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Who We Are
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| The Neighbors
West- Northwest Coalition promotes direct participation in grassroots democracy
by supporting community efforts at the neighborhood level. Our services advance
the voices of our constituent Neighborhood Associations as they strive to
create livable, sustainable & equitable communities.
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Activist e-News
February 2012 |
Greetings Neighbors,
This year is already off to a great start, with neighborhoods gearing up for spring events like clean ups, emergency preparedness fairs, and candidates' forums. You'll see more about these in the months ahead. Note that the NWNW office will be closed on Monday, February 20, and will reopen on Tuesday the 21st.
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Neighborhood Car Prowls on the Rise
 Tough economic times often bring an uptick in crimes of opportunity. The Portland Office of Crime Prevention reports that car prowls are on the rise. Chances are you or someone in your neighborhood has already had the unpleasant experience of going out to start the car in the morning and being greeted by broken glass. And car break-ins aren't limited to "smash-and-grabs" - prowlers are increasingly targeting car trunks in search of valuables.
Our crime prevention coordinators have some tips to minimize your chances of being a victim of a car break-in. This video dramatizes some of their hints. Keeping your car "showroom clean" is one of the best ways to avoid becoming a target. So is communicating with your neighbors, keeping an eye out for suspicious activity, and coordinating your crime prevention efforts. According to the Crime Prevention Office, one car prowler stated that if everyone in a neighborhood consistently kept their vehicles free of valuables, he would move on to a different area. If you've been the victim of a car break-in, be sure to report it by calling the Police Bureau's non-emergency number, 503 823-3333.
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Neighborhood Elections: FPNA & OTCTNA
Forest Park Neighborhood Association
The FPNA will hold its annual election of members of the board of directors on Tuesday, February 21, 2012. Balloting will be continuous from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM at the Willis Community Bldg. at 360 NW Greenleaf Road. (Greenleaf is a tiny road that crosses Skyline about halfway between Cornell and Burnside. The building is behind the Water Bureau tank on the west side of Skyline, and near the giant antenna farm.). To encourage turnout, a local chocolatier is donating a selection of Belgian chocolate mocha truffles and chocolate turtles.
Nominees for three expiring terms on the Board of Directors are:
- Les Blaize (Incumbent)
- Jerry Grossnickle (Incumbent)
- Arnold Rochlin (Incumbent)
Prior to the election, the president of FPNA may nominate an additional candidate to complete the remainder of an unexpired term. For more information, contact the Neighbors West-Northwest coalition office,
Old Town Chinatown Neighborhood Association
The OTCTNA will be holding its annual meeting and board elections on Tuesday March 6, 2012, 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., at the University of Oregon, 70 NW Couch St. Even-numbered board seats are up for election, as follows:
Seat #2 Juli Laughlin
Seat #4 Catherine Poole
Seat #6 Howard Davis
Seat #8 (vacant)
Seat #10 (vacant)
Seat #12 Nancy Stovall
Seat #14 (vacant)
Seat #16 Judy Van Alstyne
Seat #18 Paul Verhoeven
Seat #20 (vacant)
Membership is open to everyone who lives, works, has a
business or owns property in Old Town Chinatown. Nominations will be invited from the floor before the 6:00 p.m. vote. For information contact Nancy Stovall.
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Cornell Road Sustainability Coalition Meeting
This month the Cornell Road Sustainability Coalition will meet to wrap up input from the members concerning the Cornell Road planning process. The Portland Bureau of Transportation has provided detailed street maps that will be used to assist the committee in identifying specific improvements along Cornell Road. Anyone interested in expressing their views should attend this meeting.Date: Monday, February 27, 2012 Time: 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. Place: Audubon Society, 5151 NW Cornell Rd
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Ride Connection Shopping Shuttles
 Downtown RideAbout is a free shuttle designed to facilitate grocery shopping for people over 60 and those with disabilities. The shuttle operates twice weekly, with a loop through Northwest Portland on Mondays and a loop through downtown Portland on Saturdays. Both routes stop at several major apartment buildings and the Fred Meyer at W. Burnside and NW 20th; the Monday shuttle also stops at Trader Joe's.
For more information about the Downtown RideAbout shuttle or other services, visit the Ride Connection website, or contact Lydia Corran, 503 528-1761.
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Pearl District: Meet the Board
The March Pearl District Neighborhood Association board meeting will be an opportunity to meet the board members in an informal environment. Learn more about what the PDNA is doing and the people who make it happen, while networking with some of your neighbors.
Join the Pearl District NA board at the Paragon Restaurant, which will be generously providing refreshments and light appetizers.
Date: Thursday, March 8, 2012
Time: 5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Place: Paragon Restaurant, 1309 NW Hoyt St.
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Cell Phones Speedier for Public Alerts
 During a test of the citywide emergency notification system last Thursday, 320,637 voice messages, 2,430 text messages and 5,360 emails were delivered to devices within city limits, through messaging service First Call. The test began at 11:00 a.m. and the last voice message was delivered at 5:50 p.m. that day. At NWNW we received our calls in the late afternoon.
Following the test, Mayor Sam Adams urged residents to register their cell phone numbers (for voice and text messages) and email addresses at PublicAlerts.org. Emails and text messages were delivered much faster than those sent through local phone landlines.
The Portland Bureau of Emergency Management (PBEM) is working with First Call and local telephone service provider CenturyLink to find ways to reach landline and cell phones more quickly during future notifications. A similar test last month reached only 2100 recipients. A media release from the PBEM pointed out that the First Call notification system is not the City's primary means of reaching a mass audience; they also use the Emergency Alert System, traditional broadcast media, social media and other communication channels.
If you had already signed up at PublicAlerts.org but did not receive a test message Thursday, send an email to PublicAlerts@portlandoregon.gov with your name and phone number, to have the problem addressed. All the information provided during PublicAlerts.org registration is kept private and confidential and will be used only for emergency notifications.
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Changes Are Coming to the Pearl District
by Patty Gardner, PDNA Land Use & Transportation Chair
This spring there will be construction happening all over the Pearl District. The Fields Park will finally begin construction as the Parks Department has officially chosen the contractor for the project. There are currently three major projects under construction in the neighborhood - the renovation of the Meier & Frank Warehouse on NW Everett St. for the US headquarters for Vestas; a new market-rate apartment building on NW Everett St.; and an apartment building designed to meet both student and market-rate demand on NW 14th Ave. These projects are likely to be joined by two more projects - a potential hotel on NW 9th Ave. and another new apartment building on NW 13th Ave. & Pettygrove St. All of these projects will not only bring cranes to our horizon but also an expansion of the types of housing opportunities within the neighborhood. The Pearl District Neighborhood Association tracks all of these projects through its Planning and Transportation Committee, which meets twice a month.
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Upcoming Events: Save the Date
Trainings for Neighborhood Association LeadersNeighborhood association board members have the opportunity to learn from and ask questions of one of Oregon's leading experts on non-profit governance and management - Portland attorney Cindy Cumfer. Governing and Managing Your Neighborhood AssociationFind out what neighborhood board members are supposed to do to manage their neighborhood association, and how to do it. Date: Wednesday, February 29, 2012 Time: 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Place: First United Methodist Church, Fireside Room, 1838 SW Jefferson Neighborhood Associations and Their Members: Roles and Responsibilities
Covers the roles, rights and responsibilities of the membership in neighborhood associations.
Date: Thursday, March 29, 2012 Time: 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Place: St. Philip Neri Catholic Church, Carvlin Hall 2408 SE 16th & Division For more information and to register, click here. NWDA Con-way Master Plan Open House
Date: Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Time: 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Place: To be announced
Contact Ron Walters for more information. Pearl District Emergency Prep Round Table Discussion #2The second in a series of emergency readiness panel discussions will focus on practical sanitation and safe drinking water preparedness ideas.
Date: Thursday, March 29, 2012 Time: 5:30 p.m.
Place: PREM Group, 351 NW 12th
Contact Jan Valentine for more information.
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Special Meeting Notices and Reminders
NWDA Board Meeting in February
Due to Presidents' Day, the February NWDA board meeting will be on February 27, 6:00 p.m. at Legacy Good Samaritan, Building 2 Second Floor Conference Room, 1040 NW 22nd Ave. Board meetings will return to the third Monday of the month in March.
NWNW Office Closed Monday, February 20
The Neighbors West-Northwest office will be closed Monday, February 20, in observance of Presidents' Day. We will reopen for our regular hours, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., on Tuesday, February 21. |
Thank you for reading our February e-Newsletter. Please pass it on to others who may be interested, or encourage them to sign up.
Brought to you courtesy of
NEIGHBORS WEST-NORTHWEST
Coalition of Twelve Westside Neighborhoods
www.nwnw.org |
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