Laurelwood Center Community Investment Funds

Part of the agreement between the City of Portland and Multnomah County when siting the Laurelwood Center was the allocation of Community Investment Funds to support integrating our new neighbors into our community. The Steering Committee has been working with the City and the County to identify the best use(s) of the $100,000 fund. The City and County government representatives have issued these two proposed uses and are seeking the community’s input.

Please take this survey and provide your feedback on how the Community Investment Funds should be allocated.

The polling has been closed. We discussed the result in our March meeting and are submitting to the steering committee a preference for Proposal A but with adjusting half of the funds away from the Summer Block Party and the Mural Project to increase the Community Kitchen Fund and spread its use of 3 years instead of 2.
What other ideas do you have that are NOT represented above in the two proposals?
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Tree Plantings on Powell Blvd

We received the following information from the Environmental Services Tree Program —


The City of Portland Environmental Services (BES) tree program is planning a tree planting project on the south side of Powell from SE 53rd to SE 79th.  The planting areas will be between the curb line and the sound walls, all in City right-of-way.  See the maps at bottom of this article.

The program’s main goal is to help manage stormwater with trees, but also focuses on reducing urban heat and improving air quality. For this particular project, creating a visual and physical barrier between Powell and the adjacent residential areas is also a main goal.

The project will plant primarily evergreen conifers to maximize year-round benefits and to minimize tree canopy from overhanging adjacent properties (conifers having upright form). Species selected will be heat and drought tolerant and low maintenance so that they perform well over the years ahead.

Notices will be delivered to adjacent properties to let them know about the project. Planting will likely be between late March and late April. The trees will be maintained (watered, mulched, pruned) by BES contractors for four summers, at which point they will be well established to continue on their own without additional watering.

Please contact the program if you have any questions about this project.
Environmental Services Tree Program
itreepdx@portlandoregon.gov
503-823-2255

Continue ReadingTree Plantings on Powell Blvd

Kellogg Middle School Update and Survey

Dear Neighbors and Interested Folks,

The Kellogg Middle School Winter 2020 Update can be found at this link: KMS – Winter 2020 Update

There is so much happening now on the ground and behind the scenes as we make way for the Fall 2021 grand opening of PPS’s first brand new Middle School in decades.

Feeder schools for the new Kellogg Middle School will be determined by Enrollment and Program Balancing. Enrollment and Program balancing is a multi-year process during which time PPS will gather information, hear from our stakeholders and communities, provide public information, and develop a plan to better serve families and students. The final decision on this round of boundaries and enrollment balancing that will determine the schools that will feed into Kellogg are scheduled to be finished by January 2021.

As the Outreach Coordinator for the Kellogg Team I will be resuming bi-annual meetings with the impacted Neighborhood Associations and organizations throughout the remainder of the project.  When January 2021 rolls around I will be seeking volunteers who might be interested in forming the new KMS Parent Teachers Association.

Tamara DeRidder, AICP
KelloggBond@tdridder.users.panix.com
Principal, TDR & Associates
Land Use Planning/Public Engagement

Email from Tamara DeRidder on 13-Feb-2020

Survey for Enrollment & Program Balancing

The email above mentions the Enrollment & Program Balancing initiative from PPS. There is an opportunity right now for you to provide input on the process. Please visit the Enrollment & Program Balancing website for more information.

Before you complete the survey, you should familiarize yourself with the three policies that are being changed:

4.10.045-P: “Student Assignment to Neighborhood Schools.”
The policy establishes a process for assigning students to neighborhood schools, and provides consistent guidelines for changes to school boundaries.

4.10.051-P: “Student Enrollment and Transfers.”
The policy intends to provide equal access to educational options for all resident students through an open, fair and accessible process and to promote equity and diversity in student transfers and admissions.

6.10.022-P: “Education Options Policy.”
The policy seeks to implement goals by offering students and their families the support they need to make informed choices among a variety of educational options, and to provide consistent guidelines and procedures for educational options.


Continue ReadingKellogg Middle School Update and Survey