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About The Southwest Portland Post. (Portland, Oregon) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (May 1, 2009)
SERVING Burlingame • Capitol Hill • Garden Home • Glen Cullen • Hillsdale • South Portland • Multnomah Village • Raleigh Hills • Vermont Hills • West Portland INSIDE: Southwest Portland’s Independent Neighborhood Newspaper Volume No. 17, Issue No. 7 www.multnomahpost.com Portland, Oregon Community mural needs 1000 volunteers to connect the dots--Page 6 Complimentary May 2009 North Macadam Transportation Plan approved unanimously by City Council By Lee Perlman The Southwest Portland Post Students at Hayhurst Elementary School in Southwest Portland celebrated Portland’s 32nd annual Arbor Day Tuesday, April 7, by planting 25 trees in Pendleton Park. With the help of City Nature, Portland Parks and Rec- reation’s environmental education program, the students learned about a variety of trees and enjoyed a morning of sunshine and games. (Post photo by Allison Rupp. Additional photos on Page 5) The Portland City Council last month unanimously approved the North Macadam Transportation Plan, a pack- age of improvements designed to aid automobile, bicycle, pedestrian, and transit movement to and within the neighborhood. Among the projects proposed, for a total cost of $194 million, were 12 motor vehicle-related projects, 13 bicycle and pedestrian projects and five transit proj- ects all designated high priority. These would cost $125 to $160 million. The Portland Bureau of Transporta- tion presented a tentative funding strategy that included a new set of System Development Charges on new development projects, with the pro- ceeds earmarked for the transportation projects. “While the efforts to secure this fund- ing will be ongoing for the next 20 years, this is a landmark step,” Mayor Sam Adams, who oversees PDOT, told the City Council. Giving credit to project staff, he said, “Part of the reason Port- land is known as a great city is because we have some of the most talented transportation planners.” Among the high priority projects were the proposed Milwaukie Light Rail route, bus line re-routings, the northward extension of Southwest Moody and Bond avenues, extension of the Willamette Greenway Trail, the Gibbs Street Pedestrian Bridge, and a series of traffic improvements intended to facilitate access to the South Water- front neighborhood from the north and south (the North and South portals). Project manager Art Pearce told the City Council that the intent of the pro- gram was to provide “safe, efficient, multi-modal” connections between the South Waterfront and the older neighborhood to the west, as well as the wider community. Urban renewal tax increment funds would provide “the lion’s share” of the financing, he said. Geraldine Moyle of the Portland De- (Continued on Page 3) Southwest residents shoot down proposed TriMet changes at public hearing By Allison Rupp The Southwest Portland Post Students, employees, and residents of Southwest Portland convened at Wilson High School in Hillsdale on April 6 to testify about proposed service cuts that TriMet announced in February and revised in March. The hearing, which lasted about an hour, included brief, three minute tes- timonies from ten people, who mostly argued against service cutbacks to specific bus lines. TriMet General Manager Fred Han- sen opened the hearing by explaining the reason for the cutbacks. With 55 percent of TriMet’s revenue drawn from payroll taxes, Portland’s rising unemployment means less money for TriMet services. The agency’s budget shortage has grown in recent months to over $20 million, making budget cuts of five percent necessary in each department. “We’re looking at every category to see if we can minimize the effect on our rid- ers,” Hansen said. “It’s a very painful process, because that’s what we care most about.” Arnie Panitch, a Southwest Portland resident, gave the first testimony. Pan- itch argued that Fareless Square—a section of downtown Portland, Old Town, and Lloyd Center where riders can board without paying—should re- main in tact for the sake of tourists and people attending conventions. Panitch also suggested the #39 bus to Lewis and Clark College be expanded rather than cut back. “We need to force that college to come into Portland. It’s within the city limits,” he said. Changes to the #39 bus line have been a hot point in the conversation surrounding TriMet cutbacks. Students and faculty at Lewis and Clark say discontinuing weekend service and reducing weekday service on the #39 bus line amounts to cutting the school off from Portland. And while the col- lege has its own private bus service, the Pioneer Express, running to downtown Portland, many believe it is inefficient and a waste of resources. Three witnesses from the Lewis and Clark community came to the hearing to address the changes wearing buttons and t-shirts that read “LC♥’s #39.” Matt Dowling, the student body president of Lewis and Clark Law School, asked “Are the cutbacks absolutely necessary? We’re not convinced.” Dowling said reducing the #39 bus line’s service would put more cars on the road and hinder Lewis and Clark students from getting to important ac- tivities like internships and community service projects. Carl Vance, vice president of business and finance at Lewis and Clark College, also shared his concerns about limited #39 bus line service. Vance reiterated the school’s offer to pay TriMet $250,000 and purchase bus passes for all students and faculty if TriMet would expand the #39 bus line and give college students a discounted fare. Several speakers also complained about cuts to the #55 Hamilton bus line, which was originally supposed to be eliminated but now will have its service reduced from every 30 minutes to every hour. The #55 bus line provides many Southwest residents transporta- tion to their jobs at Oregon Health and Sciences University (OHSU), where the waiting time for a parking permit is five years. “I’ve lived in cities with less public transportation than Portland, and my car is putting on more mileage here (Continued on Page 3) Don’t forget to renew your subscription. Form on Page 2. The Southwest Portland Post 7825 SW 36th Ave Suite #203 Portland, OR 97219 Don Baack, president of the Hillsdale Neighborhood Association, testifies at the hearing on proposed TriMet cutbacks Monday, April 7 at Wilson High School's cafeteria. (Post photo by Allison Rupp)
