Overlook Neighborhood Update (June 13) – Overlook Neighborhood Association

1. Special meeting on homeless camping CANCELED

The lead petitioner seeking a vote by Overlook Neighborhood Association members on three resolutions related to homelessness has withdrawn the petition. OKNA therefore has canceled the special meeting scheduled for Monday, June 15 at 6 p.m.

The petitioner from the Overlook Action Alliance, which is an independent group comprised of a group of neighborhood residents and business owners, reached this decision during a discussion with OKNA leaders about the logistics of the special meeting. The meeting had already been postponed once due to technical issues. The consensus from that discussion was that election integrity would be extraordinarily difficult to ensure on a Zoom meeting.

In May, the OKNA board voted to sign onto a letter about homeless strategies written cooperatively by several North Portland neighborhoods. That letter calls upon the city to clear camps in parks, on public paths and where documented illegal activity occurs. It also requests that the city take steps to support homeless residents including opening additional managed camps throughout Portland and holding each neighborhood accountable for participating in the process of identifying appropriate locations for local managed camps. The city has yet to do this.

The board at its June meeting reiterated that the role of the OKNA Homeless Outreach is strictly as a liaison between OKNA and homeless camps, including the Hazelnut Grove camp. The committee is not to advocate or support camps nor to identify locations for sanctioned camps in the neighborhood.

OKNA Chair Alexandra Degher and Vice Chair Christian Trejbal wish to thank all of the Overlook residents who showed tremendous passion for these issues, and hope residents will remain engaged in the neighborhood association going forward.

Because there was so much interest in this topic, we highlight two opportunities for Overlook residents. The Overlook Action Alliance says it will continue to press the city to address issues related to homelessness in Overlook. Anyone interested in joining them should visit overlookactionalliance.org. In addition, neighbors who wish to discuss homeless issues in North Portland are encouraged to participate in a Zoom meeting organized by a few neighborhoods and activists on Tuesday, 6-8 p.m. (Phone: 253-215-8782 Meeting ID: 822 7998 4559, Password: 356218) Note: Unfortunately, that is the same time as the OKNA general meeting. (See below.)

2. OKNA general meeting on Tuesday

The Overlook Neighborhood Association will hold its June general meeting on Tuesday, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Residents who call into this Zoom meeting (connection details are on the agenda) will learn about transportation items coming up in Overlook and North Portland as well as a nascent neighborhood business association.

3. N Greeley Avenue to close next week

N Greeley Avenue in Overlook, between N Interstate Avenue and Going Street, will close to all traffic for one work week, June 15-19, as the Portland Bureau of Transportation replaces street pavement. Everyone traveling by motor vehicle, bicycling or walking will need to use detour routes, 24-hours a day. After June 19, intermittent daytime lane closures will provide partial access to Greeley.

The work is part of PBOT’s N Greeley Avenue Multiuse Path and Paving Project. It will install a two-way, 1-mile path on the east side of Greeley separated from vehicle traffic by a concrete barrier.

A separate phase for construction of the multiuse path will follow. Construction is anticipated to be completed by mid-summer 2020. Learn more about the project here.

Bike Detour

Vehicle Detour

4. N Going Street Bridge repairs update

In September 2019, a Union Pacific Railroad train derailed and caused structural damage to the N Going Street Bridge to Swan Island, prompting temporary bridge closures and lane reductions. In response, Portland City Council gave emergency approval for a contract of up to $1 million dollars to provide bridge stabilization and repair work.

The Portland Bureau of Transportation has been working toward conducting permanent repairs to restore the bridge to six travel lanes. In November, temporary bracing was installed to allow for the opening of a fourth travel lane. Following this, PBOT created permanent repair plans.

The bureau is currently waiting for Union Pacific to finish its review of PBOT’s right-of-way request to complete the repairs. Repairs are anticipated to take several months. A start and end date are still to be determined. Lane closures are not anticipated for the permanent repair work, but it will require some interruptions to Union Pacific operations.

Learn more about the bridge repair project here.

5. Police seek help in unsolved 2017 homicide

The Portland Police Bureau is asking for the public’s help to solve the 2017 homicide of Brian Spaulding. Brian was the son of OKNA Board Member George Spaulding.

Brian’s family and friends have privately raised $20,000 to offer as a reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for his death.

On June 12, 2017, at 12:27 p.m., North Precinct officers responded to a residence in the 3500 block of NE 10th Ave. to conduct a death investigation. Officers and medical personnel arrived and determined that the resident, 36-year-old Brian Elton Spaulding, was deceased. The Oregon State Medical Examiner conducted an autopsy and determined that Spaulding was the victim of a shooting and ruled the death a homicide.

At this point in the investigation there is no suspect information on known reason why Spaulding would be killed.

To be eligible for the family and friends reward, a person with information would need to contact Detective Todd Gradwahl at 503-823-0991 or todd.gradwahl@portlandoregon.gov.

6. Support Overlook businesses during Phase 1 postponement

On Thursday night, mere hours before local businesses expected to be allowed to reopen, Gov. Kate Brown postponed Multnomah County’s entering Phase 1. Businesses will remain closed for at least another week.

Many local shops, restaurants and bars had been preparing to reopen, and the unexpected delay will impact them. For example, restaurants had ordered or purchased perishable foods that they now cannot serve to customers on site.

Our neighborhood businesses help make this corner of Portland unique and vibrant. OKNA encourages all residents to support their neighborhood shops and restaurants, especially at this time.

Local business leaders have confirmed the following locations are open in some capacity. You can also view the spreadsheet here.