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About St. Johns review. (Saint Johns, Or.) 1904-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 29, 2016)
Mail: PO Box 83068, Port. OR 97283 * Web: www.stjohnsreview.com * Phone: 503-283-5086 ord Grassroots: “Of the people, m up, non-hierarchical, rank le.” Mr. Adamski typifi es anyone st SJLP and the destruction of sland as “misguided” He adds the current “slip lane”which xt to Ivy Island as unsafe. He comments: “Among the goals e SJLP was to foster revital- SJ Town Center and Lombard dor commercial areas, to pro- opportunities for new housing the Lombard main street ... balanced multi-modal trans- ion system. He goes on to say, ng design guidelines and plan- priorities in place was of great rtance” and further, “SJLP was esult of collaboration of City neighborhood interests. Coun- ssed the SJLP with no oppo- .” I believe Mr. Adamski has presented the shear size of cit- standing against the proposed ohns Lombard plan. Mr. John solicited and received over ignatures against the proposed sland transfer to a developer. convinced there are literally ands of neighbors who oppose eizure and transfer of Ivy Is- e issue of safety for the citizens Johns is much larger than Ivy d. Lombard is at near peak en- ring capacity and to add addi- apartment construction means onal traffi c. Increasing apart- dwellers, cars and trucks will ncrease St. Johns’ high asthma, health and infrastruc- ture problems. The en- trepreneur who creates problems should not be given permission to build until and unless they a plan to mitigate impact on safety and not at the ex- pense of those that have no benefi t. Let me remind you of super-fund cleanup sites and the business’ who profi ted then left toxic waste for tax payer bailout. Ms. Quinn cites a meeting where “informal grassroots” gathering took place with Robin Plance, Ryan Die- bert, Lorelei Jutenen, Sarah Ander- son et. al., learned about the “Main Street Approach ”which advocates a return to community self reliance and local empowerment. Further, ”The organizational model is based on building broad based community support and tapping the collective wisdom of partners, with volunteers serving on a Board of Directors, and four committees: Design, Eco- nomic Development, Promotion and Organization.” Further, ”All local advocates expressed a strong desire to preserve and enhance the historic character of the town center while encouraging investment.” She then states that, “Communities generally go in one of two directions real estate wise, either toward improvement or decay” saying that “The Main Street program offered a way to move in a positive direction while maintaining St. Johns control through local board members.” First, I am not for decay but to destroy St. Johns in order to save it is a paradox inherent in growth vs. safety. I do not believe 500 persons who have signed Mr. Teply’s peti- tion are for decay. To inform your readers, Main Street is a part of The National Trust for Historic Preserva- tion. What part of the destruction of existing buildings and the transfer of Ivy Island into private hands can be interpreted as historic preservation? Historic preservation (US), heritage preservation or heritage conservation (UK), is an endeavor that seeks to preserve, con- serve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical signifi cance. I would advocate for a court of higher jurisdiction come forth with issuance of a Writ of Mandamus.A (writ of) mandamus is an order from a court to an inferior government offi cial ordering the govern- ment offi cial to properly fulfi ll their offi cial duties or correct an abuse of discretion. SJNA does not follow parliamentary rules and this is an abuse of discretion. Ivy Island has historically been a part of the gen- eral obligation and ownership of the citizens of St. Johns and the people of St. Johns. I believe the historic ownership and maintenance of the Island makes the transfer into private hands to be illegal and should be challenged by the courts. Richard Tennant ---------------------------- Using Art to Calm Traffi c Dear Editor, Concerning the Bolouri Development and Ivy Island two things often come up: 1) How do you make an effective and interesting gateway into Main Street St Johns? And, 2) How do we calm the traffi c of the Lombard Slip Lane that borders Ivy Island? Last week I attempted to show the community what that could look like. When the people driving into St. Johns came to Ivy Island they saw a paint- ed menagerie of life-size endangered creatures, interacting with children and roaming our iconic entrance. Polar bears, California condors and go- rillas! The title of this piece is “Slow it Down for the Children.” There is a second inferred meaning to the title about animal endangerment, global warm- ing and how we should work at slowing it down for our children. There are two things that art can do for our gate- way at Ivy Island. 1) Art creates an interesting and noteworthy entrance into the community. Which is perfect since this is a gateway into St Johns. 2) Art makes one aware of one’s surroundings. This also makes for safer driving. By itself art doesn’t solve the vehicle speed issue, but in conjunction with oth- er measures it can be part of the solution. This is just one idea and of course there are many. How remarkable would it be if something as simple Page 5 as artistically dramatic fl ood lamps were part of the Ivy Island experi- ence. Banners? Flags? Amazing art? A statue of James John, (who is cer- tainly worthy.) Much like the Ugly Duckling story, where from a hum- ble beginning, Ivy Island transforms into a beautiful swan and becomes a truly valued part of our commu- nity. A memorable entrance AND it calms traffi c. People should come out, check it out, and if it’s still there (for it may not be), tell us what you think. And save the date for the Ivy Island Town Hall Meeting at Pattie’s Homeplate: Fri., Jan 29th at 6pm. All are welcome. Thank-you, John Teply ==========================
