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About The Southwest Portland Post. (Portland, Oregon) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 1, 2008)
INSIDE: SERVING Burlingame • Capitol Hill • Garden Home • Glen Cullen • Hillsdale • South Portland • Multnomah Village • Raleigh Hills • Vermont Hills • West Portland Check out our Holiday Guide Southwest Portland’s Independent Neighborhood Newspaper Volume No. 17, Issue No. 2 www.multnomahpost.com Portland, Oregon on Pages 5 & 6 Complimentary December 2008 Bicycle master plan developed for Southwest community By Lee Perlman The Southwest Portland Post After more than a year and a half of work, a Southwest Neighborhoods, Inc. subcommittee has developed a Bike Master Plan that could provide easier and safer biking in southwest Portland. Chair Keith Liden says he hopes the plan can be integrated into the existing Portland Bike Master Plan. The southwest proposal takes a dis- tinctly different approach to the exist- ing city-wide plan. The 1996 document, relying largely on separate bike paths along major traf- fic streets, would require “significant and expensive roadway improvements to implement,” a forward to the south- west plans says. “As a result, relatively few of the bikeways have actually been implemented. Even if implemented, this system on major streets would appeal mainly to experienced cyclists and not to those who were less expe- rienced.” In contrast, the criteria for the 40 bike routes proposed in the southwest plan are as follows: System connections that link potential destinations. Ease of implementation and financing. Accommodates all ages and skill lev- els. Potential number of users. Moder- ate terrain. Contributes to community building and improved livability. The plan leans heavily on the use of “bike boulevards.” Now gaining popularity among city bike advocates generally, these are streets where the volume of traffic is low enough that cars and bikes can safely share the road without designated bike-only areas. For Route #4, a pathway along the I-405 Freeway between Southwest Montgomery and Jefferson streets, the report merely recommends “wayfind- ing” signs. “An existing pathway is good but poorly marked,” the report says. In some places the report calls for utilization of existing or new paths, including two portions of the proposed Red Electric Trail, a proposed path through the Portland School District’s property between Rieke School and Wilson High School, and a path through Gabriel Park. As an interim step, in some places the plan calls for designated “uphill lanes” An organized ride along one of Portland 's bike boulevards. (Photo courtesy of BikePortland.org/Flickr) on steep terrain to allow slower-moving bikes to get out of the way of faster- moving traffic. There are some exceptions to this minimalist approach. The plan calls for routes along portions of Southwest Boones Ferry Road, Barbur Boulevard and Capitol Highway. It notes that these are, after all, the most direct routes between some destinations – but also that they cannot be used safely in their present state. For a route along Barbur, the report calls for filling in bike lane “gaps” at Newberry and Vermont streets and Multnomah Boulevard. For a route along Capitol Highway between Barbur and the Portland Community College Sylvania campus, it calls for a painted (Continued on Page 3) Community encouraged to reach out to victims of Terwilliger landslide By Polina Olsen The Southwest Portland Post When the home on Southwest Bur- lingame Place suddenly slid down a hill on October 8, the lives of seven families changed. While, fortunately, no humans or animals were injured, three homes were destroyed. Four more are uninhabitable. The hillside is unstable, the ground covered with debris. SW Terwilliger Boulevard be- tween SW Capitol Highway and SW Chestnut Street remains closed. And, from neighbors to strangers, Portlanders are jumping in to help. Thousands have donated money, food and time, according to Katie Seng- stake, a Burlingame Place resident, who is part of the core-coordinating group. With insurance claims denied in six cases and pending in one, the seven families need all the help they can get. “It’s not a formal group,” said Sen- gstake. One member, Michelle Becker, has found her engineering background invaluable as the affected families meet with city officials in her home. Lisa O’Toole setup and administers the website www.beckercap.com/ bgame, which coordinates donations and volunteers. Other unsung heroes include Seng- stake herself. A busy mother of three and real estate agent, she initially found the slide “surreal.” “We were on edge with all the heli- copters, and people, and feeling – oh my gosh there’s nothing you can do to help,” she said. “Then, I thought of the families who have jobs and three kids to get to school and this huge financial burden.” With the help of Senior Personal Banker Tom Casne, Sengstake setup disaster accounts for each family at the Bank of America in Hillsdale. “Tom Casne worked with me for hours try- ing to figure out the best way,” Seng- stake said, adding he stayed overtime to help move things fast. “Mike Roach [of Paloma Clothing] gave one woman a gift certificate. She works and didn’t have any clothes. The University of Portland’s catering service offered to bring meals.” Sengstake particularly remembers Stephen McBee of Ted McBee Bor- ing and Excavating, who, along with plumber Larry Cameron, spent days working at the site – all gratis. “These are all people with mortgages on their homes,” Sengstake said about the seven affected families. “None of them have the money even close to what is required. We’re trying to figure out a way for them to borrow [some] money, and we haven’t come up with any options.” Meanwhile, since the slide happened on private property, city liability is lim- ited. How much they will contribute to restoration remains unclear. Neighbors hope the city will find re-opening Ter- williger Boulevard enough incentive to clear the debris and stabilize the hillside. Right now, the seven families live with other family members and friends or rent apartments nearby. Several have small children at Robert Gray Middle School or Rieke Elementary. The core group is organizing a spare change drive through the Rieke Ele- mentary PTA. “We touch base weekly,” Sengstake said. “None of us have any experience doing anything like this.” How You Can Help Contribute to the disaster accounts at the Bank of America Hillsdale Branch, 6309 SW Capitol Hwy, Portland, OR 97239. Visit Monday - Fri- day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Call 503-275-1335 for more information. Visit www.beck- ercap.com/bgame/ for a list of individual family’s needs and sign-up information. Don’t forget to renew your subscription. Form on Page 2. The Southwest Portland Post 7825 SW 36th Ave Suite #203 Portland, OR 97219 This photo taken on November 9 shows one of the homes damaged in the Terwilliger landslide. (Post photo by Polina Olsen)
