Woodlawn Neighborhood Association General Meeting Agenda

Tuesday, July 11, 2023 at 7pm

Please make every effort to join us In Person at Classic Foods: 817 NE Madrona 

 Or online on Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/3014662210?pwd=d3VKbXkzVldqYzNWU2RwVm9OUkZyZz09

Meeting ID: 301 466 2210

Passcode: WNA

Also online at Facebook Live

Welcome and Vision: “In the future, Woodlawn will be a place where people live harmoniously, respectfully, and in support of one another.  The neighborhood will be a clean and thriving community… All Woodlawn residents will share and pursue the common values of health, efficiency, beauty, equity, and justice.”

7:00 – 7:15 Introductions

• Please share name, pronouns, & what brought you to tonight’s meeting
• Conversation/breakout room with neighbor(s) new to you

7:15 – 8:00 General Business

• • Approve June meeting notes Tabled for June & July for September Approval due to delay in posting June minutes
  • Review and discussion of Draft Report from the City of Portland Independent District Commission – how the plans will affect WNA & NECN
    • Hard copies made available at the meeting but it was also shared in the newsletter and will be posted online on woodlawn.com soon
    • Opportunity to attend meetings throughout July to share feedback on plan
    • https://www.portland.gov/transition/districtcommission/district-plan
    • Anjala attended the latest NECN meeting. The boundaries of each proposed district may or may not destroy the current set up of the NECN. Issues over the last 4 years with the city and the concept of neighborhood associations. The office of community and civic life now (previously in 1970s, associations created to give neighbors a voice in the city and the city had to listen – then district coalitions of groups of neighborhoods formed, they came with institutional memory and trained up future board members to carry on that memory. The coalition of neighborhoods had more clout with the city and more say in developments.) The NECN has had many transitions and now the city is pushing the associations to get grants rather than depending 90% on the city for funding.
    • New districting may slice in half certain neighborhoods that are part of NECN making it potentially easier to dismantle those association members and weaken the voice of the NE neighborhoods overall.
    • Liz suggested that potentially the Alder map is the one we might support based on the neighborhoods preserved in it.
    • Could there be a new form of district coalition? Yes – but it doesn’t necessarily mean it would be better/improved.
    • The districts will be the new city council structure (4 commissioners one for each new district)
  • No August meeting & POP! August 1st
    • Updates and planning for National Night Out/Party on Portland (POP) event
    • Melissa, Aimee, Barbara, Helen, and Linde on a planning committee
    • Melissa developed a new flyer that will go on telephone poles for neighbors to hear about the event
    • Last year >300 people attended – it was a great success! Free food (with donation if you’d like to)
    • Music, food, community resources, entertainment (clown, balloon man), ice cream for sale, community garden tours
    • Volunteers needed for set up, take down, food serving
  • Update on WNA Fundraising for Sponsors from Dennis Kennedy, Treasurer
    • Total contributions = $950
    • $300 in June, $300 in May, $375 in July, $275 in checks
    • Shout out to Classic Foods – they donate the space for the monthly neighborhood meeting and they donated money to the fundraising campaign.
    • Liz mentioned increased prices for Party on Portland planning (for example grill pick up and drop off – Jeff Siri may be able to bring the grill back in a shorter window which may save some money) and is requesting approval from the board to approve $250 more for this year’s budget

• Motion to increase budget by $250 – APPROVED by the board

• • Debrief of Land Use & Transportation Committee Meeting held June 29th
    • Speed cushions on Ainsworth, thanks to an involved neighbor, WNA learned about the plans and engaged PBOT who joined a land use committee meeting held June 26th. Scott from PBOT answered questions and shared information. This project is happening, but Scott heard concerns and noted that improved outreach would be better for future. The cushions were approved by public vote in 2020 for this city planning efforts
    • Dekum is a street that is considered essential for emergency vehicles by PBOT. However there are businesses and neighbors concerned about speeding and pedestrian safety. Anjala is scheduling a series of meetings by zoom to gather neighborhood input on priorities of neighbors (like cross walks etc.)
    • Jeff request posting info about meetings on the website and newsletter in addition to Facebook
    • Anjala can add members to the Land Use and Transportation email list too
    • Anjala can post a recording from the last Land Use meeting
    • A neighbor on 22nd noted the speeding and cut through traffic and car accidents and fatalities.
    • Speed strips were installed today to monitor traffic and speed (on Dekum? Or 15th?)
    • Mingus Mapps (mayor) oversees PBOT

• Dennis has an email confirmation that Mayor Mingus Mapps will appear at the September WNA meeting 

• Time for neighbor open comments
  • Skateboarders concern (received via email)
    • Neighbor who emailed came to the meeting in person. Since the city replaced ADA ramps on Dekum. Claremont and Dekum has a stop sign and the corner has attracted skateboarders to spend hours on this corner (they come in groups of 3-15 people and stay for hours). Neighbor called the police and has addressed skateboarders who say it’s public property.
    • The skateboarders leave garbage near woodlawn condos and sit in lawns. They film and there’s a tik tok challenge on that corner. They fill in with dirt, but they scoop it out and leave it there. Neighbor has overheard that they use the bushes to pee in. The group is disrespectful, mostly men, of a large age range. The group is driving to this corner.
    • Neighbor feels privacy is invaded. They block others from using the space. They come and go (some weeks nothing, some days all day).
    • Unsure if there are other reconfigured curbs with the problem.
    • Neighbor asking if the city can fill it up completely (with rocks) and permanently and do something about the way this corner is used to prevent this use of the corner. Potentially an aluminum skateboard stopper?
    • What about a grant to add a skate park in Woodlawn?
    • Anjala will add this to the Land Use and Transportation agenda
      • We can ask NECN to ask other coalitions about this problem and potential solutions
  • Follow up on overgrown sidewalks?
    • Concerns for safety and hazards related to overgrowth on sidewalks and corners blocking driver views
    • One neighbor was told she would have to take her to court if she wanted her to take care of her yard
    • Sidewalks are the homeowners’ responsibility
    • Anjala noted that dept of transportation has a form for if overgrowth is obstructing a stop sign they will respond within the month
    • Jeff proposed as a first step tabling for discussion to coordinate a better approach
    • Liz noted tall grasses on some corners that are obstructing the view but maybe PBOT can help in those situations.
    • Citizen pruner group to help neighbors trim.
    • Anjala found you can report citizen ordinances that says you can report overgrowth into sidewalks and they can fine the neighbor.
  • Garden on 11th (Urban Farm Collective) – neighbor inquiry
    • 6323 NE 11TH
    • Urban Farm Collective
    • Revisit in September for clean up

8:00 – 8:20 Board Business

• Treasurer Report
  • $6962.49 in account
  • No longer have a cash card due to an issue that occurred with spending during the POP! Planning where a random business charged funds from the card in error and the funds were returned and the card canceled to protect the accounts. Will need to write checks to pay back invoices.
  • https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=M8PB6MBHAXV34&sdkMeta=eyJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5wYXlwYWxvYmplY3RzLmNvbS9kb25hdGUvc2RrL2RvbmF0ZS1zZGsuanMiLCJhdHRycyI6eyJkYXRhLXVpZCI6ImVhYjBiNGZjNmFfbWRhNm50bTZudGEifX0&targetMeta=eyJ6b2lkVmVyc2lvbiI6IjlfMF81OCIsInRhcmdldCI6IkRPTkFURSIsInNka1ZlcnNpb24iOiIwLjguMCJ9
• NECN Report
  • Importance of discussion was the importance of weighing in on redistricting
  • Review of the budget which the city told NECN they could increase by 5% but they have to also increase grant money to 38% of budget also
  • Kimberly Dixon is program director at office of community life – support building up NECNs small grant program (they give $3000 to different neighborhood activities – for example Woodlawn Farmers Market has received this many years)
  • New election for officers of NECN board
  • Informed on Party on Portland Neighborhood Night Out
• Secretary Report
  • New engagement efforts and campaigns with newsletters, facebook, nextdoor, flyers.
  • May need to do something more for the September meeting if Mingus Mapps is really coming
• Land Use and Transportation Report
  • No other updates than what was said earlier
• Farmer’s Market Update – First Market Saturday June 3 from 10: AM  – 2:00 PM
  • Summer of Music Grant for music the whole time every week
  • Double up food bucks SNAP match – a lot of the money is still available and want to spend it!
  • New and more vendors each week
  • VOLUNTEERS! Every saturday set up, tabling, take down
• Neighborhood Emergency Team (NET)
  • No updates this month

8:20 – 8:30 Additional agenda items and announcements

• • T-shirt fundraiser idea
    • Woodlawn logo on a tshirt – cada casa will print design for $10/shirt and charge $15 or $20 and return the fund difference to us as a donation, he can take the orders through his platform, can deliver at meetings or farmers market, maybe we can get a few to do an order first

• Motion to spend $44 for a design with Cada Casa APPROVED

• Dumpster Day
  • Dumpster day was a success and they partnered with a lot of groups to recycle as much as possible
  • Filled all of the dumpsters only had to close a little earlier

For September meeting with Mingus Mapps – Portland Non Emergency using AI to answer non emergency lines starting June 26 (already started) concerns about this.