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About The Southwest Portland Post. (Portland, Oregon) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (June 1, 2017)
June 2017 NEWS The Southwest Portland Post • 3 Small drone flies over neighborhood members during presentation MULTNOMAH NOTEBOOK By Erik Vidstrand The Southwest Portland Post Tom Mynes, a client relationship manager at ABJ Drones, was the keynote speaker at the Multnomah Neighborhood Association meeting on May 9. Steven Hall, the public safety chair for the association, had crossed paths with Mynes at a recent emergency management meeting and thought the neighborhood would like to experience the power of drones in response to large emergencies. Mynes, a former hazmat technician, is now involved with a company that provides drones to agencies for a variety of technical projects including disasters. H e e x p l a i n e d t h a t a re m o t e pilot certificate issued by the Federal Aviation Administration is required to operate a drone. As a hobby, licenses are not needed, but in the case of drones being used for professional reasons, a license is necessary. Editor’s Note: In general, Mynes said a flight plan must be filed with the FAA for any drone flying above 400 feet or the height of a building the size of “Big Pink,” downtown. Mynes mentioned that where he lives in Northeast Portland there are additional restrictions on drones due to their proximity to Portland International Airport. “Mounted with cameras,” Mynes said, “drones take the human risk factor out of exploration of various hazardous situations. They provide a great aerial advantage and make responding much safer.” Mynes showed a short video of drones being used to survey damage from several disasters. “Drones have been effective in search and rescue missions,” Mynes said. “They have thermal cameras mounted on them which can detect human bodies through brush or rubble.” A question came up about privacy for general use of drones which are becoming more and more popular. “This is so new and no cases have been filed yet,” Mynes said. “No one owns the airspace above your property. There are prohibitions like flying above Disneyland, large airports, and peeking in bedroom windows.” Mynes then demonstrated a tiny drone he had brought called the DWI Toy Train. It was outfitted with a high definition video camera which filmed the audience as it flew overhead. N o b i g g e r t h a n f o u r s q u a re inches, this tiny device is mainly used indoors and costs approximately $30. “Some drones are mounted with infrared cameras that can examine roof leaks,” Mynes said. Businesses have used larger drones for pesticide spraying, monitoring tree growth, water loss, and GIS mapping. “ I e n v i s i o n u s i n g d ro n e s t o monitor the developers,” said land use co-chair Houston Markley. “We could use this technology to track tree loss, evaluation of storm water changes, and road damage.” Zoning objections filed with state land use board Several objections have been filed with the Department of Land Conservation and Development on behalf of the Multnomah Neighborhood Association. Tom Mynes, of ABJ Drones, demonstrates a DJI Phantom 4 drone with a high definition camera which can survey fields and rubble. (Post photo by Erik Vidstrand) One objection is for a middle housing amendment and the other is requesting the neighborhood center designation of Multnomah Village be changed to a neighborhood corridor designation. A center allows more development within a quarter- mile of the center. “They were drafted by Eben Foder, a planner from Eugene,” s a i d M u l t n o m a h l a nd use co - chair Jim Peterson, “and reviewed by two land use lawyers, Bill Kabeiseman and Carry Richter.” Chair Martie Sucec announced that the so-called “affordability” House Bill 2007 is now under consideration by the House Ways and Means Committee in Salem. “The bill drastically alters O re g o n ’ s s t a t e w i d e p l a n n i n g laws and goals,” Sucec said. “If passed in its current form, it will wipe out local control of zoning across the state, bypass historical preservation, and eliminate design review, among other things.” (Continued on Page 7)
