Bus #15 – TriMet Letter
For community members concerned about the loss of #15 bus service on NW Thurman, please read the attached letter from Neil McFarlane, TriMet General Manager, describing measures that are being taken to restore partial service.
TriMet Letter – 15 Line – August 25, 2010
TriMet Meeting – Thur, Aug. 26
On Friday, August 13, TriMet discontinued Line 15 bus service from NW 23rd Avenue along NW Thurman to the intersection of NW Thurman and Gordon. TriMet will hold a meeting this Thursday, August 26, 2010, from 5 to 7 pm at Friendly House (1737 NW 26th Avenue) to provide information to riders and community members about the sudden decision and to discuss options for alternatives that would mitigate the loss of service.
This is a TriMet meeting, not an NWDA meeting, but members of the NWDA Transportation will attend the meeting to participate as appropriate. The next meeting of the NWDA Transportation Committee will be held Wednesday, September 1, from 6 to 8 pm at the NW Neighborhood Cultural Center – Room TBD.
Quoting from TriMet’s website:
TriMet recently discontinued Line 15 bus service from NW 23rd Avenue along NW Thurman to the intersection of NW Thurman and Gordon. This abrupt change was made in response to the agency’s comprehensive safety review. On Friday, August 13, TriMet was informed by the Transit Police Division that by making operators reverse the bus in the intersection of N.W. Gordon and N.W. Thurman, we were requiring them to make a maneuver that is unsafe and illegal. Once this became clear, TriMet determined that the appropriate decision was to adjust the route to eliminate the illegal movement.
TriMet deeply regrets the lack of notice given to the riders of the Line 15 when the service on Thurman was discontinued. Due to the heightened sensitivity about safety, our staff took immediate action to correct an unsafe situation. Our normal procedures call for public notice. In this case normal procedures were not followed and for this we are very sorry.
TriMet is exploring options for alternatives that would mitigate the loss of service. This includes a review of the Thurman/Gordon intersection with the City of Portland traffic engineer and the Transit Police Division to see if there are safety mitigations which would allow the route to return. As an alternative, TriMet has mapped out other routing possibilities for this portion of Line 15.
TriMet will host an Open House on Thursday, August 26th at Friendly House to talk to riders and neighbors about alternatives. Friendly House in located at 1737 NW 26th Avenue (corner of NW 26th & Thurman). The Open House will provide an opportunity to get information about why this decision was made and to provide feedback on the options being considered.
S&L Meeting – Mon. Aug 23
The first meeting of the new NWDA Safety and Livability Committee will be held at 10 am. on Monday, August 23, at World Cup Coffee & Tea on NW Glisan. Committee Chair Tanya March and NWDA President Ron Walters will lead a discussion regarding Committee priorities, members, and developing a formal workplan. Please join us.
Board Meeting Reminder
The NWDA Board will meet Monday, August 16 at 6 PM. The meeting will be held in the Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Building #2, 2nd Floor Conference Room, at 1040 NW 22nd Avenue, directly across from Good Samaritan Hospital between Lovejoy and Marshall Streets. The meeting agenda will be finalized and posted shortly. The meeting is public and all interested parties are encouraged to attend.
NWDA H & E Minutes
8.9.10 Minutes, NWDA H & E Committee
Present: Bob Amundson, Bob L., Mitch Ritter, Caroline Skinner, Mary Ann Pastene, Allan Classen (Examiner) Sharon Genasci
First, we discussed the Esco bag house failure from July 9th to 19th when all the bags had been replaced. We received 13 odor complaints during that period, all for Esco, but one was for fuel odors. Since that address also gets Esco odors, the two may have been combined here. It was a distressing time for those who complained, and some who didn’t (at least one person has stopped complaining, as she says the odor continues every day). (Esco pdf attached below)
Bob L discussed possible changes to odor complaints, sending them to Esco, as well as to H & E Chairman and ODEQ. This was agreed as a good idea, as it would provide more data for Esco about their impact on the neighborhood. For example, in the recent ERM report commissioned by Esco to look into their air emissions, they cited 107 complaints on record against Esco emissions. We have nearly 850 complaints since 2004, and 65 per cent are for Esco odors.
Bob mentioned also his meeting with Ron Walters about possible changes to the NWDA website and the H & E section. This is currently under consideration.
Caroline reminded the group about the small fliers with our website, which she is currently handing out again to neighbors.
There was some discussion about new procedures for the committee regarding the new NWDA Board and President.
Sharon informed the committee of the current status of the DEQ RFP for an independent audit at Esco. The search has closed, and DEQ is in the process of selecting an auditor.
The group spent some time discussing the new report by ERM, an engineering firm hired by Esco to analyze the processes in the plant for their air emissions and to make suggestions for reductions in air pollution. There will be a follow up meeting between ERM, the neighbors’ representatives and DEQ on September 20th. The H & E Committee will be represented by Dr. Robert Amundson, Bob Holmstrom and Sharon Genasci.
Sharon Genasci, Chair, NWDA H & E Committee
NW Wilson Sewer Rehab
Residents between NW 28th Place and NW 33rd Avenue and NW Upshur and NW St. Helens Road should be aware that the NW Wilson Sewer Rehabilitation project is scheduled to begin late this summer. Construction will not occur at all locations at all times but there will be significant impacts to the surrounding community.
There will be some 24-hour construction on weekends at the NW Nicolai and NW 29th intersection. Parking will be prohibited in some work zones during work hours. Some streets will close to through traffic during work hours. Residents may experience delays getting to their home or business. Equipment and material will be secured on the street after work hours.
If you have questions or concerns project, please visit www.portlandonline.com or contact Joe Annett with Environmental Services at 503-823-2934 or joseph.annett@portlandoregon.gov.
Second Saturday Clean-Ups
Join your neighbors and local businesses this Saturday from 9 to 10 AM to help pick up litter in the Northwest District. Saturday, August 14, marks the kick-off of Second Saturday South, an expansion of the popular monthly clean-up that meets at Food Front. In addition to Food Front, volunteers can also meet at Umpqua Bank on NW 23rd.
The goal of this event is to get to know your neighbors and to make the Northwest District neighborhood a nicer placer to live, work, visit, and shop. Coffee and pastries will be provided by Food Front and Umpqua Bank. Clean-up supplies are provided by SOLV (www.solv.org). Dumpster space is provided by Food Front and Trader Joe’s.
For more information, contact Alison Wallisch at alison@nwnw.org or 503-823-4265.
Slabtown Meeting – Aug. 9, 2010
The next meeting of the NWDA Slabtown Committee will be held Monday, August 9th, in the Legacy Good Sam Northrup Building first floor conference room at 2282 NW Northrup Street, near the corner of NW 23rd Avenue, from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm. The meeting agenda is to review progress on the Slabtown Urban Design Concept. This is a Committee meeting, not a Community Workshop, but the meeting is public and all interested parties are encouraged to attend.
Slabtown Design Concept
The current draft of the Slabtown Design Concept was presented at Slabtown Community Workshop #5 on Wednesday, July 28. Community members asked questions and made suggestions on revisions to the plans. You may download a PDF copy of the presentation and design concept here:
slabtown workshop 5 (7.5 Mb)
The Slabtown Committee will continue to revise and enhance the Slabtown Urban Design Concept during the month of August. The Committee welcomes input from all interested parties. Comments may be submitted on the NWDA website or may be emailed to Slabtown Committee co-chairs Don Genasci (dgenasci@spiritone.com) or Ron Walters (ronaldjwalters@hotmail.com) or Don
Committee meetings are public and everyone is welcome. The next Slabtown Committee meetings will be held Mondays, August 9 and August 23, from 5:30 to 7:00 pm at the Good Sam Northrup Building first floor conference room.
Slabtown Workshop #5
The NWDA Slabtown Committee is leading a public, community-driven urban planning and placemaking process to develop a design concept for the Slabtown area of Northwest Portland.
The next Slabtown Community Workshop will be held Wednesday, July 28th from 6 to 8 pm at the CoHo Theater (2257 NW Raleigh Street).
Workshop No. 5 will begin with a slide presentation of a draft design concept based on principles drawn from the Northwest District Plan, previous Slabtown workshops, the Slabtown survey, and other planning documents. In this open-house format workshop, attendees will be invited to view and comment on masterplan maps and conceptual drawings of potential buildings, parks, squares, green streets, and other public spaces. The Workshop will conclude with a moderated discussion of attendees’ questions, ideas, preferences, and comments.
The Slabtown Plan workshops are open to the public and all interested parties are encouraged to attend. Additionally, the Slabtown Committee will meet on Monday, July 26 (from 5:30 to 7:00 pm in the Legacy Northrup Building first floor conference room at 2282 NW Northrup Avenue) to review progress on the Design Concept. All interested parties are welcome.
