SNA July Notes and August Plans

Board Election Results, Hybrid Meetings Starting in September

The Annual SNA Board Election was held as planned on July 8th, in the Southeast Uplift parking lot at 3435 SE Main St. The candidate pool was strong and competitive, with many more excellent candidates than open positions. Please keep in mind that you can fully participate in SNA efforts without joining the Board.

Andria Robbins was elected for one year, finishing the term for Board position 5.  Matt Lembo, Hannah Wallace, Vincent Dawans, and Ben Wyatt were elected to two-year terms for Board positions 6-9. Sincere thanks to departing Board members Christy Portman, K.C. Hoffert, and Lorraine Henriques.  We hope to still see a lot of you at SNA meetings and events. Welcome new Board members Andria, Ben, and Hannah. As always, thanks to returning members Matt and Vincent.

A big shout-out of appreciation is due to Matchu Williams, SEUL Neighborhood Association Liaison, for conducting the election and tallying results.

Beginning in September we hope to hold the General SNA meetings both in person at 3534 SE Main St. (SEUL) and online via Zoom.

The officers, chosen by the board, will be announced next month.

SNA June Notes and July Plans

Childswork, Rotary, Endorsement Policy

Several neighbors who live close to St. Stephen Catholic Church discussed the church’s decision to evict Childswork Learning Center, which was announced via a flyer. Expressing their high regard for Childswork, these neighbors sought assistance from SNA in contacting the church leadership. Several Board members will follow up. Outreach to churches and other neighborhood organizations is an important aspect of the SNA mission.

Christie Quinn, from the Southeast Portland Rotary Club, talked about opportunities to partner with SNA. The Rotary has a great tradition, especially in furthering education. I hope that we can cook something up.

The Board discussed creating a more formal policy regarding how and what to endorse. Various neighbors and organizations often ask the SNA to endorse a policy or action. Sometimes it involves a complex issue and/or a controversial position. SNA has no legal authority but we would like our endorsements to be both thoughtful and credible. There seemed to be agreement that the SNA should only consider issues directly relevant to the neighborhood, proposals should be in writing, and discussion should span at least two general meetings. There is some disagreement regarding the extent to which endorsements should reflect general neighborhood opinion and controversial topics. We would love to hear your thoughts.

Reminder: The July 8th Board meeting will largely be taken up with the annual Board Election. We will meet at 7 p.m. outside SE Uplift (3534 SE Main) both masked and physically distanced. Our Zoom meetings will resume in August.

SNA Annual Board Election July 8th [Reminder]

The Annual Election for SNA Board members will be held July 8, 2021 at 7 p.m. Like last year, we will be outside SE Uplift (3534 SE Main St.), both masked and physically distanced. Board terms are 2 years, with about half the seats open each year. Five of the nine Board seats are open and at least one current Board member is not pursuing reelection.

Membership is open to anyone 18 years of age or older who is either: 1) a legal resident of Sunnyside, 2) an owner of real property within Sunnyside, or 3) the designated representative of a business, school, church, or non-profit in Sunnyside. All members can vote and serve as Board members. Members may declare their own candidacy or be nominated by another member. Those that declare or accept nomination by June 10ththe meeting prior to the annual meetingwill be announced to the membership by the Board of Directors. Nominations can be made from the floor at the Annual meeting provided that the nominee is a member and is willing to serve if elected. You have to be present at the Annual meeting to vote (secret paper ballot) but need not be present to be elected. Candidates will briefly introduce themselves before the vote.

July 8, 2021 SNA General & Board Meeting

This meeting is open to the public.
Times are approximate.  Agenda items subject to change.

SNA Annual Board Election July 8

The Annual Election for SNA Board members will be held July 8, 2021 at 7pm. Like last year, we will be outside SE Uplift, 3534 SE Main St., masked and physically distanced. Board terms are 2 years, with about half the seats open each year. Five of the nine board seats are open and at least one current board member is not pursuing reelection.

Membership is open to anyone 18 years of age or older who is either: 1) A legal resident of Sunnyside 2) An owner of real property within Sunnyside 3) The designated representative of a business, school, church, or non-profit in Sunnyside. All members can vote and serve as board members. Members may declare candidacy or be nominated by another member. Those that declare or accept nomination by June 10, the meeting prior to the annual meeting, will be announced to the membership by the Board of Directors. Nominations can be made from the floor at the Annual meeting provided that the nominee is a member and is willing to serve if elected. You have to be present at the Annual meeting to vote (secret paper ballot) but need not be present to be elected.

Candidates will briefly introduce themselves before the vote.

June 10, 2021 SNA General & Board Meeting Agenda


This meeting is open to the public.
Times are approximate.  Agenda items subject to change.

This meeting will be conducted via Zoom.  All attendees will be muted upon entry into the meeting.  In order to ask a question or make a comment, please use the “Raise Hand” feature.  If accessing the meeting via computer, tablet, or smartphone app, you can do so via the “Raise hand button” in the “Participant” menu. If you are calling in to the meeting via phone, please dial *9.  You can learn more about how to use this feature here: https://www.techjunkie.com/zoom-raise-hand/

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SNA May Notes and June Plans

Slow Streets, Break-Ins, and Clean-Ups

The City of Portland Bureau of Transportation’s (PBOT) Slow Streets program (the orange barrels and “Local Access Only” signs) will be updated with more resilient materials over the next several months. That was the message conveyed at the SNA general meeting by Scott Cohen, who directs the program. Scott also reminded neighbors that the Slow Streets program has several distinct goals. It aims to make busy streets safer, promote healthy businesses, provide more space for physical distancing (during Covid), and slow vehicles entering greenways and other local streets.

A resident of Belmont Lofts, near Sunnyside Environmental School, also addressed the meeting to report problems associated with nearby camping. She said they have experienced break-ins including people sleeping in the boiler room, turning off the heat, and breaking into storage lockers. It is very stressful for residents, some of whom have left, and all fear continued illegal activity. She said that the media have not given adequate coverage to such problems. SNA board members invited her to write an article for the SNA newsletter.

The SNA board discussed ways to facilitate neighborhood clean-ups. Regular newsletter readers know that some SNA members have worked hard to clean up trash in the face of inadequate city resources. The gist of the proposed solution involves partnering with other neighborhoods through Southeast Uplift.

Finally, a word on some folks who contacted us about missing the meeting due to things like coaching a softball game or meeting friends at a brew pub. Awesome! We’re going to get through this.

SNA Annual Board Election July 8th [Reminder]

The Annual Election for SNA Board members will be held July 8, 2021 at 7 p.m. Like last year, we will be outside SE Uplift (3534 SE Main St.), both masked and physically distanced. Board terms are 2 years, with about half the seats open each year. Five of the nine board seats are open and at least one current board member is not pursuing reelection.

Membership is open to anyone 18 years of age or older who is either: 1) A legal resident of Sunnyside, 2) An owner of real property within Sunnyside, or 3) The designated representative of a business, school, church, or non-profit in Sunnyside. All members can vote and serve as board members. Members may declare their own candidacy or be nominated by another member. Those that declare or accept nomination by June 10ththe meeting prior to the annual meetingwill be announced to the membership by the Board of Directors. Nominations can be made from the floor at the Annual meeting provided that the nominee is a member and is willing to serve if elected. You have to be present at the Annual meeting to vote (secret paper ballot) but need not be present to be elected. Candidates will briefly introduce themselves before the vote.