Hello, Overlook! There is a lot happening this weekend again so we’ve got a long message for you.
OKNA Board members will be staffing the rest station in St Johns for this Sunday’s Providence Bridge Pedal. Wave or stop by for a little refreshment if you’re riding by!
1) Newsletter Delivery Window Opens
2) Traffic Advisory: Closures on MLK in aftermath of five-alarm fire
3) Fire Danger on the Bluff: Extremely High
4) First-Annual GoGreen NoPo Event-Shred Day! (8/10)
5) Overlook Sewer Project Construction Update (8/9)
6) Portland Harbor CAG meeting (8/14)
7) Sustainable Overlook Fall Gardening Class (8/15)
8) Citizen input sought for Regional Flexible Funds (8/15)
9) OLCC Customer Service Survey
10) Overlook Garden Tour (8/24)
11) Beach School All-Class Reunion (8/24)
12) Jefferson High Community Care Day Part 1. (8/24)
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1) Newsletter Delivery Window Opens
Fresh copies of your neighborhood newsletter Overlook Views have just landed and are being sent out to your home by our fabulous volunteer delivery team. They go door to door so you don’t have to, but if you’d like to pitch in and take a route (they take an hour or less) please write to us at info @ OverlookNeighborhood.org. Delivery should be complete by 8/18 so you can read all the great news in this new issue. Be sure to look for your reminder flyer inside and plan to come to the Overlook Movie in the Park event, E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL!
On Sunday, September 1, we’ll have the OKNA Annual Summer Picnic as well, and then listen to live music, eat free popcorn, visit with friends and so much more!
See you in the park!
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2) Traffic Advisory: Closures on MLK in aftermath of five-alarm fire
Travel along four blocks of NE Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard will remain restricted to one lane in each direction through the evening commute and possibly through the weekend, the Portland Bureau of Transportation announced.
The restrictions have been requested by the Portland Fire Bureau to allow firefighters and investigators to access the site of the blaze that destroyed an under-construction apartment complex early Thursday morning. The site is on NE Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard between NE Monroe and Morris streets. The two travel lanes adjacent to the site on the westside of MLK Boulevard are closed.
Travelers should expect delays, exercise patience and are advised to use alternate routes.
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3) Fire Danger on the Bluff: Extremely High
And speaking of fire, your OKNA neighbors and board members are concerned and have expressed such to anyone who will listen. We are aware of multiple camps of people staying in the wildland along the Overlook bluff, north of Overlook Park and below the Overlook House. There may be other camps but these two were reported to OKNA, police, fire, city hall and crime prevention contacts.
The issue is that these campers have been making open fires for cooking. This is not acceptable as it puts everyone in the neighborhood at risk, as happened in 2007 when a truck crash started a fire that quickly spread across the hillside near the Mocks Crest Property (Skidmore Bluffs).
We won’t bore you with too much backstory, although you can read some of it and see photos here:https://overlookneighborhood.org//newsletters/2007/sept-oct2007.pdf
We do request that if you see a camp fire or smoke along the bluffs that you call 911 and ask for a fire response.
The police inform us that the camps have been posted and will be cleared by Metro crews later this week. Police and Park Rangers will have extra patrols in the area over this weekend. If you see activity in these camps and you want to report it, please call non-emergency 503.823.3333 to report trespassers as these camps are posted. If you see fire or smoke, please call 911.
Thanks are due to our concerned neighbors, members of the Overlook Livability Team, Fire Risk Reduction team, Neighborhood Response officers from Portland Police, the Fire Inspector’s team from Portland Fire & Rescue and city employees from the mayor’s office to the Office of Neighborhood Involvement to the Parks & Recreation staffers. Everyone has been very responsive even as there was a lot of other news about campers on public property.
We are coordinating safety information and a presentation by Portland Fire & Rescue regarding ways you can defend your own property in this extremely hot and dry summer season.
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4) First-Annual GoGreen NoPo Event – Shred Day Too! (8/10)
Portland’s United Advantage NW Federal Credit Union is sponsoring the first-ever GoGreen NoPo event for the community and local businesses. The entire North Portland Community is invited to learn how easy it can be to be green, both in their business practices and personal lives. Additionally, Enviroshred NW will have a shred truck there for free shredding for all.
GoGreen NoPo will take place in United Advantage’s parking lot (1430 N Killingsworth St.) on Saturday, August 10, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Stop in for a free shred and to say ‘hi’.
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5) Overlook Sewer Project Construction Update (8/9)
If you are NOT on the mailing list for this project and would like to know where the work is going on in August, please email us at info @ OverlookNeighborhood.org and we’ll forward details to you. It’s very long to include in the email this week.
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6) Portland Harbor CAG meeting (8/14)
What is happening in the harbor? Come to the Citizen Advisory Group meeting this month to find out.
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
6-8pm
6543 N. Burlington Avenue (Portland BES Water Pollution Control Lab)
Portland Harbor CAG meetings are intended to keep the community informed of developments at the Portland Harbor Superfund Site and to provide a forum for discussion. CAG meetings are open to everyone. Contact the CAG Chair, Jim Robison, if you have questions jim@jimrobison.org
This month’s agenda includes: Discussion: What the community should know about the Portland Harbor fish advisory (Todd Hudson, Oregon Health Authority), new advisory signs (Travis Williams, Willamette Riverkeeper) and Community involvement highlights (Alanna Conley, EPA)
See what’s new on EPA’s Portland Harbor webpage: www.epa.gov/region10/portlandharbor
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7) Sustainable Overlook Fall Gardening Class (8/15)
Time: Thursday, August 15, 2013 06:00PM until 08:00PM
Location: Mulysa and Alice’s Gardens, 5523 N. Detroit Ave. , Portland
Join Sustainable Overlook for our monthly FREE gardening class. This month we learn about what to do in the garden in fall to ensure a harvest of delicious greens and nutritious root crops all through the cold months. Learn tips for selecting seeds and starts, getting the timing right and organic strategies for helping them thrive. Class is held in two gardens (2 blocks apart, meet at address above) and will include permaculture perspectives and information about perennial edibles. No RSVP necessary.
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8) Citizen input sought for Regional Flexible Funds (8/15)
If you like chiming in on how transportation money is spent, here’s your chance to influence where federal money gets spent in Portland. There is at least one Overlook project in the bidding. We’re unaware of any Overlook neighbors being consulted on these projects; if you participated, please let us know.
Open House Aug. 15th 6 to 8 p.m.
Citizens are invited to an open house on to preview and provide input on the City of Portland’s Regional Flexible Fund grant requests being proposed for the 2016-18 federal funding cycle, a package that includes a mix of projects to improve bicycle, pedestrian and freight travel.
The City of Portland has worked with representatives from neighborhoods and businesses and the city’s pedestrian, bicycle and freight advisory committees to develop the competitive group of grant applications that will be reviewed at the open house. The project list is snipped to the Overlook project.
North Going to the Island Freight Project ßclicky linky
The grant applications and project descriptions can be found at: www.oregonmetro.gov/rffa.
Metro’s Regional Flexible Funds program includes $94 million in funds from three federal programs and is allocated every two to three years. A final decision on which projects to fund will occur this fall.
In addition to attending the open house, the public is encouraged to send comments to Dan Bower at dan.bower@portlandoregon.gov or 1120 SW 5th, Suite 800 , Portland , Oregon , 97204 .
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9) OLCC Customer Service Survey
OK, if transportation projects is not what you want to speak up about, maybe liquor is. Once again, the Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC) is measuring how well it serves key customer groups by asking a set of standard questions, which all state agencies are required to ask. The OLCC has many key customer groups and your response is important to provide a more complete picture of how the OLCC is doing.
Please take a moment to complete the Customer Service Survey below. We sincerely appreciate your time and value any additional comments you may have.
OLCC Customer Service Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PFLNDKW
This survey will close on Monday, September 2, 2013.
If you have any questions please feel free to contact Laura Paul at (503) 872-5158. Thank you.
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10) Overlook Garden Tour (8/24)
Time: Saturday, August 24, 2013 10:00AM until 02:00PM
Location: Eight neighborhood gardens
Tour North Overlook 10 am – noon
Tour South Overlook noon – 2 pm
The 2nd annual Sustainable Overlook neighborhood garden tour will feature 8 gardens in a wide variety of styles. The theme of ‘Healthy Gardens’ is expressed in edible gardens, eco-lawns, outdoor living spaces, bee-friendly gardens and more. All the gardens featured are pesticide-free so it’s a great chance to explore some organic yards and learn natural gardening tips and be inspired. Details and a tour map will be posted athttps://sites.google.com/site/sustainableoverlook/garden-tour closer to the day of the tour.
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11) Beach School All-Class Reunion (8/24)
Join your fellow Bobcats in Overlook Park Saturday, August 24 from noon to 9:00 pm. Bring old photos, a potluck dish, a favorite beverage and don’t forget some toys: Frisbee, croquet or horseshoes, basketball, baseball gear etc..
Come rain or shine, just bring friends and family and have a good time sharing old memories and making new ones.
Beach Alumni Facebook Group: http://tinyurl.com/BeachAlumni
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12) Jefferson High Community Care Day Part 1 (8/24)
The Jefferson High School PTSA is sponsoring this clean up event on Saturday, August 24 from 9:00am-noon to prep the bleachers for future painting (Part II!).
Meet at 5210 N Kerby Ave; you can RSVP on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/events/501042263309179/
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