May Meeting Agenda

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King Neighborhood Association General Meeting
King Neighborhood Facility, 4815 NE 7th Avenue
May 11, 2011 – 6:30 to 8:45pm

Agenda

6:30 Welcome and introductions. Approval of minutes and agenda. Announcements, including open positions on committees.

6:40 Youth and Sustainability: Cheryl Lohrmann, Create Plenty.

6:50 Elections for four KNA board positions: Co-chair, Treasurer, At-large #2, At-large #4.

7:00 Officer Dennis Mako, Portland Police Bureau update.

7:10 Shoshana Cohen, NECN announcements, including an update on Last Thursday.

7:15 Safety & Livability issues:
–invitiation from Friends of Last Thursday to join their steering committee
–Clean-up and Garage Sale: dates, proceeds, expenditures, volunteers, & publicity
–Two reps from King NA to the NECN SALT
–[REDACTED], mural projects in King Neighborhood
–Honoring Commander Ferraris: Fred Stewart
–NNEBA’s MLK Dream Run: Jim Hansen, Henry V Events

7:55 Community Connections
–Communications committee: logo design, brochure

8:05 Land Use and Transportation
–VisionZero presentation, Michele
–MLK/Failing intersection, Kevin Brake
–Southeast corner of MLK & Shaver: Eli Haworth, Sakura Group
–OCCURA rep for King NA

8:30 Voter-owned elections: request for campaign endorsement.

8:33 Blue Door.

8:35 Closing thoughts.

PDC Seeks to Fund Coliseum Upgrades with Urban Renewal Funds

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At the upcoming PDC Board meeting on May 11th, 3:00pm, the Portland Development Commission is expected to vote to use $375,000 of tax-increment funding to support updates to the Memorial Coliseum. This comes after the Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods had voted to oppose Interstate Corridor urban renewal funds for the Rose Quarter. In this case the funds will come from the soon to expire Oregon Convention Center URA which will be folded into the Interstate Corridor project.

This action will benefit the public as it will create both construction and permanent jobs by allowing public funds to be used to make improvements to VMC (Veterans’ Memorial Coliseum). Improvements to VMC will revitalize and update the facility which will encourage more use as well as make the building more energy efficient. VMC improvements will also preserve this historic structure as a key component of the broader Rose Quarter redevelopment.

Read the Board Report on the proposed amendment here.

The meeting agenda is here.

Chat with Lew Frederick

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From Lew Frederick:

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Second Saturday Chat, May 14th

Our monthly Second Saturday get-together is coming up next week. We meet from 9:00 to 10:00 AM at Reflections Coffee Shop/Talking Drum Bookstore, 446 NE Killingsworth (just east of Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.)

Thanks again to Gloria for letting us, and other community groups, use this space. Please show her some love by buying some coffee and goodies while you’re there.

Important bills and issues continue to be debated and voted on in the Legislature. Next week we’ll see the May revenue forecast and work on the budget will intensify. Let’s talk about it. Hope to see you there.

There’s an election going on!

Please don’t forget to return your ballot by May 17th. There are two local tax measures on the ballot to support Portland schools. I support both of them. Important elections are also under way for School Board, Community College Board and Education Service District Board.

I believe that it is vital to reverse the disinvestment in education that has taken place over the past twenty years, because I simply refuse to give up on our future. Please vote YES on Measure #26-121, the Portland School Bond, and Measure 26-122, the Portland School Levy.

FoLT Revises Neighborhood Participation Criteria

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Due the objections of community members regarding Friends of Last Thursday’s Committee Member Agreement, FoLT has provided another way that concerned citizens can serve. Some objected to being asked to “support . . . continuance of Last Thursday” and profess that “my support for FoLT as the group best suited to lead the implementation of the Last Thursday”

Rochelle Saliba of FoLT wrote: “In order to create a meaningful and viable NA presence within FoLT, we have amended our steering committee requirements in this way:
Continue reading →

Governor Kitzhaber Visits King

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The governor dropped by a number of businesses in the African-American community today in the King Neighborhood. Kitzhaber did not make a prepared statement but went to local businesses such as Geneva’s Shear Perfection, Reflections and others in the Walnut Park retail center. He toured in the company of many local African-American leaders such as Paul Knauls, aka the Mayor of NE Portland.