Buckman Community Association
By Susan Lindsay
At the May 14 General Meeting, former county commissioner Sharon Meieran, physician and former ER doctor who served for the past eight years before term limiting out, attended and presented her analysis of what ails the county government, specifically its organization and unaudited spending. Meieran has been a powerful promoter of the idea that the county and the non-profits it funds for homeless and other social services, need an independent audit to increase efficiency, protect resources and build trust for tax payers. Her personal website, Fixing Multnomah (multcosharon.com), details longstanding problems, including the structure of the Commission, which gives the Chair near total control of the budget and agendas. Meieran supports the idea of combining the City and County promoted by Matt Zmuda through his petition drive (see multnomo.org) for efficiency, accountability and to better serve everyone.
At the upcoming June 11 meeting, representatives from PBOT will attend. One will be there to address concerns about traffic safety on E Burnside St. east of SE 20th Ave. The other will be doing public outreach around PBOT’s plan to narrow both SE 12th and 11th avenues and make significant street changes along the SE Pine St. to the SE Hawthorne Blvd. stretch.
June 11 is also Buckman Board elections night and at least four positions are available for persons wanting to run for a two year position. Board involvement is quite interesting and helpful to your community and neighborhood. Those interested need only commit to one meeting a month, held the second Thursday of the month (no meeting in August) and involvement on a committee, service position or project of their choosing. The meetings will be held 7-9 pm, at 1137 SE 20th Ave. Enter on SE Salmon St. at the keypad. There’s a hybrid option too! See our website for the link.
This August brings both of the BCA’s major events. Saturday, August 1 is Buckman Movie Night, and Sunday, August 2 is the Buckman Picnic. Both will be held in Colonel Summers Park and both are very kid-friendly. As we are an all volunteer organization, we really need some financial help as we have to pay Portland Parks & Recreation for the movie, permits, music, sound, as well as other city requirements. But our events are completely tax deductible so please give! You can donate directly on our website, buckmanpdx.org, or by sending a check made out to SEUL to 3534 SE Main St. You must write ‘For Buckman Picnic 2026’ in the check memo or across the top. Monies donated pay for both events; thank you to those who donate! For BCA event info and to volunteer or bring a booth, email buckmanpicnicteam@googlegroups.
HAND
By Jill Riebesehl
The Hosford-Abernethy Neighborhood Association (HAND) holds a special meeting every May in which we hear from guests on subjects of general interest. A while ago we heard from a Reed College employee about crows, our black-feathered overhead, underfoot denizens.
This year, two participants deeply involved in the fate of Ross Island explained a proposed solution to a question making headlines now: what to do with the massive spoils downriver, the largest Superfund site in the nation. The current proposal would set up contained aquatic disposal cells, or CADs, at the bottom of the river in island’s cove for 97 percent of the waste and send the remaining three percent (the most severely toxic) to a site up river.
At the meeting we decided to weigh in officially on two issues. The first is an effort by the city to update rules agreed to in 2005, giving neighborhoods a say in policies relevant to residents. The change would reverse the arrangement. The other issue, after much deliberation over months, is in response to a serious plan afoot for a bottle drop site at the intersection of SE Milwaukie Ave. and SE Powell Blvd. Involved in our objections would be an offer to help find a site that would be less congested and dangerous.
We are excited about a chance to help develop a new venue that just opened on a site at SE Caruthers St. between SE 7th Ave. and the SE Grand Ave. overpass that the city just closed off to traffic. A group of interested organizations and neighbors are working up possibilities for possible public use and celebration of the open space. First off would be a party, hopefully, Saturday, July 11. We agreed to chip in $200.
HAND is unique in that we have room on our Board for 20 folks. Rarely is that number filled up, but this year after elections our Board almost overflowed. We are now pleased to have the full 20 positions filled and welcome the newcomers.
HAND meetings take place 10 months of the year, on the second Tuesday of the month, 7-9 pm on the campus of St. Philip Neri.
Laurelhurst Neighborhood Association
By Nina Butingan
Laurelhurst will host its annual neighborhood-wide Garage Sale Saturday, June 20, 9 am-3 pm. Over 120 households participated in last year’s sale and, despite the rainy conditions, streets filled with shoppers from across the city looking to score a deal. A map of all participating homes will be available at laurelhurstpdx.org in mid-June.
Mt. Tabor Neighborhood Association
By David Petrozzi
“Things falling apart is a kind of testing and also a kind of healing. We think the point is to pass the test or to overcome the problem, but the truth is that things don’t really get solved. They come together and they fall apart. Then they come together again and fall apart again. It’s just like that. The healing comes from letting there be room for all of this to happen: room for grief, for relief, for misery, for joy.” – Pema Chodron
What a year! During our May meeting, MTNA held elections for the Board and delivered its annual report. Updates from the past 12 months included progress on many of our ongoing neighborhood initiatives, including: the continued success of our neighborhood cleanup event; participating in an archaeology roadshow; hosting Japanese government officials for a cultural exchange on best practices for neighborhood associations; modernizing our bylaws; organizing our first annual neighborhood yard sale; hosting a Tabor Together picnic so neighbors could get to know each other better; cleanup of the historic milepost 4 site; a community movie and discussion night organized in conjunction with faith-based partners; outreach regarding the ongoing Dairy Queen redevelopment; outreach to older adults to support positive aging, in conjunction with nonprofit groups like Giving Seniors a Voice PDX; our Tabor For All accessibility project designed to help people with disabilities better navigate our beautiful park; continued work to support transportation and pedestrian safety at various high volume intersections; advocating for the safety of critical energy infrastructure; working together with the Water Bureau to ensure our park reservoirs are in good shape; and hosting a community forum with Councilor Steve Novick, giving neighbors an opportunity to speak directly with one of their district representatives.
These are just a few items we were able to accomplish with the help of several nonprofit and business partners, as well as hours of work from countless unsung heroes living in our terrific community. Want to make your mark on Mt. Tabor? Join us at our next meeting Wednesday, June 10. The MTNA meets every second Wednesday of the month at 7 pm, online via Zoom and in person at Taborspace. Sign up and get more info on our website, mttaborpdx.org.
Richmond Neighborhood Association
By Allen Field
The Richmond Neighborhood Association (RNA) Board met May 11 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 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.
The RNA Board election is Monday, June 8 and Tuesday, June 9, 6-8 pm both days. Nine candidates are vying for eight seats: Kate Connolly, Callie Cooper, Fran Davison, Allen Field, Jascha Lee, Sheryl Lee, Adam Meltzer, Dan O’Farrell and Eric Swehla. Candidate Statements and print-at-home ballots are at richmondpdx.org. Candidates will give short statements at the start of the June 8 RNA Meeting, then people can go outside to vote. People can also drop off ballots June 9, 6-8 pm. People must drop off their own ballots.
The May 16 Richmond Cleanup was a great success, in spite of the rain clouds that passed through. A record number 101 volunteers helped the approximately 305 cars drop off bulky waste, metal and/or electronic recycling and drop off reusable items or shop at the U-Price-It Rummage and Plant Sales. The Cleanup was free and the donations we collected as well as the proceeds from the Plant and Rummage Sales entirely fund the event, in conjunction with a sponsorship from Metro’s Regional Refresh Fund. We picked up material from 17 senior homes and Community Warehouse collected a truckload of furniture and housewares to assist families in need. Contact richmondcleanup@gmail.com to volunteer for next year’s Cleanup, which will be held May 15, 2027.
Thank you to our business supporters for donating refreshments and/or plants: Fred Meyer (Hawthorne), Petite Provence (Division), Grand Central Bakery (Woodstock), Starbucks (SE 36th Ave. and Powell Blvd.), Voodoo Doughnuts, Rovente Pizza (Hawthorne), Safeway (Hawthorne), Portland Nursery, Trader Joe’s (SE 39th Ave.) and Costco. And thank you to SE Uplift for providing insurance coverage.
The RNA needs volunteers to deliver its quarterly Richmond newsletter. If you don’t receive it, the route you live on lacks a carrier. Contact rnanewsletter@gmail.com to help with deliveries.
The next meeting is June 8. Join us to get more involved in your neighborhood.
South Tabor Neighborhood Association
By Cathy Kudlick
Summer is almost here, which means it’s time for South Tabor’s annual Garage Sale and Garden Tour, taking place Saturday, June 6, 10 am-3 pm. You can learn details about specific spots by visiting our website (southtabor.org) or on Facebook. Or just wander our neighborhood and use it as an excuse to chat with neighbors!
To learn more about the South Tabor Neighborhood Association and sign up for our low-traffic email list, visit southtabor.org. Our next in-person meeting will be Thursday, June 18, 7 pm, location TBA.