Author Archives: Gordon Riggs
April 5th General Meeting addresses Alberta Street
General Membership April 5 at 7 PM
Concordia University’s Luther Hall Room 121
This meeting, Sara Wittenberg, the new Executive Director of Alberta Main Street, will attend to tell us about their work to “advance efforts to develop Alberta Street as a vibrant, creative and sustainable commercial district serving residents and visitors to our community.”
A representative from Friends of Last Thursday will also join to discuss plans concerns for a safer, more family-friendly ‘Last Thursday.’
14 reasons we need to re-think the Columbia River Crossing
Tell Salem: We Need To Re-Think The Columbia River Crossing
Oregon’s Legislature is being asked to endorse the Columbia River Crossing — the most expensive public works project in the state’s history.
The project’s initial costs to Oregon are estimated at $450 million, but that’s not the half of it: The state will be on the hook for any cost overruns or shortfalls in funding from any other source. All three of ODOT’s biggest current projects — US 20, the Newberg-Dundee bypass, and the Grand Avenue Viaduct — are all more than 100 percent over their original budgets, and an overrun on the CRC would be devastating to the state.
- Too expensive: The Columbia River Crossing is a gigantic project and we can’t afford it; bridge construction represents only 10-20 percent of the total project cost.
- Smaller solutions work: Most of the traffic over the bridge is local and can be fixed with smaller, less expensive solutions.
- It will go over budget: ODOT is two times over budget on three of its largest projects, studies of mega-projects like the CRC over the past 70 years have found 90% of them go over budget.
- Our one big request: If this memorandum passes, the Columbia River Crossing will be our number one request to the Federal Government for funds, superseding all of Oregon’s other priorities.
- It locks us in: If the Federal Government comes through, the Legislature will now be on the hook for filling in any budget shortfalls that happen in the future (hint: it will).
- Fixing the bridge is cheap: Demolishing the bridge costs the same as retrofitting the bridge to be seismically safe.
- There are worse bridges: The Oregon Department of Transportation has identified 29 structurally unsafe interstate bridges in Oregon, the I-5 bridge ISN’T on that list (but the Marquam bridge is)
- A bridge for Washingtonian: The bridge mostly benefits commuters in Washington’s Clark County, but Oregonians will foot most of the cost.
- Not a bridge for Oregonians: And while the Columbia River Crossing wouldn’t benefit the whole state, the whole state will pay.
- Tolling causes chaos: Unless I-205 is tolled, traffic would flood over to that freeway crossing.
- Spreading Sprawl: The Columbia River Crossing would ignite Vancouver sprawl. Indeed, Clark County developers will benefit from avoiding Oregon’s income tax and urban growth boundary.
- Light rail is uncertain: There’s no commitment from Vancouver/Clark County to build light rail.
- Why not look at other answers? There has been no meaningful discussion by planners of alternatives like a freight lane, retro-fitting, or other alternatives that exist.
- Communities don’t want it: The Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods, which represents 12 neighborhood associations, has taken a position against the bridge.
Open House for design input for Alberta Court Crossing on 42nd Avenue
We’re holding 2 Open Houses in the Witham & Dickey Conference Room to present the progress in design planning for the Village Building Convergence Alberta Crossing Intersection project (NE 42nd Ave & Alberta Count). You can attend one or both meetings, as they are intended to give you 2 options for the best date that works for you:
Witham & Dickey Conference Room
4824 NE 42nd Avenue
Portland, Oregon 97218
Saturday, March 26 at 10:30am to noon.
Monday, March 28 at 3:15pm to 5 PM.
It’s essential that the project have considerable input from all of you as neighborhood and community stakeholders, and so your presence at one of these meetings is greatly valued. We want to develop a “master plan” that illustrates the long-term development goal for the intersection.
The design elements discussed include:
- Seating area space on the four corners, with an coordinated design theme, shelter cover and landscaping where possible.
- A structure design that incorporates metal and wood, and fits the architectural style of the corner buildings.
- NE corner (US Bank corner) designed as tribute “Weather Station” seating area in honor of Eddie Morgan.
- Wall murals on the north side of the Spare Room and south side of Doggy Business, with a design theme that links the two, and creates a visual flow between the two.
- Painted sidewalks on the four corners of the intersection
- Coordinated lighting on the four corners, that could also accommodate cross-street banners
Additional design elements for further enhancement and consideration:
- Changes to the surface of the west wall of the Witham and Dickey buildingDe-paving of the concrete in front of Wilshire Dental
- “Kiosk” created on the south side of the Doggie Business (in the closed-off doorway)
Priority sequence of development:
- Creation of a Master Plan design for the corner, including structure and landscaping design, wall mural design and sidewalk corner painting design.
- Wall murals (as a part of the VBC)
- Painting of the sidewalk corners—if the City requirements can be met in time for the VBC
- One corner landscaping and structure—to reflect the Master Plan.
Much discussion has already happened around design concepts. We hope to be able to give you examples of some of these concepts at the Open House.
The CRC: A Boatload of Questions
Good in the Neighborhood 2011
March 2011 CNA News
A Presentation on Urban Coyotes, Thursday March 3
Crossing the Columbia: How should we spend $3 to $10 billion?
Does the I-5 Bridge really need to be replaced?
Will the Columbia River Crossing improve the region’s livability?
How much will it really cost and how else could that money be used?
Make your voice heard to elected officials! Please join neighbors in voicing questions & comments about the Columbia River Crossing directly to elected officials!
What: Public Forum on the Columbia River Crossing (CRC). Co-sponsored by the Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods (NECN) & the Concordia Neighborhood Association
When: Monday, March 7th, 7pm to 9pm
Where: Concordia University’s Luther Hall – Room 121 (NE Holman btwn NE 27th & NE 29th)
Agenda:
- Overview of questions and concerns about the CRC project
- Statements from Neighborhood Associations & Neighbors
- Feedback from elected officials including: Tom Hughes, Rex Burkholder, Tina Kotek, Lew Frederick and Chip Shields.
More info: Contact the NECN at 503.823.4570 or visit www.NECoalition.org
Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods Awards $14, 597 in Grants for Diverse, Community-driven Projects
On Tuesday, January 18, 2011, the Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods (NECN) Board of Directors approved grant funding of $14,597 for a total of eleven community projects as recommended by the Neighborhood Small Grants Community Committee.
The overall goal of this grant program is to provide neighborhood and community-based organizations the opportunity to build community, attract new and diverse members and sustain current membership. This year’s program offered two funding categories: Neighborhood Small Grants as well as dedicated funding for Graffiti Abatement Projects.
The following projects are excellent examples of how people in inner north and northeast Portland are working together to improve the quality of our neighborhoods by building community, increasing volunteer capacity and forging new organizational partnerships (listed alphabetically):
Neighborhood Small Grants
2011 Summer’s Here Walk/Run
Step It Up Granted $1,000
On June 26, 2011, Step It Up will host a community 5k walk/run at Irving Park to celebrate our community’s youth, families and teens, encourage healthy lifestyles through exercise and good health and provide opportunities for organizations to share information with community members.
Chess for Success After-School Programs
Chess for Success Granted $1,000
Chess for Success will provide after-school chess clubs in three schools in Northeast Portland: Faubion, Vernon and Woodlawn, teaching and training community volunteers to assist in the clubs. Chess for Success brings together diverse students, teachers and volunteers, providing a safe haven for students after school.
Eliot Oral History Project Website & Community Listening Celebration
Eliot Neighborhood Association Granted $600
The Eliot Oral History Project will create a website for community members, including students at Boise Eliot Elementary, to use as a resource for learning about their neighbor-hood’s history. The group will also celebrate these histories at “The Gathering” an annual event at the end of August 2011 where people who grew up in Eliot reunite at Dawson Park to share stories and reconnect.
Emerson Street Project
Emerson Working Group Granted $1,000
A property at NE 8th and Emerson in the King Neighborhood will be transformed into an accessible, sustainable community garden and public space that facilitates ongoing community events and celebrates neighborhood history and culture. Project leaders will lead arts-based workshops, tours, local events and presentations with and for local residents, public schools, service organizations, students and parents.
Good in the Neighborhood Multicultural Music & Food Festival
Good in the Neighborhood Planning Council Granted $1,000
Funding will support the 19th annual Good in the Neighborhood Festival, an event that brings together neighbors at King School Park with two musical stages, food and craft vendors, twenty-two community resource tables and a parade. This grant funding will offset the cost of the annual park fee.
Healthy Homes, Healthy Kids
Josiah Hill III Clinic Granted $2,000
Healthy Homes, Healthy Kids will provide families with information and resources to address and prevent health hazards commonly found in homes. The Clinic is particularly concerned for children and families living in substandard housing, as low quality housing has been linked to a myriad of poor health outcomes including asthma, allergies, respiratory diseases, lead poisoning, unintentional injuries, infectious diseases, headaches and nausea.
Student-Led Solutions to Single-Use Plastic
Create Plenty Granted $1,000
Third-, fourth- and fifth-grade students at King Elementary School will engage in a research project about the effects of plastic on ecosystems, collect plastic from the waste stream at school and design 12” squares to display during the Last Thursday art walk on Alberta. Create Plenty will work with students to develop a presentation for the King Neighborhood Association highlighting solutions to single-use plastic based upon their research and experiences.
The Boise-Eliot Open Markets
Spencer Burton Granted $1,780
The Boise-Eliot Market brings together old and new residents from diverse ethnic backgrounds to buy, sell and trade locally made products at the busy intersection of Fremont and Williams in north Portland. With the hope of spurring the local economy by providing a launching ground for minority and women-owned start-up businesses, the Market will use funds to attract community members through live music, murals, a website and banners.
Graffiti Abatement Grants
Alameda Kinderpainters Mural Project
Alameda Neighborhood Association Granted $1,672
Muralists, property owners, PTA members, teachers, kindergarteners and their parents will team up to plan and paint murals on frequently graffitied retaining walls near Alameda Elementary School.
Mississippi Mural Project
Spencer Burton and Joanne Oleksiak Granted $1,945
Artists along with staff and students at Albina Youth Opportunity School, Our United Villages and Oregon UZN youth group will work with community members to develop a mural for the Albina Yard Facility, a maintenance building owned by the City of Portland on Mississippi Avenue.
One Stop Records Mural Project
Oregon Universal Zulu Nation Granted $1,600
Oregon Universal Zulu Nation (Oregon Universal) will work with youth from Outside In and the Vernon Neighborhood Association to design and install a mural on the west-facing wall of One Stop Records on the corner of NE 16th and Killingsworth. The project brings several accomplished muralists, Dylan Freeman, Levi Banner and Brooke Stein to the area and culminates with a community celebration with live music, guest speakers and a meal.
A selection committee, comprised of 10 community members, met in December 2010 to review the scores and discuss each proposal in-depth. Twenty-four grant proposals were received this year requesting a total of $40,209. With the total amount of requested funds at approximately $25,000 over the grant funds available, the committee decided on an evaluation method that ranked projects based on which had potential to have the broadest impact in the community. After much deliberation, the grant selection committee unanimously decided to recommend that the NECN Board of Directors fund the above projects, believing that the Neighborhood Small Grant Program adds great value to the community and to the neighborhood associations within our coalition area.
Funds for this granting program were allocated from the City of Portland’s Office of Neighborhood Involvement to the Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods for the 2011 Neighborhood Small Grant Program granting cycle. Businesses and individuals interested in further supporting community-based projects such as those listed above may make donations of any amount to the Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods’ Community Fund. The Community Fund provides essential seed money to valuable projects organized by neighbors, neighborhood associations and community organizations to meet community needs.
As a core part of the Portland Community Engagement System, NECN serves as one of seven district coalitions advancing neighborhood livability in Portland through highly inclusive civic engagement. We believe in creating healthy communities by engaging citizens to become directly involved in determining how their neighborhood evolves. NECN fulfills numerous functions: gathering place, idea and project incubator, and outreach service provider connecting community members to resources from agencies and organizations. Our 12 neighborhoods are: Alameda, Boise, Concordia, Eliot, Grant Park, Humboldt, Irvington, King, Sabin, Sullivan’s Gulch, Vernon and Woodlawn. For more information, please visit the Coalition’s website at necoalition.org.