1) Homeless update
2) Spring gardening workshops
3) Park sprinklers running in the rain
4) Support the Office of Neighborhood Involvement
1) Homeless update
Fire
Summer dryness quickly approaches. After a fire at a homeless camp under the Hawthorne Bridge last week, the OKNA Board requested that Portland Fire & Rescue meet with Hazelnut Grove residents and conduct a safety check to ensure the camp in Overlook Neighborhood is following best practices for fire and safety. Fire & Rescue agreed, and the meeting was scheduled for Friday.
Other neighborhoods support Overlook
The chairs of eight North Portland neighborhoods (not counting Overlook) have sent a letter to the city supporting Overlook as we continue to try to work with the city on a plan that will ensure the safety of everyone. Other neighborhoods sending letters include Arlington, Crestwood and Irvington. The Northeast Coalition is promoting its own, similar letter. And Concordia, Cully, Vernon and Multnomah village have all shared their support for OKNA.
Homelessness forum (April 20)
The Neighbors West-Northwest Coalition will host a forum on homelessness later this month. There will be presentations by a Home for Everyone and the mayor’s office followed by Q+A. Neighbors will caucus to determine if the homeless plan works and will develop any next steps to take at the neighborhood association level.
Wednesday, April 20, 6-8 p.m.
Portland Building, Second Floor (1120 SW 5th Ave.)
As Overlook residents start whipping their yards back into shape, expert help is available. The East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District will partner with Sustainable Overlook and Trillium Charter School to offer two workshops.
Natural gardening workshop: Naturescaping (Sat. April 30, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.)
Natural Gardening Workshop: Native Plants (Wed. May 18, 6-8:30 p.m.)
Both classes will take place at Trillium Charter School (5420 N Interstate Ave.) Registration is required. Find more details and register online. Additional questions? Call 503-935-5368.
3) Park sprinklers running in the rain
Starting in April, Portland Park & Recreation (PP&R) staff will activate irrigation systems across the city. Part of this process will include adjustments and repairs where workers need to have sprinkler and irrigation systems turned on during the day.
Some of this work on more than 150 automatic sprinkler systems might occur during rainy days, which could strike a casual observer as an unusual sight. However, PP&R staff must conduct this work now to ensure that all of the city’s park irrigation systems are fully functional for the hot summer months. PP&R irrigation systems are used on grass at parks and athletic fields, and give plants supplemental water.
Though sprinklers running in the rain may cause one to do a double-take, this is in fact a common and effective industry practice. In this case, de-winterizing PP&R sprinkler systems during the month of April (and sometimes during March, too) is indeed a normal operating procedure.
The irrigation systems in our parks sit idle for many months. During this time, the sprinkler heads may lose their alignment, have turf grow completely over them, or be damaged from the elements. To ensure proper operation, systematically each sprinkler zone is activated and thoroughly inspected.
4) Support the Office of Neighborhood Involvement
Do you like to hear what’s happening in Overlook Neighborhood through this weekly update and our quarterly newsletter? Do you appreciate having a neighborhood association that speaks up for Overlook? Have you attended a neighborhood cleanup or movie in the park?
All of this is made possible by the volunteers at OKNA, and those volunteers receive a lot of help from the City’s Office of Neighborhood Involvement (ONI). It’s budget season in Portland, thoughm, andn ONI could fall under the budget axe.
You can help ensure that ONI and by extension OKNA has the resources it needs to serve Overlook residents by telling the mayor and City Council how valuable these programs are. Contact them at:
Charlie Hales, Mayor
mayorhales@portlandoregon.gov
Steve Novick, Commissioner
novick@portlandoregon.gov
Amanda Fritz, Commissioner
amanda@portlandoregon.gov
Dan Saltzman, Commissioner
dan@portlandoregon.gov
Nick Fish, Commissioner
Nick@portlandoregon.gov
You can also support ONI and OKNA at upcoming budget forums:
Tuesday, April 12, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Alice Ott Middle School, Auditorium (12500 SE Ramona St.)
Thursday, May 12, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
City Council Chambers, (1221 SW 4th Ave.)