PBOT will be at the RNA’s March 9 meeting to discuss a SE Division St. repaving project, to start this Spring, repaving SE Division St. from SE César E Chávez Blvd. to SE 50th Ave. or SE 52nd Ave. The developer and architect for the SE César E Chávez Blvd. and SE Division/Caruthers streets apartment building developments will also be attending.
The RNA needs volunteers to deliver its quarterly Richmond News newsletter. If you don’t receive it, the route you live on lacks a carrier. Contact rnanewsletter@gmail.com to help with deliveries. We are also seeking volunteers to help with the Richmond Spring Cleanup, Saturday, May 16. Contact richmondcleanup@gmail.com to sign up to help at the event.
The next meeting is March 9. Join us to get more involved in your neighborhood.
South Tabor Neighborhood Association
By Cathy Kudlick
For February, we pushed back our regular meeting time to allow interested neighbors to attend Protect Oregon’s District 3 meeting on strategic nonviolent noncooperation being held at Apano.
After sharing insights from the meeting at a neighbor’s home, we reviewed options for future meeting locations and continued our discussion about organizing small projects—things that are too big for a single person or household to do, but maybe too small for the City to prioritize. We’ve been surveying neighbors to get ideas and gauge interest.
To learn more, connect and pitch in, visit southtabor.org. There you can also sign up for our low-traffic mailing list and our online newsletter, the South Tabor Crow. Best of all, join neighbors at our in-person gatherings on the third Thursday of every month, 7–8:30 pm. It’s a great time to help shape everything from candidate visits to spring and summer events.
Our next meeting will be Thursday, March 19, 7 pm, location TBA.
Sunnyside Neighborhood Association
By Gloria Jacobs
In February, the SNA Board met and discussed some potential new projects for this year, including the Sunnyside Cleanup Day, a community potluck, a new mural on the blank wall of the Sunnyside Community Center facing SES and the neighborhood Garage Sale.
What do you think? What would you like to be involved with planning or participating in? Share your thoughts on Facebook or at sunnysideboard@googlegroups.com.
You are invited to come to the next General Meeting Wednesday, March 11, 7 pm at Southeast Uplift (3534 SE Main St.). Councilor Steve Novick will join us to discuss all the happenings at City Hall. Bring your questions, concerns and comments!
The Sunnyside Shower Project (SSP) has merch for sale: t-shirts, hoodies, long-sleeved T-shirts and crewneck sweatshirts. The fundraiser (customink.com/fundraising/sunnysideshowerproject) is live through Sunday, March 15. The front image features work by a fantastic Sunnyside artist, MuteNeighbor, and the back has the SSP’s new logo.
We are looking for someone to deliver newsletter bundles in the area bordered by SE Stark St., SE Belmont St., SE 28th Ave. and SE 39th Ave. Contact Carrie (fergrex@gmail.com) for more information.