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INSIDE:
Celebrating 20 years of continuous Southwest news coverage!
Volume No. 21, Issue No. 8
www.swportlandpost.com
Portland, Oregon
Wilson High School
choir wins first state
championship
– Page 5
Complimentary
June 2013
Portland City
Council votes in
favor of Barbur
Concept Plan
PDX Bike Breakfast
By Lee Perlman
The Southwest Portland Post
Commuter cyclists treated to breakfast: May was PDX Bike
Month, and what better way to make the commute a little
nicer by filling up with some goodies from local merchants in
Hillsdale. Over 100 bicyclists rode by in mid-May with many
stopping for breakfast burritos (Food Front), scones (Baker
& Spice), and coffee (Starbucks). Organized by the Bureau
of Transportation, staffer Dave Johnson, helped coordinate
the annual Hillsdale event. More information is available at
www.pdxbikemonth.com. Johnson reminded everyone that
the Southwest Portland's Sunday Parkways (in which many
roads are closed to automobile traffic) is scheduled this year for
September 29. Pictured: bike commuters including Olaf, David,
Emma, and Kim along with PBOT's Dave Johnson take time to
enjoy some Hillsdale hospitality. (Post photo by Erik Vidstrand)
The Portland City Council passed
the Barbur Concept Plan on April 24,
and engaged in a debate as to whether
it should be a guide for current use or
put on a shelf until the rest of the City
catches up.
The Barbur Plan, by the Portland Bu-
reau of Planning, is a subset of Metro’s
larger Southwest Corridor Plan, which
is considering the placement of light rail
or other high capacity transit through
the area.
The Barbur Plan, and similar efforts
in other jurisdictions, is looking at
the sort of development that would
be appropriate on Barbur Boulevard
[between downtown Portland and the
City of Tigard] and adjacent streets,
and what zone changes or public
improvements would be necessary to
bring them about.
(Continued on Page 7)
Mayor Hales’ budget cuts include
neighborhood small grants
CITY HALL
By Lee Perlman
The Southwest Portland Post
Mayor Charlie Hales published
his draft City of Portland budget last
month. It produced sighs of relief in
some quarters, sighs of regret in others.
The budget ax fell less heavily on
Portland’s neighborhood system, and
the Southwest Neighborhoods, Inc.
(SWNI) coalition specifically, than ear-
lier reports might have been led them
to expect.
The Office of Neighborhood In-
volvement (ONI), through which most
neighborhood funds are funneled, was
asked to prepare a fiscal year 2013-14
budget 10 percent below its previous
one. Hales’ budget cuts ONI’s budget
by just three percent.
Among other things, ONI will not
have to eliminate one of its 12 neighbor-
hood crime prevention positions.
Nevertheless, there will be pain. The
budget eliminates the popular Neigh-
borhood Small Grants program, which
allocated a total of $200,000 citywide to
coalitions for use in special, one-time
neighborhood improvement projects.
For SWNI, the cut will mean not
just the loss of the program but of its
part-time administrator and Outreach
Coordinator, Payal Razdan. There will
also be cuts to communication funds
citywide, which could affect the district-
wide Southwest Neighborhood News
newsletter.
In years past, a frequent target for
budget cuts in southwest has been
the SUN School after-school activi-
ties programs. This year the City and
Multnomah County were providing
funding for the Jackson Middle School and
Markham School SUN School programs.
However, the Robert Gray Middle
School program as well as those for
two east side schools – Buckman and
Sabin - stood to be eliminated.
Then, hours before the first of three
hearings on the proposed budget, Hales
announced a deal between himself and
Multnomah County Commission Chair
Jeff Cogen that would restore funding
to a variety of social service programs.
As part of this, Cogen agreed to ab-
sorb the three endangered SUN School
programs into his budget.
Also facing cuts is the Portland
Development Commission. The draft
PDC budget calls for cutting more
than $30,000 from its appropriation to
Venture Portland, a non-profit which
provides support services to local
neighborhood business associations in
much the same way that ONI and SWNI
aid neighborhood associations.
Venture Portland executive director
Heather Hoell told the Portland City
Council at a public hearing last month
that the proposed cut would force them
to reduce grants to business groups for
special projects by half.
Randy Bonella of the Multnomah
Village Business Association support-
ed Venture Portland’s bid to restore
funding.
Bonella credited them with helping
area businesses survive the disruption
caused by sewer work on Southwest
Multnomah Boulevard and told the
(Continued on Page 2)
Safeway construction scheduled for completion by Halloween
Workers on the roof take advantage of the sunshine in early May to meet
the October deadline for construction of the new Safeway supermarket at
Southwest Barbur Boulevard and Capitol Hill Road. The store will be al-
most 40,000 square feet, featuring an outdoor deck with a view of Mt Hood.
Built in 1968, the classic, curved roof structure on the previous building was
demolished last year but many parts were reused or recycled. (Post photo
by Erik Vidstrand)
Don’t forget to renew your subscription. Form on Page 2.
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Portland, OR 97206