Commentary
What is it about Hillsdale?
 I recently met a new arrival to Portland who sang the praises of Hillsdale and nearly decided to buy a house here.
"I really like the community feeling of the place," he said. I asked him what that meant. He described the shopping center and the small scale of the place. When I pressed him he said he noticed the gateway signs, street sign caps and banners proclaiming Hillsdale. "People there seem to think the place and its name are important."
His comments got me to thinking about what it is about Hillsdale that just feels good.
What other Portland neighborhood has "feel good" institutions like a high school, a middle school and a elementary school, a branch library and a farmers Market? Often overlooked are our faith communities which contribute to the welfare of neighbors in need (see story on SW HOPE in this issue)
All those buses bound for Hillsdale and beyond seem to be a sign that people want to come here. In a sense, they HAVE to come here because the West Hills funnel traffic through Hillsdale. That makes for a vibrant commercial area.
It's almost as if we follow the Fanno Creek watershed down to commercial headwaters.
Others I've talked to recently have said the hills and resulting twisting roads make living here seem dynamic. The East Side, for all its charms (and sidewalks!), can have a static, flatland feel to it.
So what is it about Hillsdale? I've mentioned pride of place, community institutions and topography.
Of the three, the first two grew from the third. We and our pioneer predecessors were drawn in no small measure by the gestalt of topography and setting.
A related concern
The recent Hillsdale Transportation Summit, if it was a "summit" at all, went about its work efficiently and enthusiastically. But as I participated with 14 others, I wondered about those absent from the meeting and how they might have contributed.
After all, with an average age that I would put in the high 60s, the summit participants weren't planning our futures so much as we were planning for the future of those younger than us. They needed to be in the room.
Moreover, many of the ideas we discussed would have a direct impact on Hillsdale businesses, yet only one of our group, a representative from Food Front, came from the business community. Commercial property owners were completely absent.
Hillsdale is only a community to the extent that we communicate with each other and work together.
It's not the end of the world, or Hillsdale, that one transportation summit was so unrepresentative of the larger community. But it raises larger questions about what it means to be a community and how together we can build on our strengths - and create new ones.
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Confusing, dangerous intersections
to be improved
Let's face it, some Hillsdale intersections are so confusing they are dangerous.
The Portland Bureau of Transportation hopes to make three of the most puzzling more clear and safe in work expected to be completed before summer or fall.
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The intersection of Vermont and Capitol is one of the more dangerous in Hillsdale.
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Two of the most confusing intersections are on Terwilliger Parkway, in the three blocks north of Barbur Boulevard.
One is where Seventh Avenue slants up the hill in a shortcut to Wilson High and busy Vermont Street.
The other is where Chestnut seems to have two intersections at a blind curve on Terwilliger (see photos). The first intersection is actually a one-block-long, one-way section of Sixth Avenue.
The third project, where Vermont intersects Capitol Highway near The Mittleman Jewish Community Center, has resulted in the most accidents, says Kyle Chisek, Capital Projects manager with the Portland Bureau of Transportation.
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Marked crosswalks and a mid-street 'pedestrian refuge' are intended to make the Vermont/Capitol intersection safer.
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The 2013 to-do list includes other work near Hillsdale, most notably improvements on Vermont that provide pedestrian safety near Gabriel Park.
The cost of all the projects is approximately $2.2 million, with about half the total coming from the Bureau of Environmental Services, which is incorporating storm water management into the projects. The final figure will be known when bids come in later this month.
At the high-volume Vermont and Capitol intersection across from Mittleman, workers will install four storm water swales, a pedestrian refuge and marked crosswalks. The danger now often comes from Vermont drivers focusing left for a break in downhill traffic coming, but not seeing pedestrians and bicyclists who could be coming from other directions or be hidden behind shrubbery.
It is the site of frequent accidents, said Chisek who explained the projects at January's Hillsdale Neighborhood Association.
Chisek says improvements to the intersection will "provide some clarity for drivers and better visibility." It will also slow downhill traffic turning right onto Vermont from Capitol.
On Terwilliger, the Seventh Avenue up-hill cut-through also involves an often unnoticed intersection with Caldew Street. The project will square up intersections requiring motorists to slow down and even stop rather than swiftly merging. Storm water control will redirect some water off the street to prevent pooling.
Just to the north on Terwilliger, the changes at 6th and Chestnut will result in Sixth being two-way and left turns off of Terwilliger onto Chestnut being prohibited. The new configuration will create longer sight lines before motorists make the turn. A new crosswalk will be added on Terwilliger at Sixth and storm water improvements will be made.
At the HNA meeting, neighbors urged the Bureau of Transportation to install a sign at Vermont and Capitol and to encourage the Mittleman Jewish Community Center to provide an entry at the intersection. But Chisek said that until the Center decides to create a new entrance, a signal won't be considered.
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Shaun Vaniman (left) has bought Rob Flecker's practice.
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Veterinary clinic changes hands
Veterinarian Rob Flecker, who started the The Hillsdale Veterinary Group 10 years ago, has sold the animal clinic to veterinarian Shaun Vaniman.
Vaniman, who took over on January 1, has changed the clinic's name to the HIllsdale Veterinary Hospital. But the staff of nine will stay the same and Flecker will continue to work part-time while he pursues a master's degree in Public Health at OHSU.
Vaniman, a 2008 graduate of the Montana State's veterinary school, had been working at a clinic in Vancouver, but, in August, after two years' backpacking in Latin America, decided that he wanted to work for himself.
Vaniman, who is fluent in Spanish, said backpacking drew him to the people he met and led him to decide to become close to a community. He was drawn to Hillsdale by Hillsdale Veterinary Group's established clientele, he said. He had learned of the community because he had friend living in the apartments next to the clinic, which is located at 6359 Capitol Highway.
A visit to the pet hospital found the Vaniman busy with extra work resulting from his new ownership. "It's an exciting time of life, but it will take time to get plugged in," he said.
Flecker, in a letter to his clients, wrote of his desire to work on global health. "When 40 percent of the world's population lacks access to sanitation and clean water, and when the threat of climate change has growing impact on our ecosystems, the animals we share the planet with, and ourselves, I cannot continue to stand by idly and only wish to make an impact. I consider this my call for action."
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John Gould shares transportation ideas with neighbors.
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Transportation 'Summit' generates ideas for Hillsdale's future
Streets, and increasingly paths, bikeways and even sidewalks, are under-appreciated essentials of community life in Hillsdale.
But on Saturday, Jan. 12, a small group of community members gathered to consider how we might improve the ways we move around in Hillsdale.
The "Hillsdale Transportation Summit," convened by Glenn Bridger, transportation chair of the Hillsdale Neighborhood Association (HNA), was
a two-hour brainstorming session. Fifteen participants generated numerous ideas that will be forwarded to HNA's February 6 monthly meeting.
Bridger noted that no less than 11 improvement projects are already in the works in and near the neighborhood. Some are listed in the above story in this issue. Among the others are:
* The Red Electric Trail in Hillsdale (particularly a pedestrian bridge being designed for just west of the Bertha Viaduct)
* Improvements to California Street, which runs along the southern edge of the new Stephens Crossing (formerly Hillsdale Terrace) housing project.
* Construction of a two-block-long sidewalk on Sunset Boulevard north of the Library.
* Upgrading of two bridges on Barbur Boulevard (See the last issue of The Hillsdale News).
Some of the ideas presented at the summit have been proposed before, such as reconfiguring or "dieting" Capitol Highway in the Town Center to allow on-street parking and to reduce traffic lanes.
But some were new. There's need for a crosswalk on Dosch at the Bridlemile Street bus stop and a sidewalk on the steep slope on 30th that leads to the bus stop on Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway.
One idea was to institute an on-call Hillsdale shuttle/jitney that would also have bike racks. Bicyclists coming down out of the hills might appreciate a lift returning home. The Jitney might operate out of a small transit center/bike shop-café in Hillsdale, perhaps at the empty lot east of Baskin-Robbins.
The jitney might also shuttle between the Burlingame Fred Meyer on Barbur and the Town Center.
One idea was to provide distant parking for Tri-met park-and-riders and use the shuttle to connect the lots with bus stops.
To make walking safer, alternative "pedestrian ways" (like the current bike ways) might be designated. For instance, an alternative to walking on Sunset Boulevard is walking SW 19th that parallels Sunset but has far less motorized traffic.
Walking could also be encouraged by offering amenities such as drinking fountains, murals and underground utilities.
As the neighborhood association considers designating priorities from the list, Bridger explained that the city often changes its own priorities for projects but that safety issues, alleviating traffic congestion and storm water management frequently get top attention.
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Hunger still plagues many as
SW HOPE food drive begins anew
After six years, one would hope that there would no longer be need for SW HOPE: Feed the Hungry.
Sadly, that's not the case. So the seventh annual food drive will kick off Feb. 10.
The campaign brings together 72 faith and other community partners to collect food and funds in support of Neighborhood House's Emergency Food Box Program, the largest food pantry on Portland's west side.
This year the campaign has increased its goal to provide more help to the large number of families facing hunger in the fifth year of economic downturn.
Neighborhood House currently provides emergency food boxes to 450-500 families (or about 1,500 individuals) each month, up from about 320 before the recession. The demand for food assistance has remained steady this year, despite improvements in the economy.
This year's campaign, which runs to March 24, has set a goal of raising 175,000 pounds of food or the cash equivalent. It is more efficient to donate money as every $1 donation allows Neighborhood House to purchase five pounds of food at the Oregon Food Bank.
Local faith communities such as St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Congregation Neveh Shalom, Hillsdale Community Church, Muslim Educational Trust and more than 20 others in Southwest Portland, have signed on to address this critical need.
SW HOPE once again will place collection barrels at local businesses, community centers, and faith congregations. Food donations can be made at any of the faith locations displaying a SW HOPE banner.
Neighborhood House's food pantry is asking donors to prioritize the need for healthful, canned fruits and vegetables.
A complete list of community partners and participating congregations can be found at www.swhope.org. Donations, both food and monetary, can be made at Neighborhood House, located at 7780 SW Capitol Hwy., or online at www.swhope.org.
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Date Book
Tuesday, Jan. 22
Salvador Molly's donating to Rieke PTA
Salvador Molly's is donating 20 percent of its checks to Rieke Elementary School's PTA on January 22. For the rest of January, it is donating 10 percent if patrons share that they are from the Rieke community.
Saturday, Feb. 2
"Usual Suspects" clean up
9 a.m., meet at Food Front. The "suspects" meet the first Saturday of every month for a one-hour litter patrol of the town center. Good, cleaning fun. All are invited.
Wednesday, Feb. 6
Hillsdale Neighborhood Association to hear about Barbur bridge detours
Watershed meeting room, Bertha Court and Capitol Highway. 6:30 p.m. Chili cook-off with prizes. Meeting, 7 p.m. State transportation officials will describe work and traffic detours during construction on two Barbur Boulevard bridges. Also, report on Jan. 12 HNA transportation summit.
Sunday, Feb. 10
Wine about Winter
Held in tents next to the Portland Ballet dance studio and Hillsdale Pharmacy, the wine and food tasting will benefit Hillsdale Main Street. Twenty-five wineries will be represented and with wines paired to complementary food. Tickets are offered at two levels, $25 (standard) and $50 (VIP). VIP begins from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.; standard begins from 2:30 p.m. to 6:30. For move information, visit WEB SITE. Organized by Korkage wine bar and shop. |
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