The NWDA 2011 Annual Meeting & Election
| The NWDA 2011 Annual Meeting & Election will be held Monday, May 23, 6:00 to 7:30 pm in the Legacy Good Samaritan Wistar-Morris Conference Room (1015 NW 22nd Avenue). Balloting will close at 7:15 PM. The May Board meeting will be held immediately afterward, from 7:30 to 8:00 pm. Agendas for both meetings are available online at http://www.northwestdistrictassociation.org.
Please plan to attend this annual meeting, hear what the candidates have to say about why they are running for election, and make your voice count as one of the many diverse voices that make up our great Northwest Portland neighborhood. Active participation in your neighborhood group helps improve our quality of life … be it promoting affordable housing, safe and clean streets, air quality, historic preservation, improving transportation, promoting sustainable practices, celebrating our diversity, and much more! |
| Nob Hill Food Drive
The NWDA will collect food at their May 23rd Annual Meeting and Election for the Nob Hill Food Drive sponsored by Northwest Portland Ministries. Please bring a donation of shelf-stable milk (needs no refrigeration before opening), peanut butter, canned fruits and vegetables, and canned meat or fish. If you prefer to make a cash contribution, checks should be made out to Northwest Portland Ministries. All food collections and cash contributions will benefit the Northwest Portland Ministries Food Programs. For more information, please visit Northwest Portland Ministries’ website at http://www.nwpm.org |
| Membership and Voting
To vote at the meeting, you must be a member of NWDA as a resident, a property owner, or a representative of a business or non-profit organization. Deadline for membership application is noon, Wednesday May 18th. Membership forms are available online at http://www.northwestdistrictassociation.org or at Neighbors West-Northwest, 2257 NW Raleigh, Portland, 97210. Absentee ballots are available at Neighbors West-Northwest between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. weekdays from Monday, May 16th to Friday, May 20th, and Monday, May 23rd. Absentee voting is permitted but proxies are not allowed. To vote absentee, you must register as a member three business days in advance and no later than noon, Wednesday May 18th. For more information contact Mark Sieber at 503 823-4212. Membership is free. |
| Proposed Bylaws Changes
At the Annual Meeting, members will be asked to vote on two proposed amendments to Article IX of NWDA bylaws: 1) change list of committees to reflect current Board-approved practice and 2) grant greater discretion to committee chairs in communications with the public. Full text of the two proposals are available online at http://www.northwestdistrictassociation.org and are available at NWNW at 2257 NW Raleigh Street. |
| Quorum Raffle
As if the opportunity to elect your local neighborhood association representatives isn’t enough to assure your attendance at the Annual Meeting, we’re sweetening the pot with a chance to win 3 Key Bank Club tickets to a Timbers match in September. All members who attend the Annual Meeting will be entered to win the free tickets. |
| See you on the 23rd.
Sincerely, Ron Walters |
Clean & Safe Retail Community Discussion
A recap of today’s Clean & Safe Retail Community Discussion
Today, the Clean & Safe District held a meeting with Mayor Sam Adams to discuss livability and safety issues in downtown this summer. More than 70 retailers, property managers and owners discussed their concerns and were able to ask questions of Mayor Adams and Central Precinct Commander Vince Jarmer.
Several audience members expressed concerns to the mayor about what appears to be a growing population of “summer travelers” in the downtown core. These are young people who hang out, frequently in large groups, on downtown streets, impeding retail and other business activities. The mayor acknowledged that he has also taken note of a growing number of these young people in the downtown area, and said he would work with Clean & Safe and youth service providers to address issues related to these groups.
Mayor Adams said downtown livability and safety is his top priority this summer and is committed to continuing targeted police missions to deal with illegal activities on downtown streets. He is also working on the implementation of the new Drug Impact Areas, which will have a new, specially dedicated assistant district attorney to prosecute downtown drug crimes and ‘walking beat’ police officers to suppress drug activity.
Mayor Adams and Central Precinct Commander Vince Jarmer also stressed the importance of calling Clean & Safe and Portland Police.
- For Clean & Safe, call 503-224-7383, any time you see any activity that concerns you such as loitering, animal control, graffiti, etc.
- For Portland Police, call 911, any time you see criminal activity in progress.
The mayor stressed that these calls greatly assist in the allocation of resources and inform the city and police bureau about what is happening on downtown streets and sidewalks. In addition to the new Drug Impact Areas, prosecutor and walking beat cops, there is also:
- Opening of Bud Clark Commons. Next month, the new resource center will open and will provide a host of services for individuals experiencing homelessness and in need of help. Clean & Safe and Portland Police officers will be referring individuals in need of assistance to the center.
- Crime Prevention Consultation. The city’s Downtown Crime Prevention Coordinator, Michael Boyer, will be going door-to-door and offering his expertise on enhancements a property or store can implement to prevent crime. He can be reached at 503-823-5852.
Downtown Clean & Safe is also working with the Portland Police Bureau to address areas where problems seem to be growing. Today, for example, I asked our security firm, Portland Patrol, Inc., to station officers on the Pioneer Courthouse block to address issues related to growing groups of people hanging out there. If we see problems shift to other areas, we will address those in the same manner.
We will be holding a follow-up meeting with Mayor Adams later this summer. More information will be shared once we have the details. Please remember that any time you have a concern, contact Clean & Safe at 503-224-7383 or if you see criminal activity, please call 911.
Thank you for your support of Clean & Safe and keeping downtown Portland a vibrant and livable community.
For more information about today’s meeting, click here to see the mayor’s office presentation.
Shane Abma
President, Clean & Safe
Questions Call: 503-224-7383
Affordable Websites
Kristin Schuchman from Mixed Media gave a short presentation on marketing at the last general meeting. One of Mixed Media’s services is creating affordable websites that are EASY to update.
If anyone would like any further information, contact Kristin by email at kristin@mixedmediapdx.com or phone at 503-754-2636. Or visit their website at www.mixedmediapdx.com
Waste Reduction Tips from CleanScapes
Greener St. Patrick’s Day
This St. Patrick’s Day, create a global table for an Irish feast from local farmers and producers.
If you missed your chance to shop at one of the year-round farmers markets in Ballard, theUniversity District or West Seattle, you can still purchase local foods at grocery stores, or order directly from producers such as Olsen Farms, Full Circle Farms, Bill the Butcher,Bob’s Quality Meats or Rain Shadow Meats.
Cabbage, red potatoes and sustainably raised, grass-fed beef are in season and can be yours for a fraction of the environmental cost.
Looking to make green eggs and ham? Give Blue #1 and Yellow #5 a break and try a natural food dye from Nature’s Flavors or Seelect.
The Big Picture
Do you know the carbon footprint of your food?
Most produce grown in the United States travels an average of 1,500 miles before it gets sold(1). Purchase Chilean grapes or apples from New Zealand, and your food has traveled more than 6,000 miles from farm to table.
In addition to the energy and fuel used to transport our food, there is also the energy used during production. Approximately 23% of the energy used in our food production system comes from processing and packaging food(2). Every year, the US food system uses as much as France’s total annual energy consumption – 10 quadrillion Btu(3).
You can decrease the resources required to produce the food you consume by learning what is fresh in Washington State, plan meals around seasonal availability, and learn what is sold from local producers in grocery stores or farmers markets.
By supporting locally grown meals, you can help reduce packaging and fuel used to transport food from across the U.S. and around the world.
Sources: (1) Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture “Food, Fuel and Freeways” | (2) New York State University “Fossil Fuel and Energy Use” | (3) Earth Policy Institute | About – BTU | NRDC What’s Fresh Tool | NRDC Simple Steps | Bon Appetite Low Carbon Diet Calculator
Click the picture above to read more waste reduction tips from CleanScapes.