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When: Tue, Jan 21, 2020 5:30PM-8PM |
Applicants for the Fiscal Year 2020-21 Community Enhancement Grants will present their proposals to the Community Enhancement Advisory Committee.
For more information about this event, contact Joe Walsh at 503-618-2372.
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Be informed.
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If you're like most of us - you're not ready.
If that's you, we've got some great tips and valuable resources below to help you be prepared for whenever a disaster strikes.
CONTENTS
TICK. TOCK.
Think of Oregon geology as a clock, measuring time in earthquakes. Tick: a magnitude 8 quake. (Bigger than 1989 Bay Area quake that killed 63 people.) Tock: a magnitude 9 quake. (Same as the 2011 Japan quake that killed almost 16,000 people.) On average, a major quake happens in our area every 243 years, the last one was January 26, 1700 — 316 years ago. Yes. We are overdue.
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When the next Big One does happen, a 700-mile long section of the tectonic plate known as the Juan de Fuca, stretching from British Columbia to Northern California, will slide beneath the North American plate, causing the entire Northwest coast-line to sink up to 6.6 feet. This won’t be a California-style short burst of energy quake in the earth’s upper crust. The Big One will be bigger, deeper, and last longer: 3–4 minutes, with dozens of after-shocks, some very powerful, for days, months, or later. |
 Cascadia Subduction Zone. Pacific Northwest. Click to Enlarge. |
Hillsides will slide. Buildings will collapse. Roads will buckle. High-rises will sway. Bridges will crack. Some will fall. Pipes will snap. Within 20 minutes, the first of several 40-foot tsunami waves will wash away the Oregon Coast’s low-lying towns.
If our next “subduction zone” quake unleashes its full potential, it will be the worst natural disaster in U.S. history.
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Rockwood RIsing!
When: Thu, Sep 12, 2019 6PM-8PM |
The Downtown Rockwood Market Hall is a new international grocery market and food hub in development in the heart of the Rockwood neighborhood.
Got a small business or an idea for a small business? We are looking for businesses to fill the grocery store and micro restaurant spaces.
Join us to learn about:
Translation services available. Contact us by Sept. 10 if you speak another language and need assistance at Elizabeth.Coffey@GreshamOregon.gov or 503-618-2247.
Free snacks.
For more information or to RSVP, visit downtownrockwood.com email Leasing@DowntownRockwood.com or call 503-690-2800.
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Share Your Improvement Ideas!
When: Mon, Aug 12, 2019 6:30PM-8PM |
Columbia View Neighborhood Park is a 7.5-acre site located next to H.B. Lee Middle School in the Wilkes East Neighborhood. The natural area features a large, sloping, grassy field.
For more information about this event, visit the Planning for Parks page or contact Tina Osterink at 503-618-2392 or Tina.Osterink@GreshamOregon.gov.
 Andrew Speer, Candidate for MHCC Zone 3 Director |
Building awareness, Increasing enrollmentAndrew Speer is a long-time resident to Argay Terrace, Parkrose and East County where he lives with his wife and two children. He was raised as a life-long resident of the East side, who grew up in a family of small business owners where he learned the value of hard work and determination. |
After high school, Andrew joined the U.S. Marines and while serving, he gained valuable leadership experience and insights that he values highly and applies across his life. After returning from his military service, Andrew picked up where he had left off at MHCC prior to his military enlistment; and went on to graduate from MHCC with his associate degree, and went onto earn his bachelor and master’s degrees in economics from Portland State University.
Professionally, Andrew works as an economist for a local utility where he works in rates & regulatory affairs. He works with policy makers and customer advocacy groups to ensure fair and equitable customer prices.
Andrew is running for the MHCC board position because he believes in the community college model and sees (and has experienced) the value it brings to students and communities. He is passionate about balancing affordable tuition rates with the needs of the college and is driven towards building awareness and increasing enrollment of minority and low-income students. Andrew sees MHCC as a focal point for economic change in East County and is dedicated to bringing strong leadership, strategic direction, and sound decision making to the MHCC board!
For more information please visit: www.AndrewJSpeer.com or www.Facebook.com/Andrew.MHCC
DISCLAIMER OF ENDORSEMENT
The views expressed are those of the candidate and not necessarily those of the Wilkes East Neighborhood Association or its directors. Any reference in this website to any person, or organization, or activities, products, or services related to such person or organization, or any linkages from this web site to the web site of another party, do not constitute or imply an endorsement or recommendation.
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Vandalism, theft, broken windows, fights and stolen vehiclesBy Greg Hartung Gresham area businesses along a stretch of NE Sandy Blvd had recently experienced an alarming uptick in criminal activities. |
From NE 162th to NE 181st, reports of vandalism, theft, breaking of glass windows and doors, fences cut, harassment of employees, fights and stolen vehicles now have businesses on high alert. Many of these activities are thought to be contributed by the increased population of campers within the Big Four Corners wetlands area.
Big Four Corners is an area of about 165 acres of fragile wetlands located north of Gresham that is owned and managed by Portland Parks and Recreation. Some sources say as many as 250 people are currently camping in this area. It is an important habitat for deer, coyote, river otter as well as a variety of birds and amphibians.
Gresham police can do very little as jurisdiction ends along Gresham’s northern border. The Union Pacific rail line divides Gresham from East Portland and the Big Four Corners wetlands. It is just beyond the reach of Gresham Police where many of these campers reside, however they are still within yards of the businesses on the south side of the border. While Union Pacific does conduct its own law enforcement patrols, they are limited to about 50 feet on each side of the tracks. Portland Parks and Recreation has park rangers who patrol the area.
On April 5th, 2019, a meeting at Gresham City Hall was conducted by the City of Gresham’s Economic Development, Gresham Police and Gresham’s Homeless Services departments and was well attended by many of those businesses affected by these recent activities. Representatives from SEKO Logistics, Cedar Source, Royal Bearing, Northwest Handling, Teeny Foods, Portland Bakery as well as Wilkes East and North Gresham neighborhood associations expressed very similar concerns to the City of Gresham. The crime has been costly to these businesses. Some businesses have gone to great expense to shore up security, such as replacing windows with reinforced glass, fences and hiring security patrol at night.
City of Gresham will be working more closely with the City of Portland and other agencies, but it is feared to get worse before it gets better. Word of mouth and sweeps of campers from other areas are bringing more campers to the Big Four Corners wetlands.
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Get involved, Make a difference
When: Mon, Mar 25, 2019 6:30PM- |
The Planning Commission advises City Council on long-range, comprehensive planning and land use issues within the city.
For more information about this event contact Tammy Richardson, Planning Technician at 503-618-2401 or Tammy.Richardson@GreshamOregon.gov.
On the Agenda: Approval of the Rockwood 10 Project
 Click to enlarge |
Rockwood 10 is a proposed 5 building workforce housing project located in the heart of the Rockwood neighborhood at SE 184th & SE Yamhill, in Gresham, Oregon. |
"As the diverse Rockwood population continues to increase, the supply of high quality and attainable housing becomes even more scarce. While Rockwood 10 will be the largest new housing community in the Rockwood neighborhood of Gresham with its 224 units, Rockwood 10 is still just a small reprieve to this housing crisis. This project is designed to not only meet the needs of the general workforce community, but also of the population demographic that tends to be larger families. This site includes five, 4-story buildings, plus a stand-alone community building. All units are a mix of 1-, 2-, 3-, and 4- bedrooms." according to the info here www.communitydevpartners.com/rockwood10
The Wilkes East Neighborhood Association supports the Rockwood Neighborhood Association in their objection to the approval of this 7.4 acre 224 unit workforce housing project due to the overwhelming number of affordable housing units already located in Rockwood, lack of parking, and land-locked infill design. The proposed site is located approximately SE 184th & SE Yamhill, in the undeveloped area between SE Yamhill St and the East County Courthouse on SE Stark St. Please attend this meeting and show your support for not approving this project.
 Rockwood Rising, Gresham. Click to enlarge |
A New Urban HubBy Robyn Stower |
Rockwood Rising is a Gresham urban renewal project that will transform a 5.8 acre dilapidated lot into a thriving community hub. The development will include four buildings surrounding a public plaza that will focus on workforce development, job training, healthcare, education, food accessibility, small business development, and housing.
Rockwood Rising is located at 18535 SE Stark Street, in the heart of the Rockwood neighborhood. Rockwood has the youngest median age, greatest diversity, and highest concentration of poverty of any town center in the Portland metropolitan region. For decades the community struggled with disinvestment, lack of public infrastructure and limited access of community services.
In 2003, a citywide vote established the Rockwood-West Gresham Urban Renewal Area, which is governed by the Gresham Redevelopment Commission (GRDC), to empower the disadvantaged community. Urban renewal plan goals emphasized community engagement, the creation of a town center to provide a mix of high-quality housing, jobs, shopping and community services, the development of parks, and the creation and retention of family-wage jobs.
Beginning in 2013, the GRDC in partnerships with community-based organizations performed extensive outreach to develop Rockwood Rising. The development site, which was previously home to a Fred Meyer grocery store, had been vacant for almost ten years and despite neighborhood mural and park initiatives was slowly becoming an attractive nuisance where families did not feel safe to bring their children.
Thousands of local stakeholders participated in the visioning for Rockwood Rising which identified access to healthy, affordable food and economic opportunities as the highest priorities.
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The community also participated in the design of Rockwood Rising which consists of four buildings (Building A, B, C, and D) surrounding a public plaza. Building A is a newly constructed four-story structure containing approximately 52,824 square feet of commercial space. |
 Rockwood Rising. Click to enlarge |
It will house education, workforce and business development services such as WorkSource Oregon, Mt Hood Community College Small Business Development Center and MetroEast Community Media. Building B is a newly constructed mixed-use structure that will provide approximately 27, 913 square feet of commercial space and 104 workforce housing units, twenty percent of which will be income restricted. Building C is the newly constructed Market Hall which will include two commercial kitchens, eight small restaurants, office space and up to twenty-four vendor booths. Building D is a significant renovation of an existing 7,000 square feet facility which will house a community maker space and construction and manufacturing apprentice program operated by Oregon Tradeswomen and Portland Opportunities and Industrial Center. The public plaza is a place the whole community can come and enjoy. The plaza will feature three age-specific playgrounds, interactive water feature, public art, including the recreation of the iconic Plaza del Sol mural, and will incorporate free Wi-Fi and amenities to support festivals and farmers markets. All these services promote Rockwood Rising’s mission to create an economic engine that will break the generational cycle of poverty and build family and community prosperity.
The GRDC recruited and selected, RKm Development, Inc. (RKm) through a transparent Request for Proposal developer search. RKm’s commitment to community and exceptional track record of equitable and quality management and development, such as Bethany Village, made them the ideal candidate to manage the project. As developer RKm will own and manage all the buildings on the property while the GRDC will own the property. This arrangement gives the GRDC the ability to repossess the property if the development agreements are not met.
Groundbreaking for Rockwood Rising is TBD 2019
UPDATE: Rockwood Rising timeline updated again; groundbreaking could happen in April
The Gresham Outlook, March 26, 2019 (Read more)
The timeline for the Rockwood Rising project has been updated after a Gresham Redevelopment Commission meeting Tuesday afternoon, March 19, meaning the project could break ground in the next month. The project groundbreaking has been delayed several times, at one point being planned in the spring of 2018. Now it is supposed to happen in April, with construction being completed in early 2021.
 Migration Brewing, Gresham. Click to enlarge |
Focus on CommunityMigration Brewing started as a neighborhood brewpub in NE Portland in 2010. They grew that business with a focus on making a great product and supporting the community and clientele. |
After 9 years serving the community with a venue to call home for reunions, birthdays, weddings, baby showers and all life events in between it was time to grow their brand and find a second home.
After searching all the cities surrounding Portland, Gresham proved to be especially attractive. In particular, the City's capacity to get a large project permitted and complete on time, a building that suited their needs, and a location that still maintains the feel and engagement of a small town. "Gresham is one of the friendliest and tight knit communities you could imagine and that is exactly what spoke to our brand" said Colin Rath of Migration Brewing. "For a company that prides itself on being community oriented we felt Gresham was the perfect fit".
The 3,000-square foot pub with plenty of open seating has been host to multiple Gresham high school reunions, fundraiser's supporting Gresham nonprofit's, and community causes. Plus all Gresham teachers get a discount simply by showing their id badge. "We didn't choose Gresham simply because we found a building that suited our needs, we chose Gresham because it's a community we wanted to be a part of." said Rath.
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Migration Brewing serves a large selection of house brewed beers, wine, appetizers, soups, salads, pizza and calzone. Open daily. Sun-Thur 11AM-9PM, Fri-Sat 11AM-10PM. 18188 NE Wilkes Rd, Gresham. |
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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!
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