News

'Green Gresham, Healthy Gresham' Grant Project

The City of Gresham is partnering with Multnomah County Office of Sustainability and Friends of Trees on a grant from East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District (EMSWCD) to get trees surveyed, maintained and planted in the Rockwood, Wilkes East and North Gresham Neighborhoods. From mid- December 2020 to end of February 2021, you may notice a small
crew of three to four members wearing bright fluorescent safety vests, known as the Gresham Tree Team. The 2020 Gresham Tree Team is a group of County staff and interns making the following improvements to your neighborhood:

• Tree planting activities such as digging holes, planting trees, and moving mulch;
• Tree surveying and measuring in the public right of way to gather data on the tree type, size, and health; and
• Tree maintenance in the public right of way along arterial and neighborhood streets.

Gresham Tree Team
From 2018 – 2020 this team has:

• Inventoried 1300 trees
• Planted over 300 street and yard trees
• Recruited 80 homeowners to plant yard trees

This EMSWCD Green Gresham, Healthy Gresham grant project will improve your neighborhood with information on where to plant more trees along with newly planted trees that will help:

• Cool the urban environment during our hot summers
• Provide windbreaks and help conserve energy during our cold winters
• Improve the walking environment and air quality along busy West Gresham streets
• Reduce water pollution flowing into local streams and waterways

Work will be performed Tuesday through Saturday (9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.)

More Info
If you have any questions or would like to learn more, please contact Tina.Osterink@GreshamOregon.gov or call directly at 503.618-2392.

Get Involved, Make a Difference When: Mon, Jan 11, 2021 5:35PM-7:30PM Where: Online meeting via Zoom Get Map!

How to join the meeting

Online

• Join the meeting here (passcode: N2MaT0)
• iPhone one-tap: 1-253-215-8782 (passcode: 550653#)

By phone

• Call 1-253-215-8782
  • Webinar ID: 925 3875 0775
  • Passcode: 550653
• International numbers available

City Council has selected three finalists for the City Manager recruitment, out of an initial applicant pool of 64.

Read more about the candidates.

While ultimately, City Council will make the final hiring decision, they are soliciting input from the community during this final phase. Please save the date for an online community forum hosted by Mayor Travis Stovall. Each candidate will have thirty minutes to answer questions.

To date, these three candidates have participated in individual interviews with the City.s executive recruiter as well as semi-finalist interviews with the current and elected Mayor and Council. Standard background and reference checks will also be conducted during this process.

The forum will not allow for live questions from the audience. However, if you have a question you.d like to ask the three finalists, please submit for consideration by noon, Friday, Jan. 8 to Communications@GreshamOregon.gov. Given limited time with each candidate, not every question may be asked.

After the forum, attendees will have the opportunity to provide feedback about the candidates through an online survey. Feedback will be shared with Council for their consideration as they make their next decision.

Interpretation will be provided upon advance request. Please notify Alex Logue at Alex.Logue@GreshamOregon.gov or 503-618-3214 by noon, Thursday, Jan. 7.

Get involved, Make a difference When: Wed, Jan 13, 2021 5:30PM-8:30PM Where: Online meeting via Zoom

The regional SAFER Council consisting of city representatives from Gresham, Fairview, Wood Village, Troutdale and a Multnomah Rural Protection District 10 board member will be meeting via Zoom on Jan. 13 at 5:30 pm.

The SAFER Council (Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Responses) was created with regard to fire service in East County.

Meeting agenda

The goals of the SAFER Council:

• Determine the emergency response level for our regional service area.
• Perform a needs assessment required to meet service level expectations.
• Establish a SAFER proposal and alternate proposal to be presented for consideration by each City Council and district board.

How to watch:

• Join Zoom meeting online
  • Meeting ID: 973 9678 8321
  • Passcode: SAFER1
• One tap mobile: 1-253-215-8782,,97396788321#,,,,,,0#,,422769#
• Join by phone: 1-253-215-8782
  • Meeting ID: 973 9678 8321
  • Passcode: 422769

For more information about this meeting, contact Randi Deverell at 503-618-2853 or Randi.Deverell@GreshamOregon.gov.

Free Workshop When: Thu, Jan 14, 2021 9AM-10:10AMbr /> Where: Online meeting via Zoom

The City of Gresham and Multnomah County will hold an application workshop for subrecipients seeking Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and Home Investment Partnerships (HOME) grant funding for potential housing and community development projects in fiscal year 2021-2022.

The workshop will be held remotely via Zoom:

• Meeting link: https://tinyurl.com/21AppWorkshop
• Phone access: 253-215-8782
• Meeting ID: 962 5996 0149
• Passcode: 418920

Workshop topics will include a program overview, information about eligible projects, estimated availability of funds, and the application and selection process for subrecipients.

Translation services and sign language interpretation are available with 48-hour notice. For more information please contact May Cha with Multnomah County at 503-988-2469 or May.P.Cha@multco.us or Rachel Nehse with the City of Gresham at 503-618-2818 or Rachel.Nehse@GreshamOregon.gov.

Get Involved, Make a Difference!

When: Wed, Dec 16, 2020 5:30PM-7:30PM
Where: Online meeting

What is middle housing?
Middle housing refers to housing types that fill the gap between small apartments and detached single dwellings including duplexes, triplexes, quadplexes, cottage clusters, and townhouses.

Get involved

• Take the survey through Dec. 20 and learn more about middle housing.
• View the middle housing presentation for examples of middle housing types and information.
• Watch an interview about middle housing in Gresham.
• Review the housing choices booklet mentioned in the video.
• Join the first virtual open house Wednesday, Dec. 16, 5:30 - 7:30 pm. Register to attend.

Join us for the Middle Housing Project's first virtual open house Wed. Dec. 16 from 5:30-7:30pm. Please register for the event if you would like to attend. Learn about what to expect from the project and talk to City staff about your questions at this virtual event. You can learn more about the project on the middle housing page.

Gresham's Middle Housing Project includes development code changes that will allow more choices in the types of housing city residents may live in during every phase of their lives. In 2019, the Oregon State legislature passed House Bill (HB) 2001 to help increase the amount and types of housing available to Oregonians. The bill requires Gresham to update the development code by June 30, 2022 to:

• Allow duplexes on any lot that allows detached single dwellings; and
• Allow all middle housing types in any area zoned to allow detached single dwellings.

These changes will create more opportunities for renters and homeownership across multiple price levels, and great variety in housing options for a wide range of household structures.

2020 Fall Newsletter "Diversity, Harmony, Community - Together 'WE' can make a difference!”

Read it now!

Fall 2020 Newsletter Inside This Issue: Virtual School Challenges WENA Board Elections Nov 9th Wilkes East Land-Use Update Holiday Gatherings & Covid-19 Online Scammers; Elder Fraud Tips to Prepare For Winter

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.

View archive   |   Policy & Ad Rates

Metro's proposed Clackamas to Columbia River connector will impact school zones and pedestrian traffic on Northeast 181st Avenue

By Mike Elston, President
North Gresham Neighborhood Association

As President of the North Gresham Neighborhood Association, I'm informed about development plans that impact our neighborhood. Recently I became aware of a Metro proposal that'll increase traffic from Clackamas to the Columbia River ("C2C"), largely by routing it down Northeast 181st /182nd. Although the scheme has apparently been in development for years, Metro and the city of Gresham are only now involving North Gresham citizens — at a point where it's nearly a done-deal.

We have a number of concerns about C2C we feel aren't being heard by Metro. We strongly believe this will have the effect of transforming 181st /182nd into another 82nd Avenue. It will certainly increase traffic, which is already a nightmare during rush hour. That, in turn, will negatively impact the three schools along its proposed route as well as pedestrian access to the MAX and to our area's one grocery store.

We're at a loss to understand how this benefits North Gresham (and maybe that's why we weren't informed about the plan until it was too late to have much impact). Metro claims it'll provide jobs, but they're temporary employment during construction and not permanent.

In our view, this only benefits the higher-income residents of Happy Valley at the expense of Gresham's north-end, lower-income neighborhoods.

Funding for the C2C would be provided by the passage of Metro bond measure M 26-218 in November, and our only chance to delay C2C and permit more time for citizen feedback is for the measure to fail.

We therefore, ask for your help. Join us in voting NO on Measure 26-218, November 3, 2020.

Get Involved, Make a Difference!
The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan political organization, encourages informed and active participation in government and influences public policy through education and advocacy.

The League of Women Voters of Portland and MetroEast Community Media produced candidate interview videos for a 2020 Video Voters' Guide. You can find the videos for the Gresham candidates who participated below.

(Due to scheduling and prior commitments not all candidates were able to participate. Candidates are listed alphabetical. Candidates that appear below do not constitute an endorsement by the Wilkes East Neighborhood Association or its members.)

City of Gresham, Mayor

• • Sean Bishop
  • Eddy Morales
  • Travis Stovall

Gresham City Council, Position 1

• • Dina DiNucci
  • Jerry Hinton

Gresham City Council, Position 3

• • Brianna Harris
  • Vince Jones-Dixon
  • Raymond Love

Gresham City Council, Position 5

• • Dave Dyk
  • Sue Piazza

More Info
For information on other voter issues visit League of Women Voters of Portland at https://lwvpdx.org/

2020 Summer Newsletter "Diversity, Harmony, Community - Together 'WE' can make a difference!”

Read it now!

Summer 2020 Newsletter Inside This Issue: An Inclusive Neighborhood Columbia View Park Concept Nature-Deficit Disorder Coping During the Pandemic Importance of Our Parks Albertina Kerr Housing Update

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.

View archive   |   Policy & Ad Rates

Tina Osterink, City of Gresham
Natural Resource Planner

In the spring of 2019, the City of Gresham began a process initiated by the City Council to identify potential recreation improvements for six undeveloped parks throughout the city. The parks identified for future improvements were two community parks and four neighborhood parks, including Columbia View Neighborhood Park.

This exploration of future improvements was initiated by the city to understand community desires for each park, capital costs for potential improvements, and maintenance needs if developed. Community feedback will help prioritize which park improvements will be implemented as funding becomes available.

Staff and a consultant team conducted on-site meetings, surveys and an open house throughout 2019. Community feedback was used to develop high level concept plans for all six undeveloped parks. The plans include a range of design and facility options for each park, including Columbia View Neighborhood Park.

Based on analysis of Columbia View’s unique existing conditions and feedback during public engagement meetings, the following concept plan was developed.

Columbia View Park's Concept Plan

Community feedback throughout 2019 noted opportunities for the park may include play structures for kids, designated off-leash dog areas, improved accessibility for all ages and abilities, education displays, and picnic areas. Constraints include maintenance, safety concerns, a lack of trash receptacles, and concerns with attracting too many people to neighborhood park. Additional feedback from nearby neighbors during a virtual meeting held in June 2020 is as follows:

• Keep this neighborhood park in a natural state with limited upgrades.
• Supportive of trails to improve access and a community garden but wanted staff to consider either eliminating the shelter and courts or at least move those items towards the school.
• Consider natural long-lasting materials for an ADA perimeter path around the park.
• Dog park located under chestnut trees hurt dog paws and in what is now informally known as “the fetch it zone”.
• Some would prefer an off-leash area vs. fenced dog leash area.
• Consider placing amenities closer to H.B. Lee Middle School but engage the school first.
• Concern with picnic shelter location on upslope portion of park that interferes with backyard privacy and could contribute to real or perceived safety concerns.
• Lack of police access into the SE portion of the park near potential amenity placement.
• Further explore feasibility of providing secondary access off NE Pacific St.

During the June 2020 meeting, staff stressed the importance of balancing input from nearby neighbors with meeting the equity, opportunity and access needs for community members who live within the quarter-mile walking and biking service area.

Next steps in the outreach process include meeting with Community Based Organizations to gain their input on the concept plan for Columbia View Neighborhood Park, online review of the concept plan report from July 13 – August 31 and then convene on August 10 at the Wilkes East Neighborhood Association Meeting (online via Zoom).

Additional information can be found at the Parks Planning website and you can reach out to Tina Osterink at Tina.Osterink@GreshamOregon.Gov or by phone at (503) 618-2392.

Project website where the concept plans and draft report can be viewed: https://greshamoregon.gov/Parks-Planning/