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)