News

Learn the Do's and Dont's of Holiday Recycling, Plus... Ways to Recycle Your Tree (Including curbside for free!)

With the holiday's upon us, here's a few tips for proper disposal of unwanted wrapping paper, wreaths and trees.

Holiday Recycling Questions

• Can glossy holiday gift bags go in the blue cart?
  Paper gift bags can be recycled. Tip: Usually if you can tear the paper fairly easily it will pulp up at the paper mill. Gift bags can be reused or donated to charity.
• Can cellophane or foil wrapping paper go in the blue cart?
  Non-paper wrapping material should not go in the blue roll carts. Most “foil-like” paper is metallic ink on paper and is accepted with recycling.
• Can present ribbons be recycled in the blue cart?
  Non-paper ribbons are not accepted (very few ribbons are paper-based).

  Plenty more tips below this break!

Coalition of Gresham Neighborhood Associations When: Tuesday Dec 13, 2011 7-8:30PM 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

Community Forum When: Wed Dec 14, 2011 6PM-8PM Where: Gresham City Hall Springwater Trail Room 1333 NW Eastman Pky Get Map!

Share Your Opinion
The City of Gresham would like your help in determining where and how renewable energy technologies should be allowed in Gresham.

You are invited to attend the second community forum to gather input on issues and potential alternative solutions to Gresham's renewable energy future.

This meeting will include an open house at 6PM, a presentation and large group discussion at 6:15PM and small group work sessions to conclude the evening. This meeting is part of the Renewable Energy component of the Development Code Improvement Project, which is on the Council Work Plan.

The project will encourage renewable energy development in appropriate locations while protecting the natural environment, the social and economic quality of life and the design of the built environment

Walking and biking to HB Lee Middle School will soon be safer and easier. The Oregon Department of Transportation has awarded the City of Gresham and Reynolds School District $169,000 to add bike lanes, signs to slow traffic, and new crosswalks on 172nd Ave between NE Halsey and NE Glisan.

New crosswalk, signs and paths
The Gresham project includes extending a bike and pedestrian pathway and building a covered bike structure on the HB Lee campus. It also includes a new mid-block crosswalk and two signs advising drivers of the school zone and their actual speed. The improvements are expected to make it safer for students who face speeding drivers and have difficulty crossing the street as they walk or cycle to school.

One of 10 statewide awards
The project is one of 10 Oregon Department of Transportation awards statewide to promote healthy living among children and reduce congestion, fuel consumption and air pollution around schools.

A partnership for healthy students
It also highlights a new public health partnership between Multnomah County, the cities of Gresham and Portland, and local school districts to prevent obesity and chronic diseases by boosting children's physical activity and healthy food options.

Even the smallest leak in your home can allow the winter chill to enter.

Sealing all air gaps and properly insulating walls, the attic and crawl space in your home can help keep indoor temperatures more moderate – both in the winter and summer. These are just two of the improvement opportunities offered with Clean Energy Works Oregon (CEWO).

CEWO is a new non-profit, partnering with the City of Gresham, to provide homeown-ers with an easy, all-in-one solution to im-proving energy efficiency in the home. Improving the energy efficiency in your home increases comfort and protection from both inclement weather and rising energy rates.

• No-money-down, easy financing
• Free extensive home energy audit by a trained building expert
• Work conducted by a certified contractor
• Repayment of loan through the utility bill

It includes home and water heating, insulation, windows, and air and duct sealing.

Apply today and receive up to $2,000* in instant rebates toward the cost of your home energy improvements.

Medcure breaks ground, Sep 2011

The City of Gresham is finalizing building permits for the creation of a Surgical Training Center at the northeast corner of 181st Avenue and Sandy Boulevard.

State-of-the-art facility
Ground breaking for the new facility happened September 7th. The new Surgical Training Center will be a six-station, state of the art bio-skill laboratory. Surgeons will utilize the center to develop and practice the latest in minimally invasive surgical procedures on persons who have donated their body after death, to support advancements in medical science. This kind of surgical training is critical in developing competency in procedures before performing these operations on living persons.

“The location is ideal for us because of the proximity to the Portland International Airport and area hotels,” says Valere Beck, Marketing Director for MedCure. “This allows surgeons to access the center with ease.”

The opening date is expected to be in February 2012.

Max rider, 162nd & Burnside

Neighbors helping neighbors The Rosewood Initiative is a non-profit organization launched in 2009 dedicated to making the Rosewood area a safe and desirable place to live, work, and play.

Working Together
To accomplish this goal, they are partnering with residents, apartment managers and owners, businesses, churches, government agencies, social services, neighborhood associations, and public safety agencies.

Rosewood is a roughly 15-block area around the intersection of NE 162nd & E. Burnside. The neighborhood is most commonly defined as SE 157th to SE 165th and NE Holiday to SE Alder. About 70 percent of the area’s 6,500 residents live in 46 apartment complexes.

Unfortunately, many residents in the Rosewood area are at risk due to the influence of gangs, drugs, and human trafficking activities in and around the community. For that reason, the Rosewood Initiative is developing an outreach program called RISE (Rosewood Initiative Sisters Empowered) to help identify at-risk youth and connect them to appropriate mentorship and service programs.

Click to download

Fall 2011 Newsletter is here. Download your copy today. INSIDE THIS ISSUE Training Center Breaks Ground Weatherization Rebates Available HB Lee MS Awarded State Grant Center Helps At-Risk Familes Cypress Park joins Nat’l Night Out Rosewood, A Community Unites Nadaka Next Step, Events & More

Download the full-color edition here!
(Includes clickable links to more information)

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.
Click here for ad rates.

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.

Thank You for repaving NE 162nd Ave, From the entire Wilkes East Neighborhood

The following is and excerpt from a letter sent to the City of Gresham Road Divison regarding the 162nd Ave repavement project by the president of the Wilkes East Neighborhood Assn on behalf of the Board and our neighbors. Viewed entire letter here.

WWII Tuskegee Airman speaks to students Click to enlarge

By Shannon L Cheesman, KATU.com: Nov 9, 2011 View original story Veterans filled the halls of Reynolds High School on Wednesday to share their experiences with students and hopefully leave an indelible impression of what Veterans Day is all about.

Veterans from World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, Iraq and Afghanistan were invited to spend some time with students for 'Living History Day.'

Some of the veterans visited classrooms to talk about their lives in the military and others gave formal presentations inside the school's auditorium or gym.