8 • The Southwest Portland Post
NEWS
February 2013
Grant brings Maplewood closer to finishing park project
MAPLEWOOD NOTEBOOK
By Jillian Daley
The Southwest Portland Post
A local grant brought the April Hill
Park boardwalk and bridge project one
step closer to fruition.
Maplewood Neighborhood Associa-
tion chairwoman Jill Gaddis announced
at the January meeting that Southwest
Neighborhoods Inc., a nonprofit coali-
tion of neighborhood associations, had
awarded MNA a $775 grant through its
Small Grants Program.
The grant will support fundraisers
at April Hill Park, which will bring
in dollars to build a boardwalk over a
forested wetlands area at the park with
delicate wildlife such as salamanders
and newts. The fundraisers also will
help create a bridge over Woods Creek.
“It will get people to experience the
forest without disturbing the forest,”
Gaddis said.
The project-supporting fundraisers
are “Arf in the Park” in September,
which will feature dog obstacle courses,
and an ice cream social in August dur-
ing National Night Out.
Construction on the project could
begin in 2014, and it has an estimated
cost, including in-kind donations of
labor, of $100,000.
Maplewood Neighborhood Association is looking to add a boardwalk over wetlands and
a bridge across Woods Creek at April Hill Park. (Post photo by Jillian Daley)
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Gaddis is seeking volunteers to re-
move invasive species such as black-
berries, garlic mustard and ivy from
the wetlands area at April Hill Park.
To volunteer for a Maplewood parks
event, email aprilhillpark@gmail.com
or maplewood@swni.org.
School district faces shortfall
In other business, the neighborhood
association’s schools chairwoman
Keena Hormel mentioned Portland
Public Schools’ funding woes.
According to an article on the school
district’s website, Portland Public
(Continued on Page 2)
South Portland land use chair Jim Davis dead at 72
OBITUARY
Jim Davis, longtime land use chair
of the South Portland Neighborhood
Association, died last month of health
problems related to lung cancer. He
was 72 years old.
A memorial service will be held at
2:00 p.m. on February 15, 2013 at the
Presbyterian Church of Laurelhurst,
935 NE 33rd Ave in Portland. Burial
arrangements were by Riverview
Cemetery.
Davis, proprietor of the Running
Outfitter athletic apparel shop at 2337
SW Sixth Ave., was aggressive and
often acerbic in defending what he
saw as threats by development to the
livability of his neighborhood.
Among many campaigns, he led
the fight against the installation of a
federal Immigration and Customs En-
forcement facility in South Portland.
“He had a gruff exterior, but if you
got past that he had a soft heart,” fel-
low South Portland board member
Lee Buhler told The Post. “He went to
bat for anyone in the neighborhood
having a land use issue. He took his
job seriously.”
Another board member, Jim Gard-
ner, was often at odds with Davis on
issues. However, Gardner told The
Post, “We got along well. He had a
great sense of humor and a dry wit.”
According to Gardner, Davis “was
relentless in fighting for the neigh-
borhood, and he kept his eye on the
big picture. It’s hard to come up with
people who give that much time and
energy to their neighborhood.”
In addition to his neighborhood vol-
unteer activities and business, Davis
published an annual calendar, “Port-
land Remembered,” with each month
illustrated by a vintage photograph of
a familiar Portland street scene.
He donated proceeds from the cal-
endar to Southwest Neighborhoods,
Inc., and other worthy causes.
“No one had more knowledge of
land use law than Jim did,” South
Portland chair Ken Love said. “He
was a great colleague and friend, and
he will be missed.”
– Lee Perlman