Thanks to David Ashton, the editor and janitor of East Portland News, here are a couple of updates about community building events in Gateway and Parkrose:
The Gateway Business Assocation hosted a Mothers' Day Bike ride, in collaboration with Portland Bureau of Transportation staff. I always like attending GABA events, but this one was especially convenient since it allowed me to attend Mothers Day Brunch with my parents-in-love at CherryWood Village immediately before. Special kudos to Fred and Ann Sanchez, community stalwarts in Gateway; Arlene Kimura of the Hazelwood Neighborhood Association; Providence Trauma nurses whose program provides and fits bike helmets with support from community funders,;and Steve Hoyt-McBeth of PBOT who was universally praised for his good work in East Portland. Researchers from Portland State University graduate classes participated, too, encouraging participation in a project they've been working on.
Ten days ago, Commissioner Fish and Parkrose Public School Superintendent Dr. Karen Fisher Gray invited my participation in a Parkrose High School assembly, celebrating gifts to provide improved soccer fields at Parkrose High School on NE 122nd. The assembly honored the $50,000 gift from Merritt Paulson and the Portland Timbers. With the allocation of $100,000 to Parkrose in the 2009-10 City Budget, finalized a few weeks before, and $100,000 by the Parkrose School Board, the project now needs only $50,000 in community fundraising to provide two much-needed fields. They have been designed so the pitches rotate, allowing use of grass as a safe playing surface rather than more-expensive articifial turf. At the assembly, Timbers' owner Merritt Paulson gave me a Timbers scarf at the assembly. I didn't support providing public funding to change PGE Park for soccer, and I didn't support losing PGE Park as the Beavers' home, but now the decisions have been made I am committed to making the choices work out as well as possible. I appreciate Merritt and his players taking the time to visit Parkrose High School to make the big-check donation official. It was very fun. Commissioner Fish and I were each given a framed Parkrose athletic Letter, which I shall cherish. I might have won one for swimming and diving back in 1972-6, but they don't give Letters in British state schools.
On a third positive note for East Portland, the East Portland Action Plan staffing and grants program was fully funded in the Mayor's proposed and adopted 2010-11 budget - at a time when grants in the rest of the City were cut significantly. I enjoyed visiting the East Portland Neighborhood Association chairs meeting a few weeks ago, and Marshall High School's Step Up Family Night in late May. I am glad to support the good work being done by volunteers and staff in this special and previously-neglected area of our city.
i'm all for a working waterfront, but not at the expense of critical wildlife habitat. and both the city and the port of portland's arguments about needing west hayden island for port facilities seem a little disingenuous and make the discussion more complicated than it needs to be, given the fact that they have both given up valuable industrial land on the west bank of the willamette for residential/commercial development, and developed it in a much less wildlife habitat compatible way than a port terminal. terminal one, along with rail infrastructure, was turned into condos (in the flood plain!) and the formerly industrial south waterfront was turned into high rise commercial/medical/residential (again, in the flood plain, on a salmon bearing river!). neither of these projects are examples of wildlife compatible development, and the developers fought against the token 'green-washed edges' that we ended up with. we can't seem to put people on the river without sacrificing wildlife habitat, and we keep putting people on the river in industrial brownfields. ships aren't as needy, but we need quality habitat more than an expansion of port facilities, and a lot less condo development in waterfront industrial land. put the terminal closer to swan island, keep the willamette a working river, and don't sacrifice any more habitat!