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About The Southwest Portland Post. (Portland, Oregon) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 2011)
INSIDE: SERVING Burlingame • Capitol Hill • Garden Home • Glen Cullen • Hillsdale • Multnomah Village • Raleigh Hills • South Portland • Vermont Hills • West Portland Sewer construction closes Interstate 5 ramp at Multnomah Blvd. through mid-November Southwest Portland’s Independent Neighborhood Newspaper Volume No. 19, Issue No. 12 www.swportlandpost.com Portland, Oregon – Page 6 Complimentary October 2011 Speed bumps play starring role in new Maplewood pedestrian plan TRAFFIC CALMING By Lee Perlman The Southwest Portland Post Portland Bureau of Planning rep- resentatives last month unveiled a draft Maplewood Greenway plan detailing traffic calming projects. About 40 people attended the meet- ing at Multnomah Arts Center and, while some questioned the details, there seemed to be general support for the plan as a whole. As shown by City of Portland transportation planner Greg Rais- man, the plan would place a total of 30 speed bumps, and some pe- destrian improvements where they don’t currently exist, on parts of Southwest Maplewood Drive, 51 st , 52 nd , 54 th and 60 th Avenues, Custer Street and Miles Court. These are intended to slow traf- fic and make bike and pedestrian traffic safer to such destinations as Maplewood School, the Southwest Community Center, Gabriel Park and Southwest Vermont Street com- mercial destinations. Also on the agenda is providing improved pedestrian facilities on Southwest Vermont Street between 45 th and 52 nd avenues. A scheme that would provide sidewalks on both sides of the street would cost $750,000 and is “outside our bud- get,” Raisman said. A modified plan that would sidewalks in only on the north side of the street would cost $350,000, which Raisman said is “also outside our budget, but not by a ton.” In some cases, the City proposes to use gravel rather than asphalt for pedestrian facilities. Trails ad- vocate Don Baack objected to this, saying it would be dangerous for bicyclists who would also use the path. “Gravel would be a big improvement over what exists in (Continued on Page 7) Volunteers work to “depave” Capitol Hill School playground By Don Snedecor The Southwest Portland Post On July 9, more than 120 school and community volunteers worked together to remove nearly 5000 square feet of 6-inch thick asphalt from Capitol Hill Elementary School’s playground. This cleared the way for two new swing areas, a climbing log and rocks, and a story circle. Thanks to some hard-working parent volunteers, the new playground additions were ready for play by the first day of school in September. This November, benches and trees (Continued on Page 5) Local environmentalist wins Spirit of Portland award NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS By Lee Perlman The Southwest Portland Post Terri Pre- eg Riggsby, longtime head of the Tryon Creek Wa t e r s h e d Council and m e m b e r of the West Multnomah Soil and Wa- ter Conservation District, has been named winner of this year’s Sandy Diedrich Spirit of Portland Award. Spirit of Portland Awards honor individuals, businesses and groups that contribute to the city’s livability. Award winners are selected, from nominations submitted by the public at large, by a citizen jury under the direction of the Portland Office of Neighborhood Involvement, plus awards bestowed by members of the Portland City Council. The Diedrich award, now in its second year, specifically honors envi- ronmental stewardship. Riggsby and the other winners will receive their awards from City Council members at a ceremony from 7 to 9 p.m. October 27 at the East Portland Community Center, 740 S.E. 106 th Ave. All are welcome, and refreshments will be served. Transportation committee questions Safeway access plan The Southwest Neighborhoods, Inc. Transportation Committee has examined the transportation and access plans for the proposed new Safeway grocery on Southwest Barbur Don’t forget to renew your subscription. Form on Page 2. The Southwest Portland Post 4207 SE Woodstock Blvd #509 Portland, OR 97206 Boulevard, and has some concerns, committee chair Roger Averbeck told the Post last month. Most of the concerns involve the proposed use of Southwest Capitol Hill Road as part of access routes, especially for large delivery trucks, Averbeck said. “Capitol Hill Road is designed for the homes on it and the streets that branch off of it, not regional traffic,” Averbeck said. The Committee would also not like to see freight use Southwest Multnomah Boulevard, where there is a lack of good connections to Barbur Boulevard, Averbeck said. Instead, he said, truck traffic should go directly onto and off of Barbur. Neighborhood grant applications due October 31 The deadline for applications for Southwest Neighborhood Grants is October 31. Available this year in amounts ranging from $200 to $2,000, the grants are awarded to local com- munity groups and non-profits for projects that “increase the capacity” of such groups, encourage participation by “under-represented communi- ties,” and “encourage partnerships.” The funds are allocated from the City General Fund, through the Of- fice of Neighborhood Involvement, to Southwest Neighborhoods, Inc. (SWNI) and the city’s six other neigh- borhood offices and coalitions. SWNI’s total allocation for the pro- gram this year is $22,000, and based on past grant cycles they expect appli- cants to request far more than this. For more information or for application forms contact SWNI at 503-823-4592. Stromer trial rescheduled As The Post went to press last month, the trial of former Southwest Neighborhoods, Inc. Operations Manager Virginia Stromer, originally set for September 6, had been resched- uled to October 31 at the request of her attorney. Stromer, free on her own recogni- zance since July, has been charged with the theft of $130,000 in SWNI funds over the course of seven years, prior to her abrupt resignation last fall. She has pleaded not guilty to the charge. City schedules new Portland Plan hearings The Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability is about to publish a draft of the proposed Portland Plan, which will set policy for City action and private development. The draft should be available beginning in early October at www.pdxplan.com. The Portland Planning and Sustain- ability Commission will hold public hearings on the draft on the following dates: November 8 at Jefferson High School, 5210 N. Kerby Ave., Novem- ber 15 at Parkrose High School, 12003 N. Shaver St., and November 29 at 1900 S.W. Fourth Ave. All three hear- ings are scheduled to be held from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.