Hillsdale
appreciates
customers with
annual Blueberry
Pancake Breakfast
– Page 8
Bicycle racers
compete in
the Alpenrose
Velodrome
Challenge
– Page 5
State
representatives
provide overview
of education
funding
legislation
–Page 4
The Southwest Portland Post
Volume No. 25 Issue No. 9
www.swportlandpost.com
Portland, Oregon
Complimentary
July 2017
Autonomous vehicles may shuttle students from light rail stations to PCC Sylvania
SOUTHWEST CORRIDOR PLAN
By Erik Vidstrand
The Southwest Portland Post
The Metro community advisory
committee met on June 5 to discuss
two components of the proposed
Southwest light rail line. Committee
members reviewed alignment options
in Tigard and transportation options
to Portland Community College’s
Sylvania campus.
Eryn Kehe, Metro facilitator,
announced that TriMet is partnering
with University of Oregon student
teams who will assess sustainable
components of the project. These
include technology, wildlife habitats,
and autonomous cars.
“They will be looking at phone
apps such as schedules and tickets,”
Kehe said, “as well as considering
upgrading Wi-Fi services at many of
the stations.”
Matt Bihn, Metro project planner,
then discussed options for accessing
the PCC Sylvania campus.
“Tonight we are proposing two
shuttle options,” Bihn said. “These
include an automated electric shuttle
(van) up Southwest 53rd Avenue, and
the Barbur Transit Center and Baylor
Street shuttle buses.”
Bihn explained that the 53rd
Avenue shuttle would connect the
PCC Sylvania campus with a light
rail station at Barbur Boulevard and
53rd Avenue.
“This quarter-mile route would use
12-passenger autonomous shuttles
operating on demand,” Bihn said.
“Frequencies would vary throughout
the day.”
Currently 53rd Avenue is mostly
gravel, has no sidewalks, and no
lights. The plan is to pave the street,
add lighting, and make it safer for
pedestrians and bikes.
Bihn explained that six states,
including Washington and California,
have been testing autonomous
vehicles in pilot programs.
Metro is considering an autonomous (driverless) shuttle to carry passengers between
light rail stations and Portland Community College Sylvania.
(2010 photo by James Hill, courtesy Portland Community College)
The Barbur-Baylor shuttle would
connect PCC Sylvania with the light
rail stations at Barbur Transit Center in
Portland and Baylor Street in Tigard.
This system would add eighteen
55-passenger standard Trimet diesel
buses per hour during peak times.
Travel time, convenience, neighbor
issues, transfers, capital costs, and
(Continued on Page 3)
Construction underway; Plans include new playground, walkway, restroom
SPRING GARDEN PARK
By Erik Vidstrand and Don Snedecor
The Southwest Portland Post
The giant boulders and logs are
gone, the sand pit is no more, and the
toy Tonka trucks have been replaced
by heavy machinery. Construction has
finally begun at Spring Garden Park.
Nestled in the Multnomah
neighborhood, the 4.65 acre park is
bordered by Southwest Dolph Court
and Spring Garden Street between
32nd and 35th avenues.
Friends of Spring Garden Park have
been meeting with city planners the
last few years to improve the park
with extra amenities.
“Working with parks staff, the
city council, and with the support
of the park commissioner, Amanda
Fritz, we have sorted through all the
construction and budget questions
and are ready to proceed with building
the park,” said Elizabeth Kennedy-
Wong, community engagement
manager for Portland Parks and
Recreation.
According to the park bureau, the
playground will feature an interactive
water feature, embankment slide,
contemporary play structures, rocks
for climbing with tree logs and
stumps for nature-based play.
The playground will meet all
current Americans with Disabilities
Act requirements. An ADA-accessible
walking path will be constructed that
links Dolph Court to Spring Garden
Street through the park.
Along the main walking path
there will be seating opportunities as
well as the option to take one of the
alternative soft surface trails.
Adjacent to the playground a loo
(restroom facility) along with bike
racks, drinking fountain and trash
receptacles will be installed.
There will be a small picnic area
with shelter constructed along
Dolph Court that sits within a more
contemplative flower garden with
small areas of turf grass along with
benches, picnic tables and soft surface
walking paths.
Along the northern portion of the
park, south of the existing stream
area, a small group gathering area
consisting of an approximately 400
square feet concrete pad, turf and
seating walls will be installed.
The gathering area will
accommodate movies in the park and
provide additional space for learning
and interpretation of the adjacent
stream daylighting project.
“Recently, we indicated that the
retaining wall and gathering area
would be removed from the project,”
Kennedy-Wong recently wrote the
Friends of Spring Garden Park. “You
will be happy to know that these
features have been put back into the
park program.”
The gathering space, however,
has been a point of contention in the
neighborhood. Supporters of the park,
including the “Friends” have been
receptive to this area. Neighbors who
live within earshot of the gathering
space have not been supportive of the
“amphitheater” as they call it.
Some park components were scaled
back, removed, or redesigned with more
cost-effective building materials.
The Post visited the construction site
recently and spoke to Daniel Paul, the
(Continued on Page 3)
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The Southwest Portland Post
4207 SE Woodstock Blvd #509
Portland, OR 97206
Construction began June 19 on Spring Garden Park. Paul Brothers, Inc.
won the landscaping bid. The entire park is fenced off until completion.
(Post photo by Erik Vidstrand)