General Meeting Minutes

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Sunnyside Swap & Spring Clean Up is This Weekend

Last year was the first year the swap and clean up was combined in the same place after many years of being held on the same weekend but different locations.  It was a great success, and we are grateful to the generosity of Saint Stephens Catholic Church for the use of their gym and parking lot at the corner of 42nd Avenue and SE Taylor once again for a one stop place for almost anything and everything you want out of your house.

This year’s swap schedule is as follows:

Friday, April 20th – Drop off of useful goods 6-9pm

Saturday, April 21st – Clean Up 9-noon and Swap 9-4

Sunday, April 22nd – Rummage Sale 10-1

SUNNYSIDE SWAP:  Drop off of swappable useful goods through the main doors of the gym.  $2 donation per family to enter the swap on Saturday.  If you drop off your useful goods on Friday you will receive free entry to the swap on Saturday.

What to bring to the Swap: Any item that has some useful good left in it is welcome at the exchange. No stained or torn clothing or hazardous chemicals.

Swap Tips:  All swapping is done on the honor system.   Give as much or more than you take in a way that feels fair to you.

CLEAN UP of bulky waste and recyclable items takes place in the Saint Stephens parking lot right at the corner of 42nd and Taylor.  $6 a car, $10 SUV/wagon, $14 pickup/truck/van.  If you are walking or biking in with less than a car load, make a smaller donation that feels fair to you.  Everyone donating to the clean up gets free entry to the swap.

What to bring to the Clean Up:  Old home and lawn furniture beyond repair, broken up concrete (with or without rebar), wood, metal, cardboard, sheet rock, hard plastics (such as old/damaged toys beyond safe use), sod/dirt and yard debris (including stumps).

PROHIBITED MATERIALS: WET GARBAGE, FOOD WASTE, CHEMICALS, COMMERCIAL REFRIGERANTS, AUTO PARTS/MOTORS, GAS POWERED YARD MACHINES, TIRES OVER 22.5 INCHES, HAZARDOUS WASTE INCLUDING ASBESTOS CONTAINING MATERIALS.

For more information, or to volunteer, please contact Karen Hery at sunnysideswapshop@gmail.com or (503) 407-2667.

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SNA Meeting Minutes for January

SNA GENERAL MEETING 1/12/2012

Board members in attendance: Gina Binole, Bill Stites, , Tony Jordan, Josh Palmer, Heather Wilson, Paul Loney, Tim Brooks, Karen Hery, Reuben Deumling

Neighbors and Guests: Kate & Alex Wood, Tim Platt, Sarah Platt, Val Strickland, Jeff Cole, Gregg Everhart,

 

Reuben calls meeting to order 7:03

  1. Intro
  2. Approve Agenda, Circulate minutes
  3. As the SNA BABA rep, Karen Hery started to think where we would be able to make the most of neighborhood and business association collaborations

She notes that  business associations overlap with several neighborhood associations, and people often don’t know who they can turn to express complaints, share project ideas, discuss parking issues, inform folks of business mixers, meetings, etc.

Karen says she is happy to help share our success stories and spread the word of what we do, where people can go, who they can contact, etc. She also intends to submit a newsletter article on the subject.

  1. Jeff Cole & Greg Everhart announced they have formed a 3-person street tree team for the purposes of obtaining a grant to conduct a Sunnyside Neighborhood street tree survey.  If selected, they are looking to train people and will have a training program in March.

This survey will, in part, build on a previous street tree survey conducted around the perimeter of Sunnyside Environmental School in 2006. About 900 trees were inventoried. They will revisit them see what’s grown, what’s died, etc.

 

They mentioned they are working with Vinnie Miller from SES, and Gina mentioned the PTSA voted last night to support pursuit of the grant. But because the survey will take place in the summer, it is difficult to assess volunteer enthusiasm. But Vinnie can surely help with that.

 

Only trees will be surveyed, not horse rings, names on sidewalks, etc. The results will help determine where we need more street trees, which trees are in poor condition, where we are in danger of losing our canopies, etc. It also gives us data and documentation to pursue future grants.

 

  1. Passing the Torch of the Sunnyside Piazza Painting (33rd & Yamhill). Suzanne Tom is absent, but Reuben says there is no heir apparent. Gina suggested that we enlist neighbors to help donate toward paint and supplies. There will be a newsletter article about this.

 

 

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  1. Movie Matinee Fundraiser with RNA Tim – Last year SNA had a joint venture with RNA. Tim gave background on Bagdad beginnings. You can do an event with the Bagdad once a year on their dime. Last year we had a movie at the theater. This year we will choose the movie and the date and time. Allen (of Richmond) feels it’s a better movie that kids can go to, also could set the price for movie. Also could take half price. Are we bound to Roan Inish? Last time we found out a mere 5 days before, couldn’t advertise and didn’t necessarily like the choice. Tim says that’s unreliable.

SNA pays licensing fee, but Bagdad pays everything else.

Heather says that movies that are more recent that drive what you would choose and not considered a classic.

Reuben: Also have some questions about promotion, and we need them before  the next board meeting. This year we pay licensing fee and we choose the movie.

Gina will help with social media to promote. Tim will submit a newsletter article

 

  1. Committee Reports.

Sustainability Committee. Reuben says the committee had a vibrant couple of years, and now we are in sort of a lull. Plugged Transition Sunnyside, which also seeks to lessen our dependence on fossil fuel.

LUTC – Definitely good discussions  Right now the big issue is bars on Belmont between 33rd and 34th, 32nd, if you include the Pied Cow.

Tony is working on a letter to invite licensees to a meeting on the 13th

Tony has letter drafted and needs to distribute them to the biz. Bill will help. After that, Tony says he will get a flyer going to the adjacent neighbors. There have been meetings between city, neighbors, OLCC. Circa 33, Aalto.

  1. Crime Prevention – SEUL has a grant partnering with office of neighborhood involvement for graffiti and abatement removal. Last year they only had 10 applicants. Heather thought a mural on the side of the Stumptown Building would be a good candidate.

Karen mentioned the liquor store at the 39th Mart. The way it’s structured there is a little shed on the side of it, it’s the behind-the-store place to drink. If the cement gets removed, or if a planter box gets placed, the graffiti would go down. Was going to approach the store or neighbors.

  1. SEUL – The neighborhood small grants have been awarded. Out of 47 legitimate applicants, there were 16 projects recommended to the board for approval. Our neighborhood co-sponsored 3, the kitchen tool library, disaster dinner and the Sunnyside Park Equipment Sharing Program. That last one won.

Jeff Milkes from PP&R talked to SEUL about  funding for movies in the parks and summer lunch programs.  Many children get fed free lunch during the school year but not in the summer. Rather than figuring out which kids qualify, they serve to everyone.

 

We are not sure our park would qualify bc no handwashing stations.

Wickman building is up for possible community use.

 

Treasurers Report – Josh: Ascento is not in newsletter. Belmont Yoga will replace them.

Balance of the account is $10,500

 

  1. Announcements – Karen – Disaster dinner is coming up second weekend of March. If there is anyone here who is passionate, hoping it’s an annual event. Every year we get better and better at throwing a disaster. The idea is if there is a disaster, it takes a while for state and feds to survive. Can our neighborhood serve 1000 meals a year for a week.

She’s looking for people to take shifts during the event itself. Also if there’s anyone who wants to help with the planning of it.

Winter Carnival Feb. 18 at the Sunnyside Methodist church. Carnival is totally donated. $$ is able to go to the building, not the event itself.

 

Next month we will be viewing the submissions for the sign.

 

Aalto Lounge owners wanted to say they are looking forward to working responsibly with the community. They encourage neighbors to come talk to them directly.

 

 

Brief announcement from Lois Levine spearheading effort to prevent the Walgreens’ Drive Thru.

She says our only course of action is to voice safety concerns. The things that cause concern at Sunnnyside, should cause concern anywhere. Now connecting signatures nationally on this issue.

 

  1. Approve minutes – Heather motions to approve minutes, Bill seconds, motion carries, Reuben abstains.

 

Meeting adjourned 8:11

SNA BOARD MEETING 1-12-2012

Board members in Attendance: Gina Binole, Bill Stites, , Tony Jordan, Josh Palmer, Heather Wilson, Paul Loney, Tim Brooks, Karen Hery, Reuben Deumling

Guests & Neighbors in Attendance: Lorraine Henriques, Greg Everhart, Jeff Cole

 

Reuben: Calls meeting to order at 8:08

 

1)      Minutes approved for December

2)      Jeff Cole gives Friends of Trees Update. At a previous meeting, he asked for, and the SNA approved $300 for six scholarship trees. He is now asking for flexibility that that money be allowed to pay for curb and concrete cuts. FOT has money for scholarship trees, but Sunnyside now has a greater need for curb cuts, mulch, etc., and he respectfully ask the money the SNA already has allocated pay for that. Each curb cut costs $50.

 

Cole says he intends to apply for a grant from SEUL next year to offset curb cut costs.

 

Paul Loney votes to move that we allocate $$ from scholarship trees to curb cuts, mulch, etc.  Karen  Hery seconds. Motion carries unanimously.

 

Street Tree Survey discussion– Jeff and Greg Everhart say they are looking for formal support from the board to apply for a grant to survey street trees in the entire Sunnyside Neighborhood. Tim Brooks has agreed to be the official liaison to the street tree survey team from the board. Paul motions that Tim serve in this role and the SNA submit a letter of support to be included in the grant application. Tim seconds. Motion carries.

 

  1. Tony discusses the Group GNA Progress for Belmont businesses.

 

Tony notes that the letter submitted to applicable businesses tells them we are going to do this and invites them to participate in a meeting on Jan. 13. A Group GNA already exists on Hawthorne, and Tony says they will be shown that. He also will take best practices from that for the Belmont Group GNA.

 

The major complaints from neighbors re: Belmont businesses have been noise, particularly back patio, but the GNA also will ensure seating doesn’t spill out into the walkway. Some bars stress they make most of their money between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. and the GNA will address that in some fashion.

 

At Tony’s request, Paul says he will look and see how many agreements are in place and make copies of those we have on file.

 

 

4. Tony discusses Peacock Lane traffic:

Several board members talked about their experience and how the carfree nights were very crowded , with cars backed up to 48th and the bus taking an extremely long time to move up Belmont.

 

Board members say they favor more car-free nights, or one-way options, or something to mitigate the traffic.

 

Lorraine Inriques, member of the Peacock Lane Neighborhood Association notes we would dall like to have car free nights. This year, we had great weather, which increased participation tremendously.

 

The first two nights were the busiest ever for Peacock Lane. On the Belmont side, had about 150 cyclists come in. She agreed traffic was unbearable. We hate it. Not just on our street, but how much congestion it causes on Belmont and Stark.

 

She and her neighbors also are sensitive that many people could not come to Peacock Lane if all nights were pedestrian-only. They also have discussed one-way options.

 

What she hopes to propose at her association’s next meeting is to see the first week be pedestrian only, and possibly a shuttle vehicle situation the following week. But financially, that can’t happen for 2012.

 

She said she would report back to the board what comes of that meeting.

 

 

5. Buckman Pool Closure Support – Bill says the email circulated to the board prior to the meeting did not offer enough information to make a decision.

 

Karen Hery said she would back trying to stop the closure because there is no community center in SE, so there are few places where we have community center amenities.

 

Karen makes motion that we draft a letter saying it’s one of the few areas where SE residents are able to receive Parks and Recreation amenities, like a pool, and Josh Palmer seconds. Karen will write the letters  to all the city commissioners, Amanda within Parks and Cc everyone. Motion carries.

 

Action Item:

 

Tim moves that we support the Feb. 19 matinee with a movie selected by RNA/SNA and have a joint fundraiser at the Bagdad that day. Gina seconds. Tim accepts Bill’s friendly amendent to charge $3-5. Motion carries

 

New Biz – Disaster Dinner did not get grant funded and would the board be willing to put $500 in seed money toward expenditures toward disaster dinner planned for March. Organizers will charge $$ to those who come and eat at the disaster dinner.  Reuben notes this is an Item for the next board meeting.

 

Heather notes SEUL is transferring minutes to the Office of Neighborhood Involvement. We will be able to start the transfer Feb.-March.

 

Meeting adjourns 9:06

 

 

 

 

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SE Community Kitchen Tool Library in the Works

Sunnyside is a neighborhood with friendly folks who feel comfortable lending a cup of sugar to their neighbors. But what if there was a place where people could borrow a food dehydrator or cider press?

Everyone deserves access to kitchen tools for food processing, preserving, and serving. With that in mind, community members are developing the Southeast Community Kitchen Tool Library, a place where anyone can borrow from an extensive collection of kitchen appliances and tools. We hope to offer pressure cookers, canners, knife sharpeners, bread machines, popcorn makers, grain mills—even place settings and ravioli crimpers! The goal is to provide a wide variety of handy items that are infrequently needed and often prohibitively expensive.

We also envision the Community Kitchen Tool Library being a place where neighborly connections can be fostered through a shared love of food. The library might even grow into a community-supported kitchen where we can share our culinary skills, nourish our bodies with healthy local food, and collaborate on difficult or intensive projects.

We are inspired by other successful lending libraries, such as the Southeast Portland Tool Library and North Portland Preserve and Serve Library, and believe that together we will make this a reality. By making expensive equipment freely available to all, and by sharing our collective skills and knowledge about food preservation and preparation, the future Southeast Community Kitchen Tool Library will make our community a more equitable and sustainable place to live.

This is a community-directed initiative and we need your input, creative energy, and kitchen items. Please contact Kim Hack for more information (kim.m.hack@gmail.com or 971-285-7372). Join us on November 7 for a planning meeting at 1221 SE 35th Avenue between Salmon and Main streets. Thank you!

 

 

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Belmont Street Fair Set for Sept. 10 With Old Favorites & New Fun

This year’s Belmont Street Fair promises to be a spectacular event with all the best of past fairs, plus some new and exciting twists. Our theme this year is “Imagine.” Imagine the possibilities of a thriving local community. Imagine art on every corner, community potluck dinners, bicycle traffic jams, backyard eggs for all, human-powered transport on car-free streets.

Belmont Street between 33rd and 37th will be car-free once again. As one fair enthusiast said last year: “After you go to this fair, you’ll wonder why they don’t always shut down SE Belmont to cars/ buses between 33rd and 37th. It just feels right.” The fair extends from 20th to 60th avenues on Belmont and a free Ecoshuttle will link the special events along the way.

The Sunnyside Neighgorhood Green will return to 34th and Belmont. You’ll find an expanded Kids Fun Center, with activities for kids of all ages, an integrated bouncy house, mini-golf course and juggling with Do Jump. Be sure to visit the Artists’ Alley, showcasing the work of local artists and the alternative transportation exposition, which this year will feature cargo bikes.

Local musicians will perform on multiple stages, with a main stage lineup that is sure to please:

— Chazz Funk All Stars (noon to 12:45 p.m.)

— Dusu Mali (1 p.m. to 2 p.m.)

— Sarah Moon & The Night Sky (2:15 p.m. to 3:15 p.m.)

— Sweet Juice (3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.)

— Brothers of the Baladi (5:15 p.m. to 6:15 p.m.)

— Saloon Ensemble, featuring members of March Fourth Marching Band (6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.)

The Fair will take place Saturday, Sept. 10 from noon to 8 p.m. The Fair is a collaboration between the Sunnyside Neighborhood Association and the Belmont Area Business Association. Organizers have been working overtime to make this year’s fair a fun-filled car-free community event filled with local artists, musicians, street vendors and family-friendly activities, where you can just imagine the possibilities.

For more information or to obtain a vendor (or artist) booth application, visit http://belmontdistrict.org/whats-happening/street-fair, or call (503) 774-2932. This event wouldn’t happen without volunteers, so please consider signing up for a shift. Contact Josh Palmer at (503) 287-1515.

A bit of green, a lot of merrymaking

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Watch Video, Learn More About Proposed Walgreen’s Drive-Thru

While we wait to see what plans Walgreen’s resubmits to the city regarding the renovation and proposed Drive-Thru for the store on the corner of Belmont and Cesar Chavez Boulevard, neighbors have created a video to illustrate how a drive-thru will adversely impact traffic and the neighborhood.

Watch the video and learn more about the issue at http://www.walbrowns.com

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March 2011 General Meeting Minutes

SNA General Meeting Minutes -Approved

March 10th 2011 7pm

Board members in Attendance: Gina Binole, Bill Stites, Paul Loney, Heather Wilson, Jane Pullman, Tim Brooks

Excused Absence: Reuben Deumling, Michele Gila

Unexcused Absence: Chuck Lawrence

Guests & Neighbors:  Heidi McNamee, Mary Ann Schwab, Karen Hery, Meg Hartley,  Chad Kula, Valerie Strickland, Kevin Scaldeferi, Lee Hartley, Jeff Cole, Rachel Voorhies, Maryann Hollman

Gina Binole filling in as secretary.

Approve agenda, circulate Feb. minutes, Agenda &  Feb. minutes approved as submitted. Mary Ann and Tim abstain.

1— (went ahead due to scheduling) Officer Gilbert reports on crime stats for the last month: Sunnyside neighborhood had 18 car prowls. 18 is a lot for 30 days. Just a reminder that cars don’t get broken into if nothing is seen. Keep them clean, visible. The break ins are telling him people are leaving stuff in the car, i.e. gym bag, crooks are hoping for a laptop. You can’t leave anything in there.  Lots of burglaries in the Laurelhurst area but not Sunnyside.

2 — SES Rainwater Catchment project – Heidi McNamee—Umpqua Bank has moved into the neighborhood recently and are offering up a Build Your Block grant possibility. Umpqua selects their favorite top 3 and then community members get to go into the bank and vote for your favorite. You can check out the Umpqua Hawthorne FB page and see their other projects. Heidi says this is an opportunity to raise $10,000 for a really cool thing, a rainwater harvesting project at our school, so it consists of a cistern, 2500 gallons,, located on the school garden property on the West side of the school, near Taylor and 34th to use the water to irrigate our gardens in the dry season. This is in process. Parent at the school who does rainwater catchment projects, most recently at a Gresham school. Lead on someone who does drip irrigation as a profession who will look over our project. Another parent who is a PSU student who will be point person for the neighborhood piece. In addition to catching water for the school, there would be a big community party, teaching neighborhoods how to build a rain barrel party, cost of the barrels would be subsidized by this grant. Heidi wants the SNA to know about this project because the neighborhood does great sustainability work. If it’s something the board could be excited about, we could work together on the community catchment project, or we would take individual support as well, depending on the level of support.

Mary Ann Schwab asked about the deadline for the grant applications.

Jane was curious about the timeline for implementation, when we find out about the money. Heidi says the school would love to build it in spring. The benefit to the school is that it would use less water to irrigate the gardens. Would love to work with the neighborhood on signage, educational outreach. School is trying to find ways to reach out.

Jane thinks the sustainability community would be interested in promoting water conservation and collection. Heidi invites the SNA to join SES. Says it’s not a very big, hairy commitment. Voting in April on which project gets the final funding. Paul suggested we let folks know about the project, when voting begins at the bank via our Web site, social media.

3—Friends of Trees & Planter strip width limitations – Jeff Cole provides his opinion, not an official Friends of Trees presentation – His main point is that there are areas throughout the Sunnyside neighborhood that have strips that are less than 2.5 feet or no planting strips at all.

As a result, most of the 2011 plantings took place on the Western side of Sunnyside.  Homeowners sometimes choose to plant their own trees. The problem is that they may choose inappropriate varieties to the strip, causing sidewalk damage, or the tree might fail to grow.

You can get a sidewalk up to 5 feet by cutting a well, you can increase your planting dimension.  Code allows for this, but applies only to existing trees. In terms of ADA requirements, the minimum width is 5 feet.

Bill motions that the SNA draft a letter in support of the ideas Jeff brought before us to allow new trees where there are narrow easements. Jane seconds. Motion approved.

Board agreed to try and plug this support/action via social media. Jane says there was an article about this issue in the most recent of the SE examiner. Jeff also will write for the April newsletter.

4—Should the SNA continue its support the Mt. Tabor Concert sponsorship? Will report that the board and general meeting consensus that we still support this family-friendly event that appeals to a variety of musical tastes.

5—Committee Reports:

Sustainability  — Emergency Preparedness kit updates. Jane says that the committee received an invitation from the Red Cross to do some Emergency Preparedness education, and we’ve just begun to communicate amongst ourselves about that. At this point, we are making every effort to prepare ourselves and prepare for an earthquake.

Land Use and Transportation – Last month, didn’t have a meeting bc it was on Valentine’s Day. Not a whole lot of land use applications. Not a whole lot of activity, no progress to report on the Good Neighbor Agreement.  Mary Ann discusses  her hope for passage of state bills that pertain to saturation of liquor establishments, how many are too many. Karen Hery inquired about news of PGE substation.

Crime Prevention – No report

SE Uplift – No report

6—Announcements—Karen Hery spoke about the Sunnyside Exchange and Spring Clean Up, wondering about the newsletter deadline. Neighborhood clean up going per usual, but also will be materials we haven’t picked up in the past, like Styrofoam.

Rachel Voorhees on Dosha Hawthorne – the employees are trying to unionize. We have a FB page called Dosha Workers Unite. Just want to let you know we are trying to do this, trying to make the company strive and make it better. Dosha currently employs 250 people and have been locally owned and sustained for 5 years.

Blair Community Garden Opening Day is Saturday march 26. It has taken 5 years since we won the decision to get a formal garden and dedicated space for it. Actual celebration will be from 11 to noon. Work party between 9-11. Just south of Stark on 33rd.

7. Meeting adjourned.