Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Meeting about the possible loss of North Precinct this Wednesday

I just got this notice this morning - probably good for some to go if they have interest in this issue.

PUBLIC SAFETY ACTION COMMITTEE (PSAC)
January 28th, 2009
7:00 PM
Location: Historic Kenton Firehouse

Agenda:

Introductions:

Updates:
ONI
Neighborhood DA
North Precinct Command
Neighborhood Response Team
Bureau of Development Services
Other Bureaus / Agencies


Community Updates:
Neighborhood Associations
Business Associations
Any other community based group or individual

Other Business:

Adjourn

Next Meeting: Wednesday, February 25th, 2009

Monday, January 26, 2009

Bridge Info

Re the Columbia Crossing Project - and yes this project impacts us a lot!!

I pulled this paragraph from the minutes [below] as it is upcoming:

A meeting for Marine Drive stakeholders will be held on January 28 at the Kenton firehouse from 9-11 AM. Your concerns and opinions about the impacts to Marine Drive can be expressed at this meeting.

Neighborhood Assoc. Minutes of January 21

January 21, 2009 Meeting minutes

11 members present

Mark Wells (Mark.Wells@ci.portland.or.us), our liaison from North Portland Crime Prevention Office, introduced himself and described the services that are available from his office. He is the liaison for 7 neighborhoods and emphasized that the best way to contact him with any questions is through email as he is out in the field often but checks his email several times a day. He handed out guides to Home and Vehicle Security and gave recommendations to decrease the chances of becoming a victim of car prowlers. Don't leave valuables in the car, hide registration and insurance papers (he recommended hiding them underneath the spare tire in the trunk) and hang a "Stop Thief, there are no valuables in this car" notices from the rearview mirror. You can also empty out glove compartments and consoles and leave them open to clearly display that there is nothing in the car. Of course, he made no guarantee that doing all of these things would ensure that your car would not be broken into. In the event that you have a crime occur, he emphasized the need to report the crime using the non-emergency phone number if the vandals are already gone and the emergency phone number if a crime is in progress. However, after being informed that several residents had recently called the non-emergency number to report multiple break-ins and damage to vehicles and being told that they would not create a report, Mark advised calling the Police Information Line (503-823-4636) and said that they "have to" take a report and give you a case number that you can use for insurance purposes.

Mark also talked about creating good neighbor agreements within local neighborhoods if you have issues and gave examples such as having to deal with a neighbor who regularly leaves garbage outside their premises, etc.

And, to improve safety, he recommended paying attention to the lighting in the neighborhood and making sure that lighting that stops working gets fixed right away.

For additional information, go to the Website at www.portlandonline.com/oni/cp.

The next item on the agenda was the Columbia River Crossing (CRC) project. The guest speaker, Peter Ovington, attended to get neighborhood input and to answer questions about the current status of the project. All current material related to the project can be found on the Website at http://www.columbiarivercrossing.org/.



Two milestones have been achieved and will not be revisited. Yes, a new bridge will be built and yes, lightrail will be extended into Vancouver.

The next decision to be made is how many lanes the new bridge will have and whether two structures or three structures will be built.

Peter gave an overview of the effects of add/drop lanes and spoke about the negative effects of the current substandard on-off ramps at Hayden Island. Previous work on the project has already determined that there will not be more than 3 through lanes going North and 3 through lanes going South. He gave us a handout that describes the traffic effects of 8, 10 and 12 lanes and handed out diagrams of the Add/Drop Lanes in 8, 10 and 12 Lane designs. The criteria used to measure the traffic effects on the handout make the 12 Lanes option the most appealing option due to the decreased locations of unsafe and poor service, the decreased number of local streets impacted by the 12 Lane design, the decreased number of hours of congestion, the decreased number of collisions, the increased flow of traffic and decreased traffic diversion to I-205 and the potential for an HOV lane.

Concerns were expressed by a meeting participant about the increase in cancer rates related to pollution. Another participant responded that pollution was likely to be higher if traffic was at a standstill due to congestion rather than passing by rapidly in traffic that is flowing freely.

Another concern was expressed over the congestion being forced to the Rose Quarter. Walter presented statistics from research that discovered that 70% of traffic is getting on OR off I-5 before Rose Quarter and 40% of traffic is getting on AND off before Rose Quarter. So, traffic moving efficiently at the bridge does not necessarily increase congestion drastically at the Rose Quarter. And, the Rose Quarter is already a congestion problem that requires it's own project for resolving.

The function of electronic tolling was explained when a concern was raised about the slowing of traffic for toll collection. Local vehicles will carry transponders that will automatically be read and drivers will automatically be billed. Snapshots of license plates for vehicles without transponders will determine how vehicles from outside the area will be billed. Cars from other states that cross the bridge infrequently, for example, twice a year, may not be billed. The toll will automatically change to charge different rates during peak and off-peak hours.

Rick Page made some very good points about considering the long term value of building a 12 Lane bridge. He pointed out that we should be thinking about how the bridge will service traffic for 100 years and not just how the bridge serves the area in the immediate future. He pointed out how costly it would be in future dollars to re-visit the bridge project to add lanes in the future. He pointed out that cars in the future will not have the same carbon imprint as the cars that we drive today and it is not accurate to assume increased carbon monoxide output using today's vehicles as a basis. Carbon emissions will be less in future cars. He also pointed out the expanded capacity and flexibility provided in the 12 Lane design.

Walter verified that the cost increase for 6 lanes rather than 5 lanes in each direction was modest now. He also explained that the guardians of stopping freeway growth are our own representatives, for example, Amanda Fritz and Sam Adams. Freeway growth is seen as selling out to Urban sprawl. If the neighborhood disagrees with the concerns about Urban Sprawl resulting from increased traffic flow, it has to voice that disagreement because that is not being heard as strongly at this time.

A Portland City Council public hearing is scheduled on January 29th at Portland City Hall at 2:00 PM and a Project Sponsor Council meeting is scheduled on February 6 from 10-12 at ODOT - Region 1. The decision about the number of Lanes and the number of structures will be made at this meeting. Please attend to voice your opinions.

Walter also presented diagrams showing the neighborhood impacts for the 3 different bridge designs under consideration at this time. The newest design is a very desirable design for the Bridgeton neighborhood because Marine drive no longer directs traffic to the highway, it provides for a direct path to walk to Safeway on Hayden Island and it increases green space. It is very friendly to pedestrians and bicyclists.

A meeting for Marine Drive stakeholders will be held on January 28 at the Kenton firehouse from 9-11 AM. Your concerns and opinions about the impacts to Marine Drive can be expressed at this meeting.

There was additional discussion concerning a preference for closed Max platforms (accessed only through turnstiles with tickets rather than openly accessible with or without tickets). Closed access would enforce the purchase of tickets and would increase safety.

New platforms in Clackamas are being built as open platforms and some riders do not feel very safe. Recent headlines concerning crime on Max platforms support the concerns.

Peter pointed out that closed platforms create a different type of "sealed-in" safety issue and that Metro has a stronger preference for Open designs.

Stan asked about news on connecting the sidewalk and stairs at the school. Walter said there was no news, we have petitioned for funds, received a verbal OK, but there is no additional movement. We need to refocus on mitigation. The funds are available. We should talk to Leslie and create a smaller group to work on these issues. We will be getting more trees than we have space for. We should focus on planting on Gantenbein.

A question was raised concerning when the Alexan project was going to happen. Walter answered that current economic funding issues have slowed things down.

Another question was raised concerning the condo project between the Hotel and Pizza Mia. Walter described the project as 4 units of 36 condos in each unit. The hotel owner said that the units will initially be rented out until the economy picks up again at which point they will be converted to condos.

There were no additional questions, so the meeting was adjourned.

Monday, January 19, 2009

Latest Inaugural Watching/Partying Update

More places to watch and celebrate:

TV Coverage starts at 7 AM; Oath of office at 9 AM. At 9:01 AM PST we will have a new President!
Le Sorelle Cafe
8931 SE Foster Rd.
lesorelle-cafe.com
Opens at 7am
Coffee, breakfast and the Inauguration at KC's favorite close-to-home Coffee Stop!

Bipartisan Café, 7901 SE Stark
Not making it to Washington D.C. for the Inauguration of Barack Obama? Celebrate in style with us on Tuesday, January 20, starting at 7 a.m. with television coverage of the inauguration and the Bipartisan Inaugural Ball kicking off at 6 p.m. Giveaways and prizes will be featured throughout the day.

Reflections Talking Drum Bookstore
Opens at 7 AM for live viewing of the Inauguration.
Inauguration Celebration and Community Organizer 6 – 9 PM
Participate via Satellite in Inauguration Events,
Establish and Discuss Community Initiatives,
Network with your neighbors.
446 NE Killingworth
Phone: 503.288.4106
gloria@talkingdrumbookstore.com

"We've come this far by Faith and Action"
Inauguration Prayer Service

Food, Fellowship and Fun
Reception/Viewing Party at 6 PM; Prayer Service at 7:15 PM
Honoring Matrons of Motivation and Patrons of Progress (M.O.M.s & P.O.P.s) who set the tempo of Portland's civil rights movement.
Vancouver Avenue First Baptist Church
3138 N Vancouver Ave., Portland

The DPO's official Inauguration Victory Ball! Celebrate with decadent desserts, a limited edition souvenir for each guest, Obama auction packages, special guest appearances, a champagne toast to Barack Obama, and more! Dance the night away to some of Oregon's finest talent *Note: Oregon Victory Ball tickets also include entry after 11pm to our 21 & over Holocene event (below) as space allows.
Online registration is closed. There may be a few tickets left; contact beth@dpo.org if you want one.
Tiffany Center Emerald Ballroom (map)?1410 SW Morrison St. Portland, OR 97205
7:30 - midnight
Attire: Formal / Cocktail or your Patriotic Finest

Change is Here Dance Party
A Community Celebration of Democracy
Featuring Glasgow's own "JD Twitch" (OPTIMO) plus NIGHTCLUBBING with DJ's Linger & Quiet.
Get your groove on, drink Obama beer, score limited edition Inauguration event posters/gear and much much more. A sure fire way to make your co-workers jealous on Wednesday.
Holocene: 1001 SE Morrison St
8 PM – Close
$10 cover at the door

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Portland Inauguration Watch

The Multnomah County Dems are trying to find more breakfast places so everyone who wants can watch the Inauguration with friends.

Their list will be posted and emailed tomorrow evening...we are overloading the few places mentioned :D but I'll post places here as as I find them :

AM Inaugural Events

COOPERS COFFEE [6049 SE Stark ]

All day 8.a.m. to 10 p.m.

Showing all the inaugural events on their big screen while you can have some free chips and salsa. $1 buys your first glass of champagne,
$3 micro brews, and as always, wines are under $5/glass

Message from Coopers: Now lets watch the history we created together!
Hope to see ya here!! the Coopers Crew

You can keep checking MoveOn and other organizations at link here. If you can't find one near you host/post your own.

Friday, January 16, 2009

January Meeting - next Wednesday

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

7 PM @ Columbia Pioneer School

716 N. Marine Dr., Portland, OR

AGENDA:

Will there be 8, 10 or 12 lanes on the Columbia River Bridges?

This is the month that people need to let the city council and Metro know what they think about the number of lanes. In addition, Walter Valenta will bring the newest plans for the Marine Drive exchange.

Also—meet our new liaison from North Portland Crime Prevention Office. Mark Wells will introduce himself and talk about his goals. He will answer questions and try to set up ways to work with us.

For your information: BNA sent a letter of qualified support to the city planning department concerning the plans Trammel Crow Residential submitted to build the Alexan Columbia Waterfront apartment complex. If you have questions or would like a copy of our letter, please contact Leslie Sawyer. We urge every individual who received a notice to send their comments to Mark Walhood before Friday.

If you have questions or comments, please send an e-mail to

Leslie Sawyer, Chair, Bridgeton Neighborhood Association

parafriend@gmail.com

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Inauguration Day Morning Events

The Multnomah County Democrats are gathering to watch the swearing in at:

Krakow Koffeehouse and Market
3990 N. Interstate
Portland, OR 97227

If you have not been there - it's the ground floor of a new condo building.

Swearing in is at 9 AM - so come earlier...

One of our N. Portland PCPs owns this - so come out, eat and have fun while supporting a local dem business...

And the North Portland Neighborhood Services issued this invitation:

Join us to watch the inauguration of President Barack Obama on Tuesday morning on the big screen at the Historic Kenton Firehouse.
Doors will be open at 8:00 AM, the oath of office will be administered at 9:00 AM.
Drinks and breakfast snacks will be provided.

Historic Kenton Firehouse
8105 N Brandon St
8:00AM-11:00AM

Wednesday, January 07, 2009

Latest Email From Columbia Crossing Project

- Vancouver transit workshops to be held Jan. 10 and Jan. 14

- Project Sponsors Council meets Jan. 9

- CRC forms transit working groups

- Information presented at Dec. 2-3 open houses now online

Vancouver Transit Workshops to be held Jan. 10 and Jan. 14

The CRC project will host two transit workshops in Vancouver on Jan. 10 and Jan. 14.

A walking tour and hands-on workshops will be held for community members interested in downtown Vancouver transit issues. You are invited to come to any of these events to learn about and comment on light rail alignment, station and park and ride locations.

Saturday, January 10th

9 a.m. – Noon: Walking tour

Noon - 3 p.m.: Workshop

Hudson’s Bay High School

(Meet near main parking entrance for walking tour; enter through main doors for workshop)

1601 E. McLoughlin Blvd., Vancouver , WA 98663

Wednesday, January 14th

6 – 9 p.m.

Discovery Middle School (Enter through main doors)

800 E. 40th Street, Vancouver , WA 98663

Project Sponsors Council meets Jan. 9

The CRC Project Sponsors Council (PSC) will meet on Friday, Jan. 9, to hear results of an independent review of the project’s greenhouse gas analysis and continue discussions on the number of highway lanes in the project area. The January agenda also includes a discussion of land use effects. No recommendations are expected to be made at this meeting.

This meeting is open to the public and will take place from 10 a.m. to noon at the Southwest Region office of the Washington State Department of Transportation. Visit the project calendar for more information.

The PSC was appointed by Governor Chris Gregoire and Governor Ted Kulongoski to advise the Oregon and Washington departments of transportation on CRC project development.

CRC forms transit working groups

A new committee met for the first time January 6 to advise the CRC project on light rail alignment, station locations, and station and park and ride planning in Vancouver . The Vancouver transit working group is composed of more than 20 community residents, neighborhood and business leaders. Visit the group’s Web page for more information.

A similar group will be formed in Portland to advise the project on the light rail station design and location on Hayden Island .

Information presented at Dec. 2-3 open houses now online

On December 2-3, CRC held two open houses to provide updates on the project's progress since the adoption of a Locally Preferred Alternative in July. A total of 181 people attended the events to learn about plans for light rail on Hayden Island and in Vancouver , a replacement I-5 bridge, and fixing six highway interchanges between SR 500 and Columbia Blvd.

Information presented is now available on the CRC web site.

A report summarizing the comments received on the issues presented at the open houses will be provided to the Project Sponsors Council for its January 9 meeting.

Columbia River Crossing contact information

Email: feedback@columbiarivercrossing.org

Mail: 700 Washington St, Suite 300

Vancouver, WA 98660

Phone: 360-737-2726 or 503-256-2726

Fax: 360-737-0294


www.ColumbiaRiverCrossing.org