Trash Be Gone!!

Don't forget!  Clean out your own space this week and get that stuff ready to be carried to the dumpster this coming Saturday, May 10th from 9 AM to 3 PM.

Then after you do that, help someone else or help clean our street of weeds, trash, etc.

May 10th is the day to beautify our neighborhood!!

Clean Up Time Is Coming !!

Bridgeton Neighborhood
Spring Clean Up
 Saturday, May 10
9am to 3pm
 

Pitch in and help clean up to keep our beautiful neighborhood beautiful. Work parties will clean the triangle & the Bridgeton Slough at Gantenbein Ave and Marine Drive and along Bridgeton Road and Marine Drive.

There will be three drop boxes.
One at either end of the neighborhood and one for the cleanup of the corner of Bridgeton and Gantenbein.

This year we are strongly encouraging recycling materials.
We will have a special location for recyclable metals, electronics & appliances.

Three secure shred boxes will be at Channel’s Edge for your convenience.
( A $ donation for the document shredder is strongly encouraged to help defray costs).

WE NEED VOLUNTEERS!
Email Matt Whitney or give him a call: 503.285.3296 

Sponsored by
Bridgeton Neighborhood Association &North Portland Neighborhood Services

 

The BNA Wants YOU! Get Involved. Join the BNA Board and Keep Bridgeton a Thriving & Unique Neighborhood
The Bridgeton Neighborhood Association is vital to addressing the issues affecting the livability and quality of life in our unique neighborhood. The BNA is a community organization working on the  issues and needs of our neighborhood: the environment, land use, safety and security. We're looking new board members who want to make a difference and build Bridgeton's capacity to take action to move forward our priorities.

Being a board member doesn't have to be a huge time commitment. Contribute your energies on projects that match your skills and interests and help make the decisions that make Portland's smallest neighborhood the city's best kept secret.

If you want to add your voice, contact Leslie Sawyer

Leslie Sawyer
parafriend@comcast.net
Chair, Bridgeton Neighborhood Association

It Was A Great Day For a CleanUp

The sun came out - as did the people, rakes, gloves and of course - the "stuff."

Here are some photos of the day...more can be seen at my Facebook site:
http://www.facebook.com/lynn.dorman

Spring Clean up

Saturday  April 28

9am-2pm.

 

Please use this opportunity to help clean up our neighborhood. Work parties will clean the triangle at Gantenbein Ave and Marine Drive and along Bridgeton Road and Marine Drive.

 

There will be three drop boxes.

This year we are strongly encouraging recycling materials.

We will have a special location (the middle drop box near NE 1^st) for recyclable metals, electronics, appliances & old paint.

PLEASE no hazardous materials like gasoline or oil.

 

Three secure document shred boxes will be at Channel’s Edge for your convenience.

WE NEED VOLUNTEERS!

We hope to see everyone. 

Sponsored by

Bridgeton Neighborhood Association

 North Portland Neighborhood Services and

Questions? More Info?

Call Leslie Sawyer 503-314-2137

Matt Whitney 503-285-3296

It's Fall Cleanup Time!!

Saturday November 4th is the day to clean up our neighborhood.

From 9 AM to noon you can come out and help...

The roll offs need monitoring, the triangle on Marine/Gantenbein needs work and who knows - you might find a treasure in someone's junque!

Document shredder bins will be at Channel's Edge and a contribution is requested for this service.

Public Meeting on the Time, Place, and Manner (TPM) ordinance

This is from Rep. Tina Kotek.

I just got her email and the meeting is tonight at 6PM in Kenton!

Bridgeton itself has no bars or taverns but you might go to areas that do - and those areas may have ones with "issues." 

If you want to learn about the proposed liquor regulation changes - this is a meeting to attend.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Dear Friends,

As you know, the issues of community livability and public safety relating to bars and taverns have been a big priority of mine for legislative action. Even as we work to hold liquor licensees accountable with better laws, municipalities have an important role in enforcement and city ordinance. Pursuant to this role, the City of Portland's Office of Neighborhood Involvement is holding a public meeting to get input on changes to the Time, Place, and Manner (TPM) ordinance, which allows the city to regulate local liquor licensees.

What:  Community members are invited to a public meeting to learn about the proposed changes to local regulations of liquor licensed establishments, ask questions and submit testimony or comments.

When:           July 19th, 2011 at 6pm

Where:         Kenton Fire Station

                   8105 N Brandon Ave

You can view the proposed changes via the Office of Neighborhood Involvement's website . If you are unable to attend the public meeting, you can also comment via email to theresa.marchetti@portlandoregon.gov by July 22 at 5 PM. 

Many of you have helped us work on laws fighting dangerous bars and taverns in the past, and I know that this issue affects many people in our community. I hope that you will also get involved in the City of Portland's efforts!

Best wishes,

  

Spring 2011 CleanUp

Spring Clean up

Saturday April 23, 2011

9am-4pm

Please use this opportunity to help clean up our neighborhood. Work parties will clean the triangle & the Bridgeton Slough at Gantenbein Ave and Marine Drive and along Bridgeton Road and Marine Drive.

There will be three drop boxes. One at either end of the neighborhood and one for the cleanup of the corner of Bridgeton and Gantenbein.

This year we are strongly encouraging recycling materials.

We will have a special location for recyclable metals, electronics & appliances.

Three secure shred boxes will be at Channel’s Edge for your convenience.

( A $ donation for the document shredder is encouraged)

WE NEED VOLUNTEERS!

We hope to see everyone.

Levee vegetation clearing

Just a reminder:

On June 18th and 19th - that's this Thursday and Friday - a crew contracted by Pen2 will be cutting blackberries, grass and invasive weeds form the river side of the levee.

They will NOT be cutting trees!

They will though be using chainsaws so be prepared for the noise :D

Questions? Call:

Adam Zucker 503.281.5675 ext 308

or Bob Eaton 503.281.5675 ext 301

To Oregon Voters

Ballots arrived today BUT...

if you switched party affiliation - you probably got the wrong ballot!

The ballot for your new affiliation is allegedly coming soon - but if you do not get it call:

Multnomah County Elections
503.988.3720

Also if you think you filed to be a PCP - you probably are not on the ballot as only a few names are so you need to be a write-in!

If you live in the Bridgeton/Hayden Island neighborhood you are precinct 2143 for PCP voting...

Officers for the Board

Apparently there were no nominations made at the January meeting. As you can guess I did not make that meeting and there are no minutes posted anywhere.

When nominations will happen including how and all the rest is unknown to me at present.

There is meeting scheduled for March 19th so maybe we'll all find out more at that time

Oregonian article

Today's Oregonian has an article about the Bridgeton tree issue. Read it for an overview and update:

Click HERE

In my recollection of legal lingo there is a saying something like "a trial is the prime example of the failure of negotiation"....well that's what happened here. Only after a trial, and after the city's request that the two sides negotiate followed by the city's denial of the permit that the DD requested and requested that it happen AFTER negotiating - only then did the two sides sit and talk.

What a waste of tax payer monies. Not only is the BNA Board still looking for ways to raise money to pay off the legal fees, taxpayers paid for the court time and will also wind up paying for the cost of the DD attorney fees!

Maybe the next time an issue arises, the "powers that be" will not lie to the citizens but will try to communicate honestly and in good faith before taking unilateral action - and maybe the neighborhood association will start communicating to it's constituents openly and in a more timely manner.

Drainage District Meeting - December 6th at 6PM

This is a copy of the letter and agenda sent to all landowners in the DD.

Click on the images to download and read.
[not sure why they don't just enlarge - oh well]

First two images are the DD's summary of the legal situation regarding the trees and the third image is the agenda for the meeting

Anonymity and our neighborhood

Some neighbors have told me they agree with the anonymous neighbor postings and know that there is an unresolved issue in the neighborhood that was brought to light by the tree conflict.

Why neighbors choose to remain anonymous is that this is a small neighborhood and most everyone knows everyone else and we come into contact with each other on a regular basis. No one wants to step on toes for many reasons. By remaining anonymous, we can all go to the same parties and coffee shops and chat with each other with no hard feelings.

I am willing to remain as a conduit for anyone wishing to have a voice in the neighborhood. You all know how to find me : - )

Commentary by Brain Stipak

This is reprinted with Brian's permission.

One acre, one vote. That's not democracy

By Brian Stipak of Portland, Oregon. Brian is a professor of public administration in the Mark Hatfield School of Government at Portland State University.

Every citizen has an equal vote in national elections -- "One Person, One Vote". But in the Multnomah County Drainage District it's "One Acre, One Vote".

Bridgeton Neighborhood residents earlier this year tried to elect a local resident to the supervisors of Peninsula Drainage District No. 2 by attending the meeting for that election. Although we were a majority in attendance, we had but one vote each and were easily out-voted by several people (non-residents, I believe) casting hundreds of votes representing businesses owning hundreds of acres.

What consequences results from such undemocratic process? In the current controversy about tree-cutting in the Bridgeton Neighborhood, the District supervisors and staff ignore the voices of the local residents. 0);"> The State Legislature needs to change this undemocratic "one acre, one vote" governance that robs people who live in a neighborhood of representation on a local agency affecting the livability and safety of that neighborhood.

State Representative Tina Kotek has taken the lead in trying to correct this lack of representation of local residents, and she deserves our support.

Notes from a meeting with the Portland Police Bureau

The following notes are from a meeting between Bridgeton residents and the Portland Police Bureau.

The meeting took place October 22, 2007
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Present:

* Portland Police Bureau - Lieutenant Robert Day, Officer Colby Panter
* Ellen Osoinach, Deputy City Attorney
* BNA - Brian Stipak, Carol Emory, Leslie Sawyer

Meeting purpose was to discuss possible conflict over cutting Bridgeton trees and the Police Bureau's response to a conflict.

Brian stated that we hope the drainage district will act lawfully and follow required City tree permit procedures, and that the possibility of illegal tree cutting may now be lower because the board of supervisors for the drainage district may now be more involved. Brian stated that the BNA would act legally, would only intervene to stop illegal cutting, would not trespass on any private land against the wishes of a landowner, and would phone 911 as part of our response to illegal cutting.

Brian also gave Lieutenant Day and Ms. Osoinach copies of the letter signed by Bob Eaton which was distributed to residences in the Bridgeton area on September 18, 2007 informing them the drainage district would cut trees starting the next day. Brian pointed out the section in the letter which stated "any attempt to delay the progress will result in arrest of the person".

Lieutenant Day said that it would have been nice if the drainage district had contacted them before saying that the police would arrest people. He and Ellen Osoinach explained that the police would not arrest people for standing in the way of tree cutting unless there was a court order saying that residents could not interfere with the cutting, or unless someone was attempting to harm another person or property. Ms. Osoinach expressed concern about the potential for protesters to trespass on the private property of owners who actually wanted their trees cut.

Overall, Lt. Day was reassuring and made clear that the Police Bureau would not take sides in the conflict and would not arrest any Bridgeton residents on the basis of what was said by a drainage district official.

Carol said that the actions of Dave Hendricks as the operations manager for the drainage district has caused many people to have grave concerns about the safety of the levee. She cited how Hendricks said in court that he disagrees with the City Attorney and the City Forester and believes that he has the right to cut trees without obtaining tree cutting permits. She voiced the concern of many residents about the effect of removing trees on the safety of the levee and houses. She also repeated Brian's hope that the drainage district now will go through the tree cutting permit process with the City Forester.

Leslie said that we would probably not have thought of intervening to stop illegal tree cutting, except that the City Forester said that his response if the drainage district cut trees without going through the proper tree cutting process would be to fine the district. That would be a double hit for the residents. The trees would be gone with a higher potential of levee failure and the residents would have to pay the fines through increased taxes.

Lieutenant Day and Officer Panter have driven the area and were aware of the power company "trimming" of the trees at the school and the trees already cut at PYC. They did not know that all of those trees plus most of the other big and small trees on the levee were slated to be cut. They now understand the magnitude of the number of trees slated to be cut and our concerns for the safety of the levee.

They said that any call concerning tree cutting on Bridgeton Road would be taken seriously and there would be supervisors on site as well as police. They welcomed the constructive purpose and manner of our contact, Brian's patient persistence in arranging the meeting, and said that it was useful for them to be able to alert the day officers who might be less familiar with the neighborhood than the evening officers who attend our meetings.

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