Neighbors working with neighbors and the City to build an even more livable Portland. 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, March 10, 2009, 6:30-8:30 pm 

Chair, Kathy Bambeck, kathybambeck@comcast.net 

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

4300 SW 47th Drive

Meetings are the second Wednesday each month during the school year.  If you would like to receive e-mail reminders and news from Bridlemile Neighborhood Association (BNA), call SWNI at (503) 823-4592.

March Meeting Agenda

• Sylvia Bogert, SWNI, will answer outline the services and resources available to Bridlemile, or any questions, give a basic training on parliamentary procedures
• Green Street Swales update (brief)
• Visit with your neighbors, enjoy a few cookies and coffee, and try for a door prize.

February Meeting Notes

BNA Business  

• We continue to have vacant Board positions for Safety and Crime Chair, Parks Chair, and Transportation and Pedestrian Safety Chair. Volunteers interested in assisting with any of the BNA committees would be greatly appreciated.  If you are interested, see the BNA website: Safety and Crime, Parks, and Transportation and Pedestrian Safety . Contact Karen Tabata at ktabatas@comcast.net or 503-292-4377 or send email to bridlemilena@gmail.com

Other Business

• The Portland Plan continues to evolve. You can read about the plan and provide your input here.
• Tom Oglesby, a volunteer with Solarize Southwest, spoke briefly at our meeting. Solarize Southwest is a community effort designed to bring us solar electricity and the benefits of weatherization at significant discounts. The Solarize Portland project began in May 2009, when Mount Tabor neighbors teamed up to help each other with technical advice, jointly select solar contractors and get a bulk deal on solar installations. Solarize Portland participants are cutting their total solar installation costs as much as 80 percent, via bulk purchasing, Energy Trust incentives, and state and federal tax credits. Interested? See www.solarsouthwestportland.org
• Audrey and Jim Metcalf donated the door prize, a lovely hellebore specimen from their nursery, Honeyhill Farm. Karen Tabata was the lucky winner.

• Keith Berkery, Manager, Portland Community Emergency Services Division spoke to us about community emergency planning and preparedness. Keith worked for many years in the American Red Cross Disaster Services. He responded to disasters on the ground from Hurricane Andrew, the World Trade Center Bombing, Kosovo, typhoons, earthquakes, hurricanes, terrorism, Katrina, etc. Having experienced these disasters first hand, he knows that you need to be prepared when disaster strikes because help probably will not arrive for quite some time. In his current role he is helping Portland residents become more resilient through preparedness. Some highlights from his talk:
• If there is a major disaster, who will save you? If you think the government will arrive anytime soon, you are mistaken. We will need to rely on our own resources and the help of our immediate community. Keith’s Division of the Portland Office of Emergency Management is working to provide residents with the education they need in order to prepare for a major emergency such as a large earthquake or an act of terrorism.
• Know Your Neighborhood (KYN) Training: This is a free training on the basics of disaster preparedness and crime prevention available to all Portland residents. Everyone can benefit from knowing their neighbors and having resources on hand. KYN’s purpose is to build community and strengthen readiness among neighbors.  This tool provides easy to follow steps for preparedness and crime prevention, while you get to know your neighbors.  Training topics include:  9 Steps Immediately Following Disaster, Preventing Crime in Your Neighborhood, and Inventory the Neighborhood, etc.  Interested? Contact William Warren, Office of Emergency Management,   wwarren@ci.portland.or.us or 503-823-4421.

Neighborhood Emergency Team (NET) Training 

• Whatever your background or physical abilities, the NET in your neighborhood needs you! The basic training gives you skills to work with your neighbors to save lives and property during the first critical hours of any citywide emergency.  NET team members will be the first to respond to a major disaster. Professional police, fire, EMT rescuers will focus first on the most dangerous situations with the greatest number of possible people to be helped. That means you and your neighbors will be on your own for a significant amount of time, perhaps days. Review of past disasters shows that 80% of all rescues are performed by untrained citizens. The NET program will train you to be safe and effective when disaster strikes.   NET training is available to anyone who lives or works in the Portland Fire & Rescue service area and is at least 14 years old.  See www.pdxprepared.com for information.
• 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. Contact Karen Tabatas: ktabatas@comcast.net or 503-292-4377

Green Street Swales Update    

• Amin Wahab, BES Watershed Manager, returned to BNA to give an update on the Green Street swales planned for SW 44th Avenue and for SW Seymour Street. In response to comments provided by Bridlemile residents during the January meeting and BNA’s overwhelming vote to reject the modified swales plan proposed at that meeting, BES has placed these projects on hold for the time being. He stressed that BES heard our neighborhood and that, he, personally, is always ready to take our comments. BES has sent letters to all affected property owners.  
• Greg Shifsky prepared a document of alternatives to swales for discussion between BNA and BES. There will be some upcoming collaboration with Transportation and an effort to focus some attention on Hamilton and Dosch in making the ditches walkable. 
• BES is under mandate to pursue the Clean Water Act requirements. But there are many avenues of pursuit including: ditches to swales, re-vegetation, culvert replacement, invasive species management, and land acquisition. 
• While BES must pursue the Green Streets initiative, including swales, it is not certain at all how many or how soon they would be placed. It was suggested that BES consider alternate locations, away from the school congestion area. 
• BES is reviewing its policies and will work with SWNI to get their message out. This is a work in progress.

• Officer Scott Foster, Portland Police Bureau, reported an uptick in daytime burglaries and car prowls. Garage door openers have been stolen and later used to gain access to homes when the residents leave. He had no comment on progress on the homicide of BNA resident, Nancy Bergeson. Officer Foster is our liaison patrol officer.  He regularly attends our meetings and provides crime statistics for our neighborhood. He also informs us of public safety issues and responds to our questions. Bridlemile school principal, Tanya Ghattas, reported that the incidence of graffiti on school property has also increased recently. Officer Foster related that many of the youth found congregating at the school and Hamilton Park at night are from areas pretty far afield, such as Hillsboro or North Plains.