Upcoming Events and Information for NE Portland Residents

Hello neighbors!

Please see below for a variety of announcements about upcoming events, important dates and information available to you. 

• Spirit of Portland Award nominations due this Monday, August 22^nd.  More info here: http://www.portlandonline.com/oni/index.cfm?c=29024

•  The Urban Food Code Zoning Code Update Survey has been extended.  This project is exploring updates to Portland’s zoning code as it relates to urban food production and distribution and animals.  The following link has information about the concept report and the survey.  Please pass along to those you think may want to weigh in.  http://www.portlandonline.com/bps/index.cfm?c=53834

•  The N/NE Quadrant planning project would like public input on the concepts developed so far.  Please visit,www.portlandonline.com/bps/cc2035/nneq to review the information and take a survey to provide your feedback.

• The N. Williams Traffic Operations Safety Project will be holding a community forum in October to explore how the traffic operations safety project relates to gentrification, privilege, historic disenfranchisement, community power, and the nature of public decision-making. More information available soon.

•  The Hayden Island Natural Resources Inventory Draft report is available for review.  This report is the first step in updating the Environmental Program on Hayden Island.  This is part of the planning work for a mix of marine terminal development and open spaces on West Hayden Island.   The report is available here: http://www.portlandonline.com/bps/index.cfm?a=360015&c=50960

•  The Coalition for a Livable Future is accepting registrations for the 2011 Regional Livability Summit.  This year’s Summit will take place on September 14^th and the theme is Climate Equity.  Please visit, www.clfuture.org for more information.

•  Save the date for the Urban League of Portland’s Equal Opportunity Day Awards Dinner to celebrate the mission of the League and honor those who support and serve our community.  The event will be Thursday, November 17^th.  More info, here: http://www.ulpdx.org/EOD2011.html

•  Finally, please watch for more information coming soon about the Neighborhood Small Grants program, a new Speaker Series on community economic development and the Local Leaders Institute! Small Grants information will be available early September and the Speaker Series and Local Leaders Institute are both coming this fall!

--
Shoshana Cohen
Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods
www.necoalition.org

Whole Foods is getting a Face Lift

Dear Sabin Neighbors,

My name is Patty Richards and I am the Store Team Leader for the Sabin neighborhood Whole Foods Market located on 15^th and Fremont. I am absolutely thrilled to announce to you our plans to remodel our store this summer. It feels amazing to take action after the many years of planning ways to improve your shopping experience in our store. It is important for you to know that our plans have been heavily influenced by your direct feedback. We heard from you the desire to have more prepared food offerings as well as enhanced seating to enjoy our great food. We heard from you that produce needs to expand and provide more options. We heard your frustrations with the diagonal aisles and the awkward use of space. We heard your concerns with the lack of ease and comfort of our check out. We heard your thoughts on lighting and brightness. I am happy to report that our remodel will address all of these things and so much more. It continues to be our goal to satisfy and delight our neighbors each and every day and our team at Fremont is committed to making this a reality.

We would love to hear additional ideas and feedback regarding our remodel. Next time you are in the store please feel free to ask for me and I will be happy to answer any questions.  You can also reach me through our website www.wholefoods.com/stores/fremont and selecting “contact store”.

See you in the store soon,

Patty Richards

Sabin Annual Potluck Picnic: National Night Out & Volunteer Appreciation

Tuesday, August 2nd, 6:30pm – 8:30pm

Join us for what always is an enjoyable summer evening of meeting your neighbors. Participate in our raffle to get the chance to win an iPad!

Every year the Sabin Community Association holds a potluck picnic to recognize the work of the many volunteers who have worked on behalf of the community that year. This year we are expanding our annual get together to also include an update on plans for the redesign of the Sabin “Triangle” and plans for the August remodel of our neighborhood Whole Foods store!

In order to highlight our design plans for the Triangle, we will be picnicking this year at the Triangle, at the corner of NE Prescott and 15th (instead of at the hydro park). Please plan on joining us and don’t forget to bring a dish to share with your neighbors. See you there!

Public alert system

PublicAlerts.org is a website managed by the City of Portland that enables residents of Portland and Multnomah County to sign up to receive emergency notifications by landline phone, cell phone and email. The website also regularly posts information about street closures, highway road conditions, transit schedules and service alerts, and other service disruptions. All NET members are encouraged to sign up at this website:
https://www.publicalerts.org/signup

- and to promote the website to others in the community.

Mark your Calendars: Monday May 9th --- SCA Plant Exchange and General Meeting

The SCA Plant Exchange and Bi-Annual General Meeting is Monday, May 9th!!!

This year we are hosting our first of many plant exchanges and presenting some fantastic designs for the remodel of Sabin Triangle (SW corner of 15th and Prescott). All of the events listed below take place at Sabin School on Monday, May 9th.

Childcare will be provided.

6-7pm--- We will host Sabin’s free neighborhood plant exchange where neighbors/friends who love gardening get together and swap seedlings, cuttings, bulbs, potted plants, bagged plants, or other terms for easily planted flora. Please make sure all items are properly labeled (to the best of your knowledge), and potted/bagged (to the best of your ability- see Neighborhood Beets article in May edition of our printed newsletter). Our local Ariadne Garden will have a few starts for sale

as well. Tables will be setup outside on the basketball courts at Sabin Elementary (SE entrance).

7-8pm---The SCA will be presenting some concepts for how to repurpose the Sabin Triangle. Architects will be on hand to present their designs and Sabin will be asking for your input so please join us! The presentation will take place in the Sabin School auditorium and Whole Foods will provide delicious refreshments.

8-9pm--- If you want to help make your neighborhood a better place for everyone, this is your chance. We will be hosting elections to the Sabin Community Association board. Board members for July 1, 2011-June 30, 2012. The SCA and this community need your help!

If you’re interested in serving on the SCA Board for 2011-2012, please contact Austin Peterson, President, 503-519-6447 or sabinpresident@gmail.com, or Barbara Conable, Secretary, 503-283-9636 or barbconable@hevanet.com.

Designing the Heart of Sabin: Sabin Makes the News!

Designing the Heart of Sabin
By David Sweet


There is a triangle of land on the corner of 15th and Prescott. A Century ago it was the terminus for the Irvington-Jefferson Streetcar Line that ran all the way from SW 18th and Jefferson. Now it’s a slab of concrete with no particular use. What could it become? Please join us as we dream together about the future of this public space.

The Sabin Community Association’s general meeting, Monday, May 9, at Sabin School, will be devoted to a discussion of design options for the “Sabin Triangle.” There will be a social hour and plant exchange at 6:00, and the meeting begins at 7:00. Architect, Mark Nye will bring drawings of some design options for this space. Please come and help us create a community place that could become the heart of Sabin.

The Oregonian posted the following article about our community design project:
Portland neighborhood's efforts to re-imagine Sabin Triangle show how city should work

http://mobile.oregonlive.com/advorg/pm_100844/contentdetail.htm;jsessionid=8C83D86F36CB64B96C447B66A43ED192?contentguid=3HCxs1xI

Letter to the Editor: Stop the CRC!

The CRC or Columbia River Crossing project as it now stands is fiscally wasteful, environmentally degrading and has manifested into a 10 billion dollar monstrosity. We, as Portlanders, have long stood fast against highway projects that cripple our budgets and diminish our quality of life. This bridge will carry 12 lanes and encourage sprawl and further pollution and nothing for us.


There are proposals to seismically retro fit the current bridge and bring light rail and pedestrian/bike lanes and this would be a far more sensible alternative. A retro fit would cost less than 100 million and create a great number of jobs. Large scale new projects have been shown repeatedly to create fewer jobs for our investment because of start up costs and consulting fees.

Imagine 100 million versus 10 billion. Imagine that much more money to invest in education, social services, public transit and other socially conscious endeavors. Only 9% of bridge traffic is commercial; the bulk of drivers are commuters who live in Vancouver and drive to work in Portland. A better use of those funds would be to encourage light rail and bus use with fare subsidies and park and ride stations.

We do not need a new boondoggle bridge. We need to preserve and protect our region from sprawl and pollution. Visit the website Stop the CRC for more info.

By William Youngren