2016 Kerns / Buckman Spring Cleanup

One of the surest signs of spring in Southeast Portland is the annual Kerns/Buckman Neighborhood Cleanup. This year’s event will take place on Saturday, April 16, from 9 am to noon. For those not familiar with the event, the Kerns/Buckman cleanup is a great way to divest yourself of the detritus of daily life that seems to have a way of piling up year after year. Old furniture, electronics, bulk waste, yard debris and more all find a home in the large Cloudburst Recycling bins that are provided each year. It’s a great way to get rid of items that are too large to just leave at the curb on trash day. Please note that certain toxic items cannot be accepted. This list includes fluorescent/CFC bulbs, batteries (including automotive, lithium and household alkaline), and styrofoam.

The cleanup will take place at its usual location in the parking lot of the Hinson Baptist Church, located at the intersection of SE 20th Avenue and SE Salmon Street. People bringing items to the cleanup are asked for a small donation on a sliding scale (typically in the $5–20 range), depending on the size of their load.

Anyone interested in giving their time to help organize and staff the event should contact the BCA board at buckmanboard@googlegroups.com.

26th Annual Buckman Art Show & Sell

A Benefit for Buckman Arts Focus Elementary Join us March 12 & 13, 2016 to explore 140+ art booths, art activities, and more. This beloved Southeast Portland tradition is now in its 26th year. 140 artists and craftspersons will sell their original artwork, furniture, toys, jewelry, textiles, paper creations, photography, paintings, ceramics and more.

In addition to these artists our own Buckman students will be selling their creations. Participating artists donate 30% of their proceeds to benefit the Buckman Elementary School PTA. The remaining 70% goes directly to the artists themselves. Thousands of volunteer hours make this event a win for both participating artists and our school. Free hands-on art activities will be available for kids and there will be food carts on site.

The Buckman Art Show & Sell is a fantastic event for the whole family. Don’t miss it!

Saturday, March 12, 10 am – 6 pm
Sunday, March 13, 10 am – 4 pm

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

Admission: $2–5 suggested donation per person (kids 4 and under free)

For more information: http://buckmanartshow.weebly.com, or http://www.facebook.com/buckmanartshow/

2016 Candidate Forums: March 10 & April 14

Elections for Portland Mayor and Commissioner are happening May 17, 2016. The Buckman Community Association is holding election forums to encourage dialog between residents and candidates. These forums have been very successful in the past. All candidates who have filed for office have been invited to participate. The Commissioner Candidate Forum is Thursday, March 10, 7 pm–9 pm. The Mayoral Candidate Forum is Thursday, April 14, 7 pm–9 pm.

Both forums will be held in the Commissioners Board Room of the Multnomah County Building, 501 SE Hawthorne Blvd. Refreshments will be provided. This is a free event and is open to the public.

The format typically includes: 2–3 minutes opening statement from each candidate Questions from the audience* and prepared topics 2–3 minute response from each candidate 1–2 minute rebuttal Closing statements 1–2 minutes

*Questions from the audience: each candidate will have the opportunity to answer the questions. No questions will be directed at a specific candidate.

Spring 2016 Volunteer Opportunities

FAMILY FUN PAINTING Come out June 4 and 5, 2016 to repaint our street graphics at SE 16th and Ash (June 4) and SE 15th and Alder (June 5).  Festivities start at 9 am blocking off the streets; Painting begins at 10 am. These two events are supported by the neighbors and coordinated through City Repair as part of the Village Building Convergence. At potluck street party will complete the events. Information will be on posters near the sites.

GOT GARDEN? Garden plots are ready for weeding, tilling and planting at three locations. Picture a Garden provides small garden plots for those without yards. A small donation goes to the landlord to pay for summer water. Contact the Buckman Board for more information.

ADOPT A TRAFFIC CIRCLE Pollinator Friendly plants have been established in three Buckman Traffic Circles. Work Parties will be held this spring to clean up, replant (if needed) and maintain the circles. Look for posters in the neighborhood that will announce dates. What’s next, pollinator corridors?

Buckman Street Tree Inventory

The Buckman Street Tree Inventory was completed the summer of 2015 with help from Urban Forestry and local neighbors. Trees along our neighborhood streets were surveyed for species, size, and health.

Findings included:

• Buckman has 4,463 street trees with 98 different species.
• Maples account for 35% of the street trees in Buckman.
• 17 trees have a diameter greater than 4’ across.
• There are 2,363 empty spaces along neighborhood streets eligible for a tree.

Stay posted for details on the annual December Buckman tree planting.

Save Buckman Pool

For the 6th time in 14 years, the city is trying to close Buckman Pool permanently. While this pool is not as intensively used as other pools due to the limitations on its hours (not open to the general public on weekends, closed at 7 pm on weekdays, and not available during some afternoon hours due to school use), it is the only Parks facility in inner SE Portland.

This area of Portland has been promised a community center for over 40 years. Parks will come up with a proposed budget to meet the Mayor’s request for 5% cuts. Budget hearings will be held April 5, May 5 and May 12, 2016. Please participate in these hearings and/or comment on the proposed budget cuts.

If you would like to get involved or get updates visit the Save Buckman Pool Facebook page. An An advocacy group, Friends of Buckman Pool, will be putting together an online survey to help in e orts to support keeping the pool open. Please be sure to check the Buckman Voice e-newsletter or SE Examiner to find a link and fill out the survey when it is issued in March.

Historic Alfred Webb Open House August 16th

National Historic Landmark
Buckman Community Viewing Day
Sunday, August 16, 2015
1–4 pm

The Alfred Webb properties consist of four identical Queen Anne era inspired cottages built by Alfred Webb in 1891. The ensemble of four homes is a Landmark on the National Register of Historic places located at the corner of SE 15^th and Belmont St., and you are invited for a viewing hosted by the owner on Sunday, August 16^th from 1–4pm.  The event will be family friendly, feature light refreshments and a tours every 20 minutes. The interior of one house will be available for viewing.

The 15^th Street gate – between 822 SE 15^th and 1503 SE Belmont – will be open for visitors to walk in and meet in the back courtyard.

Come support the current owner’s initiative to preserve and rehabilitate the properties by joining for the festivities and learning more one of the Historic treasures of the Buckman neighborhood!

Learn more at:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Webb_Investment_Properties

Permit Parking Zone S is Here

In late May, residents in the inner Buckman area voted to begin a new Area Parking Permit Program (APPP) named Zone S. Fifty-eight residents were notified and 37 returned ballots, of those 30 voted in favor of the new zone. This summer the signs will be posted for a 2-hour visitor limit from 7 am to 6 pm Monday–Friday and a 90-minute visitor limit from 6 pm–midnight all nights. Residents who enroll in the program will pay $60 annually for each vehicle. Residents may purchase extra permits for frequent guests or purchase one-day scratch-off cards (a book of 10 for $10). No one has to purchase permits.  The Inner Buckman Parking Committee will wait until the new rules go into effect before deciding to add more block faces to the list below.  Inner Buckman has become a popular area to Park ‘n Ride and the impact of the businesses and events at Washington High School has added to the parking challenge.

Currently, the following blocks are part of Zone S:

• SE 14^th East Side: 300–600 blocks
• SE 14^th West Side: 300 block
• SE Oak South Side: 1400 blockS
• SE 15^th West Side: 600 block
• SE Alder North Side: 1400 block

Find out more about the program online:
http://www.portlandoregon.gov/transportation/article/83231

—Submitted by Nancy Oberschmidt

Parking Strip Gardens

The Sustainability Committee of the Buckman Community Association manages small community gardens usually located in the parking (planting) strip. Do you have a location that we could develop? This is a much better use of the space than lawn! We have three locations that you can check out —SE 27th and Salmon, 714 SE 19th and SE 15th and Alder. The property owner gets a check from each gardener for the water and we provide a much needed service for the community. Note: Portland Parks and Recreation has Community Gardens, but they have a long waiting list. Email buckmanboard@googlegroups.com if you know of a suitable sunny spot.

Proposed Rezoning in the 2035 Comprehensive Plan

As part of the 2035 Comprehensive Plan, the Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability has proposed rezoning for several properties in the Buckman neighborhood along SE Stark Street, 12th Avenue, Belmont and Morrison. Some of the properties currently zoned for residential could be designated commercial, allowing for higher density development. Other properties, currently zoned for industrial use, could become EX, also allowing for commercial and residential uses.

While this process, criteria for selection and specific properties chosen have been proposed by Planning Bureau staff, all concerns are being directed to the Planning and Sustainability Commission which is currently receiving comments and feedback about the proposed zoning changes via the web, public hearing or mailed testimony. To see what specific changes are proposed, visit the graphic interface at http://www.portlandmaps.com/bps/cpmapp2/

You can then submit your feedback, opinions or concerns these ways.

Online: directly via the map app. Email: Send to psc@portlandoregon.gov  with “Comprehensive Plan Testimony” in the subject line.

To testify in person, attend the last public hearing, November 4, 2014 at 4 p.m. 1900 SW 4th Avenue, Room 2500A

Via mail: Send a letter with your comments to the Planning and Sustainability Commission, 1900 SW 4th Avenue, Portland, OR 97201-5380

Note: To be considered valid testimony in any form and included in the record, all comments must include the sender’s full name and address. Omitting this critical information will also deny the sender the option and eligibility to appeal. The deadline for public comment on all these changes has been extended to March 13, 2015, but don’t delay as the hearings are all winding down.

Your opinions do matter. Speak to your neighbors about the proposed changes and organize them to send comments too. To contact the BCA and get help with land use and zoning issues, email: buckmanboard@googlegroups.com.

Lone Fir Cemetery Cultural Heritage Garden Will Honor History

In 2011, National Geographic included Lone Fir as one of the top ten cemeteries in the world to visit. While Lone Fir is a jewel in the heart of the Buckman neighborhood, one part of the cemetery is strewn with gravel, old concrete, broken glass and weeds. This seemingly forgotten corner of the cemetery has a rich past and story to tell. Members of the Lone Fir Cemetery Foundation Board presented at the October 9th Buckman Community Association meeting and gave an update on efforts to develop the southwest corner of the cemetery at SE 20th and SE Morrison, known as Block 14, and to tell the stories buried there.

Block 14 is in the southwest corner of Lone Fir Cemetery. The Lone Fir Cemetery Foundation seeks to take this blank slate and aesthetically reunite it with the rest of Lone Fir to create a new, visible entrance to the cemetery in honor of those now-anonymous souls who were buried in this nondescript corner.

Block 14 is an empty lot that formerly housed a County building; there are no trees, greenery or headstones in this part of the cemetery. But the Lone Fir Cemetery Foundation and Metro, the owner of the cemetery, have plans to develop Block 14 into a Cultural Heritage Garden that will honor the early Chinese workers and patients from a pioneer-era asylum that are buried there and provide an inviting and beautiful entrance to the cemetery.

Plans include a new entrance to Lone Fir Cemetery that includes welcoming signs with information about the Cultural Heritage Garden and the history of the cemetery.

A master plan for the Cultural Heritage Garden was completed in 2008 with the support of Metro and the involvement of a diverse group of community members, including the Buckman Community Association, and history experts. Today the Lone Fir Cemetery Foundation is collaborating with government agencies to identify and secure the funding needed to bring the vision to life. The Foundation’s campaign has set a $3 million goal for the creation of the Cultural Heritage Garden. Foundation Board Chair Mary Faulkner invites everyone to get involved and help the Cultural Heritage Garden become a reality.

To learn more about the Lone Fir Cemetery Cultural Heritage Garden and how to get involved to support the project, visit the Lone Fir Cemetery Foundation www.lonefir.org. You can also follow the Foundation on Facebook.

Submitted by Lake Strongheart McTighe

Transportation Update: East Burnside Safety Project and Ankeny Diverter

The East Burnside Safety Project has implemented Phase One, restriping of the street from 14th to 32nd. There is now one westbound lane and a center turn lane. In the spring of 2015, Phase Two will add median islands and marked crosswalks at the intersections of 18th, 22nd and 24th. For more about the Burnside Safety Project: https://www.portlandoregon.gov/transportation/61206

At the October BCA meeting, PBOT presented a proposal to add a diverter at the intersection of 15th and Ankeny from the NW corner to the SE corner, preventing cut through traffic from using Ankeny to avoid the Burnside/Couch couplet. There will be a public meeting for community feedback, which will be announced through the BCA’s blog and Facebook page. To send feedback to PBOT about the Ankeny Divider, email Roger.Geller@portlandoregon.gov

Submitted by Greg Molliet

PDC Seeks to Make Changes in the Central Eastside Urban Reneweal Area

On December 17th, the Portland City Council will host a public hearing on amendments to six urban renewal areas (URAs). The package of changes includes a potential expansion of the Central Eastside URA that would provide funding for infrastructure and redevelopment investments that would create jobs, particularly near the new Portland/Milwaukie Light Rail station areas.

Background

On May 7, 2014, Portland City Council through Resolution No. 37072 directed the Portland Development Commission and City of Portland staff to begin processing amendments to six urban renewal areas (URAs). With approval, these amendments would reduce the impact of urban renewal on taxing jurisdictions; provide resources to meet economic development, redevelopment, and affordable housing goals; and support Portland State University. Specific to the Buckman neighborhood area, the package of changes includes a potential expansion of the Central Eastside URA that would provide funding for infrastructure and redevelopment investments that would create jobs, particularly near the new Portland/Milwaukie Light Rail station areas.

With amendment approval, the inner east side might see the following:

• More resources to invest in projects in the Central Eastside Urban Renewal Area, SE 12th Avenue west to the Willamette River, such as storefront improvement grants and other business assistance along commercial corridors (e.g., MLK and Grand).
• Increased funding would be available for PDC to purchase and redevelop the ‘ODOT blocks’ (the three vacant properties near the base of the Hawthorne Bridge).
• Additional resources to invest in infrastructure improvements near the Clinton Triangle area that would increase pedestrian and automobile access near the intersection of SE 12th and Powell Blvd.
• It is estimated that the changes would provide approximately $6 million in additional resources to invest in affordable housing. Portland Housing Bureau staff and the URA Amendment Advisory Committee have discussed the possibility of investing the ~$6 million in affordable housing in the Clinton Triangle area near the new light rail station.

On December 17, 2014, City Council will host a public hearing on the proposed amendments.

For additional information, visit the project website: http://www.pdc.us/for-partners/public-participation/ura-amendments.aspx

Submitted by Susan Lindsay

WHS Building Revival Nears Completion

The former Washington High School Building, developed by Venerable Properties, is 75% leased as of press time, including a new rooftop deck with a 200 person capacity and the former school auditorium (announcement coming soon about its future use). New Seasons’ corporate headquarters is leasing the top floor and half of the third floor. A number of technology firms have leased space in the building, including Copious that has leased over 10,000 sf on the ground floor. A search continues for a restaurant or two to lease space on the ground floor.

The remodel is in the final stretch of construction with the shell and core work to be done in early December. Tenant improvement construction will start later this year with the first tenants beginning to occupy space January 1st, 2015 and the larger tenants with substantial tenant improvements will follow 30–60 days later.

A new driveway and initial paving is scheduled. Transom windows are being installed over the new ground floor openings. There are two new patios on the west side of the building and sidewalk repairs/replacement is ongoing. The remaining portion of the third floor not leased to New Seasons is completed and ready for occupancy. The offices on the South and East hallways of the second floor are completed and ready for occupancy. The roof top deck, which can accommodate as many as 200 people, has been completed. The overall building shell will be completed early December and the interior auditorium will be finished in late January.

Thanks for an Amazing Picnic!

Thanks for a great Picnic! We’re so happy so many of you came out to share the experience!

Special thanks to the sponsors who helped fund the event: Brandon CS Sanders, Honest 1 Auto Care on Stark, Keep Buckman Free!, GPS Products, Elizabeth Bryan, Bill Wentworth, Susan Lindsay and New Seasons Market!

And thanks to all the door prize contributions!: ValerCie Garrett, Light Bar, Ben & Jerry’s, Fredmeyer, Venus Allure Spa and Salon, the Thorns, the Timbers, Portland Farmer’s Market, Three Friends Coffee Shop, Meat Cheese Bread, Enso, Zupans, Whole Foods Market, Sheridans, Universal Cycle, East Burn and Sunee’s Thai Kitchen!

And of course, thanks to all of the AMAZING volunteers, musicians and individuals that helped make the event happen!! The Buckman Picnic Committee was beyond incredible and Hinson Baptist Church and their team of Picnic Activities experts were invaluable!

Hope to see you all at next year’s event!

Bite of Buckman on Tuesday, June 11th; $10 off for Buckmanites!

You may remember when we posted last month about an organization called Dishcrawl, which leads culinary adventurers on walking tours of Portland eateries. Well, they’re at it again, this time in our very own Buckman neighborhood. And, as a special offer, they’re offering $10 off to Buckman residents! To take advantage, just e-mail Sara at saraf@dishcrawl.com before you buy your ticket, and she will give you a promo code to use.

Read on for details…

Bite Of Buckman

http://dishcrawl.com/biteofbuckman

From breweries to foodcarts, farm to table restaurant to ethnic offerings, and everything in between, Buckman offers you a culinary playground with something delicious for everyone.

On Tuesday, June 11th, join us as we take you to four Buckman eateries to enjoy specialties of this vibrant neighborhood. Enjoy a bite of Buckman – Don’t wait, get your ticket now!

It’s a guessing game! We’re keeping the names of the restaurants we will be visiting a secret for now, but here and there we’ll give you some hints. Follow us on Twitter @DishcrawlPDX and be the first to know!

Where to Meet Us: All ticket holders will be notified of meeting location via email, 48 hours prior to the event.

I’m a Vegetarian: Vegetarian options are available, however we may not be able to accommodate other dietary restrictions. If you have any particular requests or have questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Beverage Policy: Drinks are not included in the ticket price. Drink specials and pairings may be available at discretion of the participating restaurant.

Cancellation Policy: Cancellations are taken only if given 48 hours advance notice. All Dishcrawl events are held rain or shine.

Questions?: Contact me! I’m Sara, your Portland Dishcrawl Ambassador! My email is saraf@dishcrawl.com.

About Dishcrawl: Food, Fun, and Exploration! We here at Dishcrawl aim to provide you with a premier culinary social experience by bringing together neighborhood restaurants, local chefs, regional food producers and fellow food enthusiasts.

Join us if you’d like to embark on a one-of-a-kind gastronomic adventure!

10th Annual Buddhist Festival in the Park, June 1st

We were recently contacted by the Buddhist Peace Fellowship of Portland, who wanted to tell us about their 10th annual Buddhist Festival, taking place in Colonel Summers park on Saturday, June 1st. Read on for details.

You Are Here
Navigating the Way
10th Annual Buddhist Festival in the Park
Saturday, June 1, 2013
11:00 a.m. – 4:30 pm
Colonel Summers Park
SE 17th and Taylor, Portland, Oregon

CONTACT: Heidi Enji Hoogstra
503-236-5741
bpfportland@yahoo.com
Website: http://www.PortlandBuddhistFestival.com

Dharma Talk and Panel Discussion on the Theme of
You Are Here
Washing the Baby Buddha Ceremony
Activities for Children
Tabling by Buddhist Communities
Workshops
Food carts
Sales of Buddhist meditation supplies and imports

The place to be on June 1st is right here, the 10th Annual Buddhist Festival in the Park in Portland. You are Here. You could be nowhere but Here. Awareness of being just here, however, takes some practice, and Buddhists of many stripes are ready to share the way they navigate to this place right here.

Buddhism provides a refuge, a shelter that allows practitioners to sustain joy in the midst of suffering. It provides a way to navigate confusing and twisty paths, and helps people move from ways riddled with anger and fear to calm centeredness.

This tenth year of a Buddhist festival in the park is cause for celebration. The event gives the opportunity to introduce Buddhism to the curious, and it also gives people of many different communities a chance to meet and compare rituals and teachings, and share smiles. The festival organizers are especially happy to welcome food cart vendors Koi Fusion, Taco Pedaler, and Momo Cart. Karuna Meditation Supplies and Tibet-A-Gift (TibetanPrayerFlag.com) will sell Buddhist meditation supplies and related imports.

Dan Rubin, professor at Maitripa College, and member of Portland Shambhala Meditation Center, will be the keynote speaker. He plans to speak of insomnia as it relates to his Buddhist practice.

Members of the panel for discussion were chosen for their diversity of representation of Buddhist sects as well as their varying lives and stages on their particular Buddhist paths. Rayna Jacobson of Portland Shambhala Center, Amanda Risser of Dharma Rain Zen Center, and Charles Reneau of Oregon Buddhist Temple are currently scheduled. Rayna is a licensed acupuncturist, RN, and a meditation teacher at Shambhala. Amanda is a busy doctor, mom, and rooky roller derby competitor, as well as dedicated lay Buddhist practitioner. Charlie is a younger member of Oregon Buddhist Temple, in the beginning years of his Buddhist path.

While the Dharma talk and panel discussion occur in the park’s main shelter, the children’s pavilion will be busy with story times, crafts, and other activities.

Activities for children and adults come together in two ceremonies. The schedule begins with a Washing the Baby Buddha Ceremony. Participants may offer flowers and pour sweet tea over the Baby Buddha. Legend says when the Buddha was born, flowers and sparkling water rained from the sky, and he took seven steps and declared, “I alone am the World Honored one.” Many Buddhists celebrate the Buddha’s birthday in the spring with this ceremony.

Later, another ceremony will celebrate the diversity of Buddhism to be found in the Portland area. Participants may offer incense, and can chant a mantra or verse from their own or one of the many traditions present. All chants will happen at once, a cacophony of voices practicing the art of being present.

Many different Portland area communities will be represented at the booths.  Pure Land, Zen, Vajrayana, Vipassana, and non-sectarian groups will share news and information about their communities.

The festival is free, and all are welcome.  Organizers ask for mindfulness regarding waste.

Schedule
11 am: Tabling by participating groups, also throughout the day
11:50 am: 108 opening bells
12 noon: Washing the Baby Buddha Ceremony
12:30: Workshops: Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), a way to incorporate the tools of Buddhism into your daily life, offered by Laura Jomon Martin; Short Intro to Buddhism, history and concepts, offered by Brenda Fugate, Oregon Buddhist Temple (see also Children’s Pavilion)
1:30 pm: Keynote speaker: Dan Rubin, Portland Shambhala Center, and Maitripa College
2:15 pm: Dharma song sing-along
2:30 pm: You Are Here Ceremony
3:00 pm: Panel Discussion: Rayna Jacobson, Portland Shambhala Center; Amanda Risser, Dharma Rain Zen Center; Charles Reneau, Oregon Buddhist Temple
4:00 pm: Raffle drawing (opportunity for one free ticket)
4:10 pm: Entertainment TBD

Children’s Pavilion Schedule
12 noon: Washing the Baby Buddha Ceremony
12:30 pm: Workshop: Chanting and Drumming by Jason Litts
1:00 pm to 4:00 pm: Geocache Treasure Hunt
(more of this schedule TBD)
2:15 pm: Dharma song sing-along
2:30 pm: You Are Here Ceremony
4:00 pm: Raffle Drawing and Closing

Participating groups so far include:
·        Buddhist Peace Fellowship, Portland (main sponsor)
·        Oregon Buddhist Temple
·        Dharma Rain Zen Center
·        Zen Community of Oregon (Heart of Wisdom and Great Vow Monastery)
·        Bright Way Zen
·        Maitripa College
·        Dance Mandal
·        Zen Center of Portland
·        Shambhala Meditation Center of Portland
·        Amitabha Buddhist Society of Oregon
·        TibetanPrayerFlag
·        Kagyu Changchub Chuling
·        Samden Ling

This Saturday (4/20)! Two Neighborhood Cleanup Events!

This Saturday is the annual Kerns/Buckman neighborhood cleanup event. If you’re not familiar with the event, it’s a great way to get rid of bulky waste, yard debris, or recyclables in quantities that are normally too large to leave on the curb on trash day. This year, the event has a new location: the parking lot of Hinson Baptist Church, at SE 20th Avenue & Salmon. For more information on the event, including lists of items that we can and cannot accept, visit the Kerns Neighborhood Association website at http://www.southeastuplift.org/neighborhood/kerns.

Also, we were recently contacted by a group called Pick Me Up. They’re organizing monthly cleanup events in Southeast Portland. The first one is also this Saturday, April 20th, from 10am-noon.  The event will begin and end at The Madison House, located at 1932 SE Madison Street. For more information, click on the link below to see the event flier, and visit https://www.facebook.com/pdxpickmeup.

Pick Me Up Flier

 

Upcoming forums on Portland’s 1st grassroots aging-in-place “village”

We were recently contact by an organization called Eastside Village. They’re a planning group of eastside residents who are attempting to develop the first grassroots aging-in-place “village” in the Portland metro area. You can learn more by visiting their website at http://eastsidevillage.org. They’re also hosting a series of informational forums. Read on for details.

Learn about Portland’s 1st grassroots aging-in-place “village”

At Belmont Library Community Room, 1038 S.E. César E. Chávez
Sunday, April 21 at 2pm

At SE Uplift Fireside Room, 3534 SE Main Street
Thursday, April 11th at 7pm
Sunday, May 5th at 2pm
Thursday, May 16th at 7pm

Join us for a free info session to learn more about Portland’s very 1st aging-in-place village.

Modeled after Beacon Hill Village in Boston, Eastside Village PDX is not a building or a real estate development or a retirement community. Instead, it is a group of like-minded people who live on Portland’s east side who have come together to develop the resources they will need to age comfortably in their own homes.

Village members live in their own homes and can be homeowners, renters, seniors sharing housing or living with relatives. The Eastside Village, PDX boundaries are Powell Blvd on the south; the Willamette River on the west; I-84/Banfield or Halsey (east of I-205) on the north; 122nd on the east (except between Stark and Division where the boundary extends to 130th).

There are currently over 90 of these Villages already in existence—including Villages in Bend, Ashland and Seattle—with more than 100 in development across the country.

Admission: FREE

RSVP:
info@eastsidevillage.org or call 503-489-8496

Contact:
Chana Andler, info@eastsidevillage.org, 503-489-8496

Save Buckman Pool! (Again) Budget Forum Tonight!

Once again, the swimming pool at Buckman Elementary School is on the chopping block due to city budget issues. A group of concerned neighbors are mounting a campaign to keep the pool open. Christine Yun, one of the leaders of this effort, has penned an open letter to the community seeking folks who are willing to help save the pool. See below for more details. If you’re interested in participating and/or keeping abreast of the efforts, you can also join the Facebook group Save Buckman Pool at https://www.facebook.com/groups/162961827155597.

Dear Buckman Community

Buckman Pool is the only Parks facility in the inner eastside.  We need to counter the negative article in the Portland Tribune last week, http://portlandtribune.com/pt/9-news/134939-buckman-pool-may-be-drained-by-budget.  Please consider writing a letter to the editor at both the Tribune and the Oregonian.  In addition, we need to ramp up our e-mails to City Hall.  Even if you have already sent an e-mail in, please send another.  Look for our rebuttal to the Tribune article this week.  It is also available as a pdf on our Facebook page, Save Buckman Pool, if you want to use the facts to help compose your own e-mail.

Of prime importance is to attend the budget hearing Thursday, April 11th at Montgomery Park, 6:30-8:30 pm.  It’s important to get there early to sign up to testify.  Those who arrive late were not allowed to testify.  Please also make sure that you print out your signs and bring them to the meeting.  Some smart people pasted them on to cardboard to make holding them up easier.  These were really effective.

Parents, please ask your children to testify – this is a great civic learning experience, and it really has convinced council in the past to keep Buckman Pool open.

There is a final city budget hearing Thursday, May 16th, 6:30-8:30 pm at City Hall.

Here is an updated e-mail list below:

• Mayor Hales: mayorcharliehales@portlandoregon.gov
• Grace Uwagbae, head of mayor’s constituent relations: Grace.Uwagbae@portlandoregon.gov
• Matthew Robinson, policy analyst with the mayor: matthew.robinson@portlandoregon.gov
• Amanda Fritz: Amanda@portlandoregon.gov
• Tom Bizeau, Fritz’s chief of staff: Tom.Bizeau@portlandoregon.gov
• Dan Saltzman: Dan.Saltzman@portlandoregon.gov
• Matt Grumm, Saltzman’s policy manager: Matt.Grumm@portlandoregon.gov
• Nick Fish: NickFish@portlandoregon.gov
• Mike Abbate, director of Parks: director.abbate@portlandoregon.gov
• Steve Novick: Steve.Novick@portlandoregon.gov
• Chris Warner, Novick’s chief of staff: Chris.Warner@portlandoregon.gov
• City Budget Office Director Andrew Scott: CityBudgetOffice@portlandoregon.gov

Thanks,

Christine