Author: DNA Media
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Get Involved and Volunteer
Attend the Portland Downtown neighborhood association meeting
4th Tuesday of every month, 6:00-8:00 pm.
First UCC Congregational Church, Corner of Park and Madison.
Chair Walt Weyler, president@portlanddowntownna.com
Attend the Land Use and Transportation Committee meeting
1st and 3rd Tuesday of every Month 8:00-9:30 am,
Eliot Tower 1221 SW 10th Ave, 3rd Floor meeting room
Chair, Wendy Rahm, planning@portlanddowndownna.com
Volunteer for Committees and Action groups
Email the committee chair for volunteer opportunities
Outreach Committee, Chair Margaret Files, outreach@portlanddowntownna.com
Safety and Livability Committee, Co-Chairs Bob Davis & Chris Nielsen safety@portlanddowntownna.com
Homelessness Study Committee, Co-Chair David Dickson & Darlene Garrett Homeless@portlanddowntownna.com
Neighborhood Cleanup Group, Leader Brad Stanford, cleanup@portlanddowntownna.com
Air Quality Committee, Chair David Newman, airquality@portlanddowntownna.com
Communications Committee Chair Walter Weyler, communications@portlanddowntownna.com
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Volunteer Fair & Watershed Resource Center, 2019
Connection in Action: Volunteer Fair & Clothing Swap for a Better Portland
Thurs., September 12, 4-7 pm, Congregation Beth Israel, 1972 NW Flanders Ave.
Swap clothes, enjoy live music and connect with the organizations at the front line of the housing crisis. Whether you have time, a special skill or simply passion, find out how you can make a difference in a fun, casual environment in Northwest Portland.
Short on time, but want to contribute? You can drop off donations. We’re collecting:
- New socks & underwear
- Personal hygiene items
- School supplies & backpacks
While you connect and learn, enjoy live music from local musicians!
- 4 – 4:45 pm: Mr. Ben – Live Music for kids and their families
- 5 – 5:30 pm: Brandon Summers of The Helio Sequence
- 5:45 – 7 pm: Old Time Music Jam
The Circus Project will be showcasing their talents throughout the event, and The Rec Room will be providing fun games and activities. We will also have a few interactive activities for everyone to share ideas and express your commitment to taking action. Come to learn, connect, get involved and have some fun!
Learn more about Connection in Action
Now Serving Renters & Landlords
Get answers to all your rental questions from the Rental Services Office.
Summer Helpline hours: Call 503.823.1303- Monday, Wednesday, Friday & Saturday from 9 – 11 am & 1 – 4 pm
- Tuesdays from 7 am – 7 pm
The RSO Traveling Helpdesk will visit NWNW this September
- September 7, Central Library, 10 am to 2 pm
- September 14, Northwest Library, 11 am to 2 pm
This newsletter has been made possible through funding by the City of Portland, Office of Community & Civic Life. Any views or findings expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent those of the City of Portland or the bureau.
Copyright © 2019 Neighbors West-Northwest, All rights reserved.
Our mailing address is:
DNA Treasurer
P.O. Box 8452
Portland, OR 97207
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Portland Traffic and Transportation Class: The New Evolution
The Portland Bureau of Transportation is pleased to announce the 2019 Portland Traffic and Transportation Class: The New Evolution, led by Thuy Tu, a dynamic consultant and educator with over 20 years of experience as a Senior Transportation Planner and Civil Engineering Project Manager.The course will weave together transportation topics as they intersect with land use, mobility, social justice and racial equality. The 10-week course will feature guest speakers from community-based organizations and the transportation industry, as well as address themes such as Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion; Livability and Affordability; and Community Engagement. The course is designed for transportation enthusiasts to learn about evolving mobility and transportation opportunities in the city.
As an affiliate of the Portland Downtown Neighborhood Association, I’m writing to ask you to share this announcement with your network.
The class is open to Portland residents, with a cap of 30 students who will be selected by a random lottery to participate. Full scholarships are available for the 10-week course, which begins October 3rd, and meets Thursday nights from 6:40-8:40 p.m. at Portland State University (PSU). Classes will be live-streamed for participants who might otherwise not be able to attend in person on the PSU campus in downtown Portland. Anyone is welcome to watch the courses remotely using the website link below.
To learn more, please visit: www.portlandoregon.gov/transportation/psuclass
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Music on Main, 2019
Wednesday, July 31 at 5:00pm 7:00pm → more dates through August 28, 2019
Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall1037 S.W. Broadway, Portland, OR 97205
Local and regional musicians take to the streets in the 14th annual Music on Main summer festival, where you can enjoy these free concerts. Featuring a diverse collection of musical genres. Held next to the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall’s iconic Portland sign, the outdoor concert series is ultimately dance-able — and Instagram-able. (Wednesdays in July and August, 5–7 p.m.) -
Call to Attend Civic Life Code Change Advisory Committee Meeting
DNA Meeting UpdatesLadies and Gentlemen of the Downtown Neighborhood Association (DNA),
SUBJECT: DNA – Please come: DNA needs your voice!Civic Life’s Code Change Advisory Committee will meet this Thursday, July 18 at 5:30 PM at the Portland Water Bureau at 664 North Tillamok Street. They will consider recommending a change to Ordnance 3.96 which will strip recognition of Neighborhood Associations and the requirement for open meetings…….both changes opposed by many Neighborhood Association members. Your attendance at this meeting is encouraged.
This is a comprehensive, personal letter, sent by Goose Hollow member Tracy Prince, to City Council. This is a personal letter that has not been approved by the Goose Hollow Board.
Dear Mayor Wheeler and Commissioners,
I wanted to make sure you have some facts in the swirl of misinformation coming out of Civic Life and from Commissioner Eudaly and Suk Rhee regarding their claims of how terrible neighborhood associations are. And I want to make sure you know the importance of open meetings/open records requirements and geographic representation.Correcting the misinformation:
1) Eudaly and Rhee have said repeatedly that neighborhood associations are a bunch of retired white male home owners who do not represent renters or diverse populations. This is absolutely not true for Goose Hollow nor for many other neighborhoods.In Goose Hollow demographics, more than half of our neighbors are low-income renters, and Goose Hollow is around 15% people of color. The Goose Hollow Foothills League board very accurately and fairly represents our demographics.
2) Eudaly and Rhee argue that neighborhoods are obstructionists with new developments. While we do sometimes testify against developments, we also support many developers who come to our planning committee. In just one example, a new apartment complex was being built on SW Jefferson. We asked if they would build the first floor apartments so they could be rented for retail in the future. We knew the zoning was changing that would allow for such use. (For years we advocated for “ground floor active use” throughout Goose Hollow, since we know that a lively pedestrian experience and neighborhood coffee shops and restaurants makes for a better neighborhood.) I saw that they were having trouble renting the street level apartments, so I spoke to the manager and explained how they could rent them for retail spaces in the new code. He didn’t know about that and was very happy to be able to rent out the street level spaces. We often work with developers in such ways that the public is unaware of.
We also do a lot more than only development issues. Right now we are working on:
-a community mural
-helping incorporate Native American and Chinese American Goose Hollow history into the redevelopment of Lincoln High School
-dealing with neighborhood concerns over parking and safety
-neighborhood clean ups and graffiti removal
-planting rose bushes in public spaces
-tending to all 4 of the city planters on Vista Bridge that the city owns but doesn’t maintain
-explaining to our neighbors about reservoir work and PBOT street projects that impact them
-working with apartment managers on safety and security concerns
-advocating for 4-way stop signs at high-crash intersections
-working with ODOT to activate the land they own next to I-405 for food carts
-planning a neighborhood picnicWhy it would be DEVASTATING to remove open-meetings and public records requirements as Eudaly and Rhee propose:
Six years ago, residents didn’t have a say in the Goose Hollow neighborhood association because it had been taken over by developers and property owners who own large swaths of Goose Hollow but don’t live here. At that time we had weak bylaws that didn’t prohibit voting in your own financial interests and the bad actors weren’t following open meeting/ open records laws. After we rallied residents and voted out people who frequently voted in their own financial interests, we tightened our bylaws so that people can’t vote to enrich themselves. We used ONI Standards/Code 3.96 to take back our neighborhood and to insist upon open meetings and open records. Code 3.96 helped us take back our neighborhood association and give residents a voice where, once, only the most powerful who owned the most land had a voice. Without open meetings and open records, neighborhoods can easily be taken over by those who will profit the most. We need city law to continue to require the cleansing light of day so that bad actors must do their actions in public so that they can be held accountable. Eudaly and Rhee are fond of saying that they aren’t weakening the neighborhoods. But if they take away open meetings and open records laws, neighborhoods will be destroyed in a very short time.Neighborhood associations need a grievance process and insurance:
We need Code 3.96 to continue a robust grievance process so that residents have a legal means to force bad actors to do their actions in the public realm. We also need board and event insurance. If neighborhoods are no longer recognized in the code, they will each have to purchase insurance (currently purchased mostly by the coalitions). This would bankrupt many neighborhoods.DEMOCRACY IS GEOGRAPHICALLY BASED:
Eudaly and Rhee want to remove democracy from the Portland process. With at-large commissioner elections, the only geographic representation that Portlanders currently have is with neighborhood associations. Democracy is, at its root, about geographic representation. Goose Hollow very strongly believes that neighborhoods should be required to represent their demographics! That can certainly be improved in the revised code. But the Eudaly/Rhee idea that geographic representation is practically irrelevant is appalling. In Goose Hollow, that will disenfranchise most of our neighborhood who are disproportionately low income renters. Our neighbors may not have time to sign up for 10 affinity groups, but they keep up with what’s happening in their neighborhood so they know they are not alone when they have break ins, so they know when to volunteer for neighborhood clean ups, and so they can know people they pass on the street and feel a part of their neighborhood. Eudaly and Rhee’s proposals would dramatically erode this grass-roots democracy.
Please vote to reject removing open meetings/ open records laws, vote for continuing our current grievance process, and vote that neighborhoods remain recognized in the code (as they are today). Any organization receiving city money should be required to abide by these simple rules. If they want closed meetings, they don’t have to take city money.
Portland Downtown Neighborhood Association, All rights reserved. http://portlanddowntownna.com/
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Shemanski Weekly Farmers Market, 2019
Shemanski Park Farmers Market is a popular lunch and shopping destination for downtown residents, office workers, tourists, and local chefs. Founded in 1998, this gem of a market features over 30 vendor stalls filled with farm-fresh and locally-made food under a lush green canopy of trees.
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Portland Downtown National Night Out, August 4, 2017
Friday, August 4, 2017
PSU South Park Blocks – Between SW Harrison St & SW Montgomery St
6:00 – 8:30 PM
- Family friendly
- Free food and drinks
- Salsa music by Dina y Los Rumberos
- Free raffle prizes
Meet law enforcement officers, fire fighters, public safety officers, and community resource officials.
Join us and enjoy a night out to give crime a going-away party. Meet local community groups and find out what you can do to help keep our neighborhood clean and safe!