1) OKNA general meeting (Tuesday, Jan. 19)
2) Overlook Neighborhood receives grant for community mural
3) Report concerns about homeless camps
4) Learn about Columbia River Levee System (Tuesday, Jan. 26)
5) Help update the Portland Plant List (Tuesday, Feb. 9)
1) OKNA general meeting (Tuesday, Jan. 19)
The Overlook Neighborhood Association will hold its monthly general meeting on Tuesday. The focus of the meeting will be on the subject of homelessness in Portland; current services and resources provided by the city, county and non-profits to shelter and transition individuals and families into permanent housing; and identification of needs that are currently not being met. We will address the broader problem and then narrow it down to answering the question “What can I do to help.” Please note that the presentations and discussion will be about homelessness in general, not about the Greeley Avenue camps.
OKNA general meeting
Tuesday, Jan. 19, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Kaiser Town Hall (3704 N Interstate Ave.)
Agenda
2) Overlook Neighborhood receives grant for community mural
The Overlook Neighborhood Association, in partnership with Viva La Free, has won a $2,000 grant for our Community Mural Project from the North Portland Neighborhood Services Grant Review Committee. The grant will help cover labor costs associated with working with youth to create and promote the project.
Layna Lewis — an artist, activist and founder of Viva La Free — will supervise and instruct a youth team, teaching them comprehensive skills through experiential learning. For two years she has brought a weekly art group to Portland’s only safe house for sex-trafficked and sexually exploited children. Creatively processing difficult emotions empowers survivors to self-determine their own healing. Currently two youths are working on this project with more to join.
The mural project will be completed in late summer. It will beautify the Overlook neighborhood, spotlighting our history and many beautiful green spaces while also generating positive public attention to Viva La Free’s work.
Over the next few months we will continue to raise funding and begin the design process. We looking forward to keeping you updated on the project’s success.
3) Questions about homeless campers
Has a homeless camp sprung up near your home? The City of Portland requests thtat residents report questions or concerns to the city’s “one point of contact.” It is an online reporting form available at portlandoregon.gov/campsite.
A city staff member will work with an intern in Mayor Charlie Hales’ office to review reports submitted through the form. They will seek to identify problem sites, determine whether they are on city-owned or privately-owned land, and then to share information with the mayor’s office, appropriate city bureaus and others to alert them to any problems.
4) Learn about Columbia River Levee System (Tuesday, Jan. 26)
Interested in preparing for emergencies? Worried about the next major flood? Then come hear from the Multnomah County Drainage District about the Columbia River levees that protect North, Northeast and Central Portland neighbors from flooding. The discussion will include Portland’s flood history and what happens during emergency events.
Learn about ways to get involved and leave with resources from Portland Bureau of Emergency Management. And bring your questions.
Columbia River levee and emergency preparedness
Tuesday, Jan. 26, 6-7:30 p.m.
Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods (4815 NE 7th Ave.)
5) Help update the Portland Plant List (Tuesday, Feb. 9)
The Bureau of Planning and Sustainability (BPS), in partnership with the Bureau of Environmental Services (BES), will hold a public hearing on a proposed Portland Plant List (PPL) update. The list identifies native plants and nuisance plant species found in Portland and the metropolitan region. The document describes the ecological and social benefits provided by plants on the Native Plants List, as well as the impacts and risks associated with the spread of invasive plants on the Nuisance Plants List.
The PPL is a technical and educational document, which is used widely by City staff, developers, local natural resource and watershed agencies and organizations, and residents throughout the metropolitan region. The list is used in administering certain zoning regulations, including those that apply in environmentally sensitive areas of Portland. The document also includes a list of plants that are required to be removed if found in the city. The city first published the PPL in 1991 and has updated it several times over the years, most recently in 2011.
Proposed amendments to the Portland Plant List updates include:
- Removal of 16 species from the Native Plants List (Attachment A)
- Addition of eight species, and reassessment and update of three species ranks in the Nuisance Plants List (Attachment B)
- Technical amendments — corrections to plant taxonomy (Attachment C)
- Updates to the Portland Plant List Appendix A, History (Attachment D)
Read the Portland Plant List Update Staff Report
Public hearing on proposed Portland Plant List update
Tuesday, Feb. 9, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
1900 SW 4th Ave., Room 2500B