News from the President

Hi neighbors! Just a short update from me on what we’re talking about at the Sunnyside Neighborhood Association.

We had our monthly board meeting on Thursday, October 13th. This time we were much more successful hosting a hybrid in-person/virtual meeting, so we will continue to offer both options for our general and board meetings, allowing for as many neighbors to participate as possible. Much of the focus for the board was on this little newsletter that we always love to see on our front doorsteps every month! We heard, in detail, from our newsletter team about their process and how they put it together every month, from article submissions to getting it into your hands. We are looking for ways to improve and streamline the process to ensure its continued success.

Additionally, we had a presentation from our Land Use & Transportation Committee chair, Jamie Smith, about efforts by neighbors at 45th and Madison surrounding the tent camp behind the commercial building at 4511 SE Hawthorne. This camp has existed throughout the past several years, but tensions have increased recently. You may have seen the news reports (www.kptv.com/2022/09/15/multiple-cars-hit-by-man-throwing-rocks-his-bike-se-portland) regarding a possible resident of this camp throwing rocks at cars. Jamie reported that the building is currently being vacated and that the development company, Killian-Pacific, will be fencing off the property to the edge of the sidewalk on Madison to deter future encampments until they proceed with a project on the site. The camp was slated to be swept by Friday, October 14th.

Finally, I wanted to pass along notices about some grant opportunities. First, SE Uplift has opened applications for two grant programs: Community Small Grants and Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility Communication Grants. Applications are due by midnight November 22nd. Full details are available at www.seuplift.org/grants. Second, if you own a small business that has had broken windows or doors, graffiti, or other damage, you can apply for up to $10,000 in assistance from the city’s Local Small Business Repair Grants program. Details and the application can be found at www.prosperportland.us/portfolio-items/local-small-business-repair-reopening-grant.

We will be returning on November 10th at 7 PM for our next general meeting. We are still working on the agenda, but of interest is a new plan from PBOT to expand the greenway network in Sunnyside with additional North/South streets and traffic calming measures. If you have other topics you would like to discuss at this or other meetings, please reach out to us at [email protected].

Chris Waldmann

SNA President

Author: Chris Waldmann

SNA President