04/10/2013
Water Fluoridation in Portland
There will be a special election on May 21st in Portland, and one of the measures we will be voting on is measure 26-151 – the Fluoridation of Portland's drinking water supply.
ALNA has been approached by both sides of this issue, and we encourage voters to inform themselves by visiting the sites of the the organizations both for and against fluoridation, listed below. Additionally, the League of Women Voters site is a great resource for information on this measure and others.
Clean Water Portland - Against FluoridationHealthy Kids, Healthy Portland - For Fluoridation
After researching this issue, the board of the Arbor Lodge Neighborhood Association has voted to endorse a "no" vote on this measure – but we encourage all of our neighbors to learn about the issue and vote as they see fit for themselves and their families.
04/08/2013
Coffee Hour and Crime Prevention: Two Events this Tuesday
Looks like tomorrow is two-fer Tuesday! At 10 am, join neighborhood moms and kids for neighborhood coffee hour at Cup, 7540 N Interstate. The coffee shop has a great basement area for kids to run around in and is glad to help bring neighbors together.
Later on, learn about resources and strategies for dealing with a recent spate of burglaries at the Kenton Precinct Station, 6:30pm.Our area's Crime Prevention Coordinator, Sara Hussein, will be on hand along with some Police to provide a training. Topics will include:
General overview of the City of Portland's Crime Prevention Program & how it works with the community and police
Overview of neighborhood watches & foot patrols. If a smaller group is interested in either of these, Sara can give a training to the smaller group in the near future.
How to detect and report suspicious activity
Logging suspicious activity
Calling 911 vs non-emergency
04/07/2013
April 24 - Proposed changes to leash/scoop laws
Changes are coming to the City's leash/scoop laws. See below for information from Ali Ryan, Dog Off-Leash Program Coordinator for Portland Parks and Recreation. Ms. Ryan is available to answer questions or speak with neighbors if need be.
Parks are valued by all Portlanders. To keep our parks safe, clean, and enjoyable for all visitors, Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) encourages leash/scoop law compliance through outreach and education, enforcement of leash and scoop laws, and providing legal off-leash areas throughout the city.
Though many dog owners are respectful park visitors, disregard for leash/scoop laws has become common. Currently, Portland City Code allows PP&R to issue warnings and exclusions for leash/scoop violations, with criminal trespass charges as the penalty after a repeat offender has received a warning and an exclusion.
Rising complaints from park users indicate that this strategy of warning, exclusion and trespass has limited effectiveness in encouraging some individuals to comply with leash/scoop laws. To increase our effectiveness, PP&R is proposing a change to city code that would decriminalize leash/scoop law violations. A citation and fine, rather than criminal charges, would be the penalty. PP&R would then have warnings, exclusions, and citations available as a full range of tools to encourage compliance.
The proposed code change was supported by PP&R’s Off-Leash Advisory Group, which recommended more effective enforcement tools, ongoing education efforts, and continuous dog park improvements as the best ways to increase compliance.
The code change must be approved by Portland City Council, and is expected to be heard at the April 24 council meeting.
04/02/2013
Update: April 2nd 2013
We still need 6 volunteers for the April 27th Clean Up!
Please help us raise money for the July 27th Movie in the Park, "E.T.". We still need 6 volunteers to split the earnings from this Clean Up. 4 volunteers slots need filling in the 9-12:30 time slot, 2 in the 12-3 time. If you have a pick up truck and can volunteer to also take either used tires to Les Schwab or building materials to the ReBuilding Center at 3 that would be super. Volunteers should contact ginger.edws@gmail.com directly to ensure your best time. Will it be messy? Yes! Will it be fun? Yes! Volunteers should wear long pants, sturdy shoes, a red shirt if possible, and bring gloves. Volunteering could involve directing traffic, lifting, minor sorting of recycling (to the correct bin). We'll feed you and thank you too. Come join the fun. Thanks, Ginger
03/30/2013
Concerns about airport noise? Resources here.
Port of Portland's Jerry Gerspach contacted us to share the following information about summer construction plans at the airport and how they will effect sound quality in our neighborhood:
Work is planned to reconstruct Taxiway C and repair the south runway this spring through fall at Portland International Airport (PDX).
Planned is the full reconstruction of the eastern portion of Taxiway C, which provides aircraft access to and from the south runway. The south runway repair will replace concrete that was damaged after a military jet’s tire failed, causing its landing gear to scrape the runway. Temporary repairs are already in place.
Taxiway C reconstruction work will run from April 1 through mid-October. Repairs are planned for the south runway from approximately April 15 to May 31, and again from August 16 to September 29. The runway will be open between June 1 and August 15 to help accommodate peak summer traffic.
While no major flight schedule delays are expected, airport neighbors should expect increased flights over some airport neighborhoods during the south runway closure. That’s because many aircraft that would normally use the south runway will temporarily use the north or crosswind runways.
In particular, the use of the crosswind runway will increase the number of flights over neighborhoods south of the airport. The crosswind runway use is necessary, because the north runway alone cannot accommodate all PDX flights when the south runway closes. Furthermore, the location of some airline operations on the south side of the airport will mean that the crosswind runway will see use by larger-than-usual passenger propeller aircraft.
If you have additional questions regarding this project don’t hesitate to contact us.
503.460.4100 (Noise Hotline)