Mt. Scott-Aleta – Arleta Neighborhood Association, Mt. Scott- (MSANA)

2023-03-312023-03-31

Keep the Lights on at Parks

Take Action and Keep the Lights on at Parks

*Lighting at Mt Scott Park is an essential component of the neighborhood safety pilot project.*

The Mt. Scott-Arleta Neighborhood Association joined with neighborhood associations and community partners to urge the city to keep lights on at parks. The city had planned to take out 243 park lights without funding or a clear plan to replace them. Park lighting is an essential component of our neighborhood’s safety pilot project. After significant public comment, Portland Parks & Recreation and Commissioner Dan Ryan, who oversees the parks bureau, produced a new plan to balance safety and stagger replacement.

The Executive Director of SE Uplift says, “Commissioner Ryan will present an emergency ordinance on April 5 to City Council that will allow the Parks Bureau to purchase all replacement light poles simultaneously.” We need your help to ensure that all parks remain lit! You can support this effort by providing testimony or submitting email comments using the link provided below.

Testify to City Council on April 5th.

Electronics Recycling Event Tomorrow

When: Saturday, April 1, 2023 9:30 AM – 12:30 PM
Where: Brentwood-Darlington Community Center (7211 SE 62nd Ave)

Gather any unused technology items you have at home and take them to the Brentwood-Darlington Community Center tomorrow. Our friends at Brentwood-Darlington Neighborhood Association are organizing an electronics recycling and sustainability event on April 1st from 9:30am-12:30pm.

Green Century Recycling will be present to collect accepted electronics, and Bikes for Humanity will host a workshop on bike maintenance. There will also be seed and plant swaps along with an explanation of how local recycling works in Portland. Check the link for suggested donations, a list of accepted items and future event details.

Do you have an item to dispose of that is not on the list? We are excited to announce that the Arleta neighborhood will host a large materials waste collection event in June. Stay tuned for event details next month.

Full Event Details Can Be Viewed Here.

The Portland Engagement Project

Most Portlanders are not engaged with city government. The Portland Engagement Project is your chance to let the city know how to improve its communication with you. Pregame, a Portland based consultant group, and the Office of Community & Civic Life at the City of Portland are actively listening for your ideas. Your feedback will be used to create a more responsive and equitable system for civic engagement. The last major engagement design was 50 years ago.

There are multiple ways to participate:

Join a Listening Session
Take the Online Survey
Attend the April meeting of Mt. Scott-Arleta Neighborhood Association

Share Your Ideas on Engagement.

Building a Better 82nd Ave

*Image of SE 82nd Ave north of Stark St dated 10-29-32. Photo courtesy of the City Archives at the City of Portland.*

Portland Bureau of Transportation’s Building a Better 82nd Project includes near-term critical fixes and a plan for improvements to 82nd Avenue. The project includes immediate safety measures for all road users and signal improvements. Investments to provide shade, better access for people using the corridor and enhancements to transit service are planned.

You can read the draft design concept and participate in the online business access survey by April 15, 2023. If you visit businesses on 82nd Ave or would like to, this survey is for you! Questions about the project? Contact the 82nd Avenue Project Team at 503-865-8282 or email 82ndavenue@portlandoregon.gov.

View Changes to 82nd and Take a Survey.

2022-09-212022-09-21

Mt. Scott Community Center Open House

You are invited to Portland Parks & Recreation Department’s upcoming open house informational meeting scheduled September 24^th, 2:30 – 4:30pm at the Mt. Scott Community Center. 5530 SE 72nd Ave, Portland, OR 97206

Mt. Scott Community Center Site Plan Download

The Mt. Scott Community Center Seismic Retrofit and Expansion project will renovate the Mt. Scott Community Center and will improve community safety, improve ADA accessibility, and expand recreational programming. The project includes a partial demolition and reconstruction of the Community Center. The reconstructed portion will include expanded space for preschool, multi-purpose classrooms, teen center, event center, fitness and aerobics studio, and office/administrative spaces. The remaining portions include the gym and skating rink, which will be improved with seismic retrofits, and the aquatic center which will have a roof replacement. Site improvements include repaving the parking area, constructing a new plaza area, and landscaping around the new building area and parking area.

https://www.portland.gov/parks/construction/mt-scott-community-center-seismic-retrofit-and-expansion-project

For general inquiries, please contact Marlo Medelin with Portland Parks & Recreation at 971-940-5739 or marlo.medellin@portlandoregon.gov.

2022-06-212022-06-21

Introducing the Arleta Triangle Square

Picture contains an isometric, aerial overview of a site plan for a sliplane northeast of the intersection of SE 72nd Ave and SE Woodstock Blvd in Portland, Oregon. The area is highlighted in yellow. — (rendering provided by Portland State University Center for Public Interest Design)

Portland has a new community plaza and it is right here in beautiful Mt. Scott-Arleta! The Arleta Triangle Square opened earlier this month and thanks to hundreds of responses from the community a vision has emerged.

Picture shows a conceptual rendering of a public plaza of the Arleta Triangle Project in southeast Portland, Oregon. People are seen gathered within a bright, colorful plaza. The mural leads towards a stage where people are gathered on it. Woodstock Blvd can be seen in the background. — (rendering provided by Portland Bureau of Transportation)

Last year the neighborhood experienced a dramatic increase in gunfire violence and reckless driving. Thanks to the support of multiple bureaus, a community-initiated plan led by impacted neighbors saw a 64% reduction of confirmed shootings over a three month pilot period in the area surrounding 72^nd Ave and Woodstock.Violent crime remained steady city wide during the same time. The opening of the Arleta Triangle Square is the next phase of the community safety strategy and one that started decades ago.

People are shown with shovels, wheelbarrows, and yard equipment in an open field of grass with a linden tree. In the background SE Woodstock Blvd can be seen. — (photo provided by the Arleta Triangle Project)

The Arleta Triangle Project began in earnest thanks to a cohort of community members in 2005. They were interested in creating a safer crossing of 72^nd Ave at Woodstock and building out space for community use from an “island” of land at the intersection. The linden tree shown above in the photo is still present today. The project is a rare autonomous space within the city organized and supported by community volunteers. Thanks to City Council, the Office of Commissioner Hardesty and the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT), the neighborhood now has a plaza with increased safety and access for public gatherings. The Arleta Triangle Square is your shared space for events, gatherings, public forums, celebration and relaxation.

Photograph shows the newly opened Arleta Triangle Square public plaza in southeast Portland, Oregon. Concrete planters painted yellow are seen in the foreground. The image is taken at sunset and SE 72nd Avenue can be seen in the background. — (photo provided by Mt. Scott-Arleta Neighborhood Association)

The genesis can be traced back to 1994 when the Mt. Scott-Arleta Neighborhood Association (MSANA) adopted support for the Mt. Scott/Arleta Neighborhood Plan. This included a vision for the neighborhood in 2020 centered on livability and community pride. Sidewalks are accessible to people walking and “the streets are safe and traffic through the neighborhood is limited.” That plan is city ordinance today and approved by resolution back in 1996.

The image is a picture of yarrow and California poppies within the yellow, concrete planters located at the Arleta Triangle Square. The sun is illuminating the clouds above during sunset in Portland, Oregon. — (photo provided by Mt. Scott-Arleta Neighborhood Association)

Over the next few months, the Portland State University (PSU) Center for Public Interest Design, PBOT, the Office of Commissioner Hardesty, MSANA, Portland Parks & Recreation, Multnomah County Youth Violence Prevention Office, and Anderson Construction Foundation will grow our partnerships. Later this week we hope to have outdoor furniture available and begin implementing the plaza plan later into the summer. The design is based upon input from hundreds of community members which indicated a strong desire for public performances, plantings and access to nature, arts and murals, and flexibility to host community events. The colors and art may change.

Please join us for our monthly work parties held on the last Saturday morning of each month throughout the summer. Light refreshments will be provided. Thank you for being a neighbor and making the neighborhood a safe, welcoming space for everyone. We hope to see you outside this summer at the Arleta Triangle Square!

2020-11-182021-10-02

Neighbors For Clean Air Mapping Tool

Image of Potential Diesel Impact Locator Mapping Tool with Mt. Scott-Arleta featured

Neighbors for Clean Air launched a mapping tool to track nearby construction in real time and help neighborhoods better understand the relationship between potential diesel emission sources and local development. The mapping tool calculates the square feet of construction area and the number of floors based on building permits.

Clackamas and Multnomah Counties rank in the top 5 percent of counties nationwide for ambient diesel particulate concentrations. While on-road/highway vehicles, rail, industrial, commercial, and other sources are significant contributors, it is estimated that as much of as 65% of Portland Metro emissions sources come from non-road vehicles (construction, agricultural, marine, etc.).

Unlike Washington and California states, non-road vehicles do not have to meet diesel exhaust standards in Oregon and many older diesel engines operate within our state. Fine particulates from diesel emissions represent a community health risk with a disproportionate impact to historically underserved people. Neighbors for Clean Air will connect you to actions to help improve air quality and keep our community healthy.

Join the Neighbors for Clean Air for a free online seminar on December 10th to learn about expanding air quality monitors and learn more about the issue.