1) North Williams left lane closure begins on Monday, Oct. 6
2) Community process under way for Natural Grocers project
3) No Ivy Day (Oct. 25)
4) Nature classes for kids
5) Historic Kenton Firehouse cleanup (Oct. 26)
6) North Star Village hosts October talks (Oct. 4 and 18)
7) What’s that smell coming from Swan Island? (Oct. 7)
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1) North Williams left lane closure begins on Monday, Oct. 6
The contractor for this project will prepare to restripe the left lane of N Williams on Saturday, Oct. 4 and begin to close the left lane for restriping on Monday, Oct. 6. By Thursday, the entire left lane from NE Broadway to Killingsworth Street will close for restriping.
Travelers should expect delays. Motorists are advised to use alternate routes, such as NE Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Bicyclists may continue to use the right bicycle lane on N Williams Avenue this week or may use NE Rodney Street as an alternate route. Construction hours will be 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day but the lane closure will be in effect around the clock.
Additional details about the North Williams Safety Project may be found in the news release below and at www.northwilliamssafety.org. . View the “A Safer Place for Everyone” banner campaign. View the “A Safer Place for Everyone” brochure.
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2) Community process under way for Natural Grocers project
It was announced in late-August that property owned by the Portland Development Commission at NE Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Alberta Street will be the site of a Natural Grocers store. The community process to the project is getting under way.
Majestic Realty, with Colas Construction as the primary contractor and Natural Grocers as the anchor tenant, proposes to construct an urban retail shopping center of about 20,000 square feet of gross leasable area in two separate buildings to include commercial/retail space for four to 10 businesses in addition to Natural Grocers. The site also will have about 100 parking spaces.
A Project Working Group (PWG) has formed to provide input on building and site design, and to develop a Community Benefits Agreement. The PWG’s diverse membership represents expertise and experience in the community including North and Northeast Portland small business owners, long-time property owners, business assistance and workforce training providers, area residents, and community members.
PWG meetings are open to the public. Details can be found at www.pdc.us/mlkalberta.
The proposed development will serve North and Northeast Portland neighbors and businesses. It will increase foot traffic and profitability for nearby businesses, introduce Portlanders to a high-quality, affordable grocer and revitalize a parcel that has sat dormant for 15 years.
The PWG’s discussions about design and the Community Benefits Agreement begin on Oct. 13. More meetings will follow:
All meetings will be held at Friends of Children, 44 NE Morris Street
- Monday, Oct. 13, 5-7 p.m. Design and Community Benefits Subgroups
- Monday, Oct. 27, 5-7 p.m. Design and Community Benefits Subgroups
- Monday, Nov. 10, 5-7 p.m. Design and Community Benefits Subgroups
- Monday, Nov. 24, 5-7 p.m. Community Benefits Subgroup
- Monday, Dec. 8, 5-7 p.m. Project Working Group Wrap-Up Meeting
- Monday, Dec. 15, 5-7 p.m. Tentative – as needed
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3) No Ivy Day (Oct. 25)
The 11th annual No Ivy Day is coming up. English Ivy is an invasive species that has taken root in many of Portland’s open spaces, strangling out native vegetation.
Portland Parks and Recreation is organizing volunteer ivy removal events the morning of Oct. 25 throughout the city. In North Portland, residents can help out at Baltimore Woods near Cathedral Park. Other locations include Mount Tabor Park and Marquam Nature Park. For a complete list of locations and times visit the No Ivy Day 2014 webpage.
Better yet, is English Ivy infesting a park in Overlook? Organize an event for our neighborhood. Contact the parks online at the volunteer website and let us know here at the newsletter so we can get the word out to neighbors.
Volunteers should wear long sleeves, long pants and sturdy shoes. Bring plenty of water to drink. Most work sites will provide gloves and tools unless specified.
After volunteers work in the morning on Oct. 25, Parks and Rec. will host a celebration in Forest Park.
No Ivy Celebration
Saturday, Oct. 25, 12:30-2 p.m.
Forest Park: Lower Macleay
2960 NW Upshur St.
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4) Nature classes for kids
Portland Parks and Recreation Environmental Education is looking for ways to get young children out in local parks and natural areas so that they can become comfortable in the outdoors, play and learn about Pacific Northwest ecology. The Lil Nature Kids classes are for preschool children and have become a popular way for children to spend time in nature with a trusted, highly-trained teacher.
Parks and Rec. will host programs in North and Northeast Portland coming up at Irving Park (Monday mornings) and Peninsula Park (Wednesday mornings).
Programs run from 9:30-11:30 a.m. and are for children ages 3-5. The fall session begins Oct. 13.
For more information or to sign up, visit the Lil Nature Kids website.
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5) Historic Kenton Firehouse cleanup (Oct. 26)
North Portland Neighborhood Services provides invaluable assistance to the Overlook Neighborhood Association and other North Portland neighborhoods. They are located in the Historic Kenton Firehouse at 2209 N. Schofield St.
Show your appreciation for NPNS or the historic firehouse on Sunday, Oct. 26 by helping them get ready for winter before the rain starts. Get some exercise, learn about the native wildlife habitat, rain gardens, bio swales and conifer trees on the firehouse grounds.
Coffee and lunch provided.
Historic Kenton Firehouse cleanup
Sunday, Oct. 26, 10 a.m. – Noon
2209 N. Schofield St.
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6) North Star Village hosts October talks (Oct. 4 and Oct. 18)
North Star Village will host an introduction to the local Village Movement on two upcoming Saturdays – Oct. 4 and Oct. 18. Reserve a space by calling 503.978.0540 or sending an email to northstarvillage@comcast.net.
The North Star Village boundary will include North, Inner Northeast, Outer Northwest Portland neighborhoods and Sauvie Island. Learn more about what North Star Village will offer and how you can join with others to create our own virtual village. They are in the planning phase and need more folks to step forward to make our Village a reality.
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7) What’s that smell coming from Swan Island? (Oct. 7)
Vigor Industrial, which operates a 60-acre shipyard on Swan Island, will hold a community meeting on Oct. 7. This will be a chance for you to meet your neighbors who are serving on the Good Neighbor Agreement team, and learn more about what Vigor is planning to do to analyze emission and odor sources and options to reduce both.
Vigor has reached out to Neighbors for Clean Air to attempt to address community concerns about their impact on neighborhood air quality. As part of this process, Vigor Industrial has engaged an engineering firm, ERM, to conduct an alternatives analysis to reduce emissions and odors. Resident volunteers will be representing neighborhood interests in negotiating a Good Neighbor Agreement (GNA) with Vigor.
The meeting will:
- Introduce the advisory committee members,
- Provide a brief history of how we arrived at this negotiating process,
- Summarize the Odor and Hazardous Air Pollutants Emissions Assessment Plan currently underway at the Vigor facility on Swan Island,
- Explain the purposes and goals of a GNA,
- Gather desired outcomes to include in the Vigor GNA.
Vigor’s report, “Odor and Hazardous Air Pollutants Emissions Assessment Plan” is available online.
For more information about the engineering study and to RSVP for the event, visit their Facebook page.
Vigor Industrial GNA meeting
Tuesday, Oct. 7, 7-8:30 p.m.
University of Portland
Buckley Center 163