Buckman Community Association

Gen. Meeting Minutes 8, 9, & 10, 2001

BCA General Meeting Minutes, August , 2001

The meeting was called to order by Tom Baker at 7:05 p.m. at the meeting room at the Ritzdorf Apartments on S. E. Belmont and S. E. 12th Avenue. Board members present were, Don MacGillivray, Kevin Kraus, Jim Sutherland, Ann Bowling, and Susan Lindsay and Tom Baker.

Susan Lindsay was voted "Most Valuable Board Member Award" by the BCA in response to request from SEUL in June. Due to a misunderstanding about the date of the awards ceremony at SEUL, Susan was not there to receive the award, so Don McGillivray gave the award to Susan at the beginning of tonights meeting.

First discussion was about a flurry of liquor license applications to the OLCC. "The Basements" (SE 12th) request is being supported by the BCA. Caf Lena, at 23rd and Hawthorne has changed owners and the licence has to be reissued. The Mexican restaurant (at 20th near Madison) has applied for full liquor service, and "Three Friends" on SE 12th near Ash wants to sell beer.

Don brought up the topic of when to have the day Board planning retreat this fall. After some discussion the date selected is Saturday September 29th from 9 -12 noon at the Ritzdorf. This will be a meeting to plan BCA projects for the next year. It will also be an opportunity to meet with the VISTA volunteer and decide how best to plan with the volunteer the use of her time working with the Board on allotted time on BCA projects.

Next topic for discussion was where to have the Board and the General BCA meetings for the next year. We will need to apply for a permit if we want to use Buckman School again this year. There was a discussion of some of the drawbacks of this location; never in the same room, have to hunt down a chalk board; have to be out by 8:30 and uncomfortable "kiddie" chairs are not conducive to holding a very long meeting. Suggested alternatives were WAMO, but there the 8:30 pm deadline is probably the same there. Hinson Baptist Church, while centrally located and awhile the Church has been generous to the neighborhood in the past in allowing BCA to meet there, it does haves the disadvantages of no wheelchair access to the meeting room we used to use and some members feel that a neighborhood meeting should be in a "neutral" location.

The Ritzdorf was also suggested. It is centrally located on between both directions of the #15 bus. The only draw back would be the size of the room in the event we were to have a very large meeting. Inasmuch as too many attendees has not been a recent problem, Kevin will look into the availability of the Ritzdorf meeting room for both the Board and General Meetings. He will hopefully get back to Board members by e-mail before he goes on vacation on Monday.

Don led the next discussion about suggested speakers for the fall/winter meetings. It was agreed that we need to think about "attractors" to draw more neighbors to the meetings. Don will try to contact Bob Ball or Joan Little who are behind a movement to bring district elections to Portland. It was suggested that we have a "point/counterpoint discussion for this topic, perhaps inviting Charlie Hales to present the reason why district elections are not a good idea.

METRO wants the various neighborhood associations to sponsor meetings for METRO to present its plans of future growth in Portland at neighborhood meetings. This is another possible topic for our October meeting.

A discussion was renewed about the possibility of having a newsletter for the

BCA. No conclusion was made but the problems were reviewed again. Who is going to write it, how will it be distributed and how to we access apartment buildings. It was suggested that if we do undertake a newsletter that it be just a quarterly, front to back. It was suggested that we contact Central Catholic for students to distribute a newsletter throughout the neighborhood.

Getting back to possible future meeting programs, Susan suggested that we get representatives from the Water Bureau to discuss the current billing problems. She also suggested a speaker from the City to discuss the Road Tax and the petition for the May 2002 ballot.

For the September meeting, we will discuss SEUL update on Healthy Neighborhoods and SEULs strategic plan and proposed survey. We will also have a brief report from the Community Energy Project.

Don told the Board about a "Green Map" project that Sabin Neighborhood has. This is a map of businesses in the neighborhood who are environmentally supportive in their day-to-day operations. Sabins map is 11 x 17 and the funding to do this project was given by Natures. Don would like to explore the possibilities of having a Green Map for Buckman. He will try to contact Jason King. Jason is familiar with this concept and how to begin work. Don will ask him to attend the September Board Meeting.

Next, there was a brief discussion about whether or not the BCA should have an appearance/table at the Hinson Church Neighborhood Picnic in Col. Summers Park on Sunday, August 26th. We all agreed that this would be nice to do, but that to have a really effective presence, we should have started planning quite awhile ago. We were not sure just what we could come up with in two weeks that wouldnt look thrown together. It was concluded that it probably is too late to try to get a BCA booth for the picnic. However, because we are not prepared for events like this picnic, which would be a good outreach to the neighborhood and hopefully a source of inviting new people to our meetings, a discussion followed about what we could do in the future. We then spent time discussing the possibility of preparing a portable Buckman display unit that could be brought out and used at various community events. Such a unit would give the BCA more visibility and perhaps let new residents to the neighborhood know of our existence.

Again the subject of having a newsletter came up. We need a banner, sign up sheets, information about our web-site and e-mail. Don has some old brochures of walking tours in Buckman that could be incorporated into an information packet. In other words, we need a "portable information kit" that we can pack up, take to an event, unpack and have a presence for the BCA .

Susan next reported on the meeting she and Joanne Ferraro had with the PDC regarding opening the pedestrian gate in both directions on the Burnside Bridge, going down to the Esplanade. BCA and CEID have both asked that the gate remain locked to people wanting to enter the Esplanade but open to those wanting to exit. This was seen as a way of discouraging drug dealing, using and other crime. Susan Lindsay and Joanne Ferraro asked the PDC for a written assurances about what the BCA and CEID wanted for the hours, and the length of time the gate would be open both ways. They asked then that the question be reviewed again in September to gauge the effects on the Esplanade by having the gate totally open. Despite this promise Susan learned that some sort of "heat from the Mayors office" had scuttled the promise of the written assurances. Interestingly, in spite of all this discussion, Susan said that the police department is set to pull out patrolling the Esplanade in the fall. Commisioner Francisconi reported that he had received calls from the Pedestrian Coalition who are opposed to the closing the gate. It is the speculation of Susan that one person, Doug Klotz probably called. Mr. Klotz is a significant person in and one of the founders of the Pedestrian Coalition, along with Don Macgillivray. The issue for BCA and CEID is why does this gate have to be open all night. As of this date, nothing in writing from the City has been seen and it appears that the City does not want a written agreement on this topic. The real reason is unknown. Susan said that in investigating other city parks, most do have hours that they are closed and we feel the Esplanade should be no different in this respect. Susan will write a letter to the City asking for an agreement in writing about the gate hours. She will report back on any answer she receives. Susan said that the Esplanade continues to be a big hit and continues to draw large numbers of users.

We again reviewed the question of the money for the Crescent part of the Esplanade versus funding for the CEID projects. While there is some movement in this area the question of just how much money will be left for the CEID remains unknown.

The remaining time of the meeting was spent on short discussions resulting in the following:

Don and Susan will be the VISTA volunteers primary contact with help from other Board Members as needed.

The old BCA office files are still in Kevins basement. SEUL will let us store the files there, but we should sort and organize the contents of the cabinets before sending them to SEUL.

Jim will contact Marcia Dennis and ask her to follow through getting a consistent appearance at our General Meetings of a police representative of the SE Precinct. We need an officer who is familiar with Buckman and we need regular month reports/alerts on crime in Buckman.

Don will contact the Mural Conservancy regarding the mural at 12th & Morrison. There is a question about it needing restoration.

Susan reported that the SEUL Land Use Committee will be looking at the possibility of a Community Center for Buckman, as part of this years Strategic Planning.

Regarding the controversy over McDonalds proposed restaurant at the old Arbys location on SE Hawthorne, it was decided that the BCA will remain neutral except we will support the idea of "No Drive-Thru Window" at this location.

There being no more new business or discussion, Tom Baker adjourned the meeting at

8:45 p.m.

BCA General Meeting Minutes, September, 2001

The meeting was called to order by Tom Baker at 7:10 p.m. in the meeting room at the Ritzdorf Apartments at S. E. Belmont and S. E. 12th Avenue. Board members present were, Don MacGillivray, Kevin Kraus, Jim Sutherland, Ann Bowling, Paul Iarrobino, Randall Howington and Tom Baker. SEUL VISTA
volunteer, Jenny Leis was also present.

No police officer was present from Southeast Precinct, so we did not receive a crime report for the neighborhood. This is the fourth or fifth genera lmeeting that we have not had a police officer present, despite repeated requests by Jim Sutherland directly to Southeast Precinct, and most recently, two requests for assistance to Marcia Dennis. Jim will follow up on this matter.

The first item of business was an informational presentation by Joanne Lau, on behalf of the Community Energy Project (CEP). CEP is a community non-profit organization whose purpose is to educate Portland residents each year on weatherization, water conservation and lead poisoning prevention. This is done through various neighborhood free workshops held throughout the year. They also have a Senior Weatherization Program to help lower income
senior and people with disabilities through volunteers who install energy saving devices in these homes.

Ms. Lau said that the CEP wanted to let the BCA know that a fee
weatherization workshop is scheduled to be held at Buckman School from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., on Tuesday, November 6th. Interested parties can pre-register by calling CEP at (503)284-6827 or e-mail at
cepinfor@communityenergyproject.org. A CEP Open House is scheduled for Saturday, September 15th 11 a.m to 4 p.m. at their offices located at 422 NE Alberta.

The representative scheduled from "Green Map" did not show, so there was no presentation as planned by that group.

Next, we heard from neighbor Rosemary Brown. She owns rental property next door to 1224 S. E. Belmont (located directly across the street from the Ritzdorf Apartments). Ms. Brown’s tenants have been having continuous problems with the residents of this building next door to her rental at the corner of S.E. 13th and S.E. Belmont. She has lost tenants in the past due to the problems cause by the tenants at 1224. She reported that she is not alone in her frustrations with the building occupants. Several neighbors adjacent to this property have had the same problems. 1224 appears to be a two unit building, but it has been divided into 12 units. The building appears run down and not very well maintained.

Ms. Brown reported the problems that her tenants and the neighbors have had are trash, garbage thrown out the windows, obnoxious noise, overgrowth of weeds, possible rats, transients freely camping in the overgrown backyard (which is also used as a public bathroom), lots of traffic in and out of the building, which in a some instances has been drug related. The manager of the Ritzdorf, Stephan Ray was also present and he confirmed much of what Ms. Brown reported. He said that in the past there had been some connection to the drug traffic at 1224 and to certain residents in the Ritzdorf.

Ms. Brown contacted the manager of the building but he has been very
unresponsive and not very cooperative about acknowledging the problems. The building has been up for sale, but the condition and the asking price are not conducive to a sale. She is very concerned because she is losing another tenant this month due to continuation these problems. She came to the BCA for suggestions and support to deal with the building and its occupants which is an obvious nuisance.

All members and other neighbors suggested a number of options for Ms. Brown to pursue. Among them were: get her neighbors organized and write a letter giving ad history and list of the problems. The letter should b signed by all concerned and addressed to the City, perhaps starting at the top with the Mayor’s office, with copies to the various City agencies that might have an interest in possible code and health violations, as well as the Police Department. It was suggested that she keep a chronological journal of activities and problems as they are encountered with regard to the property and take photographs when possible. Members of the BCA Board told Ms. Brown to keep us informed about her progress and that we would be willing to support her efforts in any way we are able.

Mr. Ray stated that he is supporting Ms. Brown in her attempts to end the nuisance as it is in the interest of the Ritzdorf to not have these
activities right across the street. He also asked the Board members to ask REACH to continue to support in his efforts to manage the Ritzdorf
effectively. Some of this support is in the form of funds to support
materials and equipment he may need. A new answering machine is being installed for more efficient handling of calls from residents or nearby neighbors relating to any problems in the apartment complex.

After the discussion, Ms. Brown thanked everyone for the suggestions and support. She said that she felt much more positive and hopeful than when she first came to the meeting.

Next was a presentation by Jenny Leis, SEUL VISTA volunteer, about the Healthy Neighborhood Project. The goal of this project is to identify the neighborhood association resources, priorities and needs; engage a variety of stakeholders in a dialogue about healthy neighborhoods; create self-assessment tool for the neighborhood associations; collect baseline information and then develop and action plan. SEUL will use the final plan as way to allocate resources to the various neighborhood associations.

Ms. Leis asked the members and neighbors to break down into three groups for a "brainstorm session," the results of which we would then write out our ideas for "the ideal neighborhood association." This was done, and afterwards there was a short discussion and all written suggestions were then given to Ms. Leis. Ms. Leis said that anyone interested in the project can volunteer to be on the Design Team. Interested parties can contact Kelly Caldwell at SEUL.

It was announced that the Board Retreat will be held on Saturday, October 20th from 9 until noon. This is the one day that all Board members were free from other obligations.

Announcements were made (followed by short discussion of each) to the following effect:

* SEUL letter of support for ONI was approved and will be written by Don.

* The Community Garden at 18th near Stark is holding a meeting on September 25th regarding their plans for a small expansion.

* Hoda’s Middle Eastern Restaurant at 34th & S. E. Belmont has reportedly been subject to telephone threats in relation to the recent World Trade Center and Pentagon bombings.

* Randall Howington announced that he is not going to be able to continue to serve on the SEUL Board.

* Regarding saving the firehouse at 35th and S. E. Belmont - Don has been in communication with Liz Kennedy at SEUL. Per Mr. Oliver, the BCA is asking SEUL to take a "second look" at the issues involved. While this is a Sunnyside Neighborhood issue, Buckman supports whatever efforts are being made by Sunnyside. What those efforts are is not exactly clear to us at this point.

* Short discussion about possible uses for the old Washington High School, as a result of a question asked by Ms. Brown. We know that the School District has given tenants of WAMO notice to vacate. What exactly will happen to the property is not known at this time.

* Tim and Joel at the Basement have an area where public notices can be posted, in the event that the BCA wants to use this space. They also reported that they are receiving a lot of support from the immediate neighborhood, including one party who was in opposition to their opening in the beginning. This new establishment received a very favorable review in The Mercury this week.

There being no more new business or discussion, Tom Baker adjourned the meeting at 8:40 p.m.

Jim Sutherland, Secretary

BCA General Meeting Minutes, October., 2001

The meeting was called to order by Tom Baker at 7:00 p.m. in the meeting room at the Ritzdorf Apartments at S. E. Belmont and S. E. 12th Avenue. Board members present were, Don MacGillivray, Jim Sutherland, Tom Baker, Susan Lindsay, Ann Bowling, and Paul Iarrobino.

Due to a scheduled, hour long presentation by a representative from METRO, the Board agreed at the last Board meeting, to limit new business to the first half hour of the meeting, i.e., 7:00 - 7:30 p.m.

First, Officer Brendan McGuire, from East Precinct was present for a neighborhood crime report and to address any concerns neighbors might have regarding crime in Buckman. Officer McGuire said that while this was not his normal assignment, he would try to make sure that there was a officer at future general meetings to report on crime in Buckman. We have not had an officer from Southeast Precinct at any of our meetings since last March, despite numerous calls to the Precinct. Marcia Dennis, Crime Prevention Specialist told the Board at its meeting last week she would make another attempt to get an officer at tonight meeting.

Officer McGuire said that at present there was not much to report although there had been some problems with transients in the neighborhood during the summer. In answering a question about the nuisance house at 1224 SE Belmont, as reported on by Ms. Brown last month, he said that he was not familiar with the problem. Someone mentioned that there was a "For Sale" sign recently put on the building.

Next, Susan Lindsay gave a brief report on the decision of the OLCC to reverse its decision to hold the hearing about the B+ Complex licence in Florence, Oregon. The proposed OLCC hearing in Florence regarding a licence for an establishment in Portland was reported on at the last meeting, and the Board were unanimous in its disapproval and disgust with the continued arrogance and disregard by the OLCC again, with regards to the needs and wants of our neighborhood. The hearing will be heard sometime in the future and Susan will let the neighborhood know when she is notified. She was not sure exactly why the OLCC changed their mind and moved the hearing on B+ Complex back to Portland, but she said that she is sure they received other calls besides hers. There was the conjecture offered that the OLCC is very aware of the possibility of another round of budget cuts by a special legislative session and they do not need any more enemies than they already have in the event that their funding comes up for discussion.

Susan gave a short report on the proposed work of Innovative Partnership and its ideas for uses of the old Washington High School buildings. Susan said that the Partnership would like a letter of support from the BCA, saying that we support their efforts to investigate and work with the Portland School District in finding uses for these buildings that would in the best interest of Buckman. Susan said that she thought it was important the BCA come on board early in the process with the Partnership so that our voice will be heard when the decisions are reached.

Paul made a motion for Susan to write this letter of support to the Partnership, Jim seconded the motion and it was passed by the Board members present.

Susan next reported that there had not been much movement with developments in the Esplanade. It appears that the gate from the Burnside Bridge is still open at times when the City said it would be closed. There is still some haggling over the monies to finish the Park and she said it appears that money for security is drying up. She said that there is no evidence of any security despite there being a security plan. She said it appears that cameras that were promised may never happen. She said it will be interesting to see what happens this winter when it gets darker earlier and the park is not as frequented with the general public as it is during the summer. We may expect to see an increase in drug trafficking and other problems. While there has been some planning and talk, it appears that Phase III of the Park (area between the Hawthorne Bridge and OMSI) will probably be mothballed due to the lack of money.

A representative from Central Catholic High School was at the meeting and reported on a problem with students parking on Oak Street near SE 21st. He said that parking around the school has been a problem off and on for some of the residents in the area. He said that this particular problem was addressed by the school immediately and it seems to have resolved itself. He also said that it is his intention that Central Catholic will try to send a representative to future BCA meetings since the school is a part of the community and should be involved in community issues that come before the BCA. This statement from the School was very well received by the Board members.

At 7:30 p.m. the floor was turned over to METRO representative Karen Blower. Ms. Blower is facilitating a number of discussion groups called "Lets Talk" presented by METRO around the City in the next few months. In 2002, Metro will decide whether to expand the urban growth boundary. METRO is holding these discussion groups to present the issues involved, facilitate discussion by interested citizens, and solicit ideas and thoughts of those attending these discussions. Ms. Blower said that METRO is interested in hearing what the community is willing to or not willing to accept in terms of its making a decision on whether or not to expand the urban growth boundary.

She passed out a discussion guide and explained the process. The discussion then began with everyone in the room going around and telling her what the word "growth" meant to them. It was an exercise to show how everyone has a different perception on what "growth" means.

Ms. Blower went over "The Challenge" as it is defined in the guide she handed out. There was a discussion on how we can meet the challenge. A number of ideas were put for by most of the people who where present. Paul helped Ms. Blower by writing down on large sheets of paper on hung on the wall, ideas that were generated by the group.

There was a discussion about how much growth is enough and what can be done when the limit is reached. What is that limit? Transportation issues were also brought up in connection with continued growth in this area. As the growth continues, so do the problems of more congestion on ours streets. What are the alternatives?

There was a broad range of opinion in the room from "no more growth" to "build more and build more roads." Ms. Blower said that these ideas were being collected from all of the discussion groups held throughout the City. These ideas would be would be typed up into a format that would be considered by METRO in relation to their decision next year on the fate of the urban boundary.

While we had one hour to cover this topic, Ms. Blower was not able to get through the guide entirely. This was not her fault but just the reality of trying to fit such a large topic into the confines of just an hour. She suggested that everyone take the guide and finish the reading to learn more about issues, the background, the viewpoints and the challenges facing METRO as they look at the urban growth boundary and whether or not to expand it. The guide has various phone numbers and a website that people can use to find out more from METRO.

Because of the time limit on use of the meeting room, Ms. Blowers discussion had to stop at 8:30. At that point, Tom Baker adjourned the meeting.