The Bridge is Coming? The Bridge is Coming?

Are you for or against a 12 lane bridge between here and Vancouver?

Do you have thoughts on what size bridge might work? Or whether a new bridge of any size really needed? Got other ideas?

There is an open meeting tonight at Expo to discuss the environmental impact statement...

Thursday, May 29, 2008
Open House: 5 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Public Hearing: 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Portland Metropolitan Exposition Center
2060 North Marine Drive, Hall D, Portland, OR 97217

Go here for more information and the statement ....http://www.columbiarivercrossing.org

You can also comment online.

And the neighborhood board is looking for a spot to host a neighborhood meeting in June to discuss this project.

Mallard babies

Momma watches while the babies eat.... good camouflage among the wet grasses....

New Board and Officers

These are your neighbors who were elected at the May meeting!

Officers:

Chair: Leslie Sawyer

Vice-Chair: Karen Jeffers

Secretary: Rich Brown

Treasurer: Chuck Wilson

Board Members:

Julie McKinney

Ann Neuenschwander

Chrys Pappas

Dustin Pruitt

Debbie Robertson

Elizabeth Sanders

Brian Stipak

Kim Swenson

Lynda Taylor

Walter Valenta

Matt Whitney

Congrats - and good luck and good wishes to the new board!

April's Board Minutes

Here are the minutes from the April Board Meeting

Bridgeton Neighborhood Association Board Meeting for April 16, 2008

The meeting was called to order by chairman, Matt Whitney at 7 pm.

The first item was a request from Jim Litton of the Rivers West Boat Shop asking for our backing of their grant application to PDC. They were turned down on their last request but have been informed that there are more funds available and were encouraged to reapply. They operate a nonprofit shop helping people build and repair wooden boats in the basement of Pier 99. They hope to get moneys to repair their electrical needs, improve water access, improve storage and other things. We voted to give them a letter of support.

Walter had an in-depth outline of the proposals coming out of the tree negotiations. Funding is still a huge issue, but everyone is working to get grants and funds from many sources. The committee has come up with the trees (80 in all) that it feels need to come down to meet the USAC guidelines and get certification (we have very little bargaining power because River Keepers is insisting that we not cut any tree that qualify to be saved and it wants as tall a canopy as can be obtained with our guidelines).

The committee members are now meeting with the land owners who are affected (They met with PYC today.) Only four more of the PYC trees are going to be cut. They are conduction a special study of the black cottonwood with the people most opposed to it being cut and the person at USAC who will make the final decision.

A comprehensive study and design specs have been done for the entire road with emphasis on replanting everywhere that we can. Special emphasis is being made of widening efforts at the school and PYC. They want to widen the levee on the river side—totally controlled by USAC and environmental issues--and the non river side. The school has agreed to as much as 35 feet filled in, which would give us room for sidewalks and qualified trees on that side of the road. PYC has been asked to plant trees on the water side on it’s parking lot and to consider some planters in the parking lot in addition to a widened section for green near the road.

As has been mentioned before, we can only plant trees that grow less than 30’ high at 20’ intervals on the water side of the levee where it is far enough from the road to keep the roots out of the core of the levee. The city forester is not in favor of saving “bad trees”. He is not apt to support saving the hacked trees at the school. The drainage district will pay to cut down the trees, but has to get help to fund the mitigation for the loss of the trees. Alise is drafting the agreement which will then have to be signed by the drainage district, bna, the city forester and the USAC. We should have tree removal near the end of summer—exception might be the trees on the non-water side which may be cut early to start the filling of that side to increase the size of the levee.

The board members may be asked for a quick vote to move the actions along for the committee. They will need to start the tree cutting permit process as soon as possible so that trees in certain areas can be cut quickly if we get a chance to fill in with dirt.

A related topic is asking people for ideas of what we want to do with the wood. Wayne has found a group that could make some art objects out of certain types of wood. Others want to put chips on proposed trail near Blue Frog.

There was a short discussion of the benefit concert. It will be held April 27^th and only 87 tickets have been sold at this time. We are getting good media coverage-Jim has sent out many announcements and it has been in a number of sections of the paper. Jim was wondering if someone would have a donation jar for the bands. Matt will be handling the money.(Walter will try to get a visa account available for us to use for the auction items.) He will sell the script that will be used to buy drinks and food and he will take the money for the auction items. He needs someone to assist him. Leslie volunteered to head up the bake sale portion of the function. Carol is working on donations for the silent auction. Kim, Bob and Karen will be handling the sale of beer, wine and pop. Decorating will be done on Saturday. There will be a meeting for the concert at Cherry Ann’s on Wednesday night the 23^rd at 7:30 to discuss any problems.

Jim Miller suggested that we pull together a Bridgeton Navy to help ferry volunteers to the shore of the Willamette for clean up day on May 17^th.

We voted to change the by-laws so that there can be 15 people on the board, but our current by-laws require a vote of the general membership. So that may have to be redone at the May meeting prior to the vote for board members and officers.

The list of people who are running for the board are as follows:

Richard Brown secretary

Leslie Sawyer chair
Karen Jeffers co-chair

Chuck Wilson treasure

Julie McKinney

Anne Neuenschwander

Chrys Pappas

Jon Peterson

Debbie Robertson

Elizabeth Sanders

Brian Stipak

Kim Swenson

Linda Taylor

Walter Valenta

Matt Whitney

The neighborhood Spring Clean-Up is this weekend April 19 and we will have three bins with volunteers watching to make sure that nothing is put into the bins that is prohibited. There will be a shredder at CE and free coffee for volunteers. Help is needed to clean up the triangle and section of road near it as well as volunteers to clean along Marine Drive.

To non-Oregonians

Maybe you are here because you want to know about the Oregon primary.

Oregon votes by mail - we got our ballots early in May and they are due back tonight by 8 P.M. to a drop off location.

Many have already been returned - but like taxes - people wait til the last minute to finish the ballots and drop them off at various sites around the state.

My county, Multnomah, added a drop off box near the Election Office to cut down on traffic congestion [it is a work day and it's a pretty high traffic area anyway : - )]

Another drop off site just added

If you haven't voted yet…

An additional official ballot drop box has been added at SE 12^th Ave. and Morrison St. due to the high volume of traffic (and resulting congestion) on 11^th Ave. at the Elections Office.

You can find a complete listing of official drop sites here:

http://www.co.multnomah.or.us/dbcs/elections/election_information/drop_sites.shtml

Last minute voting?

Some of us are still deciding who to vote for in many of the races taking place in Portland and in Oregon. Some are tough choices.

If you still ave your ballot at home - DO NOT MAIL IT IN...it needs to be IN by 8 PM tomorrow and it is best to take it to a drop off spot.

Instructions for May 19 and May 20 voting:

* Please bring your ballot in person to an official drop site, instead of mailing it in, to ensure that the Clerk's Office receives it in time.

* Election offices and drop sites are open until 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 20th. If you're in line by 8:00 p.m., you can vote or drop off your ballot.

* Make sure you sign the back of your outer return envelope.

* If you believe you are registered in Oregon but haven't received a ballot, you can go to your county elections office until 8:00 p.m. on May 20th to get a ballot and vote provisionally.

Don't forget to vote!

If you have not sent it your primary ballot - DO NOT MAIL IT IN - it's too late to guarantee delivery. Take it to a drop off spot.

Here are Multnomah County drop off sites - also your local library is a good spot for dropping off ballots.... http://www.co.multnomah.or.us/dbcs/elections/election_information/drop_sites.shtml

The River is VERY Cold

It's going to be hot today! Very hot. But the river remains very cold...and that cold can kill...

The river patrols will be out as they know people will be boating - power, sail, canoe and kayaks......it will be busy on the water and that makes for more issues...

SO - please be careful...don't go swimming, wear your PFD while in/on your boats and limit your alcohol intake in this heat! And pay attention to all the other crafts on the water.

And watch your pets....be sure they have lots of fresh water - this weather is a surprise to them as well. We have had no gradual increase - just a jump from winter to summer : - )

Mother's Day - the original

My annual tribute to the original Mother's Day

How did we get away from the original intent of Howe's mother's day proclamation to a now corporate event of sell sell sell and buy buy buy? Oh and do not forget to make those intercepted phone calls....

I cry for those mommy's who have lost their children in the mad shrub's so-called war....

Let's take back mother's day when we take back our country from these #$%#&$*&(^

Mother's Day Proclamation - 1870
by Julia Ward Howe

Arise then...women of this day!
Arise, all women who have hearts!
Whether your baptism be of water or of tears!
Say firmly:
"We will not have questions answered by irrelevant agencies,
Our husbands will not come to us, reeking with carnage,
For caresses and applause.
Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn
All that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience.
We, the women of one country,
Will be too tender of those of another country
To allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs."

From the voice of a devastated Earth a voice goes up with
Our own. It says: "Disarm! Disarm!
The sword of murder is not the balance of justice."
Blood does not wipe our dishonor,
Nor violence indicate possession.
As men have often forsaken the plough and the anvil
At the summons of war,
Let women now leave all that may be left of home
For a great and earnest day of counsel.
Let them meet first, as women, to bewail and commemorate the dead.
Let them solemnly take counsel with each other as to the means
Whereby the great human family can live in peace...
Each bearing after his own time the sacred impress, not of Caesar,
But of God -
In the name of womanhood and humanity, I earnestly ask
That a general congress of women without limit of nationality,
May be appointed and held at someplace deemed most convenient
And the earliest period consistent with its objects,
To promote the alliance of the different nationalities,
The amicable settlement of international questions,
The great and general interests of peace.


Peace,

Lynn

Bridgeton Board Elections

The ballots are out and must be returned by May 21 at the meeting

Ballots were emailed to those on the list, are in boxes along the road or can be downloaded here - [click on image and print]



The meeting is at 7 PM at the Columbia School and the ballot contains the agenda as well as the list of candidates.

You can write in someone so if you are interested, do that...or ask others if they are interested and all write in that person's name.

This year, the board members elected will choose the officers.

Some photos from the fundraiser

Photos below were taken by Leslie Sawyer at the event...

Board Elections

It's almost time to elect Bridgeton Neighborhood Board members and it seems there is still a chance to nominate yourself or others to be on the board.

If you want to do so - please send the name[s] and email address[es] of the nominee[s] to:

Matt Whitney
bridgeton.neighborhood@comcast.net 

When I get more information, I'll post it here....

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...