A fourth job and resource fair sponsored by the Eliot Neighborhood Association, Vancouver Avenue First Baptist Church, Cascadia Health, and the Office of Community and Civic life will be held in Dawson Park on Tuesday, November 1 from 11am to 1pm.
Attendees will be able to meet employers and apply for jobs. Additionally, there will be a food giveaway and free vaccines available.
Volunteers are also welcomed for trash pick-up, setup, tear-down, and facilitation.
During the week of Oct. 24-29, you might see people walking around the Eliot neighborhood with clipboards writing down vehicle information. A parking consultant firm has been retained by the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) to conduct an on-street parking utilization study of the Eliot neighborhood. These personnel have authorization to collect vehicle information for the purposes of the data collection on behalf of the bureau. They will be collecting license plate numbers in order to get an accurate understanding of the turnover in the area. The license plate information will not be stored and no personal identification information will be collected. All vehicle information will be aggregated so no individual vehicle information will be available to the bureau or to the public. The surveyors will be out from 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. Questions? Contact PBOT Project Manager Kathryn Doherty-Chapman at 503-823-4761.
For more about this project visit the webpage where you can view Parking Task Force meeting information: www.portland.gov/transportation/parking/eliot-parking/eliot-parking-task-force
Attendees:
Broadway Bridge Closed 7-9:45AM
Burnside & Steel Bridge traffic impacts below.
The Portland Marathon presented by OHSU will take place on Sunday, October 2, 2022. The map at the bottom of this flyer shows the race route in the proximity of your neighborhood. To see an interactive map of the entire route that allows you to zoom in to see the exact streets used for the race, please visit portlandmarathon.com/courses. As a rule of thumb, it will not be possible to drive on, or drive across, the streets used for the race until the last runner has passed the location and the traffic control devices have been removed. Vehicles will be turned away one block prior to reaching the race route.
ROUTE DESCRIPTION IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
Although the actual race route does not enter Eliot, it will impact nearby streets. Runners begin the race Downtown and run through Old Town, Northwest District, and the Pearl District before accessing the Broadway Bridge. They then use the Broadway Bridge to cross to the east side and perform a clockwise loop around the Moda Center. The route then heads back west across the Broadway Bridge and makes its way south down Naito Pkwy into South Portland.
SPECIAL TRAFFIC CONSIDERATIONS IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
● The Broadway Bridge will be entirely closed to all vehicles (including Portland Streetcar) from 7:15-9:45 a.m. After 9:45 a.m. there will be no restrictions on use of the Broadway Bridge. No vehicles will be able to travel west on Broadway anywhere past Benton Ave.
● The Steel Bridge will remain open during the entire event, but vehicles entering Old Town from the Lloyd District using the Steel Bridge will experience delays from 7:15-9:45 a.m.
● The Burnside Bridge will always maintain one eastbound lane and one westbound lane open during the entire event, but vehicles traveling west up Burnside from the Bridge will experience delays from 7:00-8:00 a.m., including a complete temporary closure of Burnside from 7:10-7:30 a.m.
● N Interstate Ave will not be restricted and should be used to cross underneath the race route on the Broadway Bridge if access across the route is needed in that area between 7:15 and 9:45 a.m. The only special consideration on N Interstate Ave is that the fly-over exit from southbound N Interstate Ave onto N Larrabee Ave will be closed from 7:15 to 9:15 a.m.
● Those needing to travel between Eliot and the west side of the river will experience the least amount of inconvenience by doing so via the I-405 or I-5 freeways (Fremont or Marquam Bridges).
● The I-5 Southbound freeway on-ramp at the northeast corner of the Moda Center (Wheeler Ave / Williams Ave) will remain open and unobstructed during the entire event.
ENTIRE RACE ROUTE
If you plan to travel into or through any neighborhoods near the race route between 7:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, please take a moment to read the detailed traffic control description for that neighborhood by visiting portlandmarathon.com/traffic and selecting the neighborhood in question.
For questions regarding the City’s administration of this permit, please contact Allison Madsen at
allison.madsen@portlandoregon.gov or 503-865-2482.
A third job and resource fair sponsored by the Eliot Neighborhood Association, Vancouver Avenue First Baptist Church, Cascadia Health, and the Office of Community and Civic life will be held in Dawson Park on Tuesday, October 4.
Attendees will be able to meet employers and apply for jobs. Additionally, there will be a food giveaway and free vaccines available.
Our last career fair was featured in a short KGW segment, and we look forward to bringing this community resource back next week.
By Mark Bennett
Every story has a backstory and the struggle between the 7th and Tillamook neighborhood and PBOT is no different, but I’m not going to dive too deeply into that rathole – instead I want mostly to relate my experience as PBOT contractors showed up to cut down the tree and start removing the traffic circle on Monday Sept. 27th.
Our neighborhood knew they might be coming, not because PBOT explicitly notified us, but because we have long since stopped trusting them because they don’t respond to our letters, emails or phonecalls and instead we try to anticipate their every move. Myself and a few others (who didn’t have Monday morning office responsibilities) assembled at the traffic circle at 6:45am. Shortly thereafter, a PBOT truck and a contractor parked some distance away on 7th and began to observe us. They talked on their phones while observing us – a good indication that they were calling PBOT for instructions.
Shortly thereafter a tree cutting service pulled up next to the traffic circle and a squad of five or six guys with chainsaws and chippers approached us at the circle.
I informed them, “We need to see your permit to cut down the tree.”
After some back and forth, the contractor’s supervisor walked up and said, “We’re cutting down this tree, you need to move now.”
I replied, “ We need to see your permit or you aren’t cutting down the tree.”
The contractor snarled back, “I don’t need a damn permit, we’re cutting this tree down.”
Again I said, “Without a permit, you aren’t cutting this tree. We can’t just have people walk into our neighborhood and cut down trees without a valid permit.”
The PBOT inspector joined the discussion, “We have an approved project and the start date is today.”
I repeated, “Show me the permit.”
He pulled out his phone and showed me a long document which I visually scanned. I pointed out, “This is a project description, not a permit.”
The contractor said to the PBOT inspector, “We can start cutting down the other tree while you make a call to clear the intersection.”
The PBOT inspector was on an animated call for a few minutes and returned, “We have full authorization and we’re cutting down this tree. You need to move your protest off the circle.”
I said, “You have no compunction acting completely against the obvious will of this neighborhood”.
Inspector, “I’m just doing my job.”
I replied, “How often has that argument been used to justify bad things?”
And then.. the community response team of PBOT showed up in the guise of a Portland Police sergeant all dressed in black with a bullet proof vest and a 9mm pistol on his belt.
The sergeant said, “You have the right to protest, but not on this circle. If you do not move from the circle, I will arrest you for misdemeanor trespass. It may not be a serious charge, but I will take you in for booking and it may not look good to your employers or any future employment you might seek.”
I responded, “You show up and the first thing you do is try to intimidate us”.
The sergeant said, “I’m not intimidating, I’m just doing my job.”
I thought, There it is again, just doing his job.
I replied, “Is it your job to suggest we might lose our jobs and not be able to find employment? Isn’t it a little intimidating that the person PBOT sends to talk to us has a 9mm?
The sergeant said, ‘This is just my uniform and I am just trying to make you aware of the consequences.”
I said, “Well you are intimidating me whether you intend to or not. You have turned this peaceful protest into a dangerous confrontation.”
I noticed that I was shaking, I couldn’t tell if I was cold or if it was the fear of the officer.
The Sergeant said, “You’ve been warned.”
I left for a bit as I had to get ready for an appointment and when I got back, the PBOT project manager had showed up and was addressing our group (now that she had Police protection). She may have said many things before I had arrived back on the scene, but the first thing I heard her say was, “We are already over budget and behind schedule, you should allow us to move forward and trust that you will have an opportunity for changes when the project is completed”.
This was too much, I blurted out, “Trust you? You have misled and lied to us every step of the way. Three years ago the community approved a plan with a straw vote of over 150 voters and then mysteriously PBOT changed the plan because unidentified powers brokered a behind-the-scenes deal. Now you come back, without notifying the neighborhood, to remove the traffic circle — the only speed abatement in this intersection, and we are supposed to trust you? We wouldn’t even be here if you didn’t refuse to add two stop signs to the plan with the only reason provided being that it doesn’t meet Federal guidelines. You may steamroll us, but it will result in a lot of bad will. This isn’t going away. You are liars”
The sergeant announced, “This isn’t productive”.
I said, “Oh, so the guy with the gun gets to say what’s productive and appropriate.”
At this point, one of my neighbors pulled me aside and said, “I’m nervous about too much confrontation with a police officer with a gun.”
I agreed with my neighbor, mostly because I had no idea how I would react if the officer tried to arrest me.
Our story ends with the tree cut down and the traffic circle ready for bulldozing. Car speeds which already average 29 miles an hour with a standard deviation of 4 mph will undoubtedly increase (incredibly 1 out of every 20 cars is already going over 37mph). The traffic volume which is currently 6000 cars a day (five times PBOTs planned volume for 7th) will almost assuredly increase as well. We must not forget that the circle was originally built because a child was killed 50 feet from the existing circle by a speeding car.
I cannot help but ask myself, “Why does PBOT ram this project down our throats in the face of nearly universal neighborhood opposition?” I believe the answer lies in the words of the PBOT project manager and the PBOT traffic engineer. The project manager said, “We can’t have another meeting, we are already over budget and behind schedule and the engineer said, “We can’t add the two stop signs because of Federal guidelines”. It’s clear as day, since PBOT thrives on Federal money, they march to Federal schedules and budgets and once a project is approved they don’t want any changes – it jeopardizes the money that pays their salaries. PBOT’s interest is to keep the federal dollars flowing. Community involvement and input is all just for show.
Mark Bennett
7th and Tillamook
safeOn7th.org
The porch. It’s where we tell stories, sleep on summer nights, braid hair, take photos, watch the world, learn about the past and imagine the future. The porches of Afrotopia are no different. Here you will be met by sounds of music, singing, the smell of food carts and other market stalls. You may come across a youth or griot sharing their own migration tales. Artists creating new worlds. The care and nurture of community. And Black childhood as remembered through common consciousness.
We hope you’re able to join us!
Our apologies that this was posted too late to join the Saturday event, but please register for Sunday here!
In addition to the letter that the Eliot Neighborhood wrote (and Irvington Community Association Endorsed), I woke up to this in my inbox:
Dear Representative Earl Blumenauer, Mayor Ted Wheeler, Commissioner Joann Hardesty, Commissioner Mingus Mapps, PBOT Director Warner, Mr. Sziegethy, Ms. Peirce, Mr. Falbo, and other PBOT Capital Projects decision makers:
Enclosed please find a letter signed by more than 30 local residents from the intersection of NE 7th Avenue and NE Tillamook Street. We respectfully request that the City of Portland begin the process now to address the root cause of the dangerous conditions that the Portland Bureau of Transportation has allowed to develop over many decades in our residential neighborhood from excessive traffic volumes and reckless traffic speeds on Lower 7th Avenue.
Also enclosed is a petition signed by nearly 50 pedestrians and cyclists who happened to pass through this intersection during a few short hours on Sunday afternoon. Our neighbor who volunteered his time to undertake this petition effort yesterday received overwhelming support from every person on foot or bicycle who had the time to stop and speak. We believe this provides you with a sampling of the level of support you will see for real efforts to make this stretch of Lower 7th Avenue safer for the entire community.
Finally, we would like to bring to your attention the letter published yesterday by the Eliot Neighborhood Association and recent coverage of this issue by KGW and BikePortland.
Sincerely,
Rose Francis
Concerned mom from Tillamook and 7th
The Eliot Neighborhood Association has written a letter to City and PBOT leaders asking for them to maintain a diverter on NE 7th blocking vehicle travel indefinitely. You can sign on to the letter here.
Residents around the intersection wrote their own letter which you can see here.
See the letter below:
Here is the text of the letter if that is easier to read:
September 18, 2022
United States Representative Earl Blumenauer
Mayor Ted Wheeler
Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty
Director Chris Warner, Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT)
Nick Falbo, Nicole Peirce, Roger Geller, PBOT Staff
RE: Diversion Needed on NE 7th Avenue to reduce traffic volumes for increased safety
Representative, Mayor, Commissioner, Director, and City Employees,
We are writing to you on behalf of the Eliot Neighborhood Association (ENA), which has received numerous complaints from neighbors about the dangerous conditions of NE 7th Avenue, between NE Broadway and NE Fremont. The ENA has written to you in 2018, 2015 and earlier particularly concerned about the continued deterioration of the road from a traffic standpoint. NE 7th has way too many cars for a local street: 6,000 per day by the PBOT’s estimation. It is difficult to walk, bicycle and even at times drive on the street due to the pre-construction level of car traffic. Additionally it is difficult to cross 7th at most intersections when not in a car. NE 7th has been a high-volume cut-through route for years and we were previously excited for the Lloyd to Woodlawn project to put this traffic back where it belongs: on NE Martin Luther King Jr, Blvd (MLK).
We would like to reiterate the need for traffic DIVERSION on NE 7th due to the extremely high volume of traffic that it receives despite being classified as a local street. Now that the Blumenauer Bridge has been built, we are excited that the city is prioritizing bicycle improvements on NE 7th. Our concern is that the current design does not reflect the city’s policies to make NE 7th a truly local street with minimal cut-through traffic. The City is proposing a design that will work with the existing traffic volumes instead of trying to change the traffic volumes to meet the City’s published policy goals as we have repeatedly asked. While we like the additional speed bumps and horizontal deflection that were proposed on Thursday, September 15th after the public meeting on the street on Wednesday, September 14th, we believe that traffic volumes need to be reduced as part of the project, concurrently with this project or at a minimum before NE 7th is reopened. At the Wednesday night meeting, PBOT said that it had no current plans to reduce traffic volumes, but agreed to reopen the dialogue. Our request is that PBOT only reopen NE 7th Avenue to vehicle traffic after traffic diverters blocking North-South through traffic are on the ground.
Prior to the construction fencing, NE 7th Avenue was a well-used de facto bike route despite the high volume of cars on the road. In the pre-construction-fencing configuration, many non-local drivers utilize the street as a way to avoid Martin Luther King Boulevard. These also tend to be the most motivated, hurried, and aggressive drivers who have already decided they are unwilling to tolerate being slowed by the traffic on MLK.
Some of these drivers drive very dangerously including:
In addition to acting as a major bikeway, NE 7th Avenue is a crossing point for elementary-school children headed east-bound to Irvington School and middle schoolers headed west-bound to Tubman Middle School. Because of an interruption of sight-lines due to street trees and numerous off-set or 3-legged intersections, car drivers make it especially dangerous to walk and bicycle across NE 7th. NE 7th also serves as a gateway for several local preschools to reach Irving Park on walking visits.
Before installation of the construction fencing, dangerous conditions on NE 7th were obvious to PBOT, residents and other road users. We believe that it is paramount that PBOT take steps to ensure that NE 7th becomes a safe neighborhood street. After over 50 years of incremental changes, NE 7th is a street that well exceeds the traffic volume goals for local streets of 1000 cars per day. The construction fencing has brought NE 7th much closer to meeting the City’s goals for the street and we would like to make sure we do not revert to the old condition. Redirecting non-local vehicle trips to use other routes, primarily MLK, provides safety improvements for vulnerable road users within and beyond the local neighborhood. Neighbors and PBOT know this would not be happening without DIVERSION, so we are asking for a jump-start to this planning so that some diversion of cars from NE 7th will be kept at the end of the construction project.
The construction fencing that has been installed for over a week now is a great demonstration of the benefits of reduced traffic on NE 7th. Residents are able to talk to each other more easily, people can cross the street without fear and the few cars that are left are traveling quite slowly as their trips are more local in nature. There is more bicycle traffic on NE 7th than ever before, and it helps people get to the new Blumenauer bridge 13 blocks away. The current conditions are making it hard to access some houses and businesses, but drivers have already adapted to the change in roadway access and many cars are avoiding NE 7th, exactly the goal of our request.
We have been and continue to be very supportive of adding many proposed diverters along 7th along the Eliot and Irvington Neighborhood border. Since the last plan for NE 7th was deemed too controversial, we are proposing to keep the street closed to vehicles until at least one diverter is installed. Split diverters for North- and South-bound vehicle traffic near the project area at NE 7th and Tillamook would also be acceptable. Since we understand that there are some public outreach rules that take time to comply with and that the road is scheduled to be closed for at least 6–8 weeks during construction, we ask that you start this process immediately and/or delay the removal of construction barriers so that when the road is reopened to vehicle traffic, a diverter (pilot or permanent) is in place.
Thank you for your attention to these matters and helping make our neighborhood safer and more comfortable for children and easier for everyone to cross and travel along our streets. I look forward to hearing from you shortly regarding a diverter proposal.
Regards,
Allan Rudwick
Co-Chair and Land Use Chair, Eliot Neighborhood Association
503-703-3910
Organizational Signatories
The Irvington Community Association (ICA), which borders 7th Ave., and has long been concerned about the safety of 7th Ave., particularly in regard to vulnerable users such as cyclists and pedestrians, particularly children, endorses and supports the above letter. We also thank the Eliot Neighborhood Association for bringing this matter to our attention and we too look forward to working with PBOT to come up with a solution which will result in a much safer neighborhood street.
Regards,
Steven Cole
President, Irvington Community Association
503-754-7713
Individual Signatories:
Rose Francis
Laura and Eric Kading
2157 NE 7th Ave
612-246-6562
Paxton Rothwell
3911 NE Grand Ave
Sarah Milliron
2124 NE 7th Ave
Peggy and Jay Winchester
2259 NE 7th ave.
Randy Haj
Mollie & Eric Hart
NE Tillamook Street
Ari and Michaell Steinberg-Lake
2023 NE 7th Ave
Arisafed@gmail.com
808-937-4864
Jason Owen
2100 SE Belmont St #404
Jonathan Hinkle and Spencer Alan
NE Tillamook and Rodney
<we are continuing to collect signatures and will send another version in approximately a week with additional signatures>
Sean Green has put together a GoFundMe to help support our co-Chair Jimmy Wilson help rebuild after a fire at the food cart pod he manages.
The City of Portland is starting a task force to look at parking concerns in and around Eliot. You can find more details here. Below is a summary of some goals and a screenshot of their website.
They also want you to fill out a survey here about your experiences travelling and parking in Eliot
The Eliot NA board and land use committees have brought up several concerns like:
Here’s the link to Apply to join the task force by September 21st. (I already did, it was easy)
Goals of parking management
The goal of parking management is to balance all the competing needs for on-street parking. Customers, commercial delivery drivers, and a growing population all need access to on-street parking.
Benefits of parking management include:
The Soul District Business Association announces the 11th Annual MLK Dream Run Weekend Celebration, featuring 5k, 10k and 15K professionally timed races through the streets of N/NE Portland Oregon.
See mlkdreamrun.org for more details.
Registering to Walk /Run as Individuals or Teams
Go to mlkdreamrun.org and press the Register button. The 5k= $35, The 10K is $45 and the 15K is $55. You also get $5 off per registration fee if you sign up as a team of 10 or more. Save on registration as prices go up in August.
Donate Financial Support
To donate, log onto mlkdreamrun.org and press the donate button located on the front page.
Volunteer
The event is seeking 200 Soul District volunteers to help with a variety of duties pre-race, day-of- race, and post-race. This is an awesome team building opportunity for any business group or family. To register to volunteer, go to mlkdreamrun.org and click the Volunteer tab at the top of the page and follow the prompts. You can also reach the volunteer coordinator, Christina Lane, @ volunteers@MLKDreamRun.org or call 503-820-9115.
Sponsor
Please contact sponsor@mlkdreamrun.org or call 503-841-5032
Register as a vendor
Promote your product and business by tabling at the Saturday and or Sunday festivities. To register as a vendor go to mlkdreamrun.org and click Vendor Registration or use this link here Vendor Form 2022
Follow the run on social media
facebook.com/MLKDreamRun
Instagram @MLKDreamRun
Twitter MLK Dream Run PDX
Job Fair featuring these expected employers is happening in Eliot at Dawson Park 10-12am Tueaday: Volunteers of America, OHSU Dental Clinic, Randstad Staffing, John Deere, ServiceMaster, The Rebuilding Center, Cascadia Behavioral Health, Marquis Care Center, UR Billing Solutions, UPS, Express Employment and possibly others. More information
Job Fair featuring these expected employers is happening in Eliot at Dawson Park: Volunteers of America, OHSU Dental Clinic, Randstad Staffing, John Deere, ServiceMaster, The Rebuilding Center, Cascadia Behavioral Health, Marquis Care Center, UR Billing Solutions, UPS, Express Employment and possibly others
Saturday Aug 6th: NE Rodney Ave and NE Knott St
Sunday Aug 7th: NE Rodney Ave and NE Ivy St
[reposting with time fixed]
Job Fair featuring these expected employers is happening in Eliot at Dawson Park: Volunteers of America, OHSU Dental Clinic, Randstad Staffing, John Deere, ServiceMaster, The Rebuilding Center, Cascadia Behavioral Health, Marquis Care Center, UR Billing Solutions, UPS, Express Employment and possibly others
August 2nd 10am-12pm. See flyer below for more details
Job Fair featuring these expected employers is happening in Eliot at Dawson Park: Volunteers of America, OHSU Dental Clinic, Randstad Staffing, John Deere, ServiceMaster, The Rebuilding Center, Cascadia Behavioral Health, Marquis Care Center, UR Billing Solutions, UPS, Express Employment and possibly others
August 2nd 10am-12pm. See flyer below for more details
Eliot Neighborhood 