Learn how to transform grapevines and evergreen cuttings into beautiful and festive wreaths for your door while supporting the Learning Gardens Laboratory (LGL). Learning Gardens Laboratory volunteers will teach you skills and share design tips to guide you through the wreath making process. No experience necessary!
Learn more and register on Eventbrite!
Congratulations to Mike Rowell, new principal of Lane Middle School. Previously, Mike was an assistant principal at Lane. He was also instrumental in securing our Safe Routes to School sidewalk infill grant in 2017.
Wednesday, February 6th, 2019, board members Chelsea Powers and Stephenie Frederick testified at City Council on behalf of accepting the intergovernmental agreement for the Safe Routes to School sidewalk infill grant. The motion passed with full support of the commissioners! Our thanks to the hard working folks at Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) for keeping this project moving through the lengthy process. Look for your neighborhood representatives after the 4:12:00 mark in the official City Council video linked below. To view the presentation given by PBOT in detail, click here.
From Foster-Powell Neighborhood Association:
Neighborhoods Without Walls: A Conversation on Houselessness
Date: Saturday, May 19th
Time: 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Location: St. Marks Lutheran Church, 5415 SE Powell Blvd
Registration required: Click here to register
Sisters of the Road, Right 2 Survive, and the Foster-Powell and Mt. Scott-Arleta Neighborhood Associations are collaborating to bring the community together for a community forum on May 19th. Attendees will learn about, and engage with, members of Portland’s houseless community to brainstorm ideas for solving community challenges relating to houselessness, and participate in discussions and exercises led by those with lived experience of housing displacement and survival outside.
Join us early for morning coffee. Doors open at 9:30 am.Program starts at 10:00 am. Refreshments will be served. Childcare and translation services are available with prior arrangement.
This event is made possible by a Neighborhood Small Grant from SE Uplift.
From Portland Bureau of Transportation:
PBOT announces $100,000 in community projects to fund safety, placemaking, innovation and equity
The Portland Bureau of Transportation is proud to announce the eleven projects that have been selected for the Portland in the Streets Community Grant Program. The program was established to support community-driven projects focused on transportation safety, equity, innovation and placemaking. Portlanders were especially encouraged to submit proposals for transportation safety projects in support of Vision Zero, creative community infrastructure projects, events in city streets, urban trail projects and initiatives that support innovative community engagement.
Sixty-three applications were submitted by Portland community and neighborhood groups requesting a total of $736,954. A total of $100,000 was available.
“As these projects clearly show, our communities are overflowing with creative ideas about how to improve their neighborhoods. We are very excited to be partnering on these projects, and we are already learning so much from the thoughtful and innovative ideas that Portlanders brought forward,” said Transportation Director Leah Treat. “I am gratified that we are able to help these communities realize their visions for safer and more attractive streets.”
Eleven grants were awarded to the following projects:
Bridlemile Walkway $3,368
This project will transform a walkway in the Bridlemile neighborhood of SW Portland. The walkway is used by neighbors to access area schools, bus stops and grocery stores and is a part of the SW Trails network.
“Dia de las Niñas y los Niños” Parade and Celebration $3,625
This community event is hosted annually by the Rigler Elementary School PTA to celebrate the Latin American holiday. This year’s event will include a Safe Routes to School theme and promote active transportation options for students and families in the Cully neighborhood.
Heritage Tree Trail $1,200
The University of Portland Neighborhood Association will use this project to promote the use of urban trails and neighborhood greenways, while also increasing awareness of the heritage trees network in their North Portland community.
Lents Green Ring Wayfinding Project $16,000
Green Lents and NAYA Generations, along with other community partners, will utilize these resources to engage community members on the development of a “Green Ring” in Southeast Portland. The “Green Ring” will promote active transportation, incorporate placemaking infrastructure and address safety concerns that have been a barrier to pedestrians and cyclists.
Living Cully Community Wayfinding Project $16,000
This project, led by Verde and Living Cully community partners, will complete a bilingual wayfinding system that will encourage pedestrian and bicycle access to six green spaces in the Cully community, including Thomas Cully Park scheduled to open in 2018.
NE 85th Street Community Greenspace and Intersection Repair $3,675
Neighbors in the Beech Milton community (near Madison High School) will utilize these funds to address pedestrian safety concerns and revive two intersection paintings, with a special focus on engaging diverse community members and local schools.
Painted Curb in Sullivan’s Gulch $8,550
This project seeks to address pedestrian safety concerns at the intersection of NE 21st Avenue and NE Clackamas Street. The rapidly growing Sullivan’s Gulch community has identified this as a problematic area for pedestrians seeking to access neighborhood grocery stores and transit.
Rosewood Center Parklet $9,785
The Rosewood Initiative will utilize these resources to facilitate the development of community identity markers and wayfinding signage that promotes the use of neighborhood greenways, highlights community spaces, and directs pedestrians to transit stops in Outer East Portland.
Safety Corridor for Deaf Children $16,000
Tucker Maxon School for the deaf will utilize these resources to address safety concerns near their school at SE Holgate and SE 28th. Their project vision includes speed bumps, maintenance of a gravel road and artistic placemaking.
ULPDX Williams Ave & Russell St Project $16,000
Led by the Urban League of Portland, and in partnership with Portland Community Reinvestment Initiative, this project will facilitate community beautification with the implementation of creative placemaking that celebrates the rich history of this intersection and community.
Urban Trails Maintenance and Construction in Southwest $5,500
SW Trails PDX will utilize these funds to improve community connectivity with an urban trail maintenance project of steps on SW Trail #1 from SW Twombly Ave to SW Melville Ave.
The Portland in the Streets Community Grant applications were due August 31, 2017. During the application period, eighty-two community members attended three informational workshops that provided more information and made staff available for technical questions. With the support of consults from Design + Culture Lab, there was also an intentional effort to solicit ideas from communities that have historically been underserved by City services and programming. Applications were scored for (1) project feasibility; (2) community partnerships and equity; (3) transportation and safety benefit; and (4) livability and community placemaking.
The selected projects will be supported by teams of PBOT staff across the bureau who will provide technical assistance informed by the priorities of the Livable Streets Strategy and Vision Zero, as well as other areas of PBOT work. PBOT will seek City Council authorization to continue the Portland in the Streets Community Grant Program in future years. The timeline for year two of the program has not yet been determined.
Project progress can be tracked on PBOT’s website and Facebook page.
Neighborhood Small Grants support projects that empower and involve community members to shape and create their neighborhoods. Are you interested in grants for our community? From now until January 8, 2018, interested parties can submit grants for funding ranging from $300-$4,000, with over $24,000 available total!
There will be two in person workshops on November 8th and November 18th. To register please click here! If you are unable to attend a workshop, they will also be hosting two online webinars for interested community members on November 16th and December 5th. To register for the November webinar please click here. For the December webinar please click here.
Applications are due by 4 PM on Monday, January 8, 2018. Applications can be submitted by email, mail, or dropped off at the SE Uplift Office. Email submission is preferred. For more information, visit Southeast Uplift’s website.
A mix of BDNA board members and neighbors collectively applied for a record five SE Uplift Small Neighborhood Grants in one grant cycle. Watch out, Portland. Brentwood-Darlington is on fire. We’re moving and shaking and asking for MONEY. We’re dreaming and visioning and planning and keeping our eyes on the prize: creating beauty and community in every corner of Brentwood-Darlington.
Meesa Long, BDNA board member, applied for a grant to put up banners with our name and logo in strategic places to create a sense of place and community and celebrate who and WHERE we are. Yes. We’re part of Portland. Meesa Long is no stranger to grant writing, as she’s our fearless sidewalk champion who’s gone to bat for Brentwood-Darlington to get us millions in regional flexible funding by working closely with PBOT. Stay tuned. We should know more about that grant status February 2nd. Fingers and toes crossed, please.
Kendall Palmer, long time BDNA board member and director of FEAST for Southeast, is also one of our fearless doers whose wanted to bring communication boards to BD for ever and probably a day. She wrote a grant so we can purchase community communication boards and place them in strategic places. Without a main street style business district and few gathering spaces in BD, we’ve been relying on the internet and word of mouth for announcing things to our beautiful community. And probably some have illegally stapled things to light poles. I’m not naming names. This would add so much beauty, better reach to all our neighbors, and support all the hard work so many of us put into events by ensuring people actually ATTEND! Good luck!
The Woodmere Multicultural Garden located at Woodmere Elementary on 78th and Duke is applying for a grant to help fund their Depave project, chunking up some of the asphalt and replacing it with soil, gardens, and so much more. They are BIG dreamers and doers. This is a project I’ve personally been advocating for since 2014 so I am thrilled and hope above hope they are selected. Thank you Chris Samples, Xeandra Wescott, and Erin Robertson, and Carrie Collenberg Gonzalez. Go Dolphins!
Neighbor Dunja Marcum wrote a grant for VIBE of Portland to create Second Saturday Community Arts days at the Moose Lodge. Creating space for all ages to enjoy crafting, painting, playing music, and sharing space together as a community. BD neighbors have been clamoring for opportunities like this. Since we don’t have access to our community center much, this will be a great way to be together, create, bond, and grow community. Good luck!
Neighbor Julie Reardon ( you may know her from her work with SPAQ) is applying for a grant to create a communication board for her neck of the woods in BD. We love the ingenuity of her plan and Julie’s tireless commitment to civic action.
On deck for future grants? A seriously beautiful gathering space where all are welcome…more mom and pop businesses….gorgeous affordable housing…our own version of the Portland Mercado…more culture….more music…more access….more equity….we’re dreaming and growing and searching for funding!
Keep dreaming, Brentwood-Darlingtonians. And when YOU ARE ready to bring your dream into reality, make a plan and get ‘er done! Way to go, team. And if you want to sponsor BDNA projects, these other great folks or in any way get involved, email us brentwood.darlington@gmail.com and we’ll happily connect!
Cheers,
Lesley L. McKinley
Chair
Brentwood-Darlington is in fierce competition for Regional Flexible Funding dollars for Safe Routes to Schools that would infill sidewalks from 52nd to 82nd on Duke and Flavel St. that lead to our three Title 1 schools serving 1,500 diverse, low income students as well as the Green Thumb Transitional School that serves students with disabilities. This would also create a Greenway on Ogden and Knapp, including much needed traffic calming, crosswalk creation and infrastructure in underfunded Brentwood-Darlington, home to 13,000 Portland residents. $3 million dollars would come from RFF funding with a matching $3 million from PBOT.
The sidewalks on Duke and Flavel are patchy, incomplete, and 8 months out the year, under water, forcing children, residents with mobility issues, and parents pushing strollers into the bike lane with oncoming traffic. TriMet users stand in the street or ankle deep puddles to wait for the bus on the only two major transportation lines in Brentwood-Darlington. Ogden and Knapp is another major pedestrian avenue for BD with no sidewalk from 52nd to 82nd, no safe crosswalks on 72nd or 82nd. If it became a greenway it would be the first of it’s kind in this area, connecting to the Springwater Corridor and to major points in Lents. Funding of both projects would improve the walkshed and bikeshed to new Lents town center and provide more pedestrian friendly paths in car dependent Brentwood-Darlington. There is currently only one grocery store in all of BD and it is located on Flavel.
Representative Kathleen Taylor, BDNA Chair Lesley McKinley, Vice Chair Chelsea Powers, BDNA board member and project champion Meesa Long, and Lane Vice Principal Mike Rowell all testifed at Metro Council last night along with many Brentwood-Darlington residents. They presented both written and oral testimony, visuals of the stark inequality in Brentwood-Darlington, and highlighted the extreme need in BD.
Currently, Woodmere, Whitman, Lane and the Green Thumb are activating their students and parents as well as teachers and admin support to lobby for these much needed improvements.
Public comment and input will weigh heavy in this process and your support is needed. Here are ways to reach out to Metro and be involved in the process:
Share comment by phone 503-797-1750 or TDD 503-797-1804
Email transportation@oregonmetro.gov
Letter to Metro Planning, 600 NE Grand Ave., Portland, OR 97232
Comment on map http://www.oregonmetro.gov/public-projects/regional-flexible-funding-transportation-projects
Brentwood-Darlington Neighborhood Association 