News

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)

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Find out what's happening     in your neighborhood INSIDE THIS ISSUE East County Courts Open in April Is There Radon In Your Home? New Police Precinct Coming 2013 Reynolds Seeks Superintendent Rosewood Applies for PDC Grant Nadaka Update, SOLV Earth Day Earth Day Recycling Event Apr 21

Download the full-color edition here. Now with clickable 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, timed to correspond with our regular meetings.

Looking for a past issue? Check out the newsletter archive.

Got a story to share?
Wilkes East residents are encouraged to submit articles for the newsletter. Articles should be limited to 300 words and may be subject to editing. Send articles by email to: info@wilkeseastna.org, or by postal mail to: PO Box 536 • Fairview, OR 97024.

Richard Strathern Friday, January 20, 2012 By James Mayer, The Oregonian

Former Gresham Councilor Richard Strathern says he is likely to launch a petition drive to get his charter reform ideas before voters. The Charter Review Committee, which has been meeting since October, has not taken any formal votes — that’s scheduled for Feb. 2 (Info below) (UPDATED: Gresham council struggles with vacancy charter language. Feb 8, 2012) — but it seems clear the panel will recommend only minor tweaks to the charter, rejecting the kind of major changes advocated by Strathern.

The former councilor, who did not run for re-election in 2010 after serving one term, is seeking to increase the power of the mayor.

“I think we are all very aware of the financial position the city is in, and the country is in, and now may not be the time to rock the boat,” said Joan Armstrong, a retired accountant who serves as chairwoman of the committee. “I think most of the citizens are more concerned about matters much closer to home life and work life than about trying to remake the world.”

But Strathern says the current form of government, with a city council to set policy and a professional manager to run the day-to-day operations, tends to do the bidding of influential businesses and developers.

“It took me four years to figure out how powerless the council and mayor were,” he said. “I’d get all fired up about something, and then nothing would happen. We clearly don’t really have the authority.”

UPDATED: Visit Citizens-for-Voice-and-Accountability Facebook page.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012 By James Mayer, The Oregonian Source article

The next Reynolds School District superintendent should respect teachers, be a knowledgeable educator and, most important, not already be working for the district.

That was the message delivered Tuesday afternoon by about two dozen teachers who spoke anonymously to the consultants hired to conduct the superintendent search.

"I am begging you, don't hire anyone in the district," one teacher said.

Reynolds School District has been in turmoil for several years, and the next superintendent will be the fourth in less than 10 years. The district and its teachers have been locked in a bitter contract battle since May (2011).

Stranger Danger Alert A message from HB Lee Middle School:

Early Tuesday afternoon January 17, 2012 an HB Lee Middle School student reported being accosted by an unknown person while walking home from school through Columbia View Park. Get Map.

Fortunately, the student was able to return to the school and report the incident to school personnel. The City of Gresham Police Department is investigating the matter. If you have any information about the incident please contact Gresham Police at (503) 823-3333.

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Drop-in's Welcome When: 2nd & 4th Tuesdays 4-6PM Where: Community Room Human Solutions - Rockwood Building 124 NE 181 Gresham, OR Get Map!

Free Behavioral Support Group
The Talk it Over support groups are for parents, caregivers, and siblings of a child or teen with a serious behavioral disorder, and is a free public service of Trillium Family Services. This new group will be more accessible to families in East Multnomah and Clackamas Counties and more convenient to public transportation.

Groups meet twice monthly on the 2nd & 4th Tuesday from 4PM-6PM in the Community Room at the new Human Solutions Rockwood building located at 124 NE 181st, Gresham, Oregon (one block north of E Burnside MAX Blue Line Station).

Open to the public. FREE. Drop-in's welcome

Coalition of Gresham Neighborhood Associations When: Tue Jan 10, 2012 7PM-8:30PM Where: Gresham City Hall Springwater 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

When: Wed Jan 11, 2012 7-9PM Where: Rockwood Community Office 18709 SE Stark Gresham, OR Get Map!

Public Welcome
The Gresham Redevelopment Commission Advisory Committee meets the 2nd Wednesday of every month at 7:00 p.m. Meetings are open to the public.

The purpose of the Gresham Redevelopment Commission Advisory Committee (GRDCAC) is to advise the Gresham Redevelopment Commission (GRDC) on the implementation of urban renewal plans.

Public participation is welcome and encouraged.

Agenda

• Election of Officers
• Public Safety Facility Discussion
• Report to GRDCAC: 2011 GRDC Work Plan
• 2012 GRDC Work Plan
• Annual Report to GRDC
• Projects/Program Updates

When: Wed Jan 18, 2012 1:000PM Where: Rosewood Cafe 609 SE 162nd Ave (just south of Stark next to Sam's Restaurant) Portland, OR Get Map!

Building Community - Neighbors helping neighbors

Our next monthly Rosewood Community Meeting is around the corner, join us for a conversation about safety in our community: Wednesday, January 18th at 1pm at Rosewood Cafe- 609 SE 162nd Ave (just south of Stark next to Sam's Restaurant)

In the recent past, this community meeting has covered a variety of topics, but we see the need to bring this back to a focused conversation on public safety in our area. We will give brief updates on our progress with the Rosewood space and our partnership with Portland Development Commission on economic development, but the majority of this meeting will focus on how we can continue making the Rosewood neighborhood a safe place for everyone to live, work and play.

We need your perspective to make this a positive and productive conversation. Hope to see you there!

Jenny Glass, The Rosewood Initiative