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

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.

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 3^rd. Betty Walker and Jason Orth, Co-Chm., said that the event will be held at the Maranatha Church parking lot on 12^th 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 4^th 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 11^th, 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 3^rd Thursday at 6:00pm at the NE Coalition, 4815 NE 7^th. 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.

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, 1^st 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 15^th 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.

General Meeting Minutes- October 22, 2007

Sabin Community Association
General Meeting

Monday, October 22, 2007 7:00

Board Members Attending

Sandy Bacharach, Betty Walker, Denise Jarrett-Weeks, Amy Hunter, Judy Harrison, Rachel Studer. Ric Alexander, Chris Ritter

Agenda

• Report from Sabin School Principal Richard Schafer
• Proposed Bicycle Boulevards by the Bicycle Transportation Alliance
• Neighborhood Emergency Training, Part 2
• Resolutions Northwest volunteers sought
• SCA board nominations announced

Summary

Report from Sabin School (Principal Richard Schafer) About nine years ago, the Sabin school was identified as a “crisis school” by the United Coalition of Minorities. Four years ago, it received an “exceptional” rating from the State of Oregon, an honor shared by only 14 percent of schools statewide and one that Sabin School has received every year since then.

The Sabin School’s community extends beyond its students and teachers, it includes parents, residents, and business owners. The Sabin PTA is vibrant and active; there are 150 members and the group’s budget has grown to $50,000, largely through successful fundraising. It is progressing on the project to improve the north and south playgrounds. It is instrumental in helping the school to meet its goal of having one volunteer helping out in the classroom each day. Volunteers have background checks done every two years. Parents are encouraged to get involved in many ways, including an annual Doughnuts with Dad and a Muffins with Mom social before school in the gymnasium.

The SMART program (Start Making a Reader Today) matches 50 volunteers with children in kindergarten and first and second grades. Volunteers read with the children once or twice a week, encouraging a love of books and boosting youngsters reading skills. Spanish language is offered twice a week to children in grades 4 through 7. The school now has a fulltime PE teacher and a fulltime librarian/media specialist with a computer lab of 30 computers.

This year the school has transitioned to a K-7 school with 360 students, still a relatively small school. While many other public schools in Portland are losing students, Sabin School’s enrollment continues to grow. Next year it will add Grade 8. The K-8 model won’t offer the upper grade students the same programs as were available at middle schools—such as band and intramural sports—but the model fosters responsibility and loyalty to the school. Schafer said minority boys especially get lost when they move from an elementary school to a middle school, so that he expects the new model to be especially beneficial to them. That said, Sabin does not suffer the same performance gap that often occurs between minority and nonminority students, he said.

Though the Access program for gifted kids will be moved from Sabin to another school site, Sabin School is applying to add an IB (International Baccalaureate) program of study.

Bicycle Transportation Alliance (Emily Gardner) The BTA proposes miles of new bicycle boulevards in Northeast Portland. Bicycle Boulevards are low-traffic neighborhood streets that have been optimized for bicycling through signage and other “traffic calming” installations. The BTA’s proposals largely dovetail with Commissioner Sam Adams’ proposals to add 100 new miles of bicycle lanes in the city—including 30 miles in Northeast Portland. (The BTA proposes bicycle boulevards every 5 to 6 blocks, while Adams proposes them for about every 15 blocks.) Residents are encouraged to comment on the proposals. Contact the BTA at 503.226.0676 or go to their Web site, www.bta4bikes.org . She also encouraged the public to comment on the Columbia River Crossing pedestrian and bicycle improvements proposed for Interstate 5. Learn more by going to the Web site www.ColumbiaRiverCrossing.org and email your comments to feedback@columbiarivercrossing.org, or call 503.256.2726.

Neighborhood Emergency Training (Bruce Harris) Bruce is a NET Sabin neighborhood liaison along with two SCA board members, Rachel Studer and Judy Harrison. All three have taken NET training provided by the Portland Fire Department. Anyone 14 years and older can take the training. Bruce brought an example of a 72-hour kit for home and business that includes a First Aid Kit, water, canned milk, canned foods, blankets, radio, tools and other supplies necessary to cope and survive a city-wide emergency. Some helpful Web sites for more information are:

http://theepicenter.com

www.pdxprepared.net

www.citizencorps.gov

www.portlandonline.com/fire/

www.portlandonline.com/oem/

www.redcross.org

www.redcross-pdx.org

www.govlink.org/3days3ways/

Resolutions Northwest volunteers sought (Sandy Bacharach) The RNW is a nonprofit organization that seeks to strengthen the community by providing conflict resolution services and education. It offers free mediation training to those interested, though applications are competitive. To apply for the January 2008 training, go to www.ResolutionsNorthwest.org or call 503.595.4890.

2008 SCA board member nominations announcement (Sandy Bacharach) Nominations are open for all positions for the 2008 SCA board and can be submitted now through election night at the November 26 general meeting at Sabin School auditorium. The 2008 board members will be installed at the January general meeting.

Nominations to date are:

Amy Hunter and Rachel Studer, Co-Presidents

Mikele Schappell, 1^st Vice President

Ric Alexander, 2nd Vice President

George Karlson, Treasurer

Vacant, Publicity Officer/Newsletter Editor

Judy Harrison, Corresponding Secretary

Vacant, Recording Secretary

Elise Scholnick, Member at Large 2007-2009

Gabrielle Josephson, Member at Large 2007-2009

Vacant, Member at Large 2007-2009

Vacant, Member at Large 2007-2009

Jason Orth, Member at Large 2008-2010

Betty Walker, Member at Large 2008-2010

Chris Ritter, Member at Large 2008-2010

Vacant, Member at Large 2008-2010

Nominations are open for all board positions and should be submitted to Amy Hunter at amywhunter@gmail.com.

The next SCA general meeting was set for Monday, November 26, from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Sabin Elementary School auditorium.

The meeting adjourned at 9:00 p.m.

Sabin Hydro-Park Final Plan- September 2007

General Meeting Minutes - Monday, March 26, 2007

AGENDA

Community police report

Sabin School PTA report

SCA survey results

Sabin School playground improvement

Art on Alberta

Sabin Hydropark project

Summer music at Irving park

SUMMARY

Community police report (PPD Officer Alicia Russell) The NE Precinct office is now open seven days a week until midnight. Four parents were cited last weekend because their children were out after curfew. A bike was stolen near NE 12^th and Beech Street and a car window was smashed. Officer Russell reminded residents to lock bikes, lawn mowers, and the like inside garages. Discussion Betty Walker said that she had gotten a call from a neighbor who was concerned about an elderly neighbor who hadn’t been seen in a while. Russell encouraged residents to keep an eye on the welfare of their neighbors, especially the elderly. It is OK to call the police and ask them to do a “welfare check” on that person’s home. Tom Braibish suggested reminding residents in the newsletter to look out for each other in this way. Conclusion At its next meeting, the SCA board will identify ways to raise community awareness of this issue.

Sabin School PTA report (Judy Harrison) The Sabin PTA met February 8 and main agenda item was the 2007 Sabin Auction, April 20. The auction is increasingly successful, raising $4,000 in 2005, $26,000 in 2006, and now aiming to raise $40,000 at this year’s auction. There is a lot of parental support of the PTA. The PTA is looking to fill its volunteer coordinator position (which is, itself, a volunteer job). Discussion Tom Braibish suggested that the SCA and the PTA meet jointly this summer to review each organization’s plans for the coming year to identify opportunities to share resources.

SCA survey results (Gabrielle Josephson) Fifteen hundred surveys were distributed to residents in February, with 50 completed forms being submitted. This 3.3 percent response is about the norm. Many of the forms had written comments, which may provide some useful anecdotal information, but the sample isn’t big enough to provide a thorough representation of residents’ concerns. Discussion Perhaps we should do an annual survey. Zoomerang Internet survey program may be an option. Kamberly suggested handing out additional survey forms at the Sabin Spring Cleanup in May. Conclusion Kamberly will bring a summary of the survey results to the board meeting.

Sabin School playground improvement (Jordan Secter) Jordan is a landscape architect and local resident with a 7-year-old daughter attending the Sabin School. While involved with the PTA, he learned from the principal that the school would be going from preK-6 to preK-8 model, and that this would make it necessary to improve the playground facilities to support the play and education of these different age groups. He has helped the school create a landscape improvement plan for the entire schoolgrounds to support its aesthetics, outdoor curricula, safety, and maintenance. Jordan created two design options, which he showed to us. He plans to present them to the PTA and at the school auction. Both design options for the north playground, which would be primarily used by younger students, include safety measures such as open views, lighting, and motion detectors. It also includes play structures, a basketball court, outdoor classroom spaces, and a vegetable garden. Additionally, there are plans to resurface the basketball courts in the south play area, and to install new goal posts, backstops, and new benches. Discussion Depicting shade lines in the design plans would help to inform the placement of the vegetable gardens. Perhaps students and local artists could contribute art—murals and garden art, for example—to the playground to enhance color and interest. Dog owners should be invited to comment on plans, particularly for the south play area, to help devise strategies for dogs and children to share the grounds safely. Jordan said that Portland Parks and Recreation is responsible for maintaining the grass field in the south play area where dog owners take their dogs. A new maintenance plan will be undertaken and that should address the issue of dogs.

Sabin Hydropark project (Kamberly Wilbourne, Rosemarie Cordello) Commissioner Randy Leonard and Tom Klutz of the Water Bureau attended the latest public meeting of the Hydropark subcommittee. People for and against the improvement plans expressed their views. A professional facilitator will be hired and a seven-member committee was formed comprising three people who are in favor of the improvement plans, three who have expressed concerns, and an employee of the Water Bureau. This committee will meet weekly to incorporate public input into the improvement plans and to submit finalized plans to the full subcommittee. The park will be called the Sabin Hydropark. The community gardens expansion will get underway next spring, but the playground improvements should begin this summer. Discussion For future joint projects, Lucrecia Choto suggested that the SCA board take the lead in devising effective decision making processes by drawing on the professional skills and expertise of its own members, rather than following the lead of another organization. Conclusion The next public meeting of the Hydropark subcommittee is set for April 12.

Art on Alberta (Elise Scholnick) Elise is a member of the Art on Alberta board. Organizers of the Alberta Street Fair have invited the SCA to be involved in planning. The Alberta Street Safety Project is addressing the impact of pedestrian and automobile traffic congestion that occurs during Last Thursdays art walks through a public involvement process. At present, TriMet redirects buses from Alberta Street to side streets so that pedestrians can walk freely on Alberta Street during the art walks. But this impacts residents who live on those side streets. Discussion Rosemarie Cordello proposed partnerships between the Hydropark and Art on Alberta community, such as local artists contributing public art to the Hydropark playground and gardens. Conclusion Elise will bring drawings of proposed traffic redirections to the next SCA meeting.

Summer Music in Irving Park (Lucrecia Choto) Lucrecia has talked with Kristin Knapp of Portland Parks and Recreation about presenting summer concerts near the basketball courts at Irving Park (the courts have the necessary electrical outlets). We would need to raise $10,000 to have four artists perform during a weekend in late August or September of next year, and Lucrecia suggested inviting neighboring Irvington and King community associations to cohost the event and to share costs. A smaller concert could be presented this summer for $2,500 to present one night of music. Discussion Elise Scholnick suggested seeking a grant from the Regional Arts Commission. Conclusion It was decided to move ahead on this project.

The next SCA board meeting is set for Monday, April 9, from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Wild Oats cooking school area.

The meeting adjourned at 8:50 p.m.