January 2013
NEWS
The Southwest Portland Post • 7
Portland City Council approves low-cost model for street paving
By Lee Perlman
The Southwest Portland Post
The Portland City Council last month
unanimously adopted “Out of the
Mud,” a low-cost model for paving
streets.
Standard city streets contain a mini-
mum of two travel lanes, two lanes of
parking, curbs and sidewalks on both
sides.
Installing such streets costs the aver-
age homeowner $300 a month under the
City’s Bancroft bonding system and cre-
ation of a Local Improvement District.
Until last month, the City would
only provide financing, and long-term
maintenance, for streets that met this
standard.
Under an L.I.D., the City supervises
the work of the paving, and provides
financing through low-interest Bancroft
bonds. However, in most cases adjacent
property owners must pay 100 percent
of the cost.
The proposed new standard consists
of a strip of pavement 16 feet wide,
enough for one standard vehicle in each
direction, plus a gravel shoulder for car
storage and pedestrian access.
The new model will cost the aver-
age homeowner $65 per month, staffer
Christine Leon told Council. For about
$85 a month, they can add a separated
sidewalk, she said.
To qualify, Leon said, a street must
not only be classified as a local service
street, “but it must operate as one,”
with fewer than 500 vehicle trips per
day. It must have good visibility and a
“definable edge.”
The street must have a 15 miles- per-
hour speed limit. It must have speed
bumps and other forms of traffic calm-
ing.
These and other standards were in-
serted in response to concerns by Roger
Unpaved street at SW Wood Parkway and Collins St. (Post file photo by
Leslie Baird)
Averbeck of Ashcreek and others, who
feared for pedestrian safety on streets
with no defined sidewalks.
In answer to a question by Com-
missioner Randy Leonard, Leon said
that except where development is oc-
curring, “No one has to do anything”
to improve their street beyond what
already exists. “This is one more tool
in the tool box,” she said.
A possible future financing feature
is that participating property owners
can defer payments for new streets for
five years if 51 percent of them or more
earn 80 percent or below median local
family income.
Commissioner Amanda Fritz asked
if such deferments could be offered to
all low-income property owners even
if they didn’t constitute a majority on
a street. Staffer Jennifer Cooperman
said no, “You can’t do this property
by property.”
Southwest Neighborhoods, Inc.
board chair Marianne Fitzgerald said,
“We have many miles of streets that
could benefit from this program, and
many miles of streets that look like
this program. This could make a dif-
ference.” However, she also called on
Council to be sure to retain the program
standards.
Southwest Trails chair Don Baack
added his support, saying that people
in Southwest do not walk more often
because they are afraid to. His own
street contains just 18 feet of paving,
he said.
Fritz, in voting for the proposal,
praised Leon and Mayor Sam Adams.
“Folks in southwest definitely will be
pleased,” she said. “This makes a lot of
sense for a lot of people.”
Adams said, “I wish every neighbor-
hood had a Marianne Fitzgerald and a
Don Baack.”
Environmental Services pays $1 million for pump station repairs
By Lee Perlman
The Southwest Portland Post
The Portland City Council last month
made an emergency allocation of $1
million for a new surge tank at the
Fanno Creek Pump Station.
According to Stephen Sykes of the
Bureau of Environmental Services, the
tank contains “spikes” of sewerage
that occur when the pump at 6895 SW
86 th Ave. in Garden Home is turned on
or off.
The pump is activated automatically
when storm water runoff reaches a cer-
tain level.
Problems with the existing facil-
ity have generated complaints of bad
smells from neighbors and users of the
Fanno Creek Trail.
Sykes said BES may have helped
generate some of these calls through
signage advising people where to call
in the event of problems.
In a related matter, BES and Clean
Water Systems of Washington County
have signed an Inter-Governmental
Agreement allowing for expansion
of the pump station to two adjacent
properties.
The project has been controversial;
the proposed site is in Washington
County, and neighbors have com-
plained that they will bear the impact of
a facility that serves Portland residents.
Nonetheless, a Washington County
hearings officer approved the pro-
posal subject to a number of condi-
tions. Among these are that the City
put together an advisory committee to
discuss and deal with public concerns
and issues.
This committee, now being formed,
will include representatives from trail
advocates and the Fanno Creek Water-
shed Stewards, but will “absolutely” in-
clude neighboring residents, Sykes said.
For more information, email stephen.
sykes@portlandoregon.gov. or call 503-
823-7898.
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