Neighbors and Concerned Friends:

It's hard to believe that it's been almost 18 months since more than 400 neighbors formed a standing-room only crowd at Bethany Lutheran Church to discuss the four-story building with no parking planned for our neighborhood. Not long after that meeting, Beaumont-Wilshire Neighbors for Responsible Growth formed to reduce the impact of the building, and to address the issue citywide.

Our hundreds of hours of work this past year HAS resulted in changes that the city of Portland has made to respond to such exploitive development. Working with a coalition of other neighborhood groups, we persuaded the city to adopt minimum parking requirements for developments like the one on Fremont, and after weathering months of developer-delays we were able to make our case last month to the state's Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA). 

While we await LUBA's decision -- due later this week -- we confront an urgent reality with which we need your help. For the first time since we have been fighting these battles, we do not have the funds necessary to continue paying our bills from Dunn Carney, the firm of our land use attorney, Ty Wyman. To date we have raised $5,500 through direct solicitations, an ice-cream social, Fremont Fest, and last month's event at Blackbird Wineshop. Even with significant monthly discounts by our lawyer's firm and the extraordinary generosity of many neighbors, we estimate an additional $4,000 is needed to have brought our case to LUBA.

Now for the outright fundraising plea...

...if you have been waiting to see what happens with the case before donating, we suggest that now is the time to contribute to it.
...if you've given already (and there are many of you), we're asking you to consider donating again.
...if you know of someone -- a neighbor, a friend in another neighborhood or city -- who tries to support grass-roots causes like ours, please forward this email to them. 

...if you think that this is a lost cause because the building is nearly finished, remember that LUBA can reverse the issuance of the original permit, requiring the developer to either meet the minimum parking standards implemented in May or bypass the parking requirements by reducing the number of units—and therefore the building's overall impact.

Consider this: we could easily meet out fundraising goal if everyone who was at the church 18 months ago gave $10, or if every household in the Beaumont-Wilshire neighborhood gave 78 cents, or if every person who visited our website over the past year gave $1, or if everyone receiving this email gave $50.

There are three ways that you can donate (in whatever amount): 

1. Go to the Umpqua bank branch at 4335 NE Fremont and make a deposit directly into the account for "Beaumont-Wilshire Neighbors for Responsible Growth" or "BWNRG."
2. Mail a check payable to "Beaumont-Wilshire Neighbors for Responsible Growth" or to "BWNRG" and mail to:
• c/o William Price
  WP Price 
  4300 NE Fremont, Suite 250
  Portland, OR 97213
Go to our PayPal site to donate by credit card:https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=7D6ECPER67RGY

If you would like more information about the case before deciding to donate, please respond to this email with your questions/concerns, and one of our members will reply to you as soon as possible.

Thank you again for all of your continued and future support. Look for news on the upcoming LUBA decision later this week. 

Warmly,

your neighbors at Beaumont-Wilshire Neighbors for Responsible Growth

We changed the date on our Cookie Bake with Kids. It is now ; Fleur De Lis Cookir Bake with Kids,Saturday, December 14th,  from 1-2 PM. First 20 kids are free with reservations.

503 459 4887, or lilly@fleurdelisbakery.com. 

Fleur De Lis Bakery & Cafe, 3930 NE Hancock

Christmas Tree Recycling Available

Your local Boy Scout Troop 107 will recycle your Christmas Tree and other holiday greenery!
Two options:

Drop-off: 9:00 AM ñ 3:30 PM, Sunday, December 29, 2013, and Saturday & Sunday, January 4 & 5, 2014
WHERE: at NW Corner of Wilshire Park (NE Skidmore & 33rd Ave)

Curbside Pick-up: Saturday: January 4, 2014
Email: trees@t107.com or Call: 503-482-8107 to request pickup.

Suggested Donation: $5 to ??
Cash or check accepted (payable to BSA Troop 107). Pay with credit card via Paypal at t107.com
All proceeds benefit troop activities.

Questions?  Email: trees@t107.com or Call: 503-482-8107

Hi Beaumont-Wilshire neighbors!

 

We are offering outdoor nature classes for children in your area—specifically, Irving Park. We have been wanting to offer more classes in the N/NE neighborhoods so we are really excited! I hope you can pass this message along to the families in your neighborhood in case they are interested. If there is a better way for us to contact these families, please don’t hesitate to let us know.

 

We are excited to offer another season of Nuts About Nature Classes! Nuts About Nature is a popular preschool program run by Portland Parks & Recreation’s Environmental Education office, & we have classes this fall at Irving Park for children ages 3-8. Lil’ Nature Kids is our program for preschoolers—it’s a 2 hour drop off play & learn program for ages 3-5 with songs, stories, crafts, exploration, and more.

 

We also have Lil’ Nature Kids classes at Mt. Tabor, Sellwood Park, and Hoyt Arboretum, as well as classes for older children & after-school programs for children up to age 8. I’ve attached a flyer—take a look, & if you’re interested, head to our website atwww.portlandoregon.gov/parks/ee & click on “Early Childhood Programs”. You can register online, or you can call our office with any questions at 503-823-3601.

 

Hope to see you in the park this fall!

Chrissy

 

 

 

Chrissy Larson (a.k.a. Teacher Balsam)

Portland Parks & Recreation

Interim Coordinator for Environmental Education | City Nature - EE

2909 SW 2^nd Ave

Portland, OR 97201

503-823-3601 (office)

503-823-1149 (mobile)

Chrissy.Larson@portlandoregon.gov

www.PortlandParks.org

 

Share This:

Portland Public Schools FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Christine Miles, PPS Communications, 971-563-3753 Portland Public Schools seeks volunteers for Project Community Care (Portland,Ore) Join Portland Public Schools staff and community volunteers in enhancing our buildings and grounds. Project Community Care will be 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Aug. 24 at schools across the city.    Most activities involve landscaping, such as pulling weeds, painting and spreading bark dust. We thank the volunteers who joined Playworks Portland and Waggener Edstrom employees to get the ball rolling at Cesar Chavez School recently.   No registration is necessary for Project Community Care and all ages are welcome. Tools and supplies will be provided; individuals may also bring their own. Last year, 7,138 volunteers participated. Please consider helping us break that record this year!   View the list of participating schools. Questions? Call 503-916-3078 or email Andre Jackson at ajackso2@pps.net. Pictures available for your use from the Chavez cleanup (with credit Katharine Kimball for PPS) can be found here.

 

Bring the World Home with an AFS Exchange Student!

AFS Intercultural Programs USA

Help build bridges of intercultural understanding by sharing your home and daily life with AFS Intercultural Programs.  Since 1947, families and students worldwide have experienced the lifelong rewards of becoming a global family. AFS is looking for host families for high school exchange students coming from more than 90 countries in August.

Meet Aziz from Tajikistan: 

He is an active and athletic young man from Western Tajikistan.  He loves participating in sports and often competes in soccer games at his school.  Aziz is passionate about martial arts and practicing Judo and Tae Kwon-Do for years.  He enjoys martial arts because the training keeps him physically fit.  Other than sports, Aziz loves music and constantly has something playing in his ears.   Aziz’s teacher describes him as a creative and helpful student with a great attitude and a strong sense of responsibility.  He also happens to be very committed to his studies.  He hopes that he will make lots of new friends in America in addition to learning about U.S. history, traditions and culture.  Aziz wants his American host family to know about his country and all the wonderful things it has to offer. Upon his return to Tajikistan, he wants to go to college and study law.  He aspires to follow in the footsteps of his mother and grandmother by becoming a prosecutor.

Meet Neen from Thailand: 

Artima, or "Neen", is an active and energetic young woman. She is close to her family, including her two dogs, and they love spending time together. She enjoys participating in sports such as swimming, bicycling, and tennis. However, she is most passionate about badminton--she even competed in the past. She also knows how to play the Thai instrument called ranad. At home, she loves cooking both Thai and Western food. It has been Neen's dream to study in the USA. She is excited to live in the culture and improve her English.

As an AFS Host Family, you share your home with a new family member. Participants are carefully matched, and volunteers are always on hand to make sure that you and your student have the support and tools needed for a positive experience. 

Go to www.afsusa.org/hostfamily  to select your student today!

For more information:

call at 503-419-9509

or visit www.afsusa.org/hostfamily

P.S.   I was contacted about publicizing this information on the BWNA blog by Shaun Sullens, who works for AFS, but is also longtime President of the Piedmont Neighborhood Association in North Portland. Especially for those in our neighborhood with ties to Grant H.S., hosting an AFS student for the year would be a rewarding experience.

Dear Neighbors,

Just one week until we inoculate 53 trees in Grant Park, Beaumont-Wilshire and Irvington!  If you have already signed up, thank you! An email with details will be coming shortly.  If you have not yet had a chance to sign up to assist with inoculations and/or bring a dish for our potluck to celebrate the completion of our project, please use the VolunteerSpot link below.  There you'll find a list for volunteer opportunities and equipment and potluck dishes needed.

The important work of protecting our elm groves against Dutch elm disease could not happen without the help of many volunteers. Thank you and we hope to see you on June 22.

Please sign up for Save Our Elms Inoculation 2013 - here's how it works in 3 easy steps:

   1. Click this link to go to our invitation page on VolunteerSpot: http://vols.pt/RyKaxe
   2. Enter your email address: (You will NOT need to register an account on VolunteerSpot)
   3. Sign up! Choose your spots - VolunteerSpot will send you an automated confirmation and reminders. Easy!

Note: VolunteerSpot does not share your email address with anyone. If you prefer not to use your email address, please contact me and I can sign you up manually.

Angela Gusa

Neighborhood Coordinator

Grant Park Save Our Elms

Summer construction may cause traffic headaches on major neighborhood street

By Dave Anderson

Work has begun on a sewer project that will snarl traffic on one of the neighborhood’s busiest streets for much of the summer.

The city has hired a contractor to install a new sewer line on the portion of Northeast Wistaria Drive that connects 42^nd and 41^st avenues.  This is one of the main north-south connector streets in the neighborhood and TriMet’s 75 bus normally drives the street.

It will take about a month for the contractor to install the sewer line. Then crews will return later in the summer to connect 10 houses on the south, or downhill side, of the street to the new sewer. Under the contract, all work has to be complete by Oct. 1.

During construction, traffic will be limited to one lane, with flaggers alternating through traffic. Construction is limited to 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays, said Cheryl Kuck, a city spokeswoman. The contractor is allowed to work on Saturdays, but that’s unlikely because of the cost, she said.

It’s unclear whether the 75 bus will be detoured during construction. City officials will try to maintain one 10-foot travel lane, but once the open trench is dug, there might not be enough room for buses. But TriMet officials said they hadn’t heard about the project.

The work is necessary to replace a 100-year-old sewer line that’s not easily accessed because it runs along the property line between the 10 houses and the houses down the hill on Stanton Street. As part of the project, the contractor will move each house’s sewer lines 180 degrees so they flow toward Wistaria. The old line will be filled and left in place.

The project is one of many sewer replacements going on throughout the city. The same contractor, MEI Group or Moore Excavation Co. of Fairview, has been working on projects on Northeast 33^rd and 57^th avenues.  The city has a $6 million contract with Moore.

The new line will be a 12-inch sewer that will be about 17 to 19 feet deep and run 520 feet along Wistaria. The trench will be 4 to 6 feet wide. Residents along Wistaria won’t have any disruption of their service.

City officials said they would replace any speed bumps that are removed as a result of the construction.