SMILE - Sellwood-Moreland Improvement League » paul

13th and Tacoma – New Signal – Safety – requires button pushing

paul — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 01:43:45 +0000

Neighbors, there exists a new pedestrian signal at 13th and Tacoma. It is designed for safety and is identified as a Leading Pedestrian Interval signal. When the ped button is pushed and the signal changes, the pedestrian signal goes to the walk icon prior to the light changing to green. This allows several seconds of time (3 currently, we are seeking longer) for pedestrians to walk prior to cars getting a green light to proceed. This is designed to allow pedestrians to enter the cross walk and be more visible prior to cars having opportunity to turn left through the crosswalk.

THIS SAFETY TOOL REQUIRES PRESSING THE PEDESTRIAN BUTTON to activate. Otherwise there will be no leading pedestrian interval prior to traffic light changing.

Please continue to use maximum caution, especially for children. As always do not cross until it is safe to do so.

Please let us know whether you would like the leading pedestrian interval to be longer. PBOT is investigating it and we are pushing for a slightly longer interval.

Please come to SMILE General Meetings the first Wednesday of the month to stay in touch will neighborhood efforts to improve safety and livability.

Sellwood Bridge GroundBreaking Ceremony Friday 12/16 10:00am

paul — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 21:22:04 +0000

Neighbors, please join Multnomah County, Mayor Sam Adams, Commissioner Deborah Kafoury and others for the groundbreaking ceremony of the NEW Sellwood Bridge. Details below

Friday, December 16 at 10 – 10:30 a.m.
Sellwood Riverfront Park,
SE Spokane St. and SE Oaks Park Way

Parking is available at the park and at a nearby overflow lot. Questions? Call 503-988-6804, emailinfo@sellwoodbridge.org.

Sellwood Bridge Public Meeting Monday May 23 6pm SMILE Station

paul — Mon, 23 May 2011 15:30:20 +0000

The Sellwood Bridge Project is now in the final design phase. Consultant teams have been selected to design and build the new bridge. A construction plan is being developed because field work could begin as early as this December.  The construction plan will address issues of interest to the community, such as work hours and noise limits. It will also ensure that people have easy access to construction information.  Do you have a Sellwood Bridge construction issue or question? Join members of the project team at a meeting on:

Monday, May 23, 6 – 8 pm

SMILE Station, 8210 SE 13^th Avenue (at SE Tenino)

The meeting will include a project update, introduction of the contractor, and a dialog about construction issues. The goal is to identify issues important to the community. A public meeting will be held later this year to share the construction plan.

Can’t attend? Send your construction comment or question to comment@sellwoodbridge.org or call 503-988-6804. For more information, visit www.sellwoodbridge.org.

Sellwood Bridge Update – Potential Faster Design Discussed – SMILE General Meeting April 6th

paul — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 12:23:40 +0000

Please join the Sellwood Moreland Improvement League General Meeting April 6th at 730pm at the SMILE Station to learn about Multnomah County’s proposed “Shoo Fly” design, which is purported to accomplish several things, including:

1. Reduce the time to build the new Sellwood Bridge by 6-9 months

2. Increase safety during construction for automobiles travelling, by eliminating the onramp / off ramp weaknesses in the current bridge

3. Save approximately $10M

One area of concern is impact to the residents on the east side river. Another is potential closures.

Please attend and provide feedback to your board.

Sellwood Bridge Update – Sept 14, 2010

paul — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 21:07:00 +0000

Sellwood Bridge Update (September 2010)

And the winning bridge is….well, not quite yet, but the time is close for the Community Advisory Committee (CAC) to recommend a bridge design. There are six primary bridge designs on the table; with steel and concrete variations, there are 12 options total. The CAC will consider the following in its decision: public comment provided through the summer online survey and open house, as well as at CAC meetings; technical criteria evaluated by project staff (such as cost, maintainability, and others); and aesthetic and user experience criteria evaluated by the CAC. All materials can be found at www.sellwoodbridge.org

Here’s a brief rundown of what’s happened recently, what’s happening next, how you can be involved, and what you need to know.

What’s Happening Next:

WEDNESDAY, September 15, CAC MEETING, 5:30, EASTER SEALS BUILDING, 5757 SW Macadam Avenue.NOTE THE CHANGE IN DAY AND LOCATION. The CAC will discuss how it scored the bridges on aesthetic and user experience criteria and then complete a second round of scoring. The preliminary, round-one aesthetic/user experience scoring clearly showed that the bridges fall into three tiers: 1. Arches, 2. Girders/delta frame, 3: extradosed and through arches. However, when those scores are combined with the technical scores, the draft rankings include a spread of 21 points between the #1 and the #5. This is just one factor the CAC will consider when making its recommendation. The CAC will also receive staff updates on stormwater treatments in the project area and the westside interchange with Highway 43. Although it’s getting close, the CAC cannot make its final recommendation to the elected officials (PSC) until the federal government approves the project’s Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS). The FEIS recommended a preferred alternative (D) that identified the location, cross section and interchange type for the replacement bridge. A Record of Decision by the Federal Highway Administration is expected this month. After federal approval, the bridge type selection can be made and final engineering design can begin.

What You Need to Know:

-The public survey and the open house ranked the tied arch, deck arch and box girder as the preferred designs. The Tied Arch received the most overall votes, and the girder received the most #1 votes. This is one factor the CAC will consider in its decision, as well as public comment received at CAC meetings; technical evaluations by project staff (such as cost, maintainability, and others); and aesthetic and user experience criteria evaluated by the CAC.

-The preliminary, round-one aesthetic/user experience scoring clearly showed that the bridges fall into three tiers: 1. Arches, 2. Girders/delta frame, 3: extradosed and through arches. When those scores are combined with the technical scores, there is only a minimal point difference between the #1 (Concrete Box Girder) and the #5 (Steel Box Girder), with Steel Deck Arch, Fabricated Steel Plate Girder and Steel Deck Tied Arch rounding out the top 5. Note that 3 of the top 5 are box-girder-style bridges. This is just one factor the CAC will consider when making its recommendation and may change after the Sept. 15 meeting.

-Costs. The preliminary estimates show that the through-arches and extradosed options far exceed the $170 million bridge cost target. The remaining options stack up like this: Tied arches are hover slightly above the $170, deck arches slightly under, and the box girders come in between $153-165, depending on material. However, it’s unclear at this time if those estimates reflect a bare-bones design or one with amenities or necessities, such as appropriate lighting, traffic calming, and a higher level of design (such as more detailed concrete forms or pedestrian/bicyclist observation areas, cycle tracks, etc.). Keeping in mind the $170 million target, what will we get for each bridge type? How much budget remains for these “necessities” that will help promote the bridge’s safety and integration into a neighborhood and Tacoma Street? Will those funds continue with the project and not be “value engineered” down the line? The specifics (individual costs, etc.) of amenities/necessities will not be addressed in this CAC phase; however, it is important to consider their overall inclusion in the CAC’s recommendation.

-Westside interchange. Lots and lots of discussion/questions on this issue; we expect to hear more history and technical details at the next meeting. If you’re new to the process, the westside interchange is four lanes and requires a rock cut up to 80 feet high in places. The rock cut will expose basalt and use pins to stabilize it throughout. The total west side interchange, including the rock cut, is estimated at $130 million. The SMILE board also has advocated that the CAC continue to look at opportunities to reduce the size and cost of this interchange.

-The SMILE Board unanimously approved a letter to the CAC and copied it to the Public Stakeholder Group (our elected officials and decision makers). It was submitted for the CAC’s Aug. 23 meeting. The letter said the bridge design selected should fit with the neighborhood, promote safety on bridge and beyond into the neighborhood (including being consistent with – and providing funds for finishing – the Tacoma Main Street Plan), provide a “gateway” feeling, continue to look at opportunities to reduce the size and cost of the westside interchange, and clearly commit funds for amenities on the bridge (such as traffic calming and safety features, design details, lighting, art etc.).

-The project’s Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) has been released and comments were due back by Sept. 7. You can find it at http://www.sellwoodbridge.org/FEISdownload.aspx

Recent Meetings:

Monday, August 30, CAC Meeting. The CAC met to score each bridge type on aesthetic and user experience criteria: specifically, how each type responds to site conditions, its impact on the landscape and surroundings, and its use of materials. The preliminary, round-one aesthetic/user experience scoring (which will be revisited at the Sept. 15 meeting) clearly showed that the bridges fall into three tiers: 1. Arches, 2. Girders/delta frame, 3: extradosed and through arches. This is consistent with the public open house and online survey results, which were introduced at the meeting. The public online survey ranked the tied arch, deck arch and box girder as the preferred designs.

Monday, August 23, CAC Meeting. This meeting focused on the rock cut required on the bridge west side. This rock cut could be as much as 80 feet high in places, and will expose basalt and use pins to stabilize it throughout. The total west side interchange, including the rock cut, is estimated at $130 million. Regarding the rock cut, the CAC advised keeping the rock surfaces natural, exploring alternatives to sprayed on “shotcrete”, trying to re-vegetate the top layer of soil, and minimizing the necessary cut as much as possible. The SMILE board also has advocated that the CAC continue to look at opportunities to reduce the size and cost of this interchange (see next point below). The group also received the results of the technical criteria scoring. All these materials can be found at http://www.sellwoodbridge.org/CommitteeMeetings.aspx.

How You Can Be Involved:

If you have thoughts regarding the primary bridge types, the westside interchange, or the issues of funding necessities (amenities), make them known! Come to the Sept. 15 meeting. There is always public comment at the beginning of the meeting. This is a key meeting, as the CAC will be making its final recommendation very soon. Now is the time to make your comments! You can also use the meeting’s public comment time to raise other issues or make other comments as well.

Transportation Committee Meeting – 7/21/2010 6:30pm

paul — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 15:02:42 +0000

Neighbors and Committee Members

Please join us for the SMILE Transportation Committtee Meeting, 6:30 on July 21st at the SMILE Station. Specific topics include:

1. Trimet Lightrail Project

2. Bike Path Closure and alternate route – SE 19th Ave Bike Blvd

3. Bike Master Plan

4. 13th and Tacoma Signalization Update

5. Sellwood Bridge

Board Election Candidates

paul — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 00:56:57 +0000

Neighbors, the board elections will be held Wednesday eve 730 during the SMILE Annual Meeting (General Meeting 1x per year), the first Wednesday in May, at the SMILE station.

Positions open: Officers

President

Vice President

Treasurer

Secretary

Positions Open: At large Board Members

4 positions

Candidates thus far

President – Eric Fox

Vice President – Tina Osterink

Secretary – Eric Norber

Treasurer – Pat Hainley

At Large Candidates who have announced so far

Dana Beck, Incumbent

Jim Friscia, Incumbent

Mike Pucik, Incumbent

Paul Notti

Eric Miller

Sean Murray

Todd Alstead

++++++++++++

If you wish to nominate someone, including yourself, please attend the meeting. Otherwise, please attend the meeting and VOTE. and bring your neighbors too, please. We are a neighborhood organization – all of our work is volunteer. thanks

SE Portland Plan Phase 2 – April 26 6:30p.

paul — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 02:05:16 +0000

The Southeast Portland Plan Phase Two workshop is coming up soon. The workshop is on April 26th from 6:30 to 9:00 PM at Central Catholic High School, 2401 SE Stark Street. Yhis is a good opportunity to help shape the future of Portland.
For additional information, please contact:

Matt Wickstrom

Southeast District Liaison

City of Portland, Bureau of Planning and Sustainability

503-823-2834

matt.wickstrom@ci.portland.or.us

Board Agenda 4-21-2010

paul — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 04:34:42 +0000

The SMILE board will conduct its monthly meeting on April 21, 2010 at 7:30p.

Agenda Items include:

7:30 Pass the Minutes

7:40 Parks, Sundae in the Park Electrical with Portland Parks (Dana)

7:55 Golf Links Park and Margaret Branson (Dana)

8:05 SMILE Business Development Corporation (Pat)

8:15 Additional Items

SMILE Elections May 5, 2010; Annual Meeting

paul — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 04:13:12 +0000

The Sellwood Moreland Improvement League (SMILE) will be conducting elections at the Annual Meeting, May 5, 2010, beginning at 7:30pm.

The neighborhood will elect the following:

All officers, President, Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary

4 At Large Board Members

If you are interested in running for a position or in nominating another neighbor, please plan on attending. There will be a last call for nominations by 7:45pm.