Eliot Neighborhood Association Board Meeting Minutes Monday 7/21/2025

Posted on by Andrew Champion

Jul 21, 2025 7:00 PM at Cascadia Health Garlington Center

Attendees

Board

Laura Fay – Co-Chair
Pat Montgomery – Co-Chair
Cassie Muilenburg – Community Outreach
Serena Li – Community Outreach
Andrew Champion – Recorder
Jennifer Wilcox – Treasurer
Kathryn LePore
Alice Newman
Allan Rudwick
Bliss Suh
Jimmy Wilson

Guests

Alex Garcia – MCDA
Sgt. Dan Romanowski – PPB
Cpt. Chris Burley – PPB
Max Nash – Resident, Families for Safe Streets
Maimuna Uzzell
Kirsten Sessions
Alyssa Whitesides – Resident

Approve Minutes from June 16 meeting

Added Jimmy Wilson (fils) as guest

Motion: Laura | Seconded: Alice | For: unanimous

Neighborhood Safety

Alex says that the Donald Sharma (Stop N Go) case is moving along with the first of possibly 2-3 settlement conferences upcoming. County budget cuts have eliminated the neighborhood DA position originally used to prosecute this case.

Alex and Chris had an extensive discussion about high standards for both burden of proof in drug cases and release on security (bail).

Multiple approaches are being taken toward safety around the park, apartments, and clinic on N Morris. PPB is trying to disrupt activity before the clinic opens. Many are trying to connect with apartment management. Resident protection remains a delicate balance.

ENA Activities

Dawson Park Summer Party

This Party On Portland event is on 8/2/25 from 11am-5pm with ice cream sandwiches, basketball, dominoes, and more. Laura called for volunteers. Special guests are lined up, but more promotion, sponsors, and prizes are needed.

Byrne Grant next steps

Serena collected the poll results, and the top two items were programming, e.g. concerts and movies and support for existing organizations interrupting violence, both in Dawson Park. Laura will bring the priorities list to Safe Blocks.

After discussing the best way to present these ideas, consensus coalesced around several action items: share the list of requests with Safe Blocks, inquire other Byrne Grant neighborhood associations about how much input they have had in spending decisions, invite Molly Esteve to the next board meeting/summer event, and draft a letter to District 2 councilors asking to fund Dawson Park concerts in summer 2026.

Joan Ivan Memorial

Serena extensively researched memorial options: a park bench is extremely cost-prohibitive, but a planting with Friends of Trees is feasible, although specifics like cost, location, etc. will take time.

Motion to allocate allocate up to $300 for memorial: Allan | seconded: Laura | Approve: unanimous

Instagram

Board members were happy with Brittany Davidson’s work. Laura will invite her to the next (September) meeting.

Soul District Business Association

Cassie met with Fawn Aberson of the Soul District Business Association. Fawn says that the former Nike Factory Store is leased, the SBDA is looking for support for its annual Dream Run event, and that she will ask the Russell & Williams project to potentially add a representative to the board.

Neighborhood Updates

NECN Update

Jimmy: coalition held its leadership election.

Treasurer’s Report

Jennifer: switch to banking with OnPoint Credit Union remains in progress.

LUTC Update

Allan: next month’s meeting will be a walk down NE 7th. The Rose Quarter event parking district will have meters active on event days.

Community Outreach

Cassie: topics have been covered by previous items.

Public Comment

Max shared concerns about conflict between vulnerable road users and vehicles on NE 7th and poor visibility at Russell. She would like to see more active or passive enforcement to daylight this intersection, preventing drivers from parking too near the corner and obscuring cross traffic.

Adjournment

Adjourned at 8:33 pm

ENA Board Meeting Agenda Monday September 15, 2025 at 7:00pm

Posted on by Serena Li

Eliot Neighborhood Association Meeting Agenda
Monday 09/15/2025
7:00 – 8:30 pm
Cascadia Garlington Health Center
3036 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd

Using Microsoft Teams for the meeting:
Click here to join the meeting

Co-Chairs: Patricia Montgomery and Laura Fay

Agenda (subject to changes):

  • Welcome and Introductions – 7:00
  • Review Meeting Agreements [Link] – 7:05
  • Approve Minutes from July 21 meeting [Link] VOTE – 7:10
  • Neighborhood Safety – 7:15
  • ENA Activities – 7:30
  • Byrne Grant Next Steps
  • Additional Activities?
  • James Proctor, Lewis & Clark Environmental Studies Project – 7:45
  • Curb Painting on NE 7th – 8:00
  • Neighborhood Updates – 8:15
    • NECN Update
    • Treasurer’s Report – new bank account
    • LUTC Update
    • Community Outreach
    • Instagram Account Update?
  • Public Comment – 8:25
  • Adjourn – 8:30

Next meeting Monday, October 20, 2025

Local Residents take PBOT’s advice, repaint worn out yellow curb in do not park area

Posted on by Allan Rudwick
after cutting back the overgrown “parking strip” yellow paint was found on the curb from past city paint

A local Eliot resident, known as Lady Max, attended our July general meeting to share her safety concerns during the open public comment period. 

Her first concern is the overall volume of fast moving vehicle traffic on NE 7th, even after the speed bumps were installed. She feels that rush-hour traffic has also increased, possibly diverting away from MLK by apps like Waze, or drivers just wanting to bypass stoplights. On 7th, this higher traffic is clashing at busy pedestrians crossings as they near Knott, and an increase in cycling numbers since the Earl Blumenauer pedestrian and bicycle bridge opened across I-84 on NE 7th Ave in 2022.

On NE 7th, there is an added crash risk is from blocked crossing visibility from cars parked too close to crossings. Especially when cars park in marked no-parking zones close to corners

Lady Max shared one spot specifically that she has observed and photographed over 50+ violations in only a few months period. The location has a sign, in which the homeowner keeps very well pruned around, but drivers continue to park there. After hearing a neighbor’s dog yelp because a truck got super close close when its owner tried to cross at Russell, Lady Max got really mad and decided to take action for the sake of ALL the neighbors. 

She asked various city staffers including PBOT’s Safe Streets program for ideas during community events. Considering PBOT budget limitations, she learned it might be necessary to do a little tactile urbanism. PBOT won a grant to paint 200 daylight corners but that doesn’t cover the need over all of Portland, it barely scratches the surface.

They suggested she attend her local neighborhood association meetings, and reach out to organizations like Strong Towns PDX. She created a petition to ask the city for traffic reduction with a diverter, and has several hundred signatures so far. She attended city counselor’s ‘Coffee in the park’ to bring attention to the matter. Lady Max rallied attendees to our August 11 Land Use meeting, which included Senior Council Aide Jacq Tjaden who works with councilor Sameer Kanal’s office and Mauricio Leclerc – a manager in the Area planning team at PBOT. Eliot’s Land Use and Transportation Committee (LUTC) met with some neighbors including Steve Cole from Irving neighborhood association. We talked for a bit and then went for a walk 7th. We left the meeting with no firm commitments from the City, but it was good to retell the story from our perspective and we think there may be room to continue the conversation there.  

After the meeting, Lady Max and the LUTC came up with a plan to clean and paint the No-Parking section of the curb that Max had documented more than 50 violators at. Over Labor Day weekend, a few of us gathered to get the first curb done. It looks great and we are already seeing the impact of less drivers parking there. 

replenished paint marking the no parking zone on NE 7th

We are always looking for community involvement and new ideas on how to make our neighborhood more livable and safe. This project was doable with tools we had readily available. If other neighbors want to do a similar project or have any other issues they want addressed feel free to reach out at info@eliotneighborhood.org or attend a future next meeting.

Our next LUTC meeting will be TODAY, September 8th at 6:30 PM – meeting indoors at 7th and Russell again.

Eliot Land Use & Transportation Committee 9/8/25 at 6:30pm IN PERSON – Meet at Russell and 7th (inside the Russell)

Posted on by Allan Rudwick

This meeting will be in person. I would like to apologize for using the indoor space at 7th and Russell without putting it on the agenda last time, thank you for those who came and those who tried to come but didn’t find us.

We are back to our normal time and will be using space at the Russell Apartments again (enter on 7th). The space is at the corner of NE 7th and Russell.

Agenda

Public Comment & Agenda Additoins

Discussion of next steps for a diverter on NE 7th

Walking tour of 7th – look at fresh yellow paint in ‘no parking’ areas and other small changes neighbors can make

Fremont Bridgehead update – forming a committee is happening.

Parking update – Zone V enforcement season coming again in October, new signs with paid parking are coming but haven’t arrived yet. Link to more details

Grand Opening of Albina One, Saturday September 6, 2025

Posted on by Serena Li

We’re just a few days away from Back on the Block, the grand opening celebration of Albina One. Join us this Saturday, September 6, from 10 AM to 4 PM for a day of live music, food, art, speakers, and community.

This event will intentionally center Black joy, creativity, and entrepreneurship. It will have local Black-owned businesses, artists, community organizations, and public institutions joining as vendors.

Please get your sun hats and walking shoes ready!

Back on the Block: Revisiting the Porches and Stoops of Afrotopia

Courtyard of Albina One: 1771 N Flint Ave, Portland, OR 97227

Date: Sept 6, 2025, 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Formal program and ribbon cutting 12PM to 1PM. No RSVP needed.*