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About St. Johns review. (Saint Johns, Or.) 1904-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 7, 2015)
Page 6 * The St. Johns Review * #16 - Aug. 7, 2015 Email: reviewnewspaper@gmail.com * Mail: PO Box 83068, Port. OR 97283 * Web: www.stjohnsreview.com * Phone: 503-283-5086 LETTERS TO EDITOR Continued from Page 3 from Richmond to Lombard it will slow traffi c and provide a much im- proved view and safety of the Lom- bard/Charleston intersection. Cars will be going slower after having to turn at the new intersection. One suggestion that has been made is to set the struc- ture back from Lombard further than proposed in order to allow traffi c to have an easier view of the Charleston intersection. I/we agree that a greater setback would allow greater views of persons, cars and bikes at Charleston. However, I/we believe accordingly it would enable vehicular traffi c to ac- tually go faster than either the current situation or the proposed new Lom- bard/Richmond intersection would permit for the very reason of greater site visibility. Where there is great- er visibility drivers tend to go faster than if there are obstructions to being viewed. Besides we should want traf- fi c to slow down not speed up. The addition of a marked crosswalk and signage at Charleston would also help for the grade school, library and other traffi c. In the business district traffi c needs to go slower, not faster. St Johns is a designated Town Cen- ter in the city’s Comprehensive Plan. It calls for higher densities than sur- rounding areas. This is refl ected by re- quiring taller buildings and mixed use in the town center. This proposal fol- lows that requirement. We as a com- munity should support that but also want the development to be aestheti- cally as well as functionally pleasing. Residents should have that quality of life. The architect notes how modulat- ing the building proposed along Lom- bard would help it fi t in with the sur- rounding streetcar era architecture. It would then fi t well when (years from now) the streetcar is returned on Lom- bard (Portland Streetcar Plan 2009). The three building facades and styles proposed are excellent! Hopefully there are at least two different facades facing Charleston. Also ground fl oor is varied ——as well as roof overhangs for shade as well as in times of inclem- ent weather. The mixed use develop- ment will have ground fl oor uses that could utilize the proposed plaza where people from the community and the development could sit, relax and pa- tronize the adjoining businesses. The situation for parking presents a conundrum. On the one hand the more parking spaces that are provided the more it continues our over-reliance on the auto in a time when we are trying to reduce our carbon footprint (per Climate Action Plan adopted by City Council in June 2015). Reduce the number of off-street parking and there will likely be more congestion on St Johns streets. Off-street parking spaces are expensive! They add to the cost of commodities we buy, residenc- es we buy or rent. Bottom line is we pay for parking one way or another. An underground parking space cost Classifi ed Ads LESSONS: VOICE & PIANO LESSONS: Jensen’s Voice & Piano Studio offers lessons with college credits avail- able. For an appointment or more information call Pauline at 503-286- 1168. ____________________________ ____________________________ *C LASSIFIED I NSTRUCTIONS : Classifi eds are $15 for 30 words. 15 cents each word over 30. Photos are $15 extra. No logos/graphics. Ads are on a prepaid basis only. Call the Review at: 503-283-5086 and pay with a credit card or Mail to: PO Box 83068, Portland, OR 97283 be- fore the next deadline. on the order of $30,000 per space to construct and that was in 2002 (The High Cost of Free Parking by Donald Shoup, 2011, page 188). These costs are passed on to the user. Portland is concerned with equity and gentrifi ca- tion. Not requiring parking, or further reducing the number of spaces would address these issues by reducing costs and hence increase affordability. Add- ing more spaces encourages addition- al auto use and more congestion, not less over time. What is the solution? Let the ‘market’ determine the cost of parking. Charge for parking by pricing it according to demand — higher cost when the demand is great and less or zero when demand is slack. European cities have been doing this for years. Some US cities (Los Angeles and San Francisco) utilize in high demand ar- eas. If we are honest with ourselves we will walk and bike and use transit more and drive less. It’s healthier and less costly. A winner for the communi- ty and us as individuals. All in all, our congratulations to the owner and design team for a well thought out project! Curt Schneider and Cathy Hume North Charleston (Curt participated in the St Johns/ Lombard Plan in 2003/4, served as a St Johns resident on the Portland Streetcar Plan in 2009, was President of the St Johns Boosters in 2012/3 and is currently serving on the city’s Mixed Use Zoning Planning Advisory Com- mittee. Cathy was a Board member of the St Johns Farmers Market in 2009- 2011) ========================== Keep Ivy Island Dear Editor, I’ve been thinking about Ivy Island, and how I will miss it, if this new Charleston St./Ivy Island development is approved. It will be gone under the current proposal. Consider the whole of Lombard, essentially a succession of strip malls and traffi c lights. It feels gritty with asphalt, power poles and undistin- guished architecture. And then you come to Ivy Island. Ivy Island is a unique and lovely segue into the busi- ness district. Perhaps a little quaint, but it is nice. It’s shady with trees and it’s landscaped. And there it is right in front of you. You can’t miss it. Only St Johns has it and you know you’re home when you see it. Not as iconic, with a capital “I” as the bridge, but it is distinctive to St Johns. And the Lom- bard slip lane at Ivy Island makes an easy entrance into St. Johns. It’s a nice experience. So let’s imagine that everything from this proposed development has been built, including the four story apartment building. What will the approach to St. Johns be like? Now as you approach the business district you are fi rst greeted by the dull red brick 7-11 building, then, right behind that, the dull red brick strip mall, and then the dull red brick four story apartment structure yet to be built. Depending on the time of day, you’ll also wait in the backed-up traffi c in the right hand turn lane to get into St Johns. On the left hand side you have the dull gray brick storage structure. Dull may be a severe and unkind word, but from the draw- ings the architect has presented, it is that dull red brick kind of multi-struc- ture we’re seeing everywhere - fl avor- less and ubiquitous. This corner will now be like the whole of Lombard. The only justifi cation for razing Ivy Island is an issue of safety, specifi cal- ly, the blind Lombard curve and its effect at Charleston. There are many options other than razing Ivy Island to make this safer, such as speed limit signage and a pedestrian signal (like we have at N. John St.). Also, once the Huk Building is demolished the sight- line for that curve can be moved back. If you move the sight-line just four feet back, the Charleston corner is no longer blind and it becomes as safe as any corner on Lombard. There’s a lot that works with the cur- rent Ivy Island and the Lombard slip lane confi guration, and it’s not neces- sary to destroy everything. There are more elegant fi xes to the Charleston corner. John Teply, Atelier Gallery, N. Alta To helpers at CPJF: Thank you! Dear Editor, Thank you Sponsors and Volunteers for making the 35th Cathedral Park Jazz Festival a reality. I’m a free-lance photographer and contributor to the St. Johns Review, and had the privilege of being invited backstage again this year. But early Friday afternoon before the fi rst show, I stowed my camera gear and began learning fi rst hand what a massive effort it is to stage this event. The ‘day of’ tasks started with bringing the event paraphernalia from storage, which was an ongoing effort. Then erecting all the pavilions, populating them with chairs, tables, and all the equipment and supplies inside them. The sound crew brought in and set up a myriad of equipment. The IT crew came in, setting up WiFi and net com- munications. T-Shirts and other bulk merchandise was prepared for sale. The KBOO radio station set up their mobile outdoor studio. Volunteer and musician support was set up (espe- cially the life-saving water in the 90+ heat). The beer garden with its liquor license requirements, the food trucks requiring traffi c control and electric generator. Amenities and IDs for the VIP area. Porta-potties, recycle, trash. I could go on and on, but you get the idea how every single thing from the minuscule to the monumental has to be done for a successful event. Although major things were sched- uled previously, it took the on-site of skill and commitment of Marie Grae- bener to manage and ensure that both the scheduled and unscheduled tasks were completed - Thank you Marie. Key volunteers helping her were Dale ‘the General’ Dobbins, Kate ‘Ms Getit Done’ Niaman, Bob ‘Guru stage man- ager’ Luboch, Carol ‘silent helper’ Haywood and Marshall ‘I got it’ Sny- der - Thank you. And less than a doz- en more volunteers, all pulling way above their weight to make it happen - Thank you. I only know a few of the many spon- sors, but this newspaper, the St. Johns Review, was one for printing and dis- tributing the event program/schedule at its own expense - Thank you. Safe- way, I saw your truck by the beer gar- den... Thank you. KBOO 90.7 fm for promotion and LIVE broadcast during Saturday - Thank you. Portland Piano Company for providing the wonderful grand piano onstage and West Coast Piano for transporting it - Thank you. It was a wonderful event, thanks to all the volunteers and sponsors that want to bring it to life each year, and the generous audience that enjoys and supports it. Thank you, very much. Jim Moulton Sending Letters To The Editor: Letters to the St. Johns Review are welcome and encouraged. They must be legibly written, typed or emailed to the addresses at the top of this page. They must contain a name. Anonymous letters are not read or printed. Letters and the opinions expressed are not necessarily the views of the editor. Letters may be edited for grammar, spelling, or length, according to availability of room in the paper. The St. Johns Review newspaper nor the editor are responsible for opinions or content of letters. Racing for Kids - Come join the fun Thirty years ago, a member from Cascade Sports Car Club introduced the idea for giving back to the com- munity. It was decided that Cascade would dedicate one race each year toward raising money for children in need. That’s when the “Dash” was born. Over the years, the club has raised close to a half million dollars for kids!! Doernbecher Children’s Hospital has been the largest benefi ciary, but a few years ago the race also began benefi tting Take Action, a non profi t that helps feed at risk children when they’re away from school. Backpacks are fi lled with food during the week and then sent home with students for the weekend. Schools in the St. Johns area that participate in this program include James John, Sitton, and Rosa Parks. Take Action has been helping at risk children for going on fi ve years now. This year’s event, the 31st Dash for Kids, takes place August 22nd and 23rd at Portland International Race- way. Admission and parking are free. Money for charity is raised through noontime race car rides (rides start at $10 for 2 laps), a silent auction, a cou- ple of raffl es, and t-shirt sales. Please come join us for some of the best amateur racing in the North- west. Over 100 race cars will be in attendance to provide some close and competitive racing. You’ll be able to wander the paddock and see many different makes and models of race cars, including NASCAR type cars, INDY (Formula) type cars, BMW’s and Mazda’s. For more information visit www.cas- cadesportscarclub.org