The Eliot and Boise Neighborhood Associations are teaming up to help get you prepped for an emergency! Come join us at 6pm on February 4th and learn how to be prepared for the unexpected.
Eliot Neighborhood Association Meeting Agenda
Monday 01/26/2026
7:00 – 8:30 pm
Cascadia Garlington Health Center
3036 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd
Microsoft Teams for the meeting: Click here to join the meeting
Co-Chairs: Laura Fay and Allan Rudwick
Agenda (subject to changes):
Next meeting Monday, February 23, 2026 one week late, in deference to the holiday
Join the Portland Trail Blazers at the Multnomah County Albina Library on January 18th from 1:00-3:00pm in celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
To honor MLK’s legacy and belief that literacy is fundamental to freedom, the Trail Blazers will be activating the Albina Library with fun, prizes, and mascot appearances while encouraging kids to sign up for a library card.
Attendees will have the chance to win Trail Blazers and Rip City Remix prizes!
This is a free event, open to the public with fun and engaging activities for the family:
This meeting will be in person at the Albina Library (NE Russell or NE Knott entrance)- upstairs room 2A
Agenda
1 – Updates on Allan’s I-405 project
2 – Updates on the NE 7th diverter effort
3 – Updates on the leaf blower letter we sent to the city
Announcements
– Board meeting Monday after MLK day
We’ll lose the room by 7:30pm
From November to mid-January each year, PBOT’s Leaf Day service helps us provide cleaner, safer streets, keep our storm drains clear, and ensure our intersections don’t flood. PBOT instituted Leaf Day because the amount of leaves in our original 50+ Leaf Zones was simply too much for our regular street cleaning equipment.
For more information visit the city’s website: https://www.portland.gov/transportation/maintenance/leaf-day#toc-leaf-day-basics-and-brochure
On the final day of 2025, look back to the last edition of Eliot News in 1992.
Boyz II Men’s End of the Road maintained its death grip on the top of the charts, President George H.W. Bush’s reelection was about to be upset by a relative political newcomer from Arkansas named Bill Clinton, and fall’s breakout TV debut was Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper.
Closer to home, the covered pool at Dishman Community Center was opening, Kurt and Rob Widmer were moving their brewery to the Smithson-McKay Block, and the Albina Community Plan of 1993 started taking its final shape.
ENA is always looking for contributors to another edition of Eliot News. Current events, history, and more are welcome on our pages. Sometimes the little things matter more than you think in the end.
Read the October 1992 Eliot News, and have a happy new year!
Pacific Power has released a document detailing this plan. The original PDF is attached and the text replicated below.
Pacific Power is demolishing and removing the brick substation building located across the
street from the Dishman Community Center on NE Knott St. in Portland. Below are
answers to anticipated questions about the project.
Q. What is the history of the building?
A. The Knott substation building was built in 1906 for Portland Railway Light & Power, which
became Portland General Electric. In the 1960s, the building and adjoining substation property
were acquired by Pacific Power & Light as a part of a separation of utility service territories in
Portland.
The building was being used as a control center until a fire in 1995 made parts of the building
unusable. It was then used for training until 2000 when site conditions made its continued use
unsafe.
Q. Why is it being demolished?
A. The building is no longer safe for use. It is also targeted for break-ins, which is dangerous
given its location within an energized substation.
Q. When will it be demolished and how long will it take?
A. The physical demolition began in mid-December 2025 and is expected to take approximately
45 working days.
Q. What will go in place of the building?
A. The area the building currently occupies will be backfilled with the same material that covers
the rest of the substation site. No new structures are planned in place of the building.
Q. Why couldn’t the building be preserved as a historic site?
A. The building no longer serves any purpose for providing electricity service and has too much
damage to restore.
Q. What steps will Pacific Power and its contractor take to ensure the surrounding
neighborhood won’t be harmed by debris, dust or other impacts of the demolition?
A. The contractor will bring the building down using a slow, methodical process that gradually
deconstructs the building into its footprint rather than via a more dramatic sudden demolition.
Other community protection measures will include use of barricades, site fencing, setbacks to
limit access and use of water to suppress dust.
Q. What street or sidewalk closures will occur and for how long?
A. Current plans will close one lane of NE Knott St. from the substation building area east to NE
Rodney for about four weeks starting the week of December 27, 2025. The sidewalk on NE Knott
on the substation side of the street will also close during that time from the building area east to
NE Rodney. During this time the traffic lane on NE Knott on the Dishman Community Center
side of the street will remain open for the entire block. The sidewalk on the Dishman Community
Center side of the street will also remain open throughout the project.
Q. Will access to Dishman Community Center be affected?
A. The approved traffic management plans for the project should allow full access to Dishman
Community Center during the project. The traffic lane closest to the community center on NE
Knott will remain open, which will provide access to the pull-out area in front of Dishman. Both
lanes on NE Knott between the entrance and exit to the parking lot and N. Williams Ave. will also
remain open.
Q. What other changes will take place at the substation as part of the project?
A. The existing chain link fence around the entire substation will be replaced with a black
wrought iron high-security fence that should be more attractive and provide better security.
Q. Who can I contact with questions or if an issue comes up during the project?
A. RiverLine Power – Project Manager – Dylan Stoller – 360-360-2611
Pacific Power – Regional Business Manager – Bob Gravely – 503-568-3174
The Russell & Williams Community Development Corporation is hosting a ‘Warm the Block’ coat and food drive at Dishman this coming Saturday from 1-4pm. Details below
For this (very occasional) throwback, here’s a scan of our oldest archived edition of Eliot News. Kris Kross had the #1 song, the city was set to break ground on a new basketball arena, and [spoiler alert] the Portland Trail Blazers were battling Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls in the NBA Finals after winning the Western Conference.
ENA is always looking for contributors to another edition of Eliot News. Current events, history, and more are welcome on our pages. Today it’s a byline, tomorrow—or perhaps 33 years later—you’ll see your name here again!
Oct 20, 2025 7:00 PM at Cascadia Health Garlington Center
Laura Fay – Co-Chair
Pat Montgomery – Co-Chair
Serena Li – Community Outreach
Andrew Champion – Recorder
Jennifer Wilcox – Treasurer
Anders Hart
Kathryn LePore
Alice Newman
Allan Rudwick
Bliss Suh
Jimmy Wilson
Seth Anderson – resident
Max Nash – resident
Jonathan Tasini – resident
Alyssa Whitesides – resident
Dora DeCoursey – resident
Bill Spangle – resident
Lynne Randall – Arc en Ciel Montessori parent
Jim Proctor – Lewis & Clark College
Jona Davis – NECN
Andrew Harnish – resident
Pat lamented Mr. Ellis’ senseless death.
The group observed a moment of silence.
Draft approved unanimously, verbatim.
Motion: Allan | Seconded: Bliss
Laura feels that Safe Blocks is not doing enough, and that the city is handing us off to the county, believing PEMO’s work has run its course. ENA will be meeting with county commissioner Shannon Singleton in early November.
Ann said “there was a fight in the street on NE Sacramento Street right before I came to the meeting. Also, the elders on the block have handled the human trafficking issues I asked for help at the last meeting.”
Lynne talked about inconsistent results improving safety in and around Dawson Park for her and other Arc-en-Ciel families. Laura and Jennifer shared differing experiences of the park rangers making the park welcoming.
The group discussed ideas for providing consistent, increased services for Dawson Park users.
Jimmy urged for more coordination and collaboration with people who do provide those services.
Allan suggested that parking around Dawson Park be reverted to its pre-2015 state, a full prohibition on the curb around its immediate perimeter. Pat added the idea of one-way streets. The board approved writing a letter to the city asking for these changes.
Motion: Allan | Seconded: Pat | Abstention: Jimmy
The new slate was approved unanimously:
Motion: Jennifer | Seconded: Bliss
Jimmy remains unable to comment on changes to group leadership. He also shared a document with the city’s accounting for its Byrne grant funds: personnel expenses amount to more than $128,000 of approximately $230,000 already spent.
Jennifer reports that the transition to OnPoint is complete, and indicated satisfaction with the new banking arrangements.
The Land Use and Transportation Committee is reopening conversation about traffic diversion on NE 7th as part of the larger Lloyd-to-Woodlawn neighborhood greenway project extending from the Blumenauer Bridge over I84.
Max reported that her petition to support this project had gained over 300 signatures, then shared her observations and research about traffic on NE 7th Avenue.
Ann took an opposing view, asserting that “the issues of diverters on NE 7th Avenue was examined by a huge city process through PBOT, meetings and public input a couple years ago and it was decided by the majority of people who actually live there that NE 7th should not have diverters. We already have 15 speed bumps installed. NE 8th Ave was chosen as the bike street. .”
Adjourned at 8:15 pm.
Free legal help will be available at from 1pm to 4pm on Friday, December 5 at Cascadia Health! You may qualify for help with criminal or eviction record expungement, charge reduction, driver’s license reinstatement and waiving traffic or criminal fines, lifting warrants, and small business business and legal advice.
Pre-registration is not required but highly encouraged to be sure you are seen. Please pre-register by Friday, November 28 at this link: https://bit.ly/communitylawclinic
Eliot Neighborhood Association Meeting Agenda
Monday 11/17/2025
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):
If you are attending and would like to contribute to the Garlington Center food drive, we welcome your food contributions directly at the meeting as well!
No meeting in December – next meeting Monday, January 26, 2026 one week late, in deference to the MLK Holiday
Our neighbors at the Garlington Center are starting a food drive to support those impacted by the cut to SNAP benefits. Folks can bring items to the resource room anytime between 8:30am and 5:00pm Monday to Friday, at 3036 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd.
A list of the most needed items are below:
Our neighbors at the Ivy School PTA are hosting their annual neighborhood winter wreaths and plant fundraiser. Order now to decorate your home with seasonal greenery or beautiful house plants while also helping make a contribution to the Ivy School PTA to fund community events and teacher support.
The PTA partners with local farms Little Prince Nursery of Oregon and Willamette Evergreen Wreaths to provide a wide variety of winter greenery, handmade wears, and indoor plants for all your seasonal needs! Winter decorations are a great way to bring fragrant greenery and joy into our homes, and the beautiful variety of houseplants in this sale make wonderful gifts during this holiday season.
Here is the link to get your order in: Winter Plant Sale
Last day to order is Monday, November 24th. This sale is a little different then the apple sale and some items will sell out!
Pre-order Pick-Up Days and Day-of Sales:
Please contact Breanne Monahan for questions at ivyschoolpta@gmail.com
Eliot Neighborhood 