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About The Southwest Portland Post. (Portland, Oregon) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 1, 2012)
SERVING Burlingame • Capitol Hill • Garden Home • Glen Cullen • Hillsdale • Multnomah Village • Raleigh Hills • South Portland • Vermont Hills • West Portland INSIDE: Celebrating 20 years of continuous Southwest news coverage! Volume No. 21, Issue No. 1 www.swportlandpost.com Portland, Oregon Barbur Concept Plan subject of Nov. 29 open house – Page 2 Complimentary November 2012 Mayoral and City Council candidates face off at Multnomah Center By Lee Perlman The Southwest Portland Post The candidates in last month’s South- west Candidates Forum were well- mannered, took a few pokes at their opponents, albeit covertly, and gener- ally promoted themselves. The debate, attended by about 100 people, was a collaborative effort by Southwest Neighborhoods, Inc., Neighbors West/Northwest and the Multnomah Neighborhood Association. Once again Dr. Richard Clucas of Portland State University served as moderator, and Mark Sieber of Neigh- bors WNW was time keeper; both served in these functions at a similar forum in April. One hour each was devoted to the race for City Council Position One between incumbent Amanda Fritz and challenger Mary Nolan, and the may- oral contest between Charlie Hales and Jefferson Smith. Clucas interspersed questions compiled by community members prior to the debate, and others submitted by the audience. Hales touted his prior experience, and record, on the City Council. He mentioned his volunteer service for the Charlie Hales Jefferson Smith Hayhurst Neighborhood Association (“I missed one meeting and they made me chair”) and his part in creating the Southwest Community Center. Hales touted his role in the creation of the MAX airport red line and the Port- land Streetcar. He said that he would consider lowering System Development Charges, saying that they are “so high they stop the development of small businesses.” Asked about support for a sales tax, Hales didn’t answer directly, but praised Governor John Kitzhaber for pledging Amanda Fritz to reform the state tax structure. Smith made a point of saying he would not favor tax reductions, that he would put a sales tax on the “low end” of possibilities and, instead, would look at eliminating tax breaks. Eliminating such deductions could pay for “more than schools and health care combined,” he said. Smith criticized Hales for supporting the proposed Columbia River Crossing and referred to the Southwest Com- munity Plan, which was undertaken under Hales’ leadership, saying, “The Mary Nolan concerns of the community weren’t addressed.” Smith also referred to his career in the state legislature, saying that he had “more recent public service” than Hales. On other issues the two candidates had similar positions. Both cited, as they have been doing for months, the City Auditor’s report that City government has too many managers in relation to its work force. “When Vera Katz was mayor she had six staff workers; Sam Adams has 24,” (Continued on Page 7) Neighbors report seeing coyotes prowling around Southwest MAPLEWOOD NOTEBOOK By Jillian Daley The Southwest Portland Post Maplewood neighbors recently have reported seeing coyotes prowling about southwest Portland. That means keeping cats and pet food indoors and tightly closing trash bins, said Officer Scott Foster of the Portland Police Bureau during a public safety presentation at the Maplewood Neighborhood Association meeting last month. “I have complaints about coyotes Photo by Jim Cruce, courtesy Portland Audubon Society. Don’t forget to renew your subscription. Form on Page 2. The Southwest Portland Post 4207 SE Woodstock Blvd #509 Portland, OR 97206 again,” Foster said. “It’s that time of year when they try to fatten themselves up. They’re pretty well-fed out here, the size of Siberian Huskies.” Reports on coyotes should be made to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, not to the police. Be on the lookout for identity thieves rifling through your recycling Foster also said at the meeting that another issue affecting Maplewood is people digging through the recycling, possibly collecting papers for identity theft. One resident said she told a woman rifling through her recycling to stop, and the woman responded by saying that refuse is public property once a person sets it on the curb. “Your garbage still belongs to you until the garbage truck comes and picks it up,” Foster said. He added that there have been re- ports of a man and woman in a white Honda in the early 2000s looking through recycling bins in the area. City Council reduces speed limits on neighborhood streets Karen Williams, MNA transportation committee chair, offered an update on the neighborhood greenway. A “neigh- borhood greenway” is a street with little traffic and a low speed limit where pedestrian and bicycle traffic safety are priority one, according to the City of Portland’s website. Portland City Council recently ap- proved dropping the speed limit from 25 to 20 miles per hour on such streets, including: Southwest Maplewood Road from 45th to 52nd avenues; 52nd Avenue from Maplewood Road to Vermont Street; and 60th Avenue from Miles Court to Vermont Street. Many speed limit signs had not been installed yet as of press time. “The work orders for our signage crews have been issued, but we have many miles over the city to do,” said Kyle Chisek, a capital projects manager at Portland Bureau of Transportation, following an inquiry on the Greenways issue from The Post. “I anticipate this work being completed before next summer.” The city has not finished some proposed neighborhood greenway improvements, including expanded shoulders and speed bumps, by this September as planned. Some of the work may be done this fall or in the early spring, Chisek said. After Williams’ transportation up- date and some information on land use, neighborhood association chair- woman Jill Gaddis delved into her parks update. Gaddis discussed an effort to seek grants to add a boardwalk with a small bridge across the creek at April Hill Park. The park has wetlands with sensitive plants and animals, and a boardwalk keeps visitors from tread- ing on them. She also touched on a project to raise money for an ice cream social with an acoustic band. Gaddis said she is seek- ing someone to organize a summer movie series for the neighborhood. Community Recycling Day: This event will be 9 a.m. to noon Nov. 3 at St. Luke Lutheran Church, at South- west 46 th Avenue and Vermont Street. (Continued on Page 4)