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City of Gresham Earth Day 2009 Free Recycling Event

When: Saturday Apr 18, 2009 9:00AM - 2:00PM
Where: Gresham City Hall
1333 NW Eastman Pkwy
Click here for directions

Expanded Recycling

The City is offering an expanded recycling collection event in honor of Earth Day from 9:00AM to 2:00PM Saturday, April 18 (rain or shine). The recycling event is free to Gresham and Wood Village residents and will be held in the City Hall parking lots, 1333 NW Eastman Parkway.

Compost Bins For Sale

Interested in composting? Purchase The Earth Machine compost bin for $35 at the recycling event. Cash or check made out to City of Gresham. Normal retail price is $80.

New sign, new plants, invasive species removal Get a litte dirty. Join us for a park cleanup!

New plants added

There is a lot going on at Nadaka Nature Park, NE 176th Ave & NE Pacific St
(Click here for a map). In addition to removing invasives at WENA's March 8th park cleanup, the entire front along NE Pacific St was cleaned up outside the fence. Also 130 native plants and trees were planted along the NE Pacific St side of the park.

Here's a list of what was planted:

New sign, barbed wire removed

The new Nadaka Park sign should be installed within a month. WENA was able to purchase the new sign along with removing the barbed wire on NE Pacific St with a grant obtained last year. This year WENA's Friends of Nadaka group has applied for a Metro Nature in Neighborhood grant for improvements to Nadaka which we should find out about in May. This is a matching grant 1:1 so we will need volunteer help as well as in-kind donations. Interested parties should contact Lee Dayfield by email at leedayfield@wilkeseastna.org.

Shamrock & Springtime Luncheon has 99.9% turnout. Near-zero crime reported

Great turnout, great entertainment

99.9% of the Capri Terrace Watch Group along with 2 new households gathered for their first quarterly meeting of 2009. 2 families had phoned indicating they were ill and couldn't make it (they missed a good time). Billy & Laurie Simmon's along with their twin daughters Alex & Andie hosted a lovely Shamrock & Springtime luncheon/dinner. 13.5 lbs of stew meat (none was left-over) was prepared for the occasion along with lots of desserts and salads. A huge display of Easter Egg cupcakes fit for an Easter Bunny King were seen brightening up a very windy, but sunny day. We also were entertained with some Irish Violin music by Laurie & Alex Simmon's.

Medical bills draw scrutiny. Complaints filed against a current and two former school district administrators

Source: The Oregonian: Saturday, March 14, 2009

The state ethics commission will investigate one current and two former Reynolds School District employees for allegedly using district money to pay for unnecessary medical procedures that included cosmetic surgery and Viagra prescriptions.

The commission is responding to complaints filed by Reynolds Superintendent Robert Fisher against former Superintendent Terry Kneisler, former Human Resources Director Wayne Travillion and current Salish Ponds Elementary Principal Ed Smith.

A factor in the budget crisis?

The complaints allege that Kneisler's bills, totaling $15,000, included massages, cosmetic dental work, Viagra prescriptions and laser eye surgery for himself and his daughter.

District to cut $10M from proposed 2009-2010 budget with staff and program reductions Public input: Mar 16th, Apr 1st

The Reynolds School Board has set two dates to receive public input regarding recommendations to reduce the 2009-2010 budget with proposed staffing and program cuts totaling $10 million.

Click here to view the proposed budget cuts!

Public Input Wanted

Don't miss this important opportunity to have your voice heard! Our children's future depends on your participation.

• Monday, March 16, 2009 6:30PM
  HB Lee Middle School Gymnasium
  1121 NE 172nd Avenue, Gresham

• Wednesday, April 1, 2009 6:30PM
  Reynolds High School Multipurpose Room
  1698 SW Cherry Park Road, Troutdale

“The Board invites parents, patrons and staff to fully participate in this process to shape the services received by the students within Reynolds School District,” officials said in a statement.

Free Workshop! Healthy Septic Systems Workshop Mt Hood Community College Wednesday, Feb 25th 7PM-9PM

When: Wednesday, February 25, 2009 7PM - 9PM
Where: Mt Hood Community College
26000 S.E. Stark St
Gresham, Oregon 97030

East Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District is offering a FREE and very informative Healthy Septic Systems Workshop in Gresham, February 25th! Join us and learn how a little preventative maintenance can go a long way.

Healthy Septic Systems

Is your septic system a mystery to you? Attend this free workshop and learn how to care for your septic system, prevent messy sewage backups, and avoid expensive repairs with basic septic tank maintenance. Local septic system professional Alex Amauck and septic inspectors Mike Ebeling and Erin Mick from the Bureau of Development Services will present and answer your questions. This workshop is presented by East Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District.

Register online at www.emswcd.org/workshops-events or contact Katie Meckes, Outreach Coordinator, EMSWCD at 503-935-5368, or email katie@emswcd.org. You can also come early and register on the day of the workshop. Space is limited. Registration is on a first come first served basis.

Everyone's invited! Wilkes East Neighborhood Semi-Annual Meeting Monday Feb 16th 7PM

Join Your Neighbors -- Get involved. Make a difference!

When: Monday, February 16, 2009 7:00PM
Where: H B Lee Middle School
1121 NE 172nd Ave
Click here for map

Be sure to save Monday, February 16th at 7:00 PM for WENA’s Semi-Annual Meeting. This years meeting will be held at H B Lee Middle School, 1121 NE 172nd Ave (between Glisan & Halsey), Portland, Oregon.

Meeting Topics

• Gresham Recycling
  Karen Guillen-Chapman, Coordinator
• Curb Extensions on NE 172nd Ave
  between Halsey & Glisan
• Friends of Trees Comes to Gresham
  Elizabeth Elbel, Friends of Trees
• Nadaka Park Progress Report
  Cleanups & Grant status
  Lee Dayfield, Friends of Nadaka
• Upcoming neighborhood events
• And more!

Everyone's Invited to Attend!

This meeting is open to all residents and businesses in the Wilkes East Neighborhood! Be A Part Of Your Community, Plan To Attend.

The Wilkes East Neighborhood is located in the Northwest corner of the City of Gresham, Oregon, and is one of Gresham's sixteen neighborhoods. Wilkes East Neighborhood borders are roughly NE Sandy Boulevard to the north, NE 181st Ave to the east, NE Glisan Street to the south, and NE 162nd Ave to the west. Click here for a map of the Wilkes East Neighborhood.

Mark your calendar and plan to attend this important meeting.

181st Corridor Signal Improvements Coming Spring 2009 Smart signals, wider turns to relieve traffic congestion

The 181st Avenue Corridor project is intended to increase existing street capacity and support new industrial businesses within the Urban Renewal Area, and is supported by the Wilkes East Neighborhood and the Rockwood Business Coalition.

Reason for the project

181st Avenue provides the only connection to Interstate-84 within Gresham city limits. As the areas to the south develop, including Pleasant Valley and Damascus, this corridor will grow more congested because it provides the nearest freeway access. The redevelopment potential of the Wilkes East and North Gresham neighborhoods, including the industrial portion of the Rockwood-West Gresham Urban Renewal Area, will be hampered (without improvement) as intersections on 181st near the freeway reach capacity.

Smart signals, wider turns, and a crosswalk closure are expected to relieve traffic congestion through this busy area.

City of Gresham News, Community Activities, Workshops & More

Neighborhood Connections is a publication from the City of Gresham Communications & Community Outreach offering City of Gresham news, Public Safety information, Community Activities & Events, Training & Workshops, Volunteer Opportunities, and more.

Inside this Issue...

• Gresham Landlord Forum For All Multi-Family Rental Landlords and Managers Jan. 21
• On Jan. 28 at 6:30 p.m. Meet the Artist Selected to Create the Art Elements at the Center for the Arts Plaza
• Interested in Organizing your Neighborhood for a Disaster Response?
• Are You Ready? Workshop Jan. 24 from 9AM to Noon
• New Skate Park Community Design Workshop is Saturday, Feb. 7 at 2:30PM
• Register for Free Naturescaping Workshop at Gresham City Hall
• Oregon E-Cycles in Gresham<
• Become a Master Recycler
• Successful Mediation Cases

For more information, visit the Neighborhood Associations page at GreshamOregon.gov or contact Cathy Harrington at 503-618-2482, or email cathy.harrington@ci.gresham.or.us.

Join Us! Johnson Creek Watershed Wide Event Mar 7th 10 Locations!

When: Saturday, March 7, 2009 9AM-12PM
Where: 10 Locations
Johnson Creek Watershed
Portland & Gresham

Watershed Wide Event

Please join us for our 11th Annual Watershed Wide Event with hundreds of volunteers working together to restore a valuable community resource we all share -- Johnson Creek.

Volunteers will gather at 10 different restoration sites throughout the watershed to remove invasive species and plant native plants.

Historically, this has been a very popular event; please sign up early! Register now!