West Gresham

Free Family Event!

When: Sat, Sep 16, 2017 12PM-4PM
Where: Portland Water Bureau Launch
16650 NE Airport Way in Portland
Get Map!

Big and little pirates alike are welcome to join us for a free family festival all about groundwater.

This event is free and no registration is required. All activities (including 15-minute canoe rides) are free and available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Play fun games and go on a scavenger hunt in search of hidden treasure not gold, but groundwater, a precious resource that flows beneath your feet.

Come dressed in yer finest pirate togs, or else the Capn might make ye walk the plank!

Free kids T-shirts to the first 300 kids.

Contact

Columbia Slough Watershed Council 503-281-1132 or info@columbiaslough.org

Neighborhood Assn Board Meeting When: Mon Sep 18, 2017 6:30PM-8PM RESCHEDULED Where: Simmons' Foster Care 17104 NE Oregon St Portland, OR Get Map!

Board meetings are scheduled for the 2nd Monday each month 6:30PM
For more information please contact: info@wilkeseastna.org

Upcoming Meetings

• Oct 09, 2017
• Nov 13, 2017
• Dec 11, 2017

Wilkes East Neighborhood
PO Box 536
Fairview, OR 97024

Lend a hand, meet your neighbors! When: Sat, Sep 23, 2017 90AM-12PM Where: Nadaka Nature Park 17615 NE Glisan St Meet at the picnic structure Get Map!

JOIN US
Join Friends of Nadaka to restore a healthy habitat at Nadaka Nature Park Saturday, September 23rd from 9 AM to 12 PM! We will be removing invasive species such as English Ivy from the 10 acre forested portion of the park. The event will start with a brief lesson on native and invasive plant species.

Tools, gloves, and light refreshments will be provided. Dress to work in natural areas: long pants and closed-toe sturdy shoes. Please bring a water bottle and a friend! Activities include: Invasive Plant Removal, Litter Cleanup, Garden Weeding/Cleanup.

REGISTER FOR THIS EVENT

PARKING
There are two locations for parking.

• St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church parking lot next to Nadaka Nature Park located at 17405 NE Glisan Street Gresham, OR 97230
• Nadaka Nature Park’s north entrance is at NE Pacific Street and 176th. You may park in the neighborhood and follow the path through the forest to get to the picnic structure.

MORE INFO
Contact Monica McAllister, Nadaka Nature Park Coordinator email monica@friendsofnadaka.org, or call 503-956-8558

When: Mon Aug 14, 2017 7PM-9PM (New date! 2nd Monday) Where: Albertina Kerr Gresham Campus, Training Building (small bldg, center north on property) 722 NE 162nd Av Gresham, OR Get Map!

Neighborhood Meeting, Everyone's Invited

Join Your Neighbors. Get involved. Make a difference!

Save the date
Be sure to save Monday, August 14th at 7PM for the Wilkes East Neighborhood 2017 Summer Meeting. The meeting will be held at Albertina Kerr, 722 NE 162nd Av, Training Building (small bldg, center north on property), Gresham OR. Get map!

Guests & Topics
Speakers for the August 14th meeting include: Josh Fuhrer, Executive Director, Gresham Redevelopment Commission with a Rockwood Rising project update; Mario Palmero, Chair, Gresham City Council, highlighting what's going on at City Hall; Jay Higgins, Associate Transportation Planner, discusses City of Gresham City bike routes.

Who should attend?
This meeting is open to all residents and businesses in the Wilkes East Neighborhood!

Be Part Of Your Community. Plan To Attend.

Agenda

• Josh Fuhrer
  Executive Director
  Gresham Redevelopment Commission
  Rockwood Rising project update
• Mario Palmero
  Chair
  Gresham City Council
  highlighting what's going on at City Hall
• Jay Higgins
  Associate Transportation Planner
  discusses City of Gresham City bike routes
• plus a Nadaka update and neighborhood news.

Watch for these red & white Meeting Signs the week before our meeting. The signs were purchased with assistance of the City of Gresham Neighborhood Grant Program, and with volunteer hours to set them out and retrieve them. Signs Now NW also made a generous contribution to this project.

Mark your calendar. See you there!

1874 Zimmerman House. Click to Enlarge

Lazy Summer Days When: Sat Aug 19, 2017 Noon-4PM Where: Zimmerman Park 17111 NE Sandy Blvd Gresham, OR Get Map!

A delightful 1874 Victorian farmhouse
Take a step back into history at the Zimmerman House, a Victorian era farmhouse, built in 1874 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This beautiful farmhouse is a perfect reflection of typical Columbia River dairy farm life in the late 1800s. The Zimmerman Heritage Farm is a unique cultural education and recreational resource that is being created for the benefit of the public on a 5.98-acre historic site in Gresham, Oregon.

Certified Backyard Habitat. Click to enlarge

The Backyard Habitat Certification Program

By Neta Courcey
Certified Backyard Habitat
Wilkes East Resident

Like neighborhoods are to cities, cities to counties, and counties to states, backyard habitats connect our yards to greenways and to wilderness, providing the essential pathways of interconnectedness that nourish the larger community. Communities of humans thrive when they are connected to each other and to the larger community. Just as neighborhood groups like Wilkes East are essential to building and maintaining the larger community, backyard habitats are essential to the community of birds and other wildlife. The swath of habitat that neighbors create is vital, providing refuge areas containing food, water, nesting places and shelter. I am proud to have my little yard be a piece of the bigger network that creates a web of natural habitats throughout the Portland metropolitan area and the Pacific Northwest.

Rockwood Town Center final design. Click to enlarge

Office, apartments and marketplace in the works by Mohawk MAX stop.

From The Gresham Outlook

Gresham City Hall's ambitious plans to reshape the heart of Rockwood are nearly finalized.

All told, public leaders and private developers will plunk down at least $40 million to create the three-building development located between Burnside Road and the "Mohawk" MAX light-rail station at Stark Street and Southeast 188th Avenue.

As The Outlook previously reported, site designs call for commercial office space, residential apartments and an indoor/outdoor marketplace orbiting a central plaza.

Rockwood Town Center plaza. Click to enlarge

Rockwood Town Center 188th & E Burnside. Click to enlarge

The project, branded as "Rockwood Rising," sits on 5.15 acres that formerly housed west Gresham's Fred Meyer. The city's Redevelopment Commission purchased the land for $8.1 million in 2006.

The plans for the Rockwood Rising Redevelopment Project are nearing completion and are open to the public. Zane Sparling, of the Gresham Outlook, offers a breakdown of the design here.

Zimmerman House Muesum and Gardens, Gresham OR. Click to enlarge

Oregon Storytellers with a Local Lens

Right in Wilkes East Neighborhood’s backyard, near Sandy Boulevard and 171st, sits a white, Victorian house surrounded by lush grass and beautiful flower gardens. Have you ever noticed this beauty while driving by?

If you’ve always been curious or it’s been a long time since you’ve visited, let us introduce you to the Zimmerman House Museum and Gardens. This slice of Oregon heritage is run by ECHO – East County Historical Organization (your local historical society) and they have big plans to reinvigorate this Gresham Park.

ECHO’s new board has goals to make this former dairy farm into a thriving place of learning and an event space for the community. They are currently developing plans to add a paved driveway with designated parking spaces, ADA access to the gardens, and create an area for outdoor gatherings. Even though updates will be occurring, plans will hold true to the home’s designation as a historic property on the National Register.

The group is also redefining their educational mission for the museum, so be on the lookout for new exhibits, community events, and stop by for guided tours with expanded content. To start off, they are hosting their first archeological survey in the park on Saturday, September 30. They hope to rediscover some of the home’s former outbuildings like a bunkhouse, outhouses, and more. The public is welcome to join in.

by Monica McAllister
Nadaka Nature Park Coordinator

Summer is here, delicious berries are ripe, baby birds are taking flight, and we hope you have been able to get out and enjoy it all at Nadaka Nature Park! The past couple of months have been bustling with families enjoying the new swing set, community members gathering for parties at the picnic shelter, gardeners tending their veggies and flowers, and nature lovers of all ages exploring the forest. The past few months ‘Friends of Nadaka’ (FON) has been hard at work providing environmental education activities, community events, and stewardship opportunities for our neighbors, schools, and partnering organizations.

We are most excited about the upcoming Seventh Annual Nadaka Nature Park Festival that will take place August 12th from 12-3pm. This family friendly event will include a visit from the Audubon Society of Portland’s Education Birds, free hot dogs and drinks, crafts, games, face painting, dance and music performances. Various partnering organizations will have information booths and fun hands on activities for the whole family. We would love to have volunteers from the Wilkes East neighborhood to help with the event. If you are interested please contact Monica, the Nadaka Coordinator.

2017 Summer Newsletter "Diversity, Harmony, Community - Together 'WE' can make a difference!”

Read it now!

Inside This Issue:   Rockwood Town Center Awaits Approval Come Visit Zimmerman House Backyard Habitat, Providing Community Nadaka Update, Happenings & More Neighborhood Meeting, Aug 14th 7PM

Download your copy here. (includes active web links)

Newsletters are a regular publication of the Wilkes East Neighborhood Association. They are hand-delivered to over 1,500 residences and businesses in our area 3 times per year, timed to correspond with our regular meetings.

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