Neighborhood Small Grant Applications Due Jan 5th

Do you have a small but powerful idea for strengthening your neighborhood? Perhaps you want to revive a forgotten city tradition? Host a civics workshop? Organize a tenant rights forum? Paint an intersection mural? Create a community garden?

SE Uplift invites ordinary Portlanders like you to shape and create your neighborhood by applying for a Neighborhood Small Grant. Grants range from $300-$4,000 and are intended to spur small, grassroots community efforts aimed at connecting and engaging residents, building community capacity, improving neighborhood livability, or increasing community impact on public decision making.

Attend one of the Grant Information Workshops at SE Uplift (3534 SE Main) to learn more!

Saturday, November 15th: 10 am – noon

Wednesday, November 19th:  7 pm – 9 pm

For more information and to RSVP for a workshop, visit www.seuplift.org/NSG

Ideas for Parking Policy in Buckman and Portland

The Portland Bureau of Transportation has a new project called “Centers + Corridors, Parking Toolkit and Analysis”, which is exploring options for changing parking policy.

Buckman resident William Gregg is serving on the Stakeholder Advisory Committee, and is looking for ideas:

“We will be developing several toolkits that can be used for varying situations and it will ultimately be sent to City Council for a vote.

While it seems like it is ultimately headed to the establishment of a new 24 hour area parking permit system and thus charging a monthly fee to park on the streets, I feel there are many other things that can also be implemented to increase the supply of spaces and reduce the demand for spaces.  I have come up with six ideas of my own, but would like to enlist the help of the community in coming up with some ideas of their own that I can present to the committee.

Building new parking garages is off the table.

Most any and all suggestions are fine and will be taken under consideration.   Feel free to send any ideas to William Gregg at:  WGregg123@aol.com“

Land Use meeting for Development at 1424 E Burnside

Parker McNulty of Ankeny Building, LLC has submitted plans for a new mixed use development at 1424 E Burnside.

The BCA’s Land Use Committee is hosting a public meeting with the architect, Brett Schulz, this coming Monday April 7th from 7-9 PM.  The meeting is at Brett Schulz’s offices at 1111 E Burnside St. on the 3rd floor.  If you need access to the elevator, please call Brett at (503) 222-9099.

The site currently has a retail space in front of a 1896 duplex, and includes a parking lot stretching back to Ankeny.  The proposed development calls for two retail spaces on Burnside, with 42 apartments and 18 parking spaces.  The developer is requesting adjustments related to the parking layout and loading zone, which requires a Type II proposal.  Public comments on the adjustments will be accepted until April 11th.  Click here to read the Type II proposal.

Please join us to share your feedback on this project.

20’s Bikeway Open House

A major addition to Portland’s bicycle network is being planned now. The NE/SE 20s Bikeway will extend 9 miles from the north end of the city to the south, running along streets generally between 26th and 29th avenues, connecting numerous neighborhoods more safely to schools and other local destinations. The Portland Bureau of Transportation and the Stakeholder Advisory Committee are holding Open Houses to discuss route alignment options, design options and issues, and crossing improvements at major streets.

The Open House in Buckman is Tuesday March 18th at Central Catholic High School. Please join us any time between 6 PM and 8:30 PM at any of the Open Houses.

The other Open Houses are Thursday March 13th at Fremont United Methodist Church, and Monday March 17th at Cleveland High School.

For more information, contact the BCA or Rich Newlands: rich.newlands@portlandoregon.gov or 503-823-7780. Online at http://www.portlandoregon.gov/transportation/20sbikeway

20s BIKEWAY_poster

Buckman Art Show and Sell

It’s almost time for the 24th annual Buckman Art Show & Sell! – a benefit for the Buckman PTA.

This 24-year tradition features the original artwork of approximately 140 to 150 artists and craftspersons, including paintings, prints, photography, sculpture, ceramics, jewelry, textile and other wearable art, toys, and much more, in a fun festival setting. A student gallery showcases the work of Buckman students and alumni. Food carts, live music, dance performances and hands-on art activities for kids make the Buckman Art Show & Sell a fantastic event for the whole family. Don’t miss it!

Saturday, March 8, 11am to 7pm

Sunday, March 9, 11am to 5pm

Venue: Buckman Arts Focus Elementary School, 320 SE 16th Avenue, Portland, Oregon

Admission: $2 suggested donation per person (children 4 and under free)

East Burnside Safety Project

From Clay Veka at PBoT, here is a chance to learn more and weigh in on potential changes to East Burnside:

The Buckman and Kerns neighborhood associations and the Burnside East Business Alliance, in partnership with the Portland Bureau of Transportation, invite you to… 

East Burnside (14^th – 32^nd) Safety Project Public Meeting

Sept. 30 (Mon), 2013 – 6:30-8:00 PM

Albertina Kerr Center

424 NE 22^nd Ave, 97323

 Expressing a desire for improved transportation safety on East Burnside Street, the Buckman and Kerns neighborhood associations and the Burnside East Business Alliance asked the Portland Bureau of Transportation’s High Crash Corridor program to partner in identifying potential safety improvements on East Burnside.   Due to safety needs and strong community partnership, the HCC program responded by establishing an East Burnside Working Group to understand the crash data, and identify specific safety concerns and solutions.

Through that process, several potential engineering improvement projects have been identified, including:

• Speed reader board on E Burnside westbound around 30th/31st.
• Moving bus stops far-side at some marked crosswalks.
• Traffic signal changes at 20th, 28th and 32nd, such as pedestrian push buttons and leading pedestrian intervals.
• Posted speed reduction to 30 MPH.
• Consideration of alternative travel lane options. 

NOTE: Due to updated modeling projections, feedback will be requested on a few different travel lane configurations.

• Curb extensions.
• Pedestrian median islands at select unsignalized intersections.

Now we would like community-wide feedback on the potential projects.  Please join us!  For more information on the Burnside High Crash Corridor, please visit our website here. 

Block Party! Pollinator Habitat! Plant Swap!

This Saturday (9/21) starting at 10am, there will be a block party SE 16th Ave. and SE Ash St.  The traffic circle planting work party will start at 10am.  Bring your kiddos and turn them loose on their bicycles!

We will be having a ‘Plant-swap’ throughout the day – Fall is the perfect time to divide those spring blooming perennials. Bring your extra divisions to the swap and go home with new perennials for free!  Please no Kudzu.  😉

As you may know pollinator populations are declining due to herbicide and pesticide use and habitat loss.  They are hard pressed to find habitat in the city and this space will add to the ‘quilt-work’ of attractive habitat for pollinators of all types. This is the first phase of establishing a wildflower meadow type habitat in that traffic circle, which means we will be eliminating competition from fast growing weeds and other plants.  Wildflowers are slow to establish, particularly in the first year, and just can’t compete with noxious weeds and invasive species. Once established they will thrive on their own.

The following Saturday, Sept 28th, we will move the block party to 14th and Pine’s traffic circle.  Construction permitting, we hope to have a block party at 15th and Oak in October.

If you are interested in this project please contact Jim Forristal at nwclassic@gmail.com for more info.

Some of the plants we are looking for specifically include these:

Common name	Botanical name
NATIVE Wildflowers:
California Poppy	Eschsholzia californica
Oregon Sunshine, Common woolly sunflower	Eriophyllum lanatum
Slender Cinquefoil	Potentilla gracilis
Western Yarrow, Common Yarrow, Milfoil	Achillea millefolium
Bigleaf Lupine	Lupinus polyphyllus
Venus Penstemon	Penstemon venustus
Blanketflower, Great blanketflower	Gaillardia aristata
Wild bergamot, Beebalm	Monarda fistulosa
Common selfheal	Prunella vulgaris
Western Buttercup	Ranunculus occidentalis
Blue Mountain Prarie Clover	Dalea ornata
Showy Milkweed	Asclepias speciosa
NATIVE GRASSES AND SEDGES:
California Oatgrass	Danthonia californica
NON-NATIVE flowering plants
Baby Blue Eyes	Nemophila menziesii
Lacy Phacelia	Phacelia tanacetifolia
Spanish lavender	Lavandula stoechas
Rosemary
Oregano
Marjoram
Thyme
Mint
Starflower	Borage
Purple cone flower	Echinacea
Hummingbird Mint, Giant Hyssop	Agastache
Davidson’s Penstemon	Penstemon davidsonii
Stonecrop	Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’
Arrowleaf balsamroot	Balsamorhiza sagittata

SE Uplift Weatherization Workshop

Join SE Uplift on Saturday the 29th to connect with neighbors about ways to reduce energy use.

Join us for an interactive workshop focusing on innovative, neighborhood-level weatherization initiatives!

With soaring energy prices and a global climate emergency at hand, the time to create a community energy initiative is now.

If you are at all interested in working with your neighbors to take collective action to reduce energy use, save on energy spending, and increase home comfort – this is the workshop for you!
Attendees will have the unique opportunity to learn about and discuss creative neighborhood-level weatherization projects, connect with other passionate community members, and gain practical tools to create a energy-efficiency project in their own neighborhoods!

Register for the workshop

When: Saturday June 29, 2013 from 10am to 12pm

Where: SE Uplift is at 3534 SE Main St Portland, OR, 97214

Free Notarization for Objections to the Proposed Buckman Historic District

As you may have heard by now, Historic Buckman submitted an application to have portions of the Buckman neighborhood designated as a National Historic District.

Some neighbors are opposed to the Historic District designation, for reasons primarily based around the design review process and associated fees that would come with it.

Neighbors who wish to register their objection to the application must submit a notarized objection form. Buckman residents Greg Moulliet and Sheila Baraga are hosting notaries at their homes this weekend, for anyone who wants to come by, fill out an objection form, and have it notarized. You can find more details at Keep Buckman Free.

(NOTE: In order to stop the proposed Historic District, 50% of Buckman property owners + 1 must submit a notarized objection form. So, if this is something you feel strongly about, be aware that every objection counts!)

Saturday January 26, 2013
From 10AM to 1PM
1524 SE Ash St

Sunday January 27, 2013
From 1PM to 4 PM
423 SE 15th Ave

You can read more about the Open Houses and the Buckman Historic District at these links:

Keep Buckman Free – http://keepbuckmanfree.org

Historic Buckman – http://historicbuckman.org