What does a swimming pool w/spa, open space for outdoor recreation, community meeting rooms, work out area, natural design and craft classes bring to mind? Hopefully if you have lived in Buckman for awhile, when asked to imagine frolicking in nearby amenities and recreational space what comes to mind is the new community center proposed to be built at Washington High School.
The history of this project is long extending for decades. The center’s creation at the corner of SE 12th and Stark has been the main goal of the Buckman Community Association for nearly six years and now we will lead a series of grassroots discussions of the new center, the scope and size of its footprint, and especially its impacts on our neighborhood with particular regards to parking and traffic changes and congestion.
The BCA is hosting a community discussion with our partners in Portland Parks about the center April 9th at 7pm at the Central Catholic High School Auditorium, 2401 SE Stark. This meeting will provide information, answer questions and get feedback from interested participants. All Buckman residents and those from other inner neighborhoods interested in the project are encouraged to come. We especially urge those living near the high school to attend. At this meeting you will find out the history of the project, the status of the land regarding ownership and zoning, how the land was purchased and paid for, the articles of community consensus from the long public process in 2004, and the exciting yet challenging possibilities and interesting constraints of funding the center with federal stimulus funding. The center with its pool, community field and preserved trees will be a wonderful amenity to our neighborhood and will serve many others on the inner eastside. But it will not be without impacts, and as the host neighborhood we will need to work together and advocate for a planned project of appropriate size and scope that will augment our great area, and not bury it in cars and traffic.
The BCA is also conducting monthly meetings about the center at our Land Use meeting, the *last* Thursday of every month, 6:30-8pm in the library of Buckman Elementary, 320 SE 16th. These meeting are informal, open to all, and a great place to share your ideas and find out more information.
For further information, contact the BCA at buckman_comm2000@hotmail.com (best way) or by telephone 503-236-2214.
Buckman Voice 