Hillsdale NA

Hillsdale Neighborhood Association Meeting Minutes

July 7, 2010

St. Barnabas Episcopal Church

7:00 p.m.  Business Meeting

7:05: Sheila Greenlaw-Fink, Acting Co-Chair, called meeting to order

Opening and unanimous approval of the agenda and minutes of the HNA meeting of June 2, 2010.

Introductions:  Each individual introduced him-/herself.  Board member Judith Baker has agreed to be HNA Treasurer.

The Chair noted that a board meeting, open to the public, was held from 6 to 7 p.m.

Action Items

The motion was made by Don Baack that the members tentatively support the proposed modifications to the existing Mittleman Jewish Community Center Master Plan.  The motion unanimously passed.

Acting Co-Chair Robert Hamilton suggested that the HNA begin in September to modify the agenda to permit committee reports to precede guest speakers on alternating months.  Discussion followed, Wes Risher noting that public agency employees receive comp time for attending evening meetings, making them less reluctant to do so.  The suggestion was further modified to split the current committee reporting and allow SWNI reports to precede the guest speakers and HNA standing and special committee reports to follow guest presentations.  The board will take the matter under consideration.

Lisa Horowitz, director of development and marketing of the Mittleman Jewish Community Center and Portland Jewish Academy, stated that the organizations have submitted an updated Master Plan to the City of Portland to replace one that has been in effect for the past 10 years and is expiring.  The field house, however, has a separate plan not included in this one.  Although the grassy plot adjacent to the field house is owned by the Portland Jewish Federation, it has also been included in the Master Plan.  Some, though not all, projects were completed and the MJCC is requesting three additional years to do so.  Additional construction on the Jewish Federation-owned plot would require City approval.

To ease traffic congestion at the current combined entrance and exit site, the plan would create an ingress-only lane at the intersection of

HNA Transportation Chair Don Baack reported on the June 9 Portland Bureau of Transportation presentation on the already funded “Greenway-Bike Boulevard Plan”.  Baack described the proposed route from downtown Portland to Alpenrose Dairy.  Extensive discussion followed.  The members decided to invite PBOT representative Mark Lear to the September meeting to describe the proposed route again and answer questions about its impact upon speed limits, the elimination of parking on one side of Vermont between

Committee Reports

Rick Seifert reported that Hillsdale’s

SWNI Schools Committee

Unable to attend the meeting personally, Michael Reunert submitted his schools report by email and it was given to members as part of the agenda.  Dick Hausken, president of the Mary Rieke Elementary School Parent-Teacher Association, reported on the Literacy Support Program, noting that the PTA will sell the children’s books component of the July 25 Hillsdale Foundation book sale at the annual Pancake Breakfast.  This will help to raise an additional $2,000 to cover the cost of a paid tutor for Rieke students needing assistance to read at their grade level.  John Gould praised the collaborative effort and encouraged members to look for other opportunities to cooperate in helping one another.  Direct donations of cash as well as donated books are welcome.

Transportation

Don Baack reported on recent work by an informal subcommittee to walk each of the sidewalk-construction candidate sites proposed to him by local residents and organizations.  A final walk-around is scheduled for July 8 at 5:30 p.m. to be followed by refreshments and a tactical planning meeting at the Hillsdale Pub.  The goal is to submit a list of sidewalk-construction candidates to SWNI and to develop a priority list, with “opportunities and challenges” for each candidate, which will be shared with Hillsdale Alliance members to build support for a share of $4 million for sidewalk construction to be split between SE and SW Portland following the start of the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2011. 

Land Use

Mikal Apenes reported that the Safeway store at

Parks

Dan Jenkins reported that the Portland Parks & Recreation budget will be cut five percent.  The Wilson Pool will be closed at 2 p.m. on cold-weather days and that the teen program has been eliminated at the Southwest Community Center.  It was suggested that a notice of early closing be posted at the reader boards near the Wilson pool.

Carruthers Park is now open and concerts and movies are available at other parks as well.  The Friends of Terwilliger Parkway will organize and host a 100^th Anniversary celebration.

Southwest Neighborhoods, Inc.

Carolyn Raz reported that the June SWNI board meeting included an overview by executive director Sylvia Bogert of the organization’s functions and services.  Liability insurance is carried for each neighborhood association and events; supplies and permits are available for block parties; the monthly SWNI News includes information about coalition-wide meetings and events and can be mailed to your home; five trash separators are now available for loan to coalition members, such as the National Night Out scheduled for August 3; the Small Grants Program survived budget cuts but has been reduced from $23,000 to $10,000; Solarize Southwest resulted in a positive response from 300 households;

Announcements

National Night Out will include an event at The Watershed on August 3.

There will be no HNA meeting in August.  The next meeting will be September 1 at The Watershed, starting at 6 p.m. with a “Harvest Potluck”.  Members are encouraged to bring dishes which draw upon fruits, vegetables, and other items featured at the Hillsdale Farmers’ Market:  “Where the Harvest and Hillsdale Meet”.

The motion was unanimously passed at 9:07 p.m. to adjourn.

Notes of the meeting were submitted by Carolyn Raz and edited by Robert Hamilton.