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About The Southwest Portland Post. (Portland, Oregon) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (July 1, 2009)
July 2009 The Southwest Portland Post 7825 SW 36th Ave Suite #203 Portland, OR 97219 Fax: (866) 727-5336 email: news@multnomahpost.com BES director responds to letter regarding Multnomah Blvd sewer project Dear Mr. Russell, Thank you for your June 10, 2009 letter outlining SWNI’s concerns about the upcoming Fanno Basin Pressure Sewer replacement proj- ects. The Bureau of Environmental Services works hard to minimize the impacts of our construction projects on neighbors, as well as people driving through the affected area. The Bureau will take the steps sum- marized below to address SWNI’s concerns. 1. Noise and pollution must be minimized. The Portland Noise Re- view Board regulates noise from construction projects to protect people from excessive loud noises. The Board has granted a noise variance, which allows night work on 150 nights during work on the Multnomah segment of the pressure sewer replacement project. The variance establishes limits on noise during night work from 6:00 p.m. to 7 a.m. The variance requires the contractor to maintain construction noise below 68 dBA at 50 feet from construction during night work. The requirement does not include any specific diesel engine retrofits. Instead, by setting a maximum sound level the contractor will be required to use newer vehicles and equipment that have been, or can be, retrofitted with the most current muffling devices. The retrofitted equipment will also reduce exhaust emissions. En- vironmental Services also requires its contractors to use vacuum street sweepers to control dust in work areas. 2. Noise and pollution must be mini- mized not just in the Multnomah Blvd corridor but also on haul routes on SW Bertha Blvd, SW 45th Ave, SW Ver- mont St, and SW Oleson Road, and on the detour routes. The Noise Board did designate a haul route that will keep trucks off smaller residential streets. Our construction inspector will also document roadway conditions in and around the project area before construction starts to assess equip- ment impacts on road surfaces. Environmental Services will re- store any damage to street surfaces caused by project equipment after sewer construction is complete. EDITORIAL 3. The bike lanes and shoulders along Multnomah Blvd. must be left in a bet- ter condition after construction than before, with sidewalks and bike lanes, or at minimum, wide, walkable bike paths. The project scope does not include adding sidewalks or widening pathways. The contractor will be required to restore the roadway, including bike lanes, at the end of the project. This work will impact Multnomah Boulevard bike lanes, so we will rebuild and restripe them. This project also includes con- struction of stormwater manage- ment features along Multnomah Boulevard from SW 30th Avenue to SW 69th. Some of the stormwa- ter features include improvements that will upgrade pedestrian safety along Multnomah Boulevard. 4. Garden Home Road (from SW 45th Avenue to Multnomah Boulevard at SW 69th Ave) should not be used as a detour. During daytime construction, the contractor will keep one lane of SW Multnomah Boulevard open with flaggers directing traffic through the work zone. When Multnomah Boulevard is closed to through traf- fic between 45th and 69th Avenues during night work hours, the des- Call 503-244-6933 for info ignated detour will be SW Vermont Street via SW 45th and SW Oleson Road. SW Garden Home Road will not be used as a detour for this segment of work. In response to a request from area neighborhood associations, Envi- ronmental Services will use variable messaging signage (VMS) at key intersections outside the project area to give motorists advance notice and reduce vehicle traffic in the area. These measures will reduce impacts to residents on and near Garden Home Road. Construction impacts for a proj- ect of this size are inevitable, but Environmental Services is commit- ted to minimizing them as much as possible. Stephen Sykes, with the Bureau of Environmental Services, will continue to provide regular construction updates to inform southwest Portland residents of construction impacts before they occur. I think you will find him to be an excellent point of contact. Thank you for taking the time to contact me about your concerns. Dean Marriott Director Bureau of Environmental Services City of Portland The Southwest Portland Post • 5 Somali Community (Continued from Page 4) like health, domestic violence, gang prevention, and spring cleaning. “We brought speakers and taught women about resources available to them,” Abdulle, said. More projects are in the works. SWNI and Portland Community Media hope to complete an instructional video tai- lored to Somali immigrant needs this summer. It will model a Somali family receiving financial, health, food stamp, childcare, and other assistance complete with photographs of the bus stop and agency buildings. Since Somalis often mistrust photography, finding a family to film presents a challenge. “And, we’re thinking of doing an- other sewing project,” Abdulle said. “We need sewing machines, fabric, and space for the classes.” Abdulle hopes people with resources and ideas will join their monthly Somali leaders meet- ing at CNN . “We meet the first Saturday of every month,” she said. “People are welcome to come and bring resources. Tell us what is available. How can they engage the community?” For more information contact the So- mali Women’s Association swaofpdx@ yahoo.com; Central Northeast Neigh- borhoods, 4415 NE 87 th Ave, Portland, (503) 823-2780, lula@cnncoalition.org, www.cnncoalition.org; Somali Com- munity Services Coalition of Oregon 9123 SW Barbur Blvd Portland, (503) 595-0368, www.scscoregon.org; or Southwest Neighborhoods, Inc. 7688 SW Capitol Hwy Portland, 503-823- 4592, www.swni.org.