Neighborhood Notes

Minutes from General Meeting

August 13, 2008

List of attendees (at end of minutes)

Quorum met.

Agenda (Exhibit 1)

Minutes from July meeting

The minutes from July 9, 2008 were approved without changes.

Standing reports

Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods (NECN) - Sylvia Evans (Exhibits 2-4)

8/20 - every third Wednesday the Coalition holds an organizers gathering and social.

8/23 - Community party at Dishman. (Exhibit 2) NECN is looking for volunteers to help with the event.

8/23 - King school clean up

The Coalition is working with Jefferson High School to put on a multi-cultural talent show. Auditions begin 8/23. (Exhibit 3)

City of Portland announces nominations for Spirit of Portland awards. Nominations are due by 10/24. (Exhibit 4) Contact Nell Wagenaar at 503-823-3997.

There is a proposal to create a fact sheet similar to the one prepared by Humboldt - if you are interested in working on it, contact Sylvia who will work with interns. The facts include census data, services, achievements, crime and safety, etc. Sylvia@necoalition.org or 503-823-4113.

Public Safety and Action Committee - Sylvia Evans (Exhibit 5)

PSAC meets on the fourth Tuesday of each month. One program for youth is designed to encourage walking. (Exhibit 5)

Portland Police report - Officer Sims

Officer Sims responded to specific situations identified by attendees. The Church Street issues seem to be under control; the precinct has increased patrols. There was an issue of a shooting at 9th and Alberta - no one was arrested, there were no victims, and no guns were found. Last Thursday in July went well.

Please email Officer Sims directly with specific questions and incidents (for example, give addresses, dates, or other information that he can research): bsims@portlandpolice.org or call the police non-emergency number at 503-823-5833.

Miracles Club update

Herman Bryant stated that it now appears there may be some issues with "no exit" on Grand for emergency purposes. This could be a problem for a fire truck to turn around. A crime prevention assessment looked at the design and determined it might not be safe. There are additional "CRIME PREVENTION THROUGH ENVIRONMENT" principles that exclude walls as safety measures. Celeste Carey from the Office of Neighborhood Involvement (503-823-4764) said there would be on-going meetings to discuss options.

Celeste Carey will organize discussions with all stakeholders for a Good Neighbor Agreement to address hours of operation, events, traffic, etc.

St Andrew Master Plan update

Trish Bradley provided an update on the master plan for capital improvements over next three years. She drafted a letter of support that KNA board could consider signing and submitting for the city hearings in mid-September. A neighborhood letter of support will support the church's presentation to planning committees. Although the city notifies the neighborhood, the church will go door-to-door all around to answer questions and inform folks. The church plans to hold an open house to invite the neighborhood in to tour the facilities and learn more about the master plan. Information about the Master Plan is also on the St. Andrews website:

http://www.standrewchurch.com/. Although there's no written description yet, there are pictures, drawings, etc. of what the campus does and may look like when the project is completed.

St. Andrew will continue providing emergency services (food, clothing, furniture) for neighbors in need. The capital improvements will improve spaces where services are provided. Groundbreaking is set for May 2009.

Changes to the #6 bus line on MLK

Tom Mills and Inessa Hamilton-Lee of TriMet explained that the #6 bus could be affected by the Max green line from Clackamas Town Center along I-205 that continues down to PSU. Once the line is operating, Max service on the east side and downtown will increase to every five minutes.

Research shows that most passengers do not continue on the line south of the Max station at the Convention Center. The preliminary proposal is to send the #6 to the Lloyd district where it intersects with #70 for an eastside cross-town route. There would be a new shuttle route for central eastside area, perhaps going to OMSI until the street car comes in.

This shift of the #6 would allow direct access to Lloyd Center and Benson High School. Although the Green line is not expected to be operating until 9/09, TriMet would like to make this change earlier - perhaps when transit mall reopens in May 2009.

Process - in October there will be neighborhood meetings to talk with neighbors and TriMet planners; followed by a public hearing in November 2008. A final decision will be made by the end of 2008.

Send comments and feedback directly to TriMet staff: millst@trimet.org or leei@trimet.org.

Public Involvement Advisory Council (Exhibit 6)

Afifa Ahmed-Shafi of the Office of Neighborhood Involvement (ONI) provided an overview of the Neighborhood Resource Center which includes a Public Involvement Standards Program.

The program addresses how to improve public involvement (PI) in city decision-making with a consistent process and guidelines across bureaus (e.g., water bureau, sustainable development). In the program, they are holding a networking session for PI staff across bureaus to learn best practices and new policies to take to city council. She noted that the Public Involvement Advisory Council meetings are open to the public. She is also talking to Metro, the Port of Portland, and the county to discuss ideas and models for other entities.

Restorative Listening Project (Exhibits 7-8)

Judith Mowry (ONI) described the Restorative Listening concept which addresses issues of living in a changing society through civic dialogue. The Project on Gentrification is an opportunity for neighbors to understand what the experience is like for the black community and learn how individual behavior affects others. Listening events are followed by a debrief - "what did you hear and do you have any questions."

For more information on upcoming events, contact Judith at Judith.Mowry@ci.portland.or.us or 503-823-4112.

Basic Rights Oregon (Exhibit 9)

Michael Sandmeyer provided detailed information on domestic partnerships as described in the Oregon Family Fairness Act. He reviewed the status of current laws affecting discrimination at the state level. He noted that there are still some discrepancies among state agencies. The new law affects housing and tenancy issues.

Friends of Trees (Exhibit 10)

Irek Wielgosz invited the neighborhood to participate in the annual Friends of Trees planting scheduled for 2/14/09. It is time to start ordering now. Applications and information can be found on http://www.friendsoftrees.org/ . If you would like to order trees, contact Irek at 504 NE Failing Street or irek.wielgosz@kingneighborhood.org by 12/15/08. Talk to your neighbors who may be "tree deficient" in either the parking strip or their yard and encourage them to participate in the planting program.

Administrative issues

Treasurer's report (submitted by Trace Salmon)

The Association's reserves are $8,787.50. We have not committed to any expenditures other than $15 for refreshments for the August meeting. Trace recommends that the Association make a budget and identify future sources of income and target future expenses. He proposes that we make 10% of the budget available for the block party subsidies of $75 each year. Therefore, if adopted, up to $825 would be available for block parties this year if no other expenses draw down the account.

This action will require future Board action. It is still important for KNA to have a budget before approving expenditures. ACTION ITEM

Charles Boardman reported that the NECN has requested that the Association co-sponsor the Dishman event (Exhibit 2) for $167 on 8/23. APPROVED

Land use committee

No-one present. The KNA board needs to establish a charter for this committee which identifies the scope of their responsibilities and the expectations of the board for meetings, report outs, products, etc. ACTION ITEM

Communications/outreach

This team has met and is working on a website. They hope to eventually send a post card with web info. The team is also working on a newsletter, and is coordinating with other neighborhood associations to learn about advertising.

Future agenda topics: Next meeting 9/10/08

Should someone from the Association be a representative on the OLCC?

Invite Sarah King from PDC for an update. Will PDC support a 24 hour Fitness at Vanport?

Neighborhood Diaries are project - Abraham Ingle

LIST OF ACTION ITEMS

* KNA must develop a budget before approving expenditures.
* The KNA board needs to establish a charter for the Land use committee which identifies the scope of their responsibilities and the expectations of the board for meetings, report outs, products, etc.

Attendees:

Afifa Ahmed-Shafi, ONI

Joy Armagost, resident

Charles Boardman, resident (Chair)

Michelle Bonnette, resident

Trish Bradley, St Andrew Church

Herman Bryant, Miracles Club

Celeste Carey, ONI

Leslie Cormier, resident (At-Large Rep #1)

Sylvia Evans, NECN

Gabrielle Foulkes, resident (Secretary)

Inessa Hamilton-Lee, TriMet

Janice Lucas, resident (At-Large Rep #5)

Vanessa Margolis, resident

Tom Mills, TriMet

Judith Mowry, ONI

Michael Sandmeyer, Basic Rights Oregon