Author: Chris Waldmann

News from the President

Hi Sunnyside! Winter is almost over, the flowers are starting to bloom and, if you are like my father-in-law, it’s time to get out into your gardens to start planting those peas! The change in weather also means it’s time to start planning some summer fun around the neighborhood. There are a couple of great opportunities to help beautify our little neighborhood in the coming months. In May, the pedestrian plaza at 37th and Hawthorne will open and we are going to need help making it a beautiful place to hang out, including street painting, set up, and working on programming. We are also, belatedly, going to repaint the Piazza at 32nd & Yamhill, probably in June. If you are interested in getting involved, please reach out to me at [email protected].

Please join us on Wednesday, March 12th for a special meeting of the Sunnyside Neighborhood Association. For the first time, we will have all three of our district councillors with us to talk about the budget process and their priorities for the new city council. There will be plenty of time to answer neighbors’ questions and interact with our elected representatives. Join us at 7 p.m. at SE Uplift (3534 SE Main St) or online!

I’d like to extend a couple of welcomes to new participants in our community. First, welcome to Dennis Behrens as our newest Board member and treasurer. Dennis recently moved back to Portland after years in northern California, where he worked in finance for numerous organizations – private, public and nonprofit. We’re excited to have Dennis’ experience as we revamp our processes into a more sustainable form. Second, welcome to Ritual Beauty Collective as a new newsletter sponsor. Thank you RBC for supporting your local neighborhood! If you are interested in promoting your business or event to all of Sunnyside through a tax-deductible newsletter sponsorship, please contact me!

Finally, the SNA will be holding its annual Board elections at our May General meeting. It is a wonderful way to get involved, meet new neighbors and make a difference where you live and/or work. I can testify as to how enriched I have felt from my involvement with the SNA and I hope to remain involved for years to come.

That’s it for now. Hopefully we will see you on March 12th for our discussion with Councillors Koyama Lane, Morillo and Novick.

February 12th, 2025 SNA Board Meeting

The SNA’s December Board Meeting will be held Wednesday, February 12th, at 7:00pm.

Meeting is open to the public, but please note that this is a board meeting and may provide limited opportunity for community input.

Meeting Agenda. Times are approximate. Agenda items are subject to change.

This meeting will be held in person at SE Uplift (3534 SE Main St, Portland, OR 97214) and virtually at https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85776168096?pwd=dTU3V0wycWZxTmhSVGNjNjJxdjNldz09

 

News from the President

Happy February Sunnyside! February is always, to me, the ickiest month. Cold and rainy and still dark. But, the first blooms of spring are popping up, too, so it’s a reminder that bright, warm days are just over the horizon!

In January, at the last General Meeting, we heard from members about their priorities for the new city government to tackle in the coming year. We used the SE Uplift District 3 Community Priorities survey as a tool to foster conversation about the issues facing our great city and its most amazing neighborhood, Sunnyside. There’s a lot we want to see, none of which will probably surprise you, from traffic calming to an increase in affordable housing to improved parks and recreation opportunities. Of course, all of these wonderful things will cost the government (us) money. As we recently learned, the projected Portland government shortfall is approaching $100 million for the coming year due to a number of factors, including declining tax revenue, the ending of COVID-related programs from the federal government and increased costs for services. The City Administrator, Michael Jordan, released a memo outlining potential cuts needed to balance the budget. Read the memo at www.portland.gov/mayor/keith-wilson/documents/01172025-budget-memo-0/download.  It is obvious that our new mayor and city council will have to make some tough choices. But they can’t act in a silo and that’s where we, the people, come in. We must make our voices heard by those who control the levers.

So, my column this month is a call to action for everyone in the neighborhood. The council will start budget hearings in the coming weeks and must pass a new, balanced budget by June. Stay informed about potential cuts to programs you rely on. Call and write to our three new council members. The new district-based council should be responsive to citizen voices and remember, District 3 members are all up for re-election in less than two years. Both Tiffany Koyama Lane, as council vice-chair, and Steve Novick, as finance vice-chair, will have real influence over this process. Visit www.portland.gov/council/districts/3 to submit comments to our councillors.

I promise you that the SNA will be participating in this process too. And make sure you join us for our next General Meeting in March, when we hope to have one or more of our councillors on hand to answer your questions and hear from you directly.

January 8, 2025 SNA General Meeting

The SNA’s January General Meeting will be held Wednesday, January 8, 2025, at 7:00pm.

This month we will be focusing on neighborhood and District 3 priorities for the coming year with the SE Uplift District 3 Community Priorities survey as our guide. Bring your hopes, dreams and opinions!

Meeting is open to the public, but please note that this is a board meeting and may provide limited opportunity for community input.

Meeting Agenda. Times are approximate. Agenda items are subject to change.

This meeting will be held in person at SE Uplift (3534 SE Main St, Portland, OR 97214) and virtually at https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85776168096?pwd=dTU3V0wycWZxTmhSVGNjNjJxdjNldz09

 

News from the President

Happy New Year Sunnyside! I don’t know about you, but I am excited to put 2024 in the rearview mirror and look forward to new challenges in 2025! On that note, the biggest change in Portland is that, after years of preparation, our whole new government structure is in place and getting down to work! The new district-based council should offer many more opportunities to interact with our elected legislators to let them know about the issues we care about and the potential policies that the community think are appropriate to address them. So please continue to join us for our bi-monthly meetings and join our committees on Land Use (LUTC) and the Community Care Committee (SNACC). On to the news….

Continuing the theme of community engagement, the Sunnyside NA has
teamed up with other District 3 neighborhoods and community-based
groups in the Southeast Uplift Neighborhood Coalition to gather your input on a range of civic matters related to community safety, housing, transportation, land use, the environment, and economic development. The results of this survey will be shared with our three newly-elected City Council members (Tiffany Koyama Lane, Angelita Morillo and Steve Novick) to inform their policy-making efforts. Take the survey at tinyurl.com/2uhhaub3 by January 31st. The SNA will  discuss our priorities during our January General Meeting as well!

Here’s some good news– our own Sunnyside Shower Project (SSP) just received a $40,000 grant from the Oregon Community Foundation to help with the work the team does with our homeless community! The SSP is hiring its first two paid staff members – a Project Director and a Volunteer Coordinator. With the new Project Director coming on board, founder (and SNA VP) Hannah Wallace will be taking a step back from the day-to-day SSP leadership. This project has come a long way since Hannah conceived of it during the height of the pandemic in 2021. Congratulations to Hannah, Diana and our entire SSP team!

Looking for a way to get involved with the SNA? Interested in helping us manage our meager budget? Have some basic math skills? We’re looking for a new treasurer! We are currently transitioning to a new model to take much of the burden off this important position, but we still need help to keep track of balances, request reimbursements and create our state filings. It is about a 1-2 hour per week commitment plus attendance at monthly board meetings, with the term up for reappointment this summer. It’s a great opportunity to meet new friends and be involved in your neighborhood! If you’re interested, please reach out to me at [email protected].

Finally, if you don’t want to help manage our budget, how about contributing to it? You can make your tax-deductible contribution today to the SNA at secure.givelively.org/donate/southeast-uplift-neighborhood-program-inc/sunnyside-neighborhood-association!