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About The Southwest Portland Post. (Portland, Oregon) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (June 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. 8 www.multnomahpost.com Portland, Oregon Bridlemile bike rodeo teaches children to ride safe --Page 4 Complimentary June 2009 Bicycles and streetcars subjects of Wilson open house By Polina Olsen The Southwest Portland Post The Bicycle Master Plan Update Proj- ect and the Streetcar System Plan held their sixth and final open house on May 18 at Wilson High School. Using wall posters as props, city staff and volun- teers presented draft recommendations, answered questions, and encouraged participation and suggestions. They divided the large room into three sections, the bicycle master plan, the streetcar system plan, and the in- tegration station where they showed how bikes and streetcars complement each other. The city emphasized how bicycles and streetcars reduce climate change and dependence on cars and how they increase Portland’s general livability. Southwest residents seemed most interested in the bicycle plan since it directly affects this area. Although Portland recently received a $70 mil- lion government transportation grant, it will finance a streetcar running from the Pearl District across the Broadway Bridge to the Oregon Museum of Sci- NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS By Lee Perlman The Southwest Portland Post Capitol Hill Road traffic calming project delayed A failed quorum call last month de- layed the advance of the Capitol Hill Road traffic calming project. The Multnomah Neighborhood Asso- ciation was unable to muster a quorum for its May board meeting, and was thus unable to vote on the issue. Proponents had obtained signatures on petitions of support from more than 74 percent of residents and occupants on the street, and a 14 to 1 vote of sup- port from the Hillsdale Neighborhood Association board. However, both of these outcomes were expected, while the Multnomah position was somewhat more in doubt. An affirmative vote, together with the two previous actions, would al- low volunteers to raise funds through voluntary assessments on property ence and Industry. Metro, however, does plan to run a streetcar from Port- land to Lake Oswego. Since the City Council adopted Port- land’s original Bicycle Master Plan in 1996, the city has doubled the network of bike lanes, built 30 miles of bicycle boulevards (see box) and added thou- sands of bike racks. Bicycling has in- creased four-fold, and 70% of Portland residents own or have regular access to a bike. A poster that divided Portlanders into four types helped explain the city’s goals. The Strong and Fearless, about 1 percent of the population already rides bikes everywhere. Enthused and Confi- dent cyclists are comfortable in traffic if good bikeways are installed. About one third of Portlanders are not ready to abandon their cars. But, the vast majority, the Interested but Concerned, do not feel safe. The Bicycle Master Plan update spe- cifically targets the Interested but Con- cerned group by proposing innovative solutions. They hope bike facilities on quiet streets will increase safety, encour- age use, and cost less than facilities on main roads. Keith Liden serves on the Bike Advi- sory Committee and is active in South- west Trails. “Bike lanes in Southwest Portland include Barbur Boulevard, Terwilliger Boulevard, parts of Capitol Highway, Multnomah Boulevard and Beaverton- Hillsdale Highway,” he said. “If I had to guess, I’d say that’s owners and other fundraising to pay for 11 speed “tables” (an elongated speed bump) to be placed along the street between Southwest Barbur and Bertha boulevards. The tables cost $2,200 each. The Portland Bureau of Transporta- tion has determined that such traffic calming activities are appropriate on this street, but the City has no funds to pay for them. Editor’s Note: According to Chair- man Randy Bonella, the Multnomah Neighborhood Association board is rescheduled to vote on the Capitol Hill Road traffic calming project at the Tuesday, June 9 general meeting at 7:00 p.m. at the Multnomah Center, 7688 SW Capitol Highway. Time has been set aside on the agenda for discussion of the project as well. short of funds for the venture. Current plans call for free concerts, each by a different musical group, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the park on July 8, 15, 22 and 29, plus a picnic and concert on National Night Out, this year August 4. Neighborhood associa- tions are expected to raise the $6,000 cost of the concerts through individual and corporate contributions and fund raising. This year in South Portland, as in the rest of the city, such contributions have been harder to come by for obvious reasons. Those willing to contribute to the cause can contact Love at TLC11@ mindspring.com. Funds needed for summer concerts at Willamette Park Portland Parks and Recreation and the South Portland Neighborhood Association are moving forward with plans for a third year of free concerts in Willamette Park but, according to South Portland chair Ken Love, they are still Don’t forget to renew your subscription. Form on Page 5. The Southwest Portland Post 7825 SW 36th Ave Suite #203 Portland, OR 97219 half the mileage of the official facili- ties. People ride on a lot of roads like Dosch, but there’s no bike facility at this point.” While Liden admires Southeast Portland’s more complete bicycle solu- tion, he finds the Southwest’s winding (Continued on Page 2) Shoshanah Oppenheim, Mayor Sam Adams, Joanne Kahn, and Don Baack, discuss op- tions at the Bicycle and Streetcar Open House on May 18 at Wilson High School. (Post photo by Polina Olsen) South Waterfront park to be named for Elizabeth Caruthers The Portland Development Commis- sion last month officially “conveyed” land to the Portland Bureau of Parks and Recreation that is in the process of becoming a South Waterfront park. The two-acre parcel bounded by Southwest Moody and Bond avenues and Curry and Gibbs streets is now under construction. The south end will have relatively quiet neighborhood- related facilities – a children’s play area, bocce court and urban gardens. The north end will be given over to a natural area and public art. The center will be a “multi-use” lawn with a natu- ral amphitheater for performances. It will be called Caruthers Park for early developer Elizabeth Caruthers. It was paid for by $2.7 million in tax incre- ment funds. PDC staffer James Mast noted that the park will eventually be surrounded by high-rise buildings containing a total of 1,800 housing units: The Atwater and John Ross (occupied), Ardea , formerly the Alexan (complete and leasing), and the Matisse and Mirabella (under construction). TriMet approves service cuts to Southwest bus lines Despite pleas from southwest and other neighborhoods, the TriMet board last month approved a series of service cuts intended to offset reduced revenue from fares and the payroll tax. Service will be reduced on, among others, the Line 1 Vermont, 8 Jackson Park, 12 Barbur, 39 Lewis and Clark, 43 Taylors Ferry, 55 Hamilton, 58 Canyon Road, and 63 Washington Park. In addi- tion, Line 35 Macadam will henceforth run on Southwest River Parkway and Moody Avenue between Harrison and Bancroft streets, giving more direct service to South Waterfront. Line 39 will cease to run at all on weekends despite a plea from Lewis and Clark College to continue this service, and an offer to subsidize it. The changes will go into effect on Sep- tember 13. Mayor Adams approves “right” budget for Southwest Neighborhoods, Inc. As part of his official budget, Mayor Sam Adams approved the so-called “right” budget proposed for Southwest Neighborhoods, Inc., and its parent agency the Office of Neighborhood In- volvement. The Right budget, devised by executive director Amalia Alarcon and Commissioner Amanda Fritz, calls for a 10 percent cut in the bureau’s overall level of spending for this fiscal year, most of it absorbed by the central office, as opposed to a 16 to 18 percent cut proposed by the Portland Office of Finance and Administration. (Continued on Page 2)