City of Gresham

Take A Survey About Food Carts Use in Gresham.

What Do You Like? What to Improve?

The City of Gresham planners would like to hear your concerns and ideas about temporary uses, such as food carts, carnivals, fruit stands and fireworks vendors.

Take the Survey Here!
An online open house runs through July 29 that gives you access to a project intro video, an online survey, and a place to direct comments to City staff members.

Now is the time to have your say before this round of input is closed.

Coalition of Gresham Neighborhoods When: Jul 10, 2012 7PM-8:30PM Where: Gresham City Hall Oregon Trail Room 1333 NW Eastman Pky Get Map!

Public welcome
The Coalition of Gresham Neighborhood Associations was formed to provide structure and support for the leadership of Gresham's neighborhood associations, enabling more effective cooperation among neighborhood associations in order to achieve desired outcomes. Goals of the Coalition include providing a public forum for the review and evaluation of issues and problems, providing education and information on specific areas such as land use, and providing a unified voice for the neighborhood associations.

The Coalition meets monthly on the second Tuesday at 7:00PM

This is a Bright Idea! When: Tue Jun 5, 2012 6-7:30PM Where: Gresham Public Library 385 NW Miller Av Gresham, OR Get Map!

Free Solar Workshop

Solar Gresham is hosting free solar workshops at the Gresham Public Library in historic downtown. Led by the nonprofit Solar Oregon, the workshops will cover the basic technology, benefits and cost of solar. Imagine Energy will be available to answer questions about installation and products. Umpqua Bank will also be on hand to share information on financing opportunities.

RSVP below. The workshops provide a great opportunity to learn more about solar, whether you’re interested in having it installed at your home or just wanting to learn more about this form of renewable energy.

Solar Gresham is a new program offered through July 31. It offers homeowners solar at up to 80% or more off the cost.

Future site of Rockwood police precinct

What's Your Vision? 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.

Do We Really Need This Fountain? 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.)

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.

Site of new police station. Click to enlarge

Site acquisition for Rockwood public safety facility approved. New facility will improve police presence and services in Rockwood / West Gresham area.

On Feb 21, 2012, the Gresham Redevelopment Commission approved the acquisition of 2.3 acres at 675 NE 181st, 1-block north of Glisan for the future site of the Rockwood Public Safety Facility. Get Map!

Approval of the $775,000 property acquisition will allow design and construction of the project to proceed on schedule for completion by the end of 2013. At the same meeting an award of business was given to Group Mackenzie, Inc. to provide architectural services for the project.

"This important step in the process demonstrates the City’s commitment to improving public safety and enhancing police presence in Rockwood," said Mayor Shane Bemis. "It is very exciting to see work begin towards delivering on this vital urban renewal goal."

The 10,000-12,000 sq. ft. Rockwood Public Safety Facility will create a welcoming and highly visible police presence in Rockwood, improving public safety and encouraging new investment in the area.

Once completed the facility will house a range of police functions, including support for patrol officers serving Rockwood and other special units and programs.

Share your ideas! When: Tue Mar 8, 2012 6PM-8PM Where: Gresham City Hall Oregon Trail Room 1333 NW Eastman Pky Get Map!

Renewable Energy Community Forum
Join us on March 8 from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Oregon Trail Room at City Hall for the Renewable Energy Community Forum. Come review and evaluate the preferred alternatives to renewable energy issues.

This project will determine where and how renewable energy technology should be allowed in the city. Renewable energy technology includes solar power, wind turbines, biomass energy and geothermal energy.

Public Invited to Attend When :Tue & Wed Mar 13-14, 2011 Where: Gresham City Hall East Hill Church Details below

Transportation and economic development plan being discussed for Gresham, Troutdale, Fairview and Wood Village.

Metro regional government is offering two community forums, March 13 & 14, to learn about and participate in the East Metro Connections Plan.

Investing in Gresham and the East Metro area
Federal and state money is shrinking, and when the region makes difficult decisions about who gets it, they reward those cities that agree on near- and long-term priorities. Through an effort called East Metro Connections Plan, Gresham and other east county cities are developing that shared agreement.

Metro will be advocating for federal and state transportation money to make our area more attractive to employers while protecting our neighborhoods, making our roads safer and promoting our treasured natural areas.

Many of you have participated in this effort already. Your input helped identify problems and shaped the solutions Metro is considering. But your role isn’t over. Decisions will be made this spring about how investments will be prioritized. Metro want you to weigh in to tell them what is most important to you.

Participate in person

Other ways to be involved

• Participate online and discover what we learned over the last year, such as why we don’t need a Mount Hood freeway, at www.oregonmetro.gov/eastmetro
• Get email updates by sending a request to eastmetroconnections@oregonmetro.gov
• Request a briefing for your neighborhood association or local event
• Come to a steering committee meeting share your comments; their next meeting is on March 14 from 2-4PM at East Hill Church (see above)