wilkeseastnaorg

Wilkes East Neighborhood NewsletterGresham Oregon USAldquoDiversity Harmony Community - Together we can make a differencerdquoWE

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Summer 2016

Nadaka HappeningsSummer EditionBy Monica McAllisterNadaka Nature Park Coordinator

Nadaka Na-ture Park The community garden is brim-ming with life families are enjoying theplay area and the forest provides a wel-come sanctuary from the heat for wildlifeand community members alike lsquoFriendsof Nadakarsquo has been busy as bees thepast few months providing environmentaleducation activities community eventsand stewardship opportunities for ourneighbors schools and partnering organi-zations

Sixth Annual Nadaka Nature Park Festi-val that will take place August 20th from12-3pm This family friendly event will in-clude a visit from the Audubon Society ofPortlandrsquos Education Birds crafts gamesface painting free hot dogs and drinksdance and music performances Variouspartnering organizations will have informa-tion booths and fun hands on activities forthe whole family We would love to havevolunteers from the Wilkes East neighbor-hood to help with the event If you areinterested please contact Monica the Na-daka Coordinator We canrsquot wait to seeeveryone at this amazing event

daka is to help restore a healthy habitat atNadaka Nature Park with SOLVE for theBeach and Riverside Cleanup event onSeptember 24th 9-12pm We will be re-moving invasive species such as Englishivy and Himalayan blackberry from theforest Tools gloves training and light re-freshments will be provided

NADAKA Page 3

New Shelters On StarkBurnside and Glisan OfferHope for East CountyrsquosHomeless More needed

everywhere Not just downtownon skid row but on local streetspushing old shopping carts full ofbelongings or camping in thebushes Where did they comefrom Why are there so many

would end homelessness Todaythousands still sleep outside every night inthe metro area Help is everywherehousing is not

out the hundreds of homeless campersalong the Springwater Corridor Trail socialservice agencies and suburbancommunities like Gresham brace for thepotential influx of homeless individualsmoving into East Multnomah County

shelters with a total of 468 beds haveopened within a 25 mile area between122nd Ave and 162nd Ave as part ofMultnomah Countyrsquos ldquoA Home forEveryonerdquo program to aid the homeless

In February 2016 a year-round familyshelter opened at 16015 SE Starkoperated by Human Solutions with spacefor 134 guests offering a kitchen showerslaundry computer lab and services Inlate July a second year-round familyshelter opened in the Hansen Building(former Multnomah County Sheriffs office)at 122nd amp NE Glisan with space for 200adults offering service by day and shelterat night And early this fall a 134 bedyear-round womenrsquos only shelter will openat 16141 E Burnside operated byMultnomah County and Human Solutionsoffering overnight shelter and services

and many more are still neededHOMELESS Page 2

Mark Your CalendarWilkes East Neighborhood

Albertina Kerr bull Bldg ldquoCIrdquo (H)

Summer MeetingAugust 22nd bull 7PM

722 NE 162nd Av

Shelters Quickly Fill As Portland DropsHomeless On Greshams Doorstep

Waterside Apartments SelectsFinal Project Design

sign changes the final design for the pro-posed Waterside Apartments project at16539 NE Halsey is ready to be submittedto the City of Gresham for approval

Development is confident the new designwill be a welcome addition to Wilkes East

SGS Development LLC will discuss theWaterside project at WENAs August 22meeting Bring your questions

with activewilkeseastnaorgnewsletterhtm

Wilkes East Neighborhood Association - 2Summer 2016

wilkeseastnaorg

Wilkes East NeighborhoodAssociation Newsletter

Published three times a year Over 1500copies distributed throughout Wilkes East

The Wilkes East Neighborhood Association(WENA) is a non-profit organization in GreshamOregon Deadline for submission is the 10th ofthe month prior to publication Submit materialto infowilkeseastnaorg WENA reserves allrights and all copy may be edited for clarity andlength Download a PDF of this newsletteronline at wwwwilkeseastnaorgnewsletterhtm

BOARD MEMBERSChair Kris Freiermuth

Vice Chair Greg Hartungvicechairwilkeseastnaorg

Secretary (Vacant)

Treasurer Billy Simmons

Land Use (Vacant)

At-Large Bob Lundbom

Juanita Null member2wilkeseastnaorg

BOARD MEETINGSBoard meetings are held on the fourth Monday ofeach month at 630PM See website for details

SPECIAL THANKS

City of GreshamPrint Results Inc 503-287-9566

Albertina Kerr - 722 NE 162nd Av

Got an interesting story to shareEmail it to infowilkeseastnaorgor mail to

Volunteer OpportunitiesGet involved Let us know how youd like to helpEmail infowilkeseastnaorg for details

NE Glisan St

NE

162n

d Av

Wilkes EastNeighborhood

NE

181s

t Av

NE Sandy Blvd

5032260700

inforideconnectionorg

Providing responsive accessibletransportation for seniors and

people with disabilities at no costwwwrideconnectionorg

Dear Neighbors

HOMELESS (Page 1)

concerns about the concentration of shelterswithin such a small geographic area andwonder how this new homeless populationwill impact the already stretched social ser-vices in our area

Liz Currie Senior Policy Advisor Multno-mah County Chair Deborah Kafoury dis-cusses the homeless crisis and answersyour questions at WENAs Summer Meeting

Albertina Kerr 722 NE 162nd Ave Bldg CIPlan to attend this lively discussion

Newsletter Volunteers NeededLooking for a way to create positive

change in your community

Wilkes East Neighborhood newsletterWe need writers and editors for contentpreparation Bring your ideas and energy

Contact infowilkeseastnaorg

NEWS ITEMS

the news of homeless shelters beingopened in our area and concern for ourcommunity Join us Monday August 22nd7PM as the project coordinator for Multno-mah County Chair Deborah Kafourys officediscusses homeless projects in our area

printing giant RR Donnelleyrsquos decision topermanently close its plant at 17401 NEHalsey St after so many years in our com-munity Cuts began around Aug 1 The clo-sure is a loss of 113 jobsLAND USE

time Herersquos a run down of those items

Halsey has begun land preparation Theboard met with SGS Development LLC de-veloper Chet Antonsen amp project coordinatorCraig Smith during the July Board meetingA public-app meeting was held WednesdayAugust 2 where Smith gave those in atten-dance an update amp took questions about theproject Craig Smith will speak at our up-coming August Public Meeting about theirprogress amp offer a timeline for the project

our list Ricks Fencing (on 201st amp SEStark) has requested a zoning change forthe vacant property at 178th amp NE Halsey(west of the Arco station) They are propos-ing an 8400 SF retail commercial buildingwith outside storage yard Other land-useitems in progress are Courtyard by MarriottNE 181 near exit 13 Christensen Electric at172 amp NE Sacramento Columbia Care at17720 NE Halsey Wilkes East ElementarySchool Chevron Station project at 181st ampNE Sandy Blvd and Stark Firs Apartmentsat 641 NE 162ndCODE ISSUES

Quite a few illegally parked cars in the bike

lanes have been noted along NE Halsey Stbetween 162nd amp 181st as well as along172nd between NE Glisan amp NE HalseyWe encourage you to take pictures to sendalong when reporting to the NET group(Neighborhood Enforcement Team) at theCity of Gresham Report abandoned carsblocked driveways graffiti foliage blockingline of sight at intersections amp side streetsand stolen property to 5036182866 onlineat greshamoregongovservicesmygreshamor download the Free ldquoMyGresham apprdquo forApple or Android Using ldquoMyGreshamrdquo isevery bit as good as a phone callMARK YOUR CALENDARbull Monday August 22 2016 7-9PMWENA Summer Public MeetingAlbertina Kerr Campus 722 NE 162nd AveTraining Bldg (formerly Bldg H) From 162ndamp NE Holiday go east on Holiday to 165thturn right go 1 block turn right onto cam-pus There is plenty of parking (there will beother meetings at the same time at otherlocations on campus) AGENDA CraigSmith Project Dir SGS Development LLCupdate on Waterside apartments 165th ampNE Halsey St Elizabeth Currie Project Co-ordinator for Multnomah County Chair Deb-orah Kafourys office Homeless projects inour areabull Saturday August 20 2016 12-3PM6th Annual Nadaka Community FestivalNadaka Nature Park 175h amp NE Glisanbull Monday November 17 2016 7-9PMWENAS Fall Public MeetingAlbertina Kerr Campus 722 NE 162nd AveTraining Bldg (formerly Bldg H)

thank you to all who donatetheir time amp energy toward making WilkesEast a better community

Your Friend amp Neighbor

Kristen Freiermuth

Summer 2016 Wilkes East Neighborhood Association - 3

wilkeseastnaorg

NADAKA (Page 1)

closed-toe sturdy shoes Please bring a water bottle and a friendBusinesses schools and community groups are welcome Activi-ties include invasive plant removal litter cleanup working in thecommunity garden To register for the event go tohttpwwwsolveoregonorgget-involvedeventsnadaka-nature-park-cleanup This event is a great way to give back to the com-munity and meet others in the neighborhood with similar inter-ests

Since March we have partnered with Audubon Society of Port-land to host the ldquoWelcome Back Vulture Dayrdquo event five BirdWalks and Jim Labbe led a Bird Walk for Russian Speakers IvyWatson City of Gresham and Heather Buley Backyard HabitatCertification Program led a Plant ID Walk Ecumenical Ministriesof Oregon and Growing Gardens taught a free Container Gar-dening Workshop at the park for community members Our Sec-ond Annual Nadaka Tea Fundraiser in June securedapproximately $1000 for park programming Partners and com-munity members donated items such as refreshments spacetea tableware as well as jewelry home goods gift cards andmore as raffle items This event was a wonderful way for commu-nity members to meet their neighbors and support Nadaka Na-ture Park

ldquoTadpole Talesrdquo for 2-5 year olds a NatureArt Camp June 20-24th with St Aidanrsquos Episcopal Church andthree day camps at Nadaka with games education art and gar-dening in partnership with Latino Network People Places andThings came to Nadaka for their ldquoEnglish in the Parkrdquo field trip forthe ldquoExploring Nature Exploring Languagerdquo program MontavillaUnited Methodist Churchrsquos MampMrsquos Walking Group had a tour andplant walk at the park Two bilingual Nature Discovery Days wereheld at the park for moms and children under the age of sevenwith Mount Hood Community Collegersquos ldquoEarly Head Startrdquo groupand the ldquoHealthy Familiesrdquo group lsquoFriends of Nadakarsquo has alsoworked consistently with three SUN programs to provide environ-mental education stewardship opportunities and a safe place forstudents to explore and play both in the classroom and at thepark

private events to remove invasive species planting natives litterremoval mulching and general park maintenance in the forestgarden front two acres and nature based play area The largeststewardship event in the history of Nadaka was during City ofGreshamrsquos 3rd Annual Green amp Clean Event Day of Service with152 volunteers We also partnered with SOLVE for our Commu-nity Planting Event SOLVE It for Earth Day Cleanup and a stew-ardship day for the SUN youth from HB Lee Middle SchoolGlenfair Salish Ponds and Hartley Elementary schools Privatestewardship events were held for the TIVNU youth group theMESD Wheatley School (trains disabled individuals for futureemployment opportunities) US Bank and Portland AdventistAcademy

the park the past two months This year we have had two Sum-merWorks interns four Talon Apprentices from Audubon Societyof Portland and 8 STRYVE (Striving to Reduce Youth ViolenceEverywhere) helping with environmental education camps stew-ardship gardening and outreach at the park This wonderful

group of young professionals are making a huge difference intheir community and gaining experience for future job opportuni-ties Please feel free to stop by the park and tell them what awonderful job they are doing

change in your community Volunteer at an event or become aNadaka Ambassador Friends of Nadaka is currently acceptingapplications for Nadaka Ambassador positions For more infor-mation about the Ambassador Program and Nadaka updatesplease visit wwwfriendsofnadakaorg ldquoFriends of Nadakardquo onFacebook or wilkeseastnaorg For picnic reservations dona-tions or providing environmental education to your schoolplease contact Monica at monicafriendsofnadakaorg or call at503-956-8558 Help us fulfill our mission to nurture nature foodand families in West Gresham We look forward to seeing every-one at the park this summer

Wilkes Elementary School Design Selected

olds School District has chosen a design for the new Wilkes Ele-mentary School located at 169th amp NE Wilkes Rd Portland OR

FacilityMaster Plan which called for the replacement of the Wilkes Ele-mentary School building on the current site because the existingschool (which is the oldest in the district and dates to the late1880s) was determined to be a high seismic risk with cost to re-pair it outweighing the costto replace it In May 2015voters approved a $125 mil-lion bond to fund this andother district projects

story school will be locatedin the playfield south of thecurrent building on the 533acre site The currentschool will remain in opera-tion until the new building isready for occupancy

classrooms with capacity for588 students and parkingfor 8 large buses 4 smallbuses 67 cars and 16 bicy-cles

Summer 2016 Wilkes East Neighborhood Association - 4

BOARD MEMBERS NEEDED

Seeking motivated passionatecreative individuals to

join our Board

Share your point of view and help shape our neighborhoodTogether WE can make a difference

Join the BoardMember-at-Large at any

time Being a Board member is a great opportunity and ex-perience for any neighbor whether yoursquove been on a boardbefore or youre considering the idea for the first time Noexperience required

astic committed group of other volunteers who work hard onbehalf of this neighborhood Put your talents to work too

month of volunteer time including attending monthly Boardmeetings (4th Monday of every month 630-8pm) and at leastone committee meeting per month To learn more about thisexciting opportunity email infowilkeseastnaorg

Have You Prepared Yet

ldquoSubduction zone earthquakesoff Oregon Washington morefrequent than previousestimatesrdquoOregon State University Aug 5 2016

CORVALIS OR - A new OSUstudy suggests massive earth-

quakes on northern sections of the Cascadia SubductionZone affecting areas of the Pacific Northwest with majorpopulation centers such as Portland Tacoma Seattle andVancouver BC are somewhat more frequent than previouslybelieved The chance of one occurring within the next 50years is also slightly higher than previously estimated

previously believed to rupture on average every 400-500years that average has now been reduced to 350 years

Zone occurred in January 1700 more than 315 years agoAre you ready Yoursquore not Letrsquos get strated

Visit wilkeseastnaorgnode2120 for valuable resources

Got a tip or story to shareIf yoursquove got an interesting tip story or article idea thatyoursquod like to share email it to infowilkeseastnaorg

Have You Signed U

pN

extdoorcom is the neighborhood-centric social netw

ork for youyour neighbors and your com

munity Its the easiest w

ay for youand your neighbors to talk online A

nd its freeSign-up today

wilkeseastnaorg

Wilkes East Neighborhood

Summer MeetingMonday August 22nd 7-9PM

Albertina Kerr bull 722 NE 162nd Av

Building ldquoCIrdquo (small bldg center north)

To register visit komenoregonorg