Sellwood Moreland Improvement League

July 2025 SMILE Newsletter

Upcoming SMILE Meetings!

The July monthly SMILE General Meeting, scheduled for July 2nd, has been canceled in observance of the observance of Independence Day two days later; so the next SMILE General Meeting will be on August 6th, and as usual it will be from 7:30 to 9 p.m., at SMILE Station – on the southeast corner of S.E. 13th Avenue and Tenino Street (a block south of Tacoma Street). Everyone in the neighborhoods of Sellwood and Westmoreland is always invited to attend, and to participate in these neighborhood meetings.

The July Board Meeting, also always open to the public, will take place as usual – and will be on the third Wednesday evening of the month, July 16th. The Board Meetings also take place at SMILE Station from 7:30 until 9 p.m.

June General Meeting: Transportation & Public Safety updates

 The primary matters on the June SMILE General Meeting agenda were detailed reports from two SMILE committees – and the first of the reports was presented by Scott Kelly for the Transportation Committee he leads (and he is now a SMILE Board Member). He began by saying that he was well aware there are traffic issues of concern in the Sellwood-Westmoreland neighborhood, and he invited input.  He pointed out that there is a SMILE email ListServ specifically for transportation issues, which anyone is welcome to join to stay advised of matters currently before his committee – and it is possible to join the committee as a member, too, if interested.  He mentioned city resources which are available also, concerning traffic and transportation issues.  

SMILE resident Esmé Danriise, who said she lives near S.E. Milwaukie Avenue and Yukon Street in Westmoreland, arose to voice her concern about motorists speeding on her section of Milwaukie Avenue; she has bought a radar gun to document the excessive speeds she finds are common on that stretch of road, where she says traffic has greatly increased in the last two years. Scott told her that a traffic enforcement mission can be requested from the Portland Police Bureau. She said she intends to be present at the June Transportation Committee meeting.

Next to present was Grant Huling, Chair of the Community Safety [formerly the Crime Prevention] Committee, who is now in his second year as an ad-hoc Board Member of SMILE. He remarked that his committee is a resource for those in the community concerned about safety and crime prevention – and he presented a resource handout. He discussed options within the city government of use to those with crime and safety concerns.  The “NRT Officers” assigned to each PPB Precinct are a specific resource for addressing chronic problem locations. 

Huling presented a Graffiti Removal Kit, and displayed what was in it; graffiti abatement is legally required of all properties defaced by graffiti, and his committee uses kits like these to assist victims in that effort; there are periodic “cleanup days”, at which community volunteers are welcome.  He was asked about the “personal safety clinics” which have been presented at SMILE Station by the Office of Violence Prevention; he said that more of them may be scheduled if there is sufficient interest.

SMILE Station Kiosk replaced, thanks to an Eagle Scout

 After years of use, and battering by the elements, the little kiosk at the SMILE Station, on the lawn at S.E. 13th at Tenino, has been replaced with a brand new one, thanks to the hard work of a local Eagle Scout, Ames Merten, of Troop 64. Each year graduating Scouts take on final projects ranging from environmental to community service, and from construction-type projects to fundraising efforts, with an emphasis on leadership and enriching communities. This year, SMILE – the Sellwood-Westmoreland neighborhood association – was the beneficiary of this wonderful tradition. 

Ames Merten, a senior at LaSalle Prep High School and a Sellwood resident, reached out to Chris Timberlake, SMILE's Director of Operations, in March -- with an offer to replace the kiosk at no cost to the community. She gratefully accepted. After some discussions about aesthetics, and what the new kiosk would need to ensure its endurance for decades to come, Ames got to work. He began by deciding on the best design, and then securing generous donations from Mr. Plywood and the Merten Family to cover the costs of materials. Once the materials were in hand, he organized volunteers -- and in late April he and they began the work of installation.

“We are so thankful to everyone who worked with him and donated their time, money or supplies to give us this beautiful new kiosk, but we are mostly thankful to Ames. He made this happen, and he did it while getting through the final months of his senior year of high school!” exclaimed Ms. Timberlake.

Just a reminder that the SMILE Station kiosk is for posting free community-based events and opportunities. Please leave any fliers you’d like posted in it at the SMILE Station office on the lower level of the building (north staircase entrance) – in the dropbox there.

2025 Board Members and Officers in place

 The 2025 SMILE General Meeting for May took place on Wednesday, May 7th, 7:30-9 p.m., at SMILE Station, at S.E. 13th and Tenino (one block south of Tacoma Street), in Sellwood.  SMILE Station’s January ice-storm repairs are completed, and meetings are again being held there.

At the conclusion of the SMILE Board Election process, supervised and counting the vote for which was Neighborhood Association Coalition Neighbors West Northwest (NWNW), it was announced that all four SMILE officer positions were won again by those seeking re-election; this year none was opposed in the election.

In the at-large Board Member election, two incumbents were re-elected for a two-year term:  Elaine O'Keefe and Jason Sturgill.  Two incumbents chose to retire from the Board, and receive applause for their service to SMILE:  Bob Burkholder and Tracy Fisher. As it happened, there were only two at-large Board Candidates, and no further candidates volunteered at the May 7 meeting to be added to the ballot, so those two candidates were elected to the two remaining open seats:  Scott Kelly and Eli Fabens.

Those who live in, work in, or own property in, either Sellwood or Westmoreland are automatically considered “members of SMILE” (unless they specifically don’t want to be, for some reason; there is no card to carry or dues to pay) – and only SMILE members can vote on motions in General Meetings, and only SMILE members can run for seats on the SMILE Board each May.

SMILE strives to serve everyone in the neighborhood

A message from the President of SMILE: Over the last several months, the SMILE Board had been meeting to create a set of beliefs and values for the organization that will guide all our efforts to engage with, support, and represent, our growing and ever-diverse Sellwood-Westmoreland neighborhood. We are grateful for the guidance and support we received from the Southeast Uplift Neighborhood Coalition in this process. We are proud to share an abridged version of our Beliefs and Values here, and we encourage you to visit us online -- http://www.sellwoodmoreland.org -- to read more.

Inclusion and Representation: At SMILE, we believe a strong and healthy community requires a diversity of voices, particularly in leadership roles, and we believe in representing all voices in our community.

Accountability: At SMILE, we believe that our policies, practices, and procedures should be consistent, transparent, and align with our values. We commit to being flexible and adaptable to community needs.

Equity: At SMILE, we believe in and are committed to being anti-racist. We recognize that our practices may have resulted in excluding some members of our community, and we pledge to learn from and correct our mistakes with humility and honesty.

Connections: We believe SMILE is only as strong as the community we represent, and the partnerships we nurture. We believe in prioritizing accessibility and fostering relationships among all residents to create a cohesive community. At SMILE we provide opportunities for our community to hear from one another and from a variety of perspectives. We commit to facilitating a safe space for respectful dialogue

Empowerment: We believe SMILE's role is to actively serve and inform the neighborhood.

Joy: At SMILE we use talents and resources, and collaborate with our community partners, to create opportunities for joy and celebration.

We hope our Sellwood and Westmoreland neighbors will join with us in these efforts.

Elaine O'Keefe, SMILE Past President

Simon Fulford, SMILE Past President

SMILE is a 501c3 nonprofit

Of the 95 recognized neighborhood associations in Portland, SMILE is one of the 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!

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THE 2025-26 SMILE BOARD OFFICERS (1-year terms)

President -- David Dugan  (Now serving a two-year term after bylaws update)

Vice President -- Elizabeth Milner

Treasurer -- Pat Hainley

Secretary -- Eric Norberg

AT-LARGE BOARD SEATS (2-year terms)

TERM EXPIRES 2026:

Zack Duffly

Jim Friscia

Grant Huling

Suzanne Kruse

TERM EXPIRES 2027:

Scott Kelly

Eli Fabens

Jason Sturgill

Elaine O'Keefe