Mid-county Memo Blog

The Wilkes Community Group holds its general membership meeting Tuesday, March 2 in the Margaret Scott Elementary School Library, 14700 N.E. Sacramento St. at 7 p.m.

Agenda items include: presentations from Portland Parks & Recreation representatives about a potential bond measure addressing neighborhood park needs and from Ride Connection, the non-profit transportation service organization. Planning for the showing of movies in Wilkes Park on Saturday, July 24 and Friday, August 20 will also be discussed.

We received a note from SnowCap Community Charities in outer east Portland with a special plea for volunteers on the upcoming holiday. SnowCap Community Charities is a philanthropic organization created to provide food, clothing, advocacy and other services to the poor in a large part of east and outer Portland, including Gresham, Wood Village, Troutdale and Fairview.

“Martin Luther King Jr. Day is an ideal occasion to volunteer for community service and SnowCap Community Charities is setting aside Monday, Jan. 18 for special helpers.

A reminder about the Mill Park Neighborhood Association meeting from East Portland Neighborhood Office’s ever efficient Teresa Hatfield follows (edited for clarity):

“Happy Holidays — General (membership) meeting and holiday cheer at Midland Library, 805 S.E. 122nd Ave. Tuesday, Dec. 15, at 6:30 p.m.
General Election of Officers and board; for information call 503-256-4591.”

An e-mail forward from neighborhood association doyenne Bonny McKnight, via East Portland Neighborhood Office’s Teresa Hatfield, urging us to take a survey from the Mt. Hood Cable Regulatory Commission follows.

“Mt Hood Cable Regulatory Committee can be a resource we don’t get much from right now but can be a great outreach partner if we would explore how to use it. We should fill out the survey to let them know how we can use it on behalf of our Neighborhood Associations in our individual roles as members/officers/etc.

“Please take a few minutes to do the survey.  The deadline for us to meet is December 18.

Links and a recap of feature articles from the online editon of the November 2009  Mid-county Memo follow:

Latest photos and full story about the transformation of the former Children’s Receiving Center into the Gateway Center for Domestic Violence Services in east Portland.

Latest photos and full story about how former elementary schools within Parkrose School District — Thompson School and Knott Elementary — are being used these days.

A story about developers, for all intents and purposes, killing a proposed amendment to control the way garages are built on smaller parcels

A recap of and links to feature articles and departments from the October 2009  Mid-county Memo follow:

Terry Robb, Parkrose High School grad and featured performer at the Parkrose Educational Foundation’s inaugural homecoming dance, is one of this month’s front page stories.
Terry Robb: page one, Terry Robb: page two, Terry Robb: page three, Terry Robb: page four and Terry Robb: page 5.

The MAX Green Line opening ceremonies share this month’s front page. The new line opened to fanfare, speeches, bands, free rides and vows to build more light rail farther south and north.

Received an e-mail from Argay neighborhood activist Sharon Mershon (profiled in November 2003 f or volunteer work Mershon and husband Clare did—and still do—in the Argay neighborhood) asking us to sign the recall Mayor Sam Adams petition. Told her we had previously  signed, then asked if the campaign to recall Adams was collecting signatures at the Parkrose Post Office, when the deadline was and how close she thought they were to achieving the goal; her answers follow.

“Yes, we have seen people collecting signatures at the (Parkrose) Post Office.

Today, at 6:30 p.m., the Glenfair Neighborhood Association is holding a meeting to review the results of the youth related survey conducted in May.

The  free event, held at Glenfair Elementary School, 153rd and Northeast Glisan St. in outer east Portland, includes finger food, door prizes, language translation and child care.

Children are encouraged to participate in the conversation.

For more information about this or anything related to the Glenfair Neighborhood Association contact Mike Vander Veen at the East Portland Neighborhood Office,
503-810-8269

City Auditor LaVonne Griffin-Valade has announced the opening of recruitment for five volunteers to serve on the Citizen Campaign Commission. One position is for a two-year term, and four positions are for four-year terms. All positions commence in October.
“Service on this important volunteer commission requires objectivity, fairness, neutrality and lack of real or perceived conflicts of interest. And given that this system will be referred to the voters, we need individuals that can make impartial decisions and recommendations without a bias — either for or against public campaign financing,” said Griffin-Valade.
The principal duties of the seven-member Citizen Campaign Commission include the following: attending monthly or semi-monthly evening meetings; advising on policies, procedures, guidelines and training information related to Portland’s public campaign financing system; coordinating the work of a hearings officer to rule on appeals by candidates; and working with auditor’s office staff to review operations and prepare both a biennial report and interim reports to the council on recommendations to improve the system.
Applications are available at the auditor’s office in City Hall as well as on the city elections Web site here.
Applications will be evaluated and scored by a selection committee, and the most qualified candidates will be asked to appear for an interview. Appointment selections will be made by City Council.
Signed applications must be submitted to the city auditor no later than 5 p.m., Friday, Aug. 2. Mailing address: Office of the City Auditor, City Hall Room 140, 1221 S.W. 4th Ave., Portland, OR 97204. Fax number: 503-823-4571. Please address questions to Andrew Carlstrom, city elections officer, at 503-823-3546 or andrew.carlstrom@ci.portland.or.us.

Portland Parks & Recreation’s Community Gardens program is offering its annual free guided tour of six gardens throughout the city on Saturday, July 18. From 8:30 a.m. to 12 noon, participants can join PP&R Community Gardens staff and learn about various gardening techniques, examine water catchment systems, and view edible greenspaces.

The guided tour will take participants by van and carpool to see community gardens at Gabriel Park (Southwest 41st and Canby), Col. Summers Park (Sotheast 20th and Taylor), Sewallcrest Park (Sotheast 31st and Market), Brentwood Park (Southeast 57th and Cooper), Woodlawn Park (7200 N.E. 11th), and Hazelwood Hydro Park (Northeast 117th and Holladay), in east Portland. The tour leaves from PP&R’s Mt. Tabor Central Maintenance Yard at 6437 SE Division Street at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 18.