Category Archives: Uncategorized

Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd Gateway and Heritage Markers Go Forward

Posted on by

The PDC will hold a meeting Thursday, April 21st at Irvington Village, 420 NE Mason St. The advisory committee and neighborhood land use chairs will be updated on the Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. Gateway and Heritage Markers Project. They are in the final phases of the project; it is currently in the permitting process and the design team is preparing drawings for bidding. Construction will begin this summer. They will be soliciting input from the representatives on a quotation that has recently been added to Project on the screen walls.

Background
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard Gateway and Heritage Makers project originated in community planning efforts begun over a decade ago by area residences and business owners. In the 2007- 2008 planning process, the 12-person Stakeholder Advisory Group further delineated the project in a Concept Master Plan with three goals:

• Create a clear threshold announcing the arrival into a unique neighborhood district
• Preserve, interpret and celebrate the diverse history of the area’s cultural community
• Focus the Heritage Markers on local neighborhood stories

This group guided the design work until the project slowed down while PDC determined how the project would be maintained. Metro has now agreed to maintain the project, so the project is ready to move into construction.

The final design includes two curvilinear screen walls that define this intersection as a gateway in and out of the N/NE neighborhood and business district. A small plaza provides pedestrian open space for the neighborhood. Pedestrian access to the plaza is from the blocks to the north and east. Four, twenty foot high Heritage Markers, are located in the plaza each with interpretive panels celebrating the diverse communities that have contributed to the North/Northeast neighborhoods.

During the 2007-2008 planning process quotations from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. were discussed. The design team would like to get feedback on a quotation from Dr. King that was added to the two curvilinear screen walls to accentuate the Gateway into and out of this unique and diverse neighborhood district. They would like to provide an update of the project and get feedback at the meeting on April 21st.

For additional information please contact Irene Bowers 503 823-2419 or Kathryn Krygier 503 281-0202

Here’s a listing of the markers to be installed and what they signify: http://www.pdc.us/pdf/ura/convention_center/mlk/MLK-Neighborhood-People-Places.pdf

FoLT to Hold Open Meeting at Kennedy School

Posted on by

Friends of Last Thursday will convene a meeting of its various subcommittees and Steering Committee this Thursday, April 21st beginning at 6:00 pm. The Kennedy School Community Room will be the venue. Participation is open to all. FoLT is seeking volunteers to fill out its many open committee assignments.

SALT Committee to Discuss FoLT Agreement

Posted on by

The new community leadership organization (Friends of Last Thursday, or FoLT) which seeks to lead the planning of Last Thursday with city mentorship is seeking community members to serve on its steering committee. Last week FoLT distributed an agreement for prospective members to sign indicating that they are supporters of the event and will work to keep it going without additional regulation. A number of community members have expressed concerns that the bar for participating with FoLT in an oversight role as laid out in the agreement is too high.

The FoLT steering committee is apparently down to six members at present, after two of them, Bill Leissner and Jeanne Giles, were removed due to their refusal to sign the agreement. Mr. Leissner said in an email that he and Jeanne were the most outspoken members concerning neighborhood impacts and that he understands that the Community Impact Committee has been eliminated. There will be a discussion of Last Thursday issues at the Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods’ SALT (Safety and Livability Team) meeting tonight, Monday April 18th, 6:30 pm at NECN, 4815 NE 7th avenue.

View the calendar announcement here.

Read the Friends of Last Thursday agreement here.

Mayor Adams Pledges City Help for Last Thursday, Neighborhoods

Posted on by

Along with Commissioner Fritz, Mayor Sam Adams sent his own letter to KNA regarding the city’s policy with regards to Last Thursday. The two letters, which arrived in close succession, present a window into a strategic city policy that aims to avoid having the city take sides. The city, those who put on Last Thursday, and the people who enjoy Last Thursday’s unique flavor would like the festival to continue to play it’s role in keeping Portland weird.

Toward the end of giving Last Thursday non-city governance, Friends of Last Thursday is an organization being formed with help from the city to make the event resolve its issues while still being of the community. The city is establishing its own Last Thursday Coordinating Team consisting of representatives from Friends of Last Thursday, members of Mayor Adams’ and Commissioner Fritz’s staff, and an event coordinator who will be a paid city employee.

The mayor pledged that all city agencies will work together to make sure the event meets expectations for safety and livability.  He states that the city is developing new procedures to ensure enforcement of parking and fire safety regulations. 

A “Global Good Neighborhood Bar Agreement” is being developed to deal with impacts that result from the high concentration of liquor licenses on Alberta and other streets in the residential neighborhoods.  He promises that the city will work closely with the OLCC to with alcohol issues.

Finally, the four affected neighborhood associations are asked to join the governing board of Friends of Last Thursday by selecting a delegate to the Steering Committee. The KNA eagerly awaits the coalescence of an organization able to fully address neighbors’ concerns about this monthly festival.

Read Mayor Adams’ letter here.

Read the application to serve on the FoLT Committee here.

Commissioner Fritz Touts FoLT as Progress Toward KNA’s Concerns

Posted on by

Portland City Commissioner Amanda Fritz sent a reply to the King Neighborhood Association’s request for better governance and oversight of the monthly Last Thursday street fair. Ms. Fritz acknowledged the ongoing concerns yet pointed to recent efforts to develop a nascent, all-volunteer, Friends of Last Thursday, as well as a collective agreement between the city and district bar owners as mitigating neighborhood concerns.

It is clearly the city’s position that Last Thursday is overwhelmingly popular and should be interfered with as little as possible. Indeed, when the event draws over 10,000 visitors in a summer month’s evening, it cannot be said that it is unpopular overall. Attendees on those nights likely outnumber the entire population of King and certainly the population in the high impact areas along Alberta in King, Vernon, Sabin, and Concordia. The letter directs those who would have a say in Last Thursday to participate in the steering committees under a community governance model.

She said that the city will continue to enforce the laws with regards to safety and livability and that if problems were to continue, an earlier event end time should be considered. Managers of the event should deal with trash issues and the OLCC should deal with alcohol-related concerns.

Read KNA’s letter to the city here.

Read Commissioner Fritz’s response here.