Sellwood Moreland Improvement League

November 2011 SMILE Newsletter

SMILE “The Neighbor" 

Status of Union Pacific lawsuit

At the SMILE General Public Meeting on November 2, both SMILE representative (and former President) Kevin Downing and Eastmoreland Neighborhood Assn. representative (and current President) Robert McCulloch were on hand to update the neighborhood on the status of the current discussions with Union Pacific about the lawsuit against the railroad which led to an injunction against it and its predecessors over fifty years ago. The injunction was modified at the request of Union Pacific, with the modifications dictated by the railroad, but the railroad has continuously violated that modified 2004 injunction, according to evidence gathered by the neighborhoods involved. A new issue has assumed front-and-center attention – recent findings that the particulate diesel emissions from the locomotives, as well as from the truck-tractors that continuously bring and take away the shipping containers the railroad is conveying, are harmful to human health. These concerns have been addressed by the California EPA, and Union Pacific has accepted the modifications to its operation dictated by California, and is even saving money while clearing the air there. The two neighborhoods are seeking to have the judge in the case require the same operational modifications here, and require the railroad pay damages from the constant violations of the injunction, as well as add sanctions for the railroad having lost 50,000 documents which could have provided evidence of the violations. The discussions continue.

Second annual homeowner-paid city “Leaf Days”: Nov. 20 & Dec. 10

November 20^th and December 10^th are the planned days for the city leaf cleanup this year in the designated areas, billed to homeowners, subject to change due to weather; our area is called “Southeast 5”, and includes Garthwick, Sellwood north of Tacoma Street, and most of Westmoreland, from Reedway south. If you opt out of this program, cleanup crews will make sure you have, as you have promised, cleaned up your street leaves yourself. This year, homeowners paying for this city service may sweep all the leaves from anywhere on their property into the street for pickup, on the day before “Leaf Day”. For information, to check for any weather-related changes in the announced Leaf Day dates, or to manage your participation in the program (and pay your bill online), you can use the Portland website set up for the purpose: www.portlandonline.com/leafday .

Attend a SMILE meeting!

SMILE holds two public meetings a month. The first, the SMILE General Public Meeting, occurs 7:30-9 pm on the first Wednesday evening of each month. In December, that’s the 7th. The other is the monthly Board meeting, to which the public is also welcome – on the third Wednesday evening each month, 7:30-9 pm. In December, that’s the 21st. Meetings are held at SMILE Station, S.E. 13^th at Tenino, in Sellwood. Agendas are posted online at: www.SMILErecords.org.

SMILE is a 501c3 nonprofit

Of the 95 recognized neighborhood associations in Portland, SMILE is one of the very few to be authorized by the IRS as a nonprofit “501c3” organization. This means that donations made to SMILE are tax-deductible – and are very welcome!

Website resources for Sellwood-Westmoreland

SMILE offers two different websites as a resource for the neighborhood. One is the neighborhood blog: www.sellwoodmoreland.org – posting neighborhood news, and regularly updated. A second website contains SMILE’s announcements, documents, resources, and much ongoing and regularly-updated neighborhood reference information – online at: www.SMILErecords.org. That site is where you will find agendas, minutes of past meetings, and a wealth of resources and documents. Also, SMILE maintains an informational website for the Oaks Pioneer Church at the east end of the Sellwood Bridge, for which it is the renting agent: www.OaksPioneerChurch.org.

Rent SMILE Station or the church!

SMILE is the renting agent for the historic and picturesque Oaks Pioneer Church, on S.E. Spokane Street at Grand, just north of the Sellwood Bridge – overlooking the Willamette River. The church is available at very attractive rates for weddings, memorials, christenings, and other events. In addition, SMILE owns its own building – SMILE Station, S.E. 13th and Tenino, at 8210 S.E. 13th – which is also for rent at very attractive rates for business meetings, parties, wedding receptions, and special events; it will seat up to 100 and has tables, chairs, and an industrial kitchen facility. For information on renting either building for your event, call 503/234-3570, and leave a message for Lori Fyre; she will return your call. To research Oaks Pioneer Church and what it offers, visit its own Internet website: www.OaksPioneerChurch.org.

Fight graffiti in the neighborhood

The reactivated SMILE Crime Prevention Committee, under the direction of Chair Jim Wicks, has been exploring ways of preventing crime, rather than reacting to it when it happens. One element of that is swiftly removing graffiti when it appears. To arrange for graffiti removal, go to: http://crime.sellwood.org, or telephone Trevor at 541/598-4890. Graffiti can be submitted, with attached images of the graffiti, via e-mail to: graffiti@sellwood.org.

Who SMILE members are

SMILE members are everyone living in, working in, or owning property in, Sellwood and/or Westmoreland, unless they specifically exempt themselves. All SMILE members are welcome to volunteer for any of the SMILE committees of particular interest to them.

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SMILE 2011 Board election results!

At the May 4th, 2011, General Public Meeting, SMILE's annual Board election was held.  The results were:

Officers (1-year terms):

President: Mat Millenbach

Vice President :  Sean Murray

Treasurer:  Pat Hainley

Secretary: Eric Norberg

At-Large Board Seats (2-year terms):

Nancy Walsh

Nate Maki

Tom Ramsey

Stan Hoffman

Sarah Heath -- (1 year, filling unexpired portion of Sean Murray's Board seat, with his election to Vice President).