North Tabor Neighborhood Association
Minutes of the Board Meeting, July 16, 2019
Written by Stephanie Kaza
Attending: Keith, Patty, Robert, Zach, Lisa, Chuck, Sam, Stephanie
Absent: Sarah, Lars, Suzanne
6:32 The meeting was called to order by chair Robert Jordan.
1) Minutes – The chair announced we will approve the June and July minutes at the August meeting.
2) Agenda — was motioned for approval by Patty and seconded by Sam; all approved.
3) Treasurer’s report (Patty and Robert) — We currently have a bank balance of $2336.22. Checks have been written to Mt Tabor School for the clean-up, Zach for mandala street painting supplies, and XX(?) for meeting food. The total cost for the mandala project was estimated at ~$1200. Keith asked everyone to send photos to him to post on the website. We are still expecting some funds from the clean-up; it could be ~$2000 or possibly less.
4) Land Use/Transportation report (Patty) – Patty reported on a presentation by a Hack Oregon speaker who said 54,000 apartment units have recently come online in Portland, and at the same time we lost 40,000 affordable housing units. To increase public awareness, he referred people to the website, civicplatform.org. He mentioned the Johnson Report on gentrification by Lisa Bates, Portland State professor, and highlighted Appendix H on “Displacement, Risk, and Mitigation.” There will be a meeting of the Portland Housing Bureau on July 18 at 664 N. Tillamook, 5:30-8:00pm.
5) Communications (Keith) – There is some confusion between the two North Tabor facebook pages. The NTNA official site can only be accessed by Keith and Cathy Riddell; that is the place for board information. The other site is a public site for the neighborhood and anyone can post to it. In the general discussion, we suggested we post our meeting announcements on the public site and also that we correct our voice mail message and address on our own site.
6) Banner repair (Robert) – Keith reported on the map that showed the location of the banners and people suggested adding perhaps additional banners at the 60th MAX station, at Providence, and at 47th and Burnside. There are about 21 banners now. Patty and Keith will follow up by contacting the original company that installed the banners to see if they can clean and repair what we have currently. Keith will circulate a map with info for discussion at the next meeting.
7) City Code Change (Robert) – Robert reported on the current proposal and process by the newly renamed Office of Civic Life to change the status of the neighborhood associations (NAs). A committee has been working under the office director Suk Rhee to develop ways to increase access for non-NA groups to OCL funds and support. It appears that NAs would lose their official status as representatives for city functions and would be vulnerable to losing funds for communication, insurance, and grant support. The concern is that other non-NA groups may not have the same standards for public meetings as NAs do, since they are city-related groups. That could mean a loss in transparency and accountability if meetings are not required to be open to the public, with records of decisions.
There are currently 94 NAs grouped under seven (?) regional cluster organizations, including SEUL (Southeast Uplift), the regional coordinator for NTNA. A number of NAs are questioning the direction of this proposal and the lack of inclusive process. A small minority of the planning committee were members of NA boards and there has been little opportunity for public input. SEUL is asking for a 45-day delay, and we agreed to support that request as a board. Robert will write to SEUL to let them know. He is currently on a very active email list of NA chairs discussing the implications and options for this code change. The June meeting of the code committee did not have a quorum so no official vote was taken; the July meeting is set for July 18 and people were invited to attend.
8) Announcements
a) There will be a pocket block party on August 3 with potluck and BBQ; it is an official National Night Out party, and will take place on Oregon between 61st and 63rd.
b) There was a question about Rosemont Bluff.
b) XX mentioned that you can host a “temporary play day” with road blocks without needing permission from the city (correct?).
c) Zach brought up the idea of “asset mapping,” something to build on the success of the mandala street painting. This is a process of neighbors collecting info on resources, skills, and tools that might be helpful in an emergency or disaster. Something for us to consider taking up.
d) Patty asked if we should consider having a babysitter at our board meetings so parents with children would be able to attend more easily.
7:50 (?) Motion to adjourn by Sam, with second by Chuck, all in favor.