A view of Mount Tabor Park/reservoirs, looking west toward downtown, was sketched by Philadelphia artist Aaron Krolikowski on a recent visit to Portland. To see more of Krolikowski's work go to www.interview-press.com.

And while you're here, you can read our most current MTNA newsletter

(Previous editions of the newsletter can be read in the "About MTNA" Section of the Web site)

TriMet overrides MTNA objection to 2-way bus service on Lincoln Street

TriMet will resume both-way Line 71 bus service on Lincoln Street over the opposition of the MTNA. A neighborhood consensus on the issue is lacking, TriMet said, even though the association voted 26-10 at its April meeting in favor of a "couplet" rerouting of the bus line when the buses return to Lincoln and proponents had collected 250 signatures in favor of the move.

(Check out the MTNA's letter to TriMet here)

Line 71 buses were rerouted from Lincoln about two years ago to accommodate city Water Bureau work at the east end of Lincoln. Under a "couplet" proposal backed by the MTNA, eastbound buses would have been shifted off Lincoln to Division Street, a move that proponents said would make Lincoln safer for bicyclists and pedestrians.

Despite the MTNA vote, TriMet said, there is still no neighborhood consensus on the bus routing issue.. "Given this lack of consensus and TriMet’s strong concerns about the significant difficulties of communicating with riders when inbound and outbound bus stops are on different streets, TriMet has decided against pursuing the couplet idea and does not intend to further review this matter," Jon L. Joseph, TriMet Marketing Programs Coordinator, said in a letter to MTNA President Bruce Treat.

Treat said the TriMet response was "disheartening," adding, "I'm glad that other organizations don't so easily disregard positions taken by MTNA like TriMet does or we would be in trouble."

Joseph said the resumption of full Line 71 service on Lincoln was tentatively scheduled to start June 21.

MTNA seeks continued funding for neighborhood cleanup programs

^{County government Metro is thinking of cancelling or greatly reducing grants that help  MTNA and other neighborhood associations run neighborhood cleanups. See MTNA's letter to Metro Councilor Robert Liberty saying why Metro should  continue supporting the cleanups.}

Congressional action needed to preserve open reservoirs

City officials told a packed community gathering April 11 that only Congressional action can assure that Portland’s five open reservoirs are preserved in their present condition.

Meanwhile, the City is beginning a year-long series of tests to back up local claim that waters from the Bull Run Reservoir that feed the reservoirs are so pure they require no treatment.

A regulation issued by the federal Environmental Protection Agency, known as LT2, would require the city to build a water treatment plant and replace the reservoirs at Mt. Tabor and Washington Parks with enclosed storage. Total costs of these projects, to be carried out over 11 years, would be about $800 million.

The meeting, in the Glencoe Elementary School auditorium, drew 178 people, virtually all of whom favored keeping the reservoirs as they are. The panelists included Portland Commissioner Randy Leonard, Water Bureau Administrator David Shaff, Floy Jones and Scott Fernandez from Friends of the Reservoirs and Regna Merritt from Oregon Wild.

Staff members from the offices of U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley and Reps. Earl Blumenauer and David Wu also attended.

Leonard said getting Congress to act will be a real challenge since Congress members representing the entire nation would have to be convinced that Portland was in need of special relief that would free it from all requirements of the EPA rule.

Meanwhile, he said, the City is testing the Bull Run waters in hopes that the EPA could be persuaded to issue a "variance" exempting Portland from the treatment plant requirement.

Pending hoped-for Congressional action, he said, the City is moving ahead with plans to build storage tanks at Powell Butte and other sites to replace the reservoirs. "I’m not willing to lead the City down a path that could lead to huge fines (for non-compliance with the federal rule)," he said. Three of the reservoirs are in Mt. Tabor Park and two across the Multnomah River in Washington Park.

MTNA Board members Jim Blackwood and Paul Leistner were instrumental in setting up the meeting, which was facilitated by Resolutions Northwest.

(Leistner, in opening the meeting, provided a clear and succinct explanation of the reservoir situation . Click here to read it.)

MTNA joins fight to defend Mt. Tabor reservoirs, seeks Congressional exemption

Faced with an April 1 deadline for submitting a plan to comply with the rule, the Portland City Council agreed at its March 25 meeting to provide initial funding for a second underground storage tank at Powell Butte and to begin implementing the rule if it cannot be softened by congressional or administrative action.

A dozen residents testifying separately told the council the reservoirs should be retained as a source of drinking water perhaps unmatched in its purity. Only two people spoke in favor of the rule, and council members made clear they were approving submission of the plan with great reluctance.

The council, backed by MTNA and other organizations, is seeking congressional intervention to blunt the rule and spare the reservoirs. Click here to see the MTNA's letter to elected officials. And click here to see the Water Bureau's response to our letter.

If the rule is allowed to stand, the reservoirs would be deactivated and water from the Bull Run watershed kept instead in the storage tanks at Powell Butte and Lusted Hill. It is not clear what the reservoirs would look like under those circumstances. The city Water Bureau says they "could be maintained in their present condition," but advocates note they could also be covered or "buried" under the regulation.

Stephanie Stewart, the MTNA’s land-use chair, was among those testifying at the hearing.

"Neither of the requirements forced on us will add public health value to our water system," she said. Paying for projects mandated by the rule would be the equivalent of "writing a $42,000 check for the next 120 years to pay the construction and engineering costs." It would be cheaper in the long run, she added, to ignore the rule and pay the resulting fines for non-compliance.

She criticized the Water Bureau for talking up legislative relief from the rule and then moving to comply "before legislative relief has a chance to rescue us"

"I'm asking you to save our organic water," she told the councilors. "It's naturally filtered through the earth and an $800 million plant would lace it with chemicals. Seagulls, dog toys, swimmers, you name it – they deal with it and maintain high-quality water. Why spend to switch away from a system which makes our city's water system sustainably and affordably pure?"

Help plan the routes of an expanded streetcar system

Portland’s Streetcar System Plan wants to hear from the Mt. Tabor Neighborhood Association about potential streetcar corridors in our neighborhood. Position letters are due by the end of year. The potential streetcar corridors that would potentially affect our neighborhood include:

o SE Hawthorne Blvd./SE 50th Ave.
o SE Belmont St.
o E Burnside St.

See the project website for more information:
http://www.portlandonline.com/transportation/index.cfm?&c=46134 (A map showing potential routes is on the second page of this two-page document.)

The responses will be reviewed by the System Advisory Committee, which is gauging reaction from the community.

New Seasons coming to Hawthorne Blvd

New Seasons hopes to open its new Hawthorne Blvd. Store by the fall of next year, according a Helen Neville, a spokeswoman for the whole foods grocery chain.
The new market, constrained by the size of its “foot pad” at 40th and SE Hawthorne, will have about 10,000 square feet of selling space, half the size of the nearest existing New Seasons, the very popular and often crowded Seven Corners store at 1954 SE Division. Customer demand was one reason for adding the new store, said Neville, who outlined plans at the July meeting of the MTNA. Some neighbors are concerned whether the new store will have adequate parking.
The opening of the store will create approximately 140 new jobs, provide grocery services to the neighborhood and support local community organizations and vendors, according to a New Seasons press release. “We are excited to keep this former site of the Daily Grind, one of Portland’s oldest and most beloved natural food stores, under local ownership,” said New Seasons CEO Brian Rohter.
Daily Grind, occupied the site for more than 20 years before it was closed last fall.
 

City Council Passes Resolution Regarding Tabor Maintenance Yard
 
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Portland City Council supports the updating of
the Mt. Tabor Park Master Plan to include the parcel commonly referred to as the Mt. Tabor Park
Central Maintenance Yard, and including the Nursery and Long Block, in a process that follows
the Public Involvement proposal brought forth by the Mt Tabor Joint Committee; and re...

• Read Full Resolution

Updated Hawthorne Site Features Business Search and Map
By David Wagner, HBBA Volunteer Writer

The Hawthorne Boulevard Business Association (HBBA) recently completed their overhaul of the ThinkHawthorne website. More current than a phonebooklisting, www.thinkhawthorne.com/explore can provide you with information for businesses all along the boulevard.

Hungry? Visit the site and type "restaurant" into the search field to get a complete listing of the wonderful eateries and bistros on Hawthorne. Want more information? Members of the HBBA often have a description of their fare, hours, a photo, and an email contact in addition to their phone number and address.

Can't remember the name, but know roughly where it is? The ThinkHawthorne site also boasts an interactive map. Simply click on a section of blocks, and see all the businesses on that side of the block. Check it out and be amazed by the number of businesses on Hawthorne.

Questions or corrections? Email: think@thinkhawthorne.com.

Clean River Rewards, the City's stormwater discount program, is now available.

Contain the rain and earn stormwater discounts on your City Utility Bill!! You may qualify for Clean River Rewards if you contain rainwater on your property and prevent stormwater runoff from polluting the City's rivers and streams. Your discount may be worth as much as 35% of your basic stormwater management charge.

Register online at www.CleanRiverRewards.com and your utility account will be updated immediately, and your discount will appear on your next utility bill. Or, if your property is a single-family residence, register by touch-tone telephone by dialing
503-823-1371 and following the instructions.

Visit www.CleanRiverRewards.com to learn more about ways to manage stormwater runoff or to review a
schedule of stormwater workshops and discount registration classes. This web site also provides information about utility rates and charges as well as ways to receive financial assistance.

Call 503-823-1371 to order a discount registration packet or a packet of technical information about ways to manage stormwater runoff or send an email to: cleanrivers@bes.ci.portland.or.us

Citizens Hold Meeting About Sale of Mt. Tabor Park Land
At the Same Time City Says Park for Lease, Not for Sale

Citizens gathered for an informational meeting at the Mt. Tabor
Presbyterian Church last night, November 13, to share what they had
learned about the City's plan to sell a part of Mt. Tabor Park to
Warner Pacific College.

The room overflowed with over 50 people in attendance even though the
meeting was quickly organized and announced with only a few days
notice. Some citizens found out only a few hours before the meeting..