March 2013
NEWS
The Southwest Portland Post • 7
Montessori school takes issue with Terwilliger neighbors over dog poop
By Lee Perlman
The Southwest Portland Post
The Sunstone Montessori School is
now ensconced in the old Terwilliger
School building and grounds at 6340
SW Corbett Ave., and has inherited an
old issue associated with the property:
dog poop.
As Principal Kathy Newman told the
South Portland Neighborhood Associa-
tion last month, she met informally with
nearby neighbors when her institution
first moved in.
“I asked them if they had any par-
ticular concerns, and this came up,” she
said. By “this,” Newman meant use of
the school’s two-acre front lawn as an
off-leash dog park, an activity that has
been going on for decades.
“I told them, ‘You can do it if you
clean up after yourselves,’ and they
haven’t been,” Newman said.
It was an issue also with the build-
ing’s last occupant, the Portland French
School. The principal assured neighbors
and South Portland that the dogs would
be welcome – then abruptly installed a
fence to keep them out, permanently
alienating much of the community.
In contrast, Sunstone Montessori
School sought advice on how to pro-
ceed.
Ironically, South Portland representa-
tives advocated taking a fairly tough
stand with the transgressors, although
they counseled meeting with them first.
Board member Bill Danneman said, “I’d
suggest having a meeting at the school”
with the dog owners.
“Tell them this is irresponsible dog
ownership, and put the onus on them.
If that doesn’t work, you may have to
take draconian measures.”
Board member Jim Gardner noted
that the site has long been viewed as
public property, and therefore available
for the public to use. He suggested post-
ing signs spelling out the conditions
under which the lawn can be used.
Danneman said that if there are still
violations, Newman should call the
police. A police officer present said, “It
would only take one arrest for the word
to get around.”
Newman said she had considered
installing a plastic bag dispenser on the
lawn. However, she said that if this hap-
pened she would like to see contribu-
tions from locals toward the $1,500 cost.
“I don’t think it’s right for us to foot
the whole bill when it isn’t even our
problem,” she said. South Waterfront
resident Len Michon said that such
stations exist in various places in the
neighborhood, “and no one uses them.”
Newman said that some residents
bag the feces, but then leave the bags
behind.
South Portland board member Lee
Neighbors like to use Sunstone Montessori School’s two-acre front lawn as a dog park.
(Stock photo courtesy of Susan Frikken via flickr)
Buhler suggested engaging the dog
owners and urging them to “self-
police.” Newman said that aside from
this issue, “The neighbors have been
great to us, and the school has staged
an open house.”
City of Portland hopes to save $25 million by cutting budgets
By Lee Perlman
The Southwest Portland Post
Last month all City of Portland
bureaus submitted fiscal year 2013-14
budgets that were 10 percent lower than
their current ones, as ordered by Mayor
Charlie Hales. They all reflected major
cuts in operations and services.
The cuts are necessary to meet an
expected shortfall in revenue of $25
million. Some of this is due to the im-
position of a new Library District for
Multnomah County.
The Library District provides more
stable funding for the county’s library
program. However, since it involves an
appropriation from the General Fund,
and the law does not allow property
taxes to increase beyond the rate of
inflation, “compression” occurs-- mean-
ing that funding elsewhere must be cut.
The Office of Neighborhood Involve-
ment’s cuts include elimination of the
bureau’s yearly stipends for neighbor-
hood associations to cover printing,
mailing and other communications
costs, a staple of the budget since the
office was created in 1974.
Also cut are the bureau’s popular
Neighborhood Small Grants program,
most of its support for volunteer graffiti
cleanup activities, some of its insurance
coverage for recreational activities, and
two of its 11 neighborhood crime pre-
vention coordinator positions.
Other bureaus have similar cuts.
The Portland Planning and Sustain-
ability Commission’s budget calls for
reductions in public outreach for such
processes as the Portland Compre-
hensive Plan update and possibly the
elimination of district planners who
have worked with citizen groups on
local planning issues.
The Bureau of Parks could see the
elimination of some recreation pro-
grams and reduced maintenance at
parks and facilities. All bureaus have
also submitted add-back packages ar-
guing for the re-addition to their budget
of services they deem essential if the
funds can be found.
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