When: Sun May 20, 2012 9:45AM-12PM Where: Greater Gresham area Meet at Main City Park
219 S. Main Ave
Gresham, OR Get map!
Adult Fun!
This free ride will leave at 10AM from the Main City Park parking lot in downtown Gresham. This moderately paced ride, led by the Portland Wheelmen Touring Club, will explore the area between the Gresham, Troutdale and Sandy River areas, as well as east Portland. Traveling around 15 mph for approximately 25 miles, the group will stop for refreshments along the route. The ride will return to the starting location a couple of hours later.
When: Mon Apr 2, 2012 Show Times: 7:00PM and 8:15PM Where: Mt Hood Community College
Planetarium Sky Theater
26000 SE Stark St
Gresham, OR Get Map!
Admission $2. MHCC students are admitted free. The Sky Theater is wheelchair accessible.
The Greatest Hits of the Greatest Telescopes
The first telescopes were developed in the Netherlands in 1608 by three spectacle makers in Middelburg. The following year Galileo greatly improved the refracting telescope's design.
Since then telescopes have evolved from lenses and mirrors to to sophisticated high-tech instruments capable of sensing ultraviolet, x-ray, infrared and submillimetre wavelength light to produce images with incredible detail.
Join us as we view spectacular images from some of the worlds greatest telescopes including land-based telescopes and space-based observatories like Hubble, Chandra, Spitzer, Kepler and more.
All shows are presented under a realistic representation of the night sky, featuring the latest galactic, stellar and planetary images.
Visitors are encouraged to ask questions during each 45-minute program. Children are welcome to attend.
Parking Change
Parking permits are required and may be purchased for $3 at ticket kiosks located by the flagpoles (north parking) and gym (south parking). (Violators will be ticketed)
When: Mon Apr 2, 2012 5-7PM Where: Rockwood Building
123 NE 181st Av
Gresham, OR Get Map!
Share Your Ideas Gresham city officials want to hear from the public about the design of the new Rockwood police station. Project architects want to gather community preferences to guide the aesthetics of the new building.
This will be an interactive, drop-in style event (it’s fine to come anytime between 5 and 7) with the project architect on-hand. The purpose of the event is to give the design team a good sense of what the community’s preferences regarding the appearance of the building exterior and grounds. We will have a Spanish-language interpreter on hand, and refreshments will be served.
Plan to attend this visioning event and share your ideas for this important addition to our neighborhood.
When: Tue Apr 3, 2012 6:00PM Where: Gresham City Hall
Council Chambers
1333 NE Eastman Pky
Gresham, OR Get Map!
$1.5 million Children's Fountain Loan Application
A couple of weeks ago, the City of Gresham posted an obscure 24-page document titled "Five Year FY 2011-2016 Consolidated Plan Amendment / Amendment to the One Year Action Plan 2011-2012" on the City's "Children's Fountain" webpage (http://greshamoregon.gov/city/) by following the Read More link. The key part of this lengthy HUD (US Department of Housing and Urban Development) application document is on the back page, where it says that the City "intends to utilize HUD Section 108 Loan Guarantee assistance to create a Section 108 Loan Pool" and that the City "intends to apply for a Section 108 Guaranteed Loan in 2011-2012 to develop a Children's Fountain in Gresham's downtown......for $1.5 million to aid in the elimiation of slum and blight in downtown Gresham."
It turns out that the City intends to pay back the loan ($110,000/yr. for 20 yrs.) from it's annual Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds (currently $900,000) from HUD. These CDBG funds typically pay for things like affordable housing and public improvements in qualified neighborhoods.
At a recent Community Development & Housing Subcommittee meeting committee members questioned:
why the City was building a fountain at this time,
whether the fountain would really bring more shoppers to downtown,
how downtown qualified for a Section 108 loan,
why the fountain costs $1.5 million,
what would happen if HUD again cut the City's CDBG funds & the City couldn't repay the loan with them,
what the annual maintenance costs for the fountain (not part of grant) would be.
You'll find the City's 2-page Children's Fountain project flyer here. You can find a 5-page Case Studies of other such fountains(Jamison Square-Portland, Lake Oswego, Beaverton and Maryland) compiled by City staff here. We encourage neighbors to take a few moments to review these documents. Written public comment due no later than 4:30pm Tuesday, April 3, 2012.
(Click 'Read More' link below for more details and project concerns.)
When: Tue Apr 10, 2012 10AM Where: 185th & SE Stark St
Gresham, OR Get Map!
Completion of the new $19.6 million East County Courts project signals the beginning of Rockwood Town Center's redevelopment.
Join the Celebration
You are cordially invited to attend the grand opening celebration for the long-awaited East County Courthouse in the heart of Gresham's Rockwood neighborhood.
Join us Tuesday, April 10, 2012 at 10:00am 'rain-or-shine' at the new East County Courts building, 185th & SE Stark St, as elected officals from Multnomah County and City of Gresham kick-off the event.
Light refreshments will follow the speaking portion of the program. Event includes self guided tours of the new facility.
My Family Misses Me
Looking for “Lincoln” or any information that may bring him home. Long hair, Siamese, Blue eyes, Brown hair on body, he needs medication twice a day. He is very friendly, very loved, and very missed. Lincoln is 10 years old and is 'micro chipped'. REWARD FOR HIS SAFE RETURN.
When: Wed Mar 21, 2012 1-2PM Where: Rosewood Cafe
609 SE 162nd Av
Portland, OR Get Map!
The Rosewood Initiative monthly community meeting is Mar 21st from 1-2pm at Rosewood Cafe, 609 SE 162nd Ave. Everyone's invited to attend.
Here's what's on the agenda
Public safety, what's going on with all the police in our area? Neighborhood Response Team, Special Enforcement Team, Gang Enforcement Team, gang outreach and partnership work between Portland and Gresham Police across the 162nd divide.
Neighborhood Prosperity Initiative partnership with Portland Development Commission- our vision for the Rosewood neighborhood and 10 years of support from PDC!
Rosewood Cafe- really, when are we going to start construction?? and we got a piano!
Youth activities- Youth Night, possibility for open gym at Oliver Elementary, Backpack Project partnership with Oliver and Parklane Elementary Schools and local churches, connecting Lewis and Clark college students with Centennial Learning Center HS students for college readiness mentoring
Bike fair in May?
Mural project on the 76 Gas Station for summer 2012?
April 14th celebration of partnerships
Funding...a quick summary
It sounds like a lot, but these are going to be quick updates because we want to make sure you all connect with one another on the work that's happening.
Of course, you can always check rosewoodinitiative.org to keep updated, but there is nothing like coming out and taking part in this!
After decades of delays and missteps the new courthouse receives the finishing touches as it prepares to open for business.
A long-awaited East County Courts project in the heart of Gresham's Rockwood neighborhood could be just what's needed to jumpstart the town center's redevelopment.
Completion of the project represents a commitment to an area left behind long ago.
East County Courts Bldg, 185th & SE Stark St. Opening April 2012. Click to enlarge
The new $19.6 million 40,000-square-foot three-floor facility will have three courtrooms, with room for future expansion to six, an office for the district attorney, a sheriff's department security office, court business office, a data center in the basement and a drop-in child care facility for visitors.
The courthouse will serve people being adjudicated for misdemeanors, violations, small claims, landlord and tenant actions, ex parte hearings and document filing for all civil and domestic relations actions - many of which were previously filed at the overcrowded downtown Portland courthouse. The new courthouse is only for civil matters. It will not include a detention facility, nor will felony cases be heard.
Funding for the new courthouse includes $15 million from Recovery Zone Economic Development (stimulus) Bonds. The remaining portion will be funded from the 2008 sale of the South Edgefield property.
The Great Conjunction March 2012: Jupiter, Moon, Venus MHCC Planetarium website
Mars and Venus at Their Best
When: Mon Mar 5, 2012 Show Times: 7:00PM and 8:15PM Where: Mt Hood Community College
Planetarium Sky Theater
26000 SE Stark St
Gresham, OR Get Map!
Admission $2. MHCC students are admitted free. The Sky Theater is wheelchair accessible.
Mars and Venus at Their Best & Spring Sky Highlights
If you enjoy gazing at the night sky, it’s a “planet-a-palooza” this spring at the Mt. Hood College (MHCC) Planetarium.
“Mars and Venus will be at their brightest this spring and all of the other classical planets can be easily found in the night sky,” says Pat Hanrahan, Planetarium director.
“It is a rare time that we can see so many of our planets in the same night sky,” adds Hanrahan. “Even the shy planet Mercury will be visible shortly after sunset. In late spring, we will see the rare Transit of Venus. If you miss this event, you will have to wait another 105 years before it will be visible again.”
All shows are presented under a realistic representation of the night sky, featuring the latest galactic, stellar and planetary images.
Visitors are encouraged to ask questions during each 45-minute program. Children are welcome to attend.
Parking Change
Parking permits are required and may be purchased for $3 at ticket kiosks located by the flagpoles (north parking) and gym (south parking). (Violators will be ticketed)
Thank You!
Wilkes East Neighborhood would like express our gratitude to the following for their generous contributions & continued support:
• Jazzy Bagels, Main St & Powell
• Parkrose Hardware, 106th & Sandy
• Growers Outlet, 162nd & Glisan
• SOLV, Bringing Oregon together
• Albertsons, 181st & Glisan
• And, all the many volunteers!
