Loretta Smith reschedules to September 5 at King Neighborhood Association!

Update your calendar! City Council candidate Loretta Smith is rescheduled to come to King Neighborhood Association on September 5!

Due to last-minute scheduling conflicts, our KNA meeting has been pushed forward a week – to September 5 — so that Loretta Smith can meet King neighbors and residents to share her vision for Portland and to hear our concerns, issues and questions.

Don’t miss this chance to talk to and hear from the woman who may be elected Portland’s next new commissioner come November! It all starts at 6:30 p.m. at 4815 NE 7th Avenue on the south end of King School in the NECN offices!

With the end of summer vacation and the start of a new school year, this is a perfect time to get involved in your King Neighborhood Association. We’ve got a lot coming up this year — from adopting new bylaws that empower members —  to tackling the issues that most affect livability in King neighborhood. Help set the course by attending meetings, speaking up – and maybe even running for office yourself! We’ve got a couple vacancies on the KNA board just waiting for you!

See you September 5!

Margaret O’Hartigan, Chair, King Neighborhood Association

Make Plans to Attend Now!!!

City Council candidate Loretta Smith is coming to the next member meeting of King Neighborhood Association!

That next KNA meeting isn’t until Wednesday, September 12 — but make plans now to attend, ‘cause this is a golden opportunity to talk to and hear from the woman who may be Portland’s next new commissioner come November!

Ms. Smith is running for the Portland City Council position currently held by retiring Commissioner Dan Saltzman. So whether you’re concerned about potholes or police, homelessness or short-term rentals, this is a chance to help your neighborhood’s issues get heard.

In keeping with KNA’s mission to strengthen our neighborhood’s voice in city government, we’ve also extended an invitation to have JoAnn Hardesty as KNA’s guest in October. Ms. Hardesty is also running for retiring Commissioner Dan Saltzman’s seat.

This means that no matter which candidate you support – no matter which woman wins – you have the opportunity right here in King neighborhood to hear from and speak to Portland’s next city commissioner!

And speaking of elections – at KNA’s meeting last week, members elected a new KNA treasurer and elected Diego Gioseffi as the At-Large #4 representative. This means that for the first time in years, every board member and officer has been elected by members rather than appointed by the board. Our new treasurer is Sarah Moses, who is a certified public accountant!

But wait! There’s more! We’ve still got a couple vacancies on the KNA board of directors that need filling! So attend a couple meetings to get your feet wet, and then throw your hat in the ring to help steer KNA to bigger and better things!

Finally, as part of our goal to make KNA more democratic and more member-oriented, we’re working on a re-write of KNA bylaws to give more power and more say to KNA members. So if you’ve got ideas on how you want to see KNA improved, please send your thoughts and ideas to me at margaret@kingneighborhood.org

‘Cause this is YOUR King Neighborhood Association!

See you September 12!

Margaret O’Hartigan, Chair

August 8 KNA Membership Meeting

7th or 9th?

Auto and bike traffic in King Neighborhood is about to undergo a major change – don’t miss your chance to weigh in on what happens!

The Portland Bureau of Transportation is planning a major new Greenway Project right through King.

King Neighborhood Association wants to know which Lloyd-to-Woodlawn bike route that YOU prefer!

Come to KNA’s membership meeting on August 8, 6:30 p.m., at 4815 NE 7th Avenue and make your voice heard!

We’ll be taking a vote on which route to endorse after discussion following a presentation from PBOT’s Nick Falbo.

You can also send your comments and opinion directly to PBOT at: http://openhouse.jla.us.com/lloyd-to-woodlawn-2

Your King Neighborhood Association, July 13

Hello and welcome to YOUR King Neighborhood Association!

Don’t forget our special KNA Board meeting on Wednesday, July 18 at Vanport Square Studio (5229 NE MLK Blvd. Jr., Ste. 102), from 6:30- 8 p.m. We’ll be exploring ways to make the neighborhood association better serve our members and neighbors, so please come and tell us what you’d like! (You can also send your comments to me at margaret@kingneighborhood.org and I’ll see that the rest of the board members see them!

KNA now has a representative to Northeast Coalition of Neighborhood’s Land Use & Transportation Committee! This is yet another way of giving King residents a voice about what happens in our neighborhood.

And speaking of voices, don’t miss the chance to make yourself heard when it comes to environmental and transportation issues affecting King Neighborhood.

The State of Oregon is taking public comment on its new “Cleaner Air Oregon” rules requiring companies to report air toxic emissions. You have until August 6 to submit comments. You can get additional information regarding the rules – and submit your comments about them – at http://cleanerair.oregon.gov .

You can also make your voice heard about Metro’s 2018 regional transportation plan! There are a number of pedestrian crossings and other safety modifications planned for the NE MLK Jr. Blvd Corridor. Tell Metro where and what you want to see done! For additional information, to take a survey and to submit your comments by August 13, go to www.oregonmetro.gov/public-projects/2018-regional-transportation-plan

Finally, take a look at the tentative plans for the Lloyd-to-Woodlawn Neighborhood Greenway for bicycle traffic along either NE 7th or NE 9th avenues. Portland’s Bureau of Transportation is considering building a bicycle commuter trail right through the heart of Irving Park as part of the NE 9th Avenue option. Is that really something we want to do with the limited park space we have here in North/Northeast? You can weigh in on that and PBOT’s other proposals by going to www.portlandoregon.gov/transportation/L2W   PBOT’s also holding an open house event on August 1 at Augustana Lutheran Church (2710 NE 14th Avenue) from 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Finally, you can make your voice carry even farther by letting us know your opinions on these issues, so that we can add the King Neighborhood Association’s voice to your own!

After all, this is YOUR King Neighborhood Association.

Margaret O’Hartigan, KNA Chair

Portland in the Streets Community Grant Program

The City of Portland is offering a grant program called Portland in the Streets, which is intended to “invest in small-scale community driven projects focused on transportation safety, equity, innovation and placemaking”. KNA would love to hear from the community about how you think our streets could be made safer and more equitable!

Program Priorities

  1. Events in the streets​ encouraging new events in diverse communities.
  2. Creative community infrastructure ​encouraging beautification + livability through permanent infrastructure, public art and short-term demonstration projects.
  3. Innovative community engagement​ encouraging diverse partnerships with existing PBOT programs.
  4. Expanding the urban trails network​ to improve connectivity and usage.
  5. Small scale transportation safety projects ​along or adjacent to Portland’s High Crash Corridors and/or existing capital project