SMILE General Meeting – April 1, 2009 – Official Minutes
May 6th, 2009 by admin
S.M.I.L.E GENERAL MEETING
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 2008; SMILE STATION
http://sellwoodmoreland.org
or
http://sellwood.org
and
http://neighborhoodlink.com/portland/smile
Officers and Directors present: President Paul Notti, Vice President Teresa Pucik, and Secretary Eric Norberg; and Directors Eric Fox, Mike Pucik, Nancy Walsh, Teresa Dunbar, Philip Krain, and Dana Beck.
President Paul Notti called the meeting to order at 7:31 pm, noting the presence of a quorum. He began by introducing Officer Weber for the neighborhood crime report. There have been car prowls around the business district, he told us, plus a few burglaries and larcenies in the North end of Westmoreland. Crime is still down compared to a few months ago, though.
Officer Weber was asked by President Notti to research accidents on SE Tacoma Street lately. There have been four accidents in the last month three non-injury, and one involving a pedestrian struck at 13th. There was also an incident in which a bicyclist struck a passing car with a backpack, apparently disliking the way the car was being driven. The high-accident spots in our neighborhood include Milwaukie at Bybee, Bybee at 23rd, Tacoma at 13th, and 13th near the library, he told us.
President Notti then asked for a review of the minutes of the March 4th General Public Meeting, and asked for any corrections or omissions. With none noted, Philip Krain moved that they be accepted as submitted, and the motion was seconded by Barbara Barber. The motion passed on a voice vote with no “nays.”
Mark Lear and his colleague Greg Raisman [of PDOT] arose to present the final design proposal for the Spokane Bicycle Boulevard proposal. Paul Notti recapped the history of the project for the unusually large crowd of attendees present – it’s safety-oriented; and SMILE voted in support, and the project was funded by the City, last summer [summer 2008]. PDOT [Portland Department of Transportation] now requests SMILE endorsement of the final design after it is presented at this meeting.
Mark Lear of PDOT stated the goal of the Spokane Bicycle Boulevard project as reducing car volume to under 1,000 cars per day on Spokane Street and reducing traffic on Nehalem and Miller Streets as well. This should increase safety for pedestrians and bicyclists. He went on to detail other objectives of the plan, including speeding up bicycle commuting through the neighborhood and developing a replicable plan (including the “green” features) which would be usable elsewhere on similar projects throughout the City.
Lear said that a 20 mph speed limit is proposed for the business sections of SE 13th and SE 17th for pedestrian safety and he showed a diagram of the proposed project features.
An attendee asked about the plan’s effect on traffic t and from Oaks Amusement Park; the response was that this plan allows the street to handle high volumes at certain times – and providing for the Oaks traffic “is the key reason Spokane was designed for two-way traffic” in the proposed plan, while speeding is still being addressed.
An attendee asked about cut-through traffic trends on Spokane Street. The response was that the Tacoma Main Street Plan implementation had increased cut-through traffic on Spokane by 10% to 20%, raising interest in a traffic control plan there.
An attendee asked about truck traffic on Spokane. The response was that the proposed treatment will discourage through traffic by trucks, but trucks serving local businesses cannot be prohibited.
Mike Pucik said he was “concerned about the methodology” of the traffic survey cited earlier. Does the data really support the project? Mark Lear explained the recently-used methodology in the survey, which does provide details of before-and-after data, as presented tonight. Data prior to 2002 was not used in the survey, since it may not be comparable – although pre-2002 traffic counts were provided to attendees tonight as well.
An attendee asked about the planned stop sign placement at Spokane and 15th – to control North-South traffic, with a speed bump at the Community Center there to control East-West traffic. PDOT believes the proposed changes will better control traffic there. But Teresa Pucik then recommended 15th and Spokane should have a four-way stop sign configuration.
An attendee asked if the Spokane Street changes would have a negative effect on the nearby merchants. Paul Notti said he had visited a number of businesses at 13th and 17th near Spokane, and got a generally positive response, including a specific one from the proprietor of “Bertie Lou’s,” who was present and did not object to this characterization of his views.
At this point Ben Green, who identified himself as a Spokane Street resident, moved that the SMILE general membership endorse this project as requested. Jim Kaufman seconded the motion. A comment period followed, with President Notti seeking to enforce comment procedure according to Robert’s Rules of Order, which he had previously circulated to members of the Board.
Ben Green and Mike Gilbertson both spoke briefly in favor of the motion. Barbara Barber took the opportunity of inviting those interested in the subject to join the SMILE Transportation Committee, which she chairs. Richard Bloom said that he would like a four-way stop at 15th and Spokane, but he is enthusiastic about the proposed centerline curb on SE 13th to prevent cut-through traffic from crossing 13th on Spokane in violation of the posted signage, as is now all to common. Jeff Ryanhood said he likes the project, but has some concerns about changes in the stop sign placement. (Mark Lear said PDOT will monitor the project on an ongoing basis and make changes as needed.)
Mike Pucik said he considers the project to be “overkill,” and feels that bicycles should be directed to Umatilla Street, and that the “Sellwood Gap” in the Springwater Trail should be completed. “There’s way too much traffic calming” in this plan, he objected, and asked if the project could be built incrementally to test its success.
Erica Jayasoriya, who lives near SE 13th and Spokane, said that bike traffic had indeed increased sharply since the “Three Bridges” were completed over McLoughlin for the Springwater Trail, and she added that she is grateful for this [Spokane Street Bicycle Boulevard] process, and is “so glad it’s finally happening.” Jaime Holmes said that she believes the barrier at 13th to be “incredibly important,” and Ellis Street resident Dan Kaufman said he is excited about this project.
Lisa Marechal, not yet a resident in the neighborhood, likes four-way stops and hopes to see some. Eric Fox, a bicyclist, said he wants to travel at a constant speed on Spokane, and recommended notches in the speed bumps for the bikers to pass through. Mike Pucik concluded the comment period by asking those present for a “No” vote on the endorsement motion, to force more planning to occur.
The vote on the motion then took place – with raised hands, counted for an exact tally. The endorsement motion passed, by the following vote:
YES – 59
NO – 5
Paul Notti then thanked PDOT and the City of Portland for its “help and partnership” on this project. For those present, regardless of what their point of view was on this project, Notti said “I want to keep working with you.”
Dana Beck then arose to announce the planned April and May “First Friday” events planned for SMILE Station.
Lisa Marechal again arose, this time to discuss her hope to restore the original Sellwood Library building, located across from St. Agatha’s and currently zoned residential, although the property has never been a residence. She would like to get it listed on the National Historic Register, and hoped for neighborhood support for the idea. The estimate to do a home conversion there is $150,000.00 – and she said she faces $42,000.00 in fees to accomplish such a project. Paul Notti suggested she talk with Mat Millenbach, Chair of the SMILE Land Use Committee. He added that this sort of restoration project is the sort of thing that historically SMILE has been inclined to support.
Mat Millenbach next arose to discuss the list of projects considered by the Land Use Committee in the last month or two. (The list is incorporated into these minutes by reference.) He added that the highly-publicized “Portland Plan” project to prepare the City for future growth is currently on hold because of uncertainties in the City’s budget.
Tina Osterink, one of the Sellwood Bridge Citizen Task Force members from the neighborhood, stood to report on that project. Alternative D was indeed chosen, which follows the current bridge alignment, adding a West side intersection and pedestrian amenities. Both the Metro Council and the Portland City Council approved the plan at the end of March, but “it’s important to stay on their radar, and keep the priorities of the neighborhood at the forefront – especially the Tacoma Main Street Plan.” There will be public opportunities in 2010 for public input on type and design for the bridge; Phase I will stabilize the West end and build the South side of the new, wider bridge, while leaving the current span open for traffic. The next problem is the funding; the County has $20 million in hand, and our representatives in Washington DC are seeking Federal money. Paul Notti explained Ted Wheeler’s idea to generate the local needed seed money by changing the agreement with the City.
An attendee asked about paying for the new bridge with tolls; Barbara Barber said that was a non-starter with the County, since they believe all other bridges would then require tolling.
President Notti announced that the SMILE annual election will be at the May 6 General Public Meeting, and explained what positions will be open, and the nomination and voting procedure. The Nominating Committee was disclosed as consisting of Kevin Downing and Philip Krain, as well as Dana Beck, Mike Pucik, and Teresa Dunbar. None will be up for elections this year.
Philip Krain then arose to discuss proposed SMILE Bylaws changes to match new requirements by ONI. He described the necessary steps in order for the General Membership to approve them. He will leave the SE Uplift Board; an attendee identifying himself as Dan Wyllie expressed some interest in replacing him.
After several miscellaneous announcements from those present of upcoming events in the neighborhood, and with no other business on the agenda or proposed by those present, Eric Fox moved that the meeting be adjourned, and Mat Millenbach seconded the motion, which then carried without objection at 9:35 PM.