Monday, October 27, 2008

Minutes of the Sabin Community Association, October 13, 2008

Attending: Rachel Studer, Chika Saeki, Elise Scolnick, Jeff Strang, Amy Hunter, Libery Wilson, Mikele Schappell, Judy Harrison.

Minutes from the previous board meeting which were published on the internet, were accepted.

The treasurer reported that the balance is $3,053.04. Expenses included the printing of the newsletter - $205. and the State of Oregon Corporation Division for $50. Income included $90 from ads on the newsletter.

Newsletter changes were tabled until the new officers come on board in January.

Member-at-large nominations were acknowledged. Ian Lomax and Kjell van Zoen have volunteered. The members-at-large serving until 2010 are: Elise, Judy, Gabrielle Josephson, and Jeff. Until 2011 are: Ian, and Kjell, leaving 2 open positions. Hopefully these will be filled at the General Meeting on the 20th.

General Meeting for Oct. 20th has been planned to include tables set up by local organizations: NET, BTA, PTA, SCA, Friends of Trees, and the Tool Library. The agenda includes reports from: Mr. Shafer, principal of Sabin School, David Sweet on the bike boulevard, and information on the children's levy. A general meeting of the SCA will follow. We hope to get more information on the many measures on the ballot from the League of Women voters. The election of officers for 2009 will also be held. Liberty and Amy will provide refreshments. Mikele will make signs for the doors to direct people. Jeff and Chika will be greeters. Rachel will be there early to direct the tablers. Mikele will have a sign up sheet for the general public and then hand them a ballot. She will also provide a box for the ballot returns. Babysitting will be provided if there are requests for it. Judy will take minutes of the General Meeting. All are asked to arrive by 6:00.

New business: There was a discussion of the Small Grants Program from the NE Coalition of Neighborhoods. It was proposed that various members of the board write grants to cover: the crosswalk at Irving Park (Jeff), the Art Festival at 15th and Prescott (Judy), creation of a Web page for the SCA (Elise). These must follow a specific form and be submitted by Nov. 3rd to the NE Coalition of Neighborhoods, Lauren McCarthy.

Plans were made for the board Holiday Party in December at LaBodega on Dec. 8 or 9th.

Plans are in the works for the wrap up of the year issue of the Newsletter for January,

The revision of the by-laws by Judy will start in January with the help of the NC Coalition.

Respectfully submitted, Judy Harrison

Saturday, October 4, 2008

Sabin Tree Events- Fall 2008

Sabin Neighborhood Fall Color Tree Walk
Sunday, October 26, 12:30-2:00 pm
Sabin Elementary School, 4013 NE 18th

Join Portland Parks & Recreation for a tree identification walk of the Sabin Neighborhood. Get ready for the winter planting season by joining us for this fun, insightful look at the trees of Sabin in the stunning fall color. Lead by Portland Parks & Recreation Arborist this tree walk will cover, tree characteristics, botanic history and identification techniques. Walk is free and registration is appreciated. For more information on this tree walk or copy of the tree map contact Portland Parks & Recreation City Nature at 503-823-1650 trees@ci.portland.or.us or go to http://www.portlandonline.com/shared/cfm/image.cfm?id=179840.


Portland Parks & Recreation Neighborhood Tree Steward Program (formerly called the Tree Liason Class)

Have fun and learn about Portland's trees and practice your tree pruning. This fun, hands-on, three part class that will cover general tree care, tree planting, tree pruning, tree preservation, tree identification and city tree ordinances. After completing the class volunteers are able to work with Portland Parks & Recreation on community tree projects. Previous projects have included tree identification walks, neighborhood block street tree pruning class, community tree planting or community tree care presentations.

The class costs $20 and requires a volunteer commitment of 40 hours. For more information about the class please call 503-823-1650 or kdawson@ci.portland.or.us.


October 2008 Neighborhood Tree Volunteer Class
Woodstock Community Center from 9 am to 12 noon (unless otherwise noted)

Saturday October 11: Tree Care Part I
  • Introduction to Portland Urban Forest
  • Urban Tree conflicts
  • Introduction to Tree Biology
  • Portland Tree Ordinances
Saturday October 18 Tree Care Part II
  • General Tree Biology
  • Hands on Pruning
  • Mature Tree Care
  • Common Pests and Tree Diseases of the Urban Forest
  • Community outreach
Saturday October 25, Optional Tree Walk
Sellwood Park 7700 SE 7th Ave, Portland

Saturday November 1, Tree Planting Class
Location to be announced


Information about leaves:
LEAFLINE at 503-823-1784,

http://www.portlandonline.com/TRANSPORTATION/index.cfm?c=47252&;

Property owners are responsible for removing and disposing of fallen leaves
on their property and from the sidewalks adjacent to their property.
Portland Street Maintenance crews perform limited leaf cleanup in the fall
in areas with the most street trees.

The fall leaf removal program begins late October and runs through mid-December 2008. The program focuses on picking up the leaves that fall onto the streets in neighborhoods with high concentrations of mature street trees. Street leaf removal helps reduce slippery road conditions, increasing the safety of motorists, pedestrians, and bicyclists. Leaf removal also reduces localized flooding caused by clogged drain inlets. The City infrastructure benefits from the reduced amount of leaves entering storm drains.

Please be aware that we ask all residents not to rake leaves into the street. Use your yard debris collection service, or take your leaves to the leaf depot sites for recycling.

Leaf Depots

Leaf depots are leaf recycle sites where residents can bring their yard leaves for recycling for a nominal fee. These depots will start October 25, 2008 and will run through December 7, 2008. Depots are open on either Saturday or Sunday each weekend through Saturday, December 7, 2008. Click here for the 2008 Leaf Depot Schedule or a PDF version to find out depot locations, times, dates, and fees. Schedule information will also be advertised in The Oregonian.

Neighborhood Leaf Removal

Neighborhood leaf removal service is provided in 17 neighborhoods with high concentrations of mature street trees. The leaf drop in these areas is so heavy that it creates hazards for motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians, and clogs storm drains causing local flooding and deterioration of the road surface. Specially equipped crews are required to pick up the large volume of leaves from the streets in these neighborhoods. Click here for the 2008 Leaf District Schedule or a PDF version to find out leaf removal neighborhoods, area boundaries, and dates. Residents in the leaf removal neighborhoods will be notified in advance of their scheduled dates by a door hanger.

For more information contact the LEAFLINE at 503-823-1784,

Minutes of the Sabin Community Association - September 8, 2008

Attending: Barbara Conable, Liberty Wilson, Judy Harrison, Ric Alexander, David Sweet, Amy Hunter, Jeff Strang, Rachel Studer, Elise Scolnick.

A round of introductions and short bios were heard.

Minutes were read and approved from the June 9, 2008 meeting.

Jeff Strang talked about the Neighborhood Inspection and Complaints group that he is associated with. The burned house on 15th and Prescott and the noise in the neighborhood at Whole Foods was discussed.

Elise Scolnick discussed the Last Thursday event at Alberta Street. 8-9,000 people attended. A section of the street was closed to traffic, there were portapotties, trash bins, and police. She discussed the Last Thursday Preservation Society who plans to distribute rules for Last Thursday to the residents of the area. There is a need for volunteers, and a bike corral. Parking in the neighborhood seems to be one of the biggest problems. For more information it is advised to go to the site: infor@tribewinds.com.

Treasurer's Report: Income: Ads: $180, Art Show: $70, Clean-up: 291.50
Total income: $541.50
Expenditures: J. Harrison - 122.58, J. Channell - $291.50, A. Hunter - $19.28, R. Studer - $49.44, Print Results - $360, ICA - 84. Total exp. - $926.80.
Final Balance - $3218.04

Nominations for the 2009 year so far are as follows:
President - Rachel Studer
1st VP - Liberty Wilson
2nd VP - Ric Alexander
Treasurer - Chika Saeki
Corres. and Recording Sec. - Barbara Conable
Publicity Officer - none
Members at large - Judy Harrison, Elise Scolnik, Jeff Strang, Kjell Ban Zoen
More needed

Judy Harrison volunteered to rewrite the by-laws for the association.

Plans were made for the next board meeting on Oct. 13th. The General Meeting will be Oct 20th. The plan is to have the central issue - the election and ballot measures. Also Emily will give a presentation on the bike boulevard for Going Ave. Hopefully some of the candidates will attend and give a speech. Several have been contacted but will attend late.

Rachel will attend the Neighborhood Small Grants session on Sept. 29 to find out about how to do grant applications.

The Spirit of Portland Awards needs people to give names for those to be honored. www.portlandonline.com.oni

It was noted that a helper for in the Ads for the newsletter is needed. All you people who get the minutes and don't help out please contact Rachel to help.

Traffic Safety Report will be going into the mail tomorrow. All the businesses were contacted and they gave the OK about the safety on Fremont Ave. around the parks at Hydro and Irving.

It was announced that the N.E. Coalition will come to the board meeting in October.

The meeting was closed at 9:00. Submitted by, Judy Harrison

Sunday, July 6, 2008

June Board Meeting of the Sabin Community Association

Meeting of the Sabin Community Association
June 9, 2008
Attending: Chika Saeki, Mikele Schappell, David Goldstein, Rachel Studer, Amy Hunter, Judy Harrison, Trent Thelen.
A resident of the area around Whole Foods, David Goldstein came to this meeting to discuss possible solutions to the noise in his block. He lives behind Whole Foods and says that the garbage pick up for the store comes three days a week at 5:00 am. and that the roof top air conditioner is extremely noisy. He has discussed both problems with the management. No solution has been suggested by them for the air conditioner, but they stop the garbage for a time and then it resumes at the early hour. He was directed to talk to Jeff Strang to put him in the right direction.
TRAFFIC and SAFETY COMMITTEE:
Rachel reported that the formal draft of the "Request to Portland Department of Transportation for Pedestrian Safety Measures in Sabin Neighborhood" was written and mailed to the PDOT. She presented this document for revision and corrections to the Board. Anyone interested could get a copy from lanomada@hevanet.com.
ART SHOW AND SALE
Judy said that a second volunteer is needed for the coming June 21st event. Betty Walker will be there in the morning. There are 6 people who have paid for their space, and 3 more who will possibly join the group. Jeff Strang volunteered to provide music.
NATIONAL NIGHT OUT
Mikele said that the National Night Out Event will be August 5th from 6-8. There will be live music, certificates for volunteers, a fun raffle. She hopes to get the Police or Fire Fighters there with a truck. All members are asked to bring a white elephant gift for the raffle. Anyone coming should bring food for the Pot Luck, and table cloths for the tables. Whether or not we could grill was questioned. Also the was a question as to who has the raffle tickets.
The Movie in the Park event on August 22nd was discussed. Rachel will be attending the Irvington Community Association meeting on Thursday and will take notes about the event since we are sharing the expense and are involved in the planning. We are contributing $250 for the event and will ask local businesses to share a part of this.
Since this is the last board meeting and newsletter for the year, the board decided to make plans for the October General Meeting. A volunteer for the Chairman of this event is needed. Plans are to get the candidates there to discuss their platform and to discuss the various ballot measures. The Board Meeting is planned for October 13. The newsletter will go out to residents on the first of the month. The General Meeting is planned for October 20th. Plans for the next election of nominations for the Board will be in September. The new board will be elected at the General Meeting on October 20th.
TOOL LIBRARY FOR NE PORTLAND
A Tool Library is being collected for the residents of NE Portland. It will be located on 20th and Killingsworth. The Grand Opening is July 15, 2008. Contact Eric at 503-754-0534 or Tom at 503-539-1756 for tool donations.
TREASURER'S REPORT
Chika reported that the Treasurer's Report is on the email site. The balance is $3603.34
Respectfully submitted, Judy Harrison

Friday, June 20, 2008

Minutes of the May 12, 2008 meeting

Sabin Community Association
Board Meeting - May 12, 2008, 7:00pm
Whole Foods Kitchen, Fremont and 15th
Attending: Judy Harrison, Betty Walker, Jerry Channell, Ric Alexander, Jeff Strang, Mikele Schappell, Chika Saeki, Amy Hunter, Rachel Studer, Elise Scolnick, Chris Ritter.
Clean Up Committee Report
Jerry Channell and Betty Walker reported that the Clean-Up was a great success. Over 50 volunteers work on May 3rd. Over 100 people brought materials to the Maranatha Church Parking Lot. By closing time at 2:00pm, the crew had removed six fully loaded 30-yard dumpsters, totalling 24,180 of solid waste and yard debris from the neighborhood. Anfield Metal recovered 4850 lbs. of recyclable metals. City recycling collected over 30 TV Moniters and television sets. Community Cycling Center collected six bikes and a heap of usable parts. The committee coordinated 15 curbside pick-up runs. That included 20 mattresses/boxstrings, 13 sofas, 18 large rugs, 33 tires and one refrigerator. Turn out was about the same as last year and the year before. Plans are being made for next year. The t-shirts looked great on the volunteers. The cost for them was $291. This might be covered by the NE Coalition. The costs to recycle were $648, proceeds were $549.
Thanks goes to all the volunteers that helped that day, volunteers who helped to plan the day, and Shannon at the NE Coalition of Neighborhoods who helped with paperwork, the Maranatha Church, all the recyclers, Jenny at Metro, Edwardo Banuela for cleaning up the parking lot after the event and much thanks goes to Betty and Jerry for making this event very successful. They are seeking input and volunteers for next years event. Please contact either Betty at 503-281-1768 or Jerry at 503-702-4454 for volunteer information.
Events Committee Report
Amy Hunter reported that The Hydro Park opening will be on May 18th from 2-4. Commissioner Leonard will speak along with other representatives from the Water Department. Fencing is still in limbo. At the opening will be cupcakes and juice. Water department will bring water! There will be many activities for the kids along with a tour of the community garden area. Volunteers were being sought to help with graffiti on the towers. The SCA will have a table there with newsletters and the banner (from Betty).
There was some discussion as to whether or not the SCA should man a table at the Art Hop. It was felt that the SCA would decline the offer.
Judy Harrison reported that the Art Show on the corner of Prescott and 15th (plus the Prescott Village Parking lot) for June 21st was coming along. She is distributing posters with information concerning signing up for the show. If you sign up before June 16 the fee is $10, after it is $20. For other information mail a check (make check payable to"Sabin Community Association") for the fee to Art Show, 4541 NE 16th, PDX 97211. Other venues for publicity are being investigated. It was suggested that a Mexican Band be included as a part of that day.
Discussion continued concerning Fremont at 15th. Hopes for a Kiosk at the vacant area might come about. There was some talk of a wild flower garden. This ideas was tabled for further investigation.
Amy further noted that the National Night Out will be August 5. It will be like last year: a pot luck, music, games for kids, and recognition for the volunteers for SCA.
Also she said that the "Movie at the Park" will be August 22. The movie will be "Zoro" because the producer has pulled the video "Raider of the LOst Ark" because of the new movie coming out. There will be many activities: a Elvis impersonator, Mexican Band, Costume Contest, Climbing wall, and many other activities for the kids.
Land Use and Transportation Committee
Ric Alexander reported that the committee did not meet this month but he shared information about the surrounding areas. The Portland Airport will not be spraying paint to paint the Boeing Aircraft. They have found another method to accomplish this. The Cully Neighborhood will be getting sidewalks and some new roads in the future. And the Colwood Golf Course has been zoned to industrial now. In the next 20 years the airport will be creating a runway that will impact our area. Concordia University is expanding. The airport restricted them from using a tall crane in their construction site due to air traffic.
There has been an increase of tagging in our neighborhood. Residents are asked to report the graffiti as soon as possible. The phone number is 503-823-4824.
It was reported that Tom Braibish has transcribed all the concerns voiced at the General Meeting on Transportation and Traffic Safety. Tom will present these and the three major concerns to the Portland Dept. of Transportation. Mikele will be creating an address book of all the people who attended that meeting and updating our contact with all of the e mail addresses. She will send out a report on the Hydro Park to all of these people.
Treasurer's Report
Chika Saeki reported that SCA has $3,134.34 in the bank, There were $666.77 expenses. $520 income from the NE Coalition and Ads in the newsletter. We should get $1000 from the NE Coalition for help with the newsletter.
Newsletter Report
Rachel Studer reported that the June Newsletter might discuss the Green Building. Elise will be going to a workshop on Green Building and will report on this in the Newsletter. The following are helping to create a better newsletter: Jerry doing the template, Elise doing the layout, Kamberly Willborn will seek ads, and Chika will do the billing for the ads.
Jeff Strang will be attending the Liveability Summit May 28; the topic will be "Coalition for a Liveable Future". He will report on the meeting next board meeting. He also cautioned that the Oregon Liquer Control was going to change the rules that now exist. All should go on the state web site for information.
Future Meetings
There was discussion about the topics for our fall general meeting. Thoughts were that a co-meeting with the Irvington CA might work. It was also suggested that we invite the candidates to express their views. Or a topic discussion on Crime might work. We also should have our election then.
Chika will do refreshments next board meeting. We adjourned at 8:45pm.
Respectfully submitted, Judy Harrison

Friday, April 18, 2008

Board Minutes of the Sabin Community Association, April 14, 2008

Attending: Rachel Studer, David Higginson, Judy Harrison, Ric Alexander,Chris Ritter, Jerry Channell, Mikele Schappell, Elise Scolnick, Jeff Strang, Amy Hunter, Chika Saeki.
Report of the Transportation Committee:
It was a general proclaimation that the public meeting on Public Safety held at Sabin School, March 31st, was a great success. Fifty people attended and participated. There was time for all to share their concerns about the traffic on Fremont Ave. A PDOT representative was there to explain the city's part. He explained at the businesses in the areas of concern should be notified about our efforts to amend traffic. There were three areas of high concern: the crosswalk on Prescott into the new Hydro Park, the crosswalk on Fremont into Irvington Park, and corridors for bikes (instead of using 15th). Articles will be written to include in the newsletter. The next transportation committee meeting will be May 12th at 6:30.
Clean-Up Committee Report:
The T-Shirts were ready for pick up. There are about 20 volunteers who will participate that day (May 3). A community warehouse representative will be there to guide us. a fee will be charged for all TV's and computer monitors. All electronics will be free. Vouchers will be made up for the truckers who haul for us to dump. NE Coalition will pay for the dumping. Habitat for Humanity has been contacted to provide hand-outs for future donations. More volunteers are needed that day.
Events Committee:
The day for the Art Show and Sale has been set, June 21st, a Saturday from 9-5 at the corner of 15th and Prescott and the parking lot of Prescott Village. Flyers will be made up to call all artists interested in participating. A $10 fee will be set for participation. All artists must display their own handmade work on tables, shelves, etc. and not the ground. Permission is being sought from the owners of these areas.
National Night-Out and Volunteer Association Awards Night will be a pot luck on August 5th with Jeff Strang singing.
Movie at the Park, a joint event with the Irvington CA, will be August 22 at the Irving Park. The movie will be "Raiders of the Lost Ark". There will also be a band, a climbing wall, and other kids activities.
The Alberta Art Hop will be May 17. There was discussion as to whether SCA and NET would man a booth. The booths were $20 to $25. The measure was tabled for lack of support.
Land Use Committee:
The city is redoing plans. Jeff passed out the Portland Plan Survey and Information Sheets. He asked that everyone read and fill out the plan.
Treasurer Report:
Chika reported that we have $336.11 in the bank. She has transferred names and now is in control of the account. It was mentioned that the NE Coalition will help pay for the printing of the newsletter.
Newsletter Report:
Rachel reported that it was very difficult to do the newsletter on her computer. She was still cutting and pasteing. She asked for $75 to get the "Pages" program to facilitate the process. It was moved by Jeff and seconded by Amy to purchase this for her. She would hope to take a class to understand the program. Further discussion ensued about the weaknesses of the program. Jerry volunteered to compile a template on Windows that would be compatible with Apple to help her out. Elise also volunteered to help with the layout. Rachel will then just collect articles and write them up. Chika will help get the ads and bill them quarterly. Space was also a major consideration. This will be addressed when the template is created. The motion to purchase "Pages" was tabled for lack of interest. There will be an effort to get the newsletter out at the beginning of every month.
New Business:
News came from NECN that Robin Dever is leaving. Discussion commenced about the $1000 grant from NECN and how do we apply for it. Chika will find out about what we should be doing. Shannon Olive is the office manager of the NECN at this moment.
Charitable Acitivities Form for the Oregon Dept. of Justice must be fill out each year. Rachel will do this. Chika will fill out the form giving her phone number and the address will be the NE Coalition.
By-laws revision is tabled for lack of time and people to do this. Volunteers are needed for this task. NE Coalition wants us to comply with all the other CA's, e.g. voting in April for our officers.
We need to recruit new board members who will participate in the running of the organization. There is a call for a volunteer to set up a data base on Excel Microsolft Office to list all of the people who attended the general meetings.
Refreshments for next time will be provided by Ric.
The next board meeting is May 12th 7-9
Submitted by Judith Harrison

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Minutes of the March 10 Board Meeting

Attending: Rachel Studer, Judy Harrison, Kathy Boyea, Tammy Paladeni, Ric Alexander, Chika Saeki, Jerry Channell, Jay Shuster, Jeff Strang, Jason Orth, and Mikele Schappell.

The minutes from the last board meeting were approved as printed.

The treasurer's report was presented by Rachel since our Treasurer, Gabrielle Josephson had to resign. There is $3,099 in the banking account and $400. at the Northeast Coalition for our use in communications. The total being $3499.00.

Chika Saeki volunteered to step into the Treasurer's position. It was moved by Ric Alexander that her nomination be accepted. It was seconded by Rachal. There were 7 votes in favor of Chika assuming the position of Treasurer. zero nos and zero abstainers.

Jerry Channell presented detailed report on the Clean-up Committee. He and Betty Walker will be co-chairing the event. on May 3rd from 10-2 at the Maranatha Church parking lot. He explained that a coupon will be at the front bottom of the April newsletter. It will enable the SCA to know who is using the service, why they are using the service, and how many other years they have used this service. It will provide the SCA with names and addresses of individuals who would be interested in helping out the SCA at other events. A donation will be sought for the service. Jerry and Betty plan on creating a T-shirt for the volunteers at the May event. It was moved by Ric and Jeff to give $200 toward the expense of the shirts. Mikele seconded. There were 7 votes in favor of this expense (zero nos, zero abstainers). Cold water, sodas and lunchtime snacks will also be provided. Donations from those who drop off items will cover this expense. Included in the report was information that the city will need at the end of the event. There will be flyers distributed to advertise the clean-up.

The Transportation Committee meets at 6:30 before the Board Meeting. They have made plans for the March 31st meeting. Will Stevens will be at the general meeting to provide information about ways to slow traffice on Fremont. Volunteers were sought to help prepare for this meeting, working on the questionaire that will be included in the next newsletter. [Somebody] volunteered to call for helpers and get information out. Board members were encouraged to talk up neighborhood participation and get people to come to the March meeting. It was suggested that those interested in changing things in the community call 503-823-safe to lodge a complaint with the powers that be. Also to check out the city website "Portland online" to look under PDOT.

Jeff Strang and Ric spoke about the Land Use section of the Transportation Committee. Jeff discussed the Daddy Mojo noise complaint and the raising of the 15th and Prescott burnt house.

Judy will investigate the possibility of having a community art fair on the corner of 15th and Prescott during the summer. The parking lot outside of Bean may also be included.

Tammy recommended that she would like to see the Board create a communications/pr plan for the next year and would work to enable that happening.

Since balloons are not a very ecological item, it was moved by Jerry and seconded by Mikele that the balloons be removed from the Sabin Newsletter logo. There were 7 votes in favor, zero nos, zero abstainers.

The March newsletter will feature an article about Gentrification by Mikele.

Jeff will provide refreshments for the next Board meeting.

It was moved by Ric to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Mikele.

Sunday, February 17, 2008

SCA Board Minutes- January 14, 2008

Attending: Rachel Studer, George Karlson, Jason Orth, Chris Rutter, Mikele Schappell, Amy Hunter, Ric Alexander, Chika Saeki, Sandy Bacharach, Robin Denburg, Betty Walker, Judy Harrison, Tom Braibich, Elise Scolnick.

  • This was a combined board meeting of last year’s member and the newly elected members.

  • Betty Walker and George Karlson were praised for their long term commitment to the Sabin Community Association. Betty is credited for being one of the initial members. Both were thanked for all the hard work over the last 20-30 years.

  • Updates were presented on the Spring Clean Up scheduled for May 3rd. Betty Walker and Jason Orth, Co-Chm., said that the event will be held at the Maranatha Church parking lot on 12th Ave. Volunteers are sought to help direct traffic and organize. Lunch will be provided for the volunteers.

  • Plans for 2008 were discussed. It was decided not to have monthly general meetings but 4 fun events. They include: Movie in the Park, Spring Clean Up, Ribbon cutting at the Hydro Park, and a Holiday Party. Monthly newsletter that is delivered to Sabin residences will be the primary voice of SCA.

  • Google Master will coordinate Board communication and a web page is in the works.

  • George Karlson sent out his new Newsletter distribution list to those who get the newsletter to all the homes in the Sabin district. Volunteers are sought for not only his position but for additional community members to hand out the newsletter.

  • The Board supports moving to a new meeting schedule ala committee reports. Major committees include: Land Use and Transportation (Ric Alexander, Chm., Jeff Strang, Tom Braibish, Else Scolnick), Clean Up (Betty Walker, Chm., Jason Orth, Co-Chm.), Publicity (Rachel Studer, Chm.), Events (Amy Hunter, Chm.).

  • Praise was given to Else Scolnick for her splendid efforts putting together the Sabin Brochure.

  • Committee Reports:

  • Land Use and Transportation: There was a motion made by Betty Walker to support the Irvington Community Association in their effort to prevent a huge condo being built on the corner of 15 and Hancock. It was seconded by Ric Alexander. After discussion the board voted unanimously to send a letter of support to the Historical Landmark Commission. Judy Harrison with the help of others will write the letter. (City of Portland, Historical Landmarks Commission, Attn.: Kara Fioravanti, Bureau of Planning, 1900 SW 4th Ave., Suite 5000, Portland, OR 97201)

  • The board discussed the “Hopes and Dreams” poster that was created by members who attended the Holiday Party in December. Several of the entries include: Social, fun activities, A Frisbee tournament, Agendas in the newsletter before the meeting, Crosswalk at Fremont and 11th, Grand Opening for the Sabin Hydro Park, Increased minority involvement, kid’s events, and Sabin families going to Sabin School.

  • There was a call to action for volunteers to attend the Public Safety Action Committee meeting on the 3rd Thursday at 6:00pm at the NE Coalition, 4815 NE 7th. Pizza is provided.

  • All were asked to get the Hollywood Star newspaper as there were several articles about the Sabin Community Association.

  • Ads for our newsletter will remain the same for now but Ken Rumbaugh volunteered to make them more attractive and more professional.

  • It was suggested that the National Night Out Pot Luck and Movie Night be combined, plus the Irvington Community Association be invited to participate with us. Most members were in favor of this proposal. Jeff Jones is the contact person for the Irvington CA and is on the Parks committee of the ICA. Rachael will contact him.

  • A volunteer take over the Newsletter distribution was sought. The job entails: organizing the deliverer volunteers, deliver the newsletter to the printer, pick it up, count and bag, and get the newsletter to the deliverers. The newsletter is distributed 9 months of the year.

  • Robin said that the NE Coalition would be able to provide some money for extra publicity for events. They might even have a design all set to go.

  • Several At-Large SCA members were asked to assume some of the Committee leadership roles but none stepped up.

  • There were several other suggestions by Robin as to how to follow up with the general population who attend our meetings/board meetings by asking questions: “Did you like the meeting?”, “Why did you come?”, “Would you like to get more involved?”, and “Would you like to join a committee?”.

  • Judy reported that she has sent out thank you notes to all the businesses that donated gifts for the December Holiday Party in honor of Betty and George.

Saturday, January 5, 2008

General Meeting Minutes- November 26, 2007

SCA General Meeting Minutes

Monday, November 26, 2007 7:00


Agenda

  • 2008 SCA Board elections
  • Jeff Strang, City Inspector: Home inspections
  • Lawrence Behmer: Neighborhood Emergency Teams, part 3
  • Chris Robbins: Boeing paint plant expansion update

Summary

2008 SCA board member elections Judy Harrison volunteered to serve as Recording Secretary as well as Corresponding Secretary. With this change, all nominees on the list were accepted unanimously by the voters. The 2008 board members will be installed at the January 28 general meeting:

Amy Hunter and Rachel Studer, Co-Presidents
Mikele Schappell, 1st Vice President
Ric Alexander, 2nd Vice President
Gabrielle Josephson, Treasurer
Rachel Studer, Publicity Officer/Newsletter Editor
Judy Harrison, Corresponding Secretary and Recording Secretary
Chika Saeki, Member at Large 2007-2009
Tom Braibish, Member at Large 2007-2009
Nasir Najieb, Member at Large 2007-2009
Vacant, Member at Large 2007-2009
Jason Orth, Member at Large 2008-2010
Chris Ritter, Member at Large 2008-2010
Jeff Strang, Member at Large 2008-2010
Vacant, Member at Large 2008-2010

Neighborhood Inspections (Jeff Strang, City of Portland Inspector) Jeff Strang works in the city’s Bureau of Development Services in Neighborhood Inspections. He inspects nuisance cases involving residential property, and problems usually have to do with trash, debris, and garbage; hazards; and disabled vehicles. Residents can go online to see if there is a record of nuisance cases filed against a particular house (www.portlandmaps.com), current and previous owners, and sale prices. There are about 9 housing and property inspectors. Building Inspectors at BDS (who are different from Neighborhood Inspectors) inspect renovations and new house sales for conditions and improvements in structural, heating, plumbing, electrical elements of the house—things that require permits.

Fines to homeowners who have had a neighborhood nuisance case opened against them can be $130 per month until the problems are fixed. Normally, they have 30 days to fix fire hazard and life and safety issues; 60 days for other infractions. However, waivers are available for homeowners facing hardships. Tenants can file nuisance claims against their landlords if necessary. The Community Alliance of Tenants can represent tenants in such cases.

Jeff distributed several information brochures.

Neighborhood Emergency Teams (NET), Part 3 (Lawrence Behmer, Portland Office of Emergency Management) The OEM operates the neighborhood emergency team (NET) program (www.pdxprepared.net). Portland lies in the Cascadia Subduction Zone, which experiences a major rupture every 300 to 500 years. We are due for such an earthquake in the magnitude of 9 on the Richter Scale, which would probably last 3 to 4 minutes. The devastation would overwhelm our first-responder resources (fire, police, rescue, hospitals, and so forth). The NET training covers utility control, fire suppression, disaster medicine, search and rescue, and lever extraction (rescuing people buried in rubble, for example).

The NET program’s Know Your Neighborhood program features a flip chart that guides residents in putting together three-day survival kits, a family plan, phone tree, and identifying a neighborhood meeting place, shutting off utilities, assessing neighbors’ skills and resources, mapping your block.

VERN, volunteer emergency registry network, is a registry for seniors and disabled persons who would need extra help in a disaster.

Boeing Painting Plant Expansion Update (Chris Robbins) As an interested community member, Chris Robbins has been attending the public meetings pertaining to the Boeing Company’s planned expansion of a painting plant in North Portland near the airport. He gave an update and agreed to represent SCA at forthcoming public meetings. DEQ requires Boeing to use the most effective technology for controlling or capturing volatile organic material. Boeing plans to triple the size of its painting facility at the Portland International Airport. Chris points out that the North and Northeast Portland are already in a highly polluted area, in part because of light industrial operations along Columbia Boulevard. Chris urged the SCA to reach out to elected officials (Blumenaeur, Smith, and Wyden) to ensure that there is EPA oversight of the DEQ and that it is doing what it should be doing concerning the Boeing expansion. DEQ is expected to issue a draft permit in 2 to 4 weeks, when there will be a public comment period.

Jeff Strang, in his role with the Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods Land Use and Transportation Committee, also has been to meetings and he noted that Boeing must get approval for expanding its painting facility. The Concordia community has been very involved in the public meetings and its community association voted that volatile organic compounds should not be increased by Boeing’s paint plant and that the association wanted more detailed analysis of wind patterns to see how the surrounding communities would likely be affected by the expansion of the plant.

Other Topics

SCA focus on transportation (Rachel Studer) As incoming co-president, Rachel Studer would like to focus the SCA on transportation issues and invited others to serve with her on a subcommittee. She is particularly interested in the city conducting a full traffic study of the area, particularly NE 15th Avenue and Fremont, and drawing up a plan to improve safety for pedestrians in this busy commercial intersection. She noted that the time is ripe to attend to these issues because of Sam Adams’s Safe, Sound and Green Streets Program which is looking at ways to improve the safety of bikers, pedestrians, and drivers in the city. Mikele Schappell, Tom Braibish, Amy Hunter, and Catherine Shisler volunteered to serve on a subcommittee.

The next SCA general meeting was set for Monday, January 28, from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Sabin Elementary School auditorium.

The meeting adjourned at 9:00 p.m.