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Bridlemile Neighborhood Association

Neighbors working with neighbors and the City to build an even more livable Portland. Montage of BNA projects. Photos by Victor von Salza and Mike Kortenhof(2nd from left). SW39th Stoplight, Safe Routes to Schools, SW 54th Place Pedestrian Bridge, Pedestrian Improvements for SW Hamilton (Halo LID) & SW Shattuck

 

Bridlemile Neighborhood Association

 

Next Meeting

Wednesday, February 10, 2009, 6:30-8:30 pm

Bridlemile School Staff Room (inside the front door turn right)

4300 SW 47th Drive

 

Agenda

•             Keith Berkery, Manager, Portland Community Emergency Services Division will speak about this Division of the Portland Office of Emergency Management (POEM). Among other things, he will talk about the Neighborhood Emergency Team (NET) training. If you are one of the first two Bridlemile neighbors to commit to becoming a trained member of the NET, you will receive (free) a $75 value Emergency kit required for the training, including your own red hardhat. The kits are a donation from Ginger and Gene Danzer, retiring NET members.

•             Update on Swales
•             Visit with your neighbors, enjoy a few cookies and coffee, and try for a door prize.
 

This Month's Meeting 

From the Office of Emergency Management website (http://www.portlandonline.com/OEM/index.cfm?c=48605) Keith Berkery is an East Coast transplant with 15 years domestically and internationally with American Red Cross in their Disaster Services. He worked responding to disasters on the ground from Hurricane Andrew, the World Trade Center Bombing, a super typhoon, earthquakes, hurricanes, terrorism, Hurrican Katrina, etc. He has been with POEM since 2006. He is excited by the prospect of helping the citizens and businesses of Portland become more disaster resilient through their preparedness. Having experienced it first hand, he knows that if you are not prepared when a disaster or emergency occurs, help is not coming for a while.
 

Last Month's Meeting

Notes from last month's meeting:

Board Business Current board members were introduced: Kathy Bambeck, Community Outreach Committee Chair and SWNI Board Representative; Greg Schifsky, Creeks Committee Chair; Karen Tabata, Land Use Committee Chair; and Claire Evans, Schools Committee Chair. Ginger Danzer is the current History Committee Chair, with Anya Averill serving as committee assistant.
•             Kathy Bambeck would like a volunteer to take over her position as Community Outreach Committee Chair and SWNI Board representative. 
•             Ginger Danzer has resigned her position as Neighborhood History Chair effective at the end of her term in April 2010, with a request to find a replacement sooner. Anya Averill has agreed to assume Ginger’s responsibilities through the end of her term.
•             In addition, there are vacant Board positions for Safety and Crime Chair, Parks Chair, and Transportation and Pedestrian Safety Chair. If you are interested in information about a position see the BNA website: Safety and Crime, Parks, and Transportation and Pedestrian Safety. Volunteers to assist any of these committees would be greatly appreciated.
•             Invasive Plant Hearing set for February 3, 2010 at 9:30 a.m. The Invasive Plant Policy is a key part of the City’s Invasive Plant Management Strategy. The Planning Commission approved the project on November 10, 2009. The next step is this hearing before City Council. If interested, please attend. More information is available here.
•             The Portland Plan is taking shape. Your input is valuable and valued. You can find out what’s up and provide feedback here.
Green Street Swales   The Green Street swales topic drew about 50 neighbors to attend the January meeting. Leonard Gard, SWNI, and staff members from Portland Bureau of Environmental Services (BES) and Bureau of Transportation attended our January meeting. Amin Wahab, BES Watershed Manager, gave an update and historical background report on the Green Street swales planned for SW 44th Avenue and for SW Seymour Street. Much of this information is available on the Portland Green Street Program webpage. In response to comments and concerns provided earlier, BES had revised the engineering designs, reducing the number of swale facilities from 3 to 2 on SW Seymour and from 5 to 3 on SW 44th. BES distributed maps indicating these changes.
      BNA neighbors expressed a variety of concerns about the swales. Issues raised included concern about trapped pollutants, pedestrian safety, decrease in property values, access for 911 vehicles, locating swales on 44th which is heavily used by buses and school children, loss of parking, appearance and maintenance of swale plantings, and cost of swales vs. benefit to the environment. BNA neighbors living on creeks expressed concern about streambed erosion. A motion was made to disapprove of the swales as currently proposed. BNA overwhelmingly approved by voice vote.
     The Portland City Council approved a Green Street resolution, report, and policy in April 2007 to promote and incorporate the use of green street facilities in public and private development. Goals of Green Streets include reducing polluted stormwater entering Portland’s rivers and streams; improving pedestrian and bicycle safety; diverting stormwater from the sewer system, reducing basement flooding, sewer backups and combined sewer overflows (CSOs) to the Willamette River; reducing impervious surfaces so stormwater can infiltrate to recharge groundwater and surface water; increasing urban green space; improving air quality and reducing air temperatures; reducing demand on the city’s sewer collection system and the cost of constructing expensive pipe systems; addressing requirements of federal and state regulations to protect public health and restore and protect watershed health; and increasing opportunities for industry professionals.
     The next step is for interested BNA neighbors to meet with BES to work towards resolution. Information regarding this topic will be sent out via email. You can sign up by calling SWNI at (503) 823-4592 or here.  On the first page you will enter your email address, and then you will be given the opportunity to select your neighborhood.
Public Safety   Officer Brian Hughes, Neighborhood Response Team (NRT), Portland Police Bureau, attended the meeting. NRT police officers work full time in their positions and do not routinely respond to everyday calls for service. They usually address deeply rooted problems in a neighborhood which the patrol officers might not be able to deal with. For example, NRT officers may address drug houses, party houses, homeless related issues, and traffic problems. Officer Hughes reported that the homicide of Nancy Bergeson remains unsolved. Detectives continue to follow every lead. He also reported a January 2nd burglary in the area of SW Dosch Road and Seymour Street. An alert neighbor notified Portland Police of suspicious activity. Officers arrived and took George James, a 36 year old white male into custody. A second suspect fled but was soon apprehended by the Washington County Sheriff's Department. The suspect was identified as Michael Dubbs, a 44 year old white male.
Contact information for Officer Hughes is as follows: email BHughes@portlandpolice.org; phone 503-823-0235; Fax 503-823-0096; and address Central Precinct, 1111 SW Second Ave, Portland, Oregon 97204.
     Officer Scott Foster, Portland Police Bureau, attended the meeting. Officer Foster serves as our Neighborhood Liaison Officer. He is the patrol officer assigned as liaison to BNA.  He regularly attends our meetings and provides updates on crime statistics for the neighborhood, informs us on pressing public safety issues, and responds to questions from the community.
      Stefanie Adams, SW Portland Crime Prevention Program Coordinator, Office of Neighborhood Involvement (ONI) also attended the meeting. She reminded everyone to use 911 for an Emergency and 503-823-3333 for Non-Emergency needs. Stefanie Adams can be reached at 503-823-3131, by fax at 503-823-3161, by email stefanie.adams@ci.portland.or.us, or at the Multnomah Arts Center, Community Policing Contact Office, 7688 SW Capitol Highway, Room 41, Portland, Oregon 97219.
BNA Website The BNA website will be updated. Your feedback, questions, etc are welcome. Please contact Anya Averill at anya.lemur @ gmail.com with comments. 
 

Stream Stewards

The Bridlemile Creek Stewards host an open meeting in the SW Community Center at SW 45th and Vermont, in the Watershed Resource Room from 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM on the second Tuesday of every month. The next meeting is on Tuesday February 9th.  If you would like additional details call Steve at 503-768-9065. For more information see the Bridlemile Creek Stewards web page at www.bcs.swni.org.
 
Albert Kelly Park cleanup and planting Volunteers welcome on Saturday, February 20th from 9:00 AM to Noon in Albert Kelly Park for blackberry removals and scion/cuttings plantings. See BNA website for Albert Kelly Park.