Sellwood Moreland Improvement League

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April 2018 SMILE Newsletter

SMILE -- "The Neighbor"

SMILE’s traditional “Easter Egg Hunt” is 10 am sharp, March 31

The longtime, traditional free Easter Egg Hunt for kids – divided into different age categories, to give all kids a chance – is at 10 a.m. SHARP on Saturday morning, March 31, sponsored by SMILE, the Sellwood-Westmoreland neighborhood association, and run by the Oaks Bottom Lions Club. Parents and kids are strongly advised to avoid disappointment and come early, to the south end of Westmoreland Park just east of the parking lot, since the start will be at 10 a.m. to the very second, and only five minutes later, it’s pretty much over.

SMILE Station Open House – Sunday, April 29, 11 to 3

You are invited to drop in to the Sellwood-Moreland Improvement League’s Open House at SMILE Station, 8210 S.E. 13th, at Tenino Street, April 29 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. SMILE is your neighborhood association, and you’ll learn about the good things neighborhood SMILE volunteers do for the Sellwood-Westoreland community. Members of the SMILE Board will be there to discuss the upcoming annual Board election, and how you can run for a seat on the Board. You’ll also hear about the “Buy-a-Brick” fundraiser – to have your business or family name engraved on one of the bricks in the pathway in front of the SMILE Station. Funds raised will be used to expand the programs SMILE provides to the community. Free refreshments will be provided by the New Seasons Market in Sellwood, and a drawing for gifts from neighborhood businesses is part of the fun. Members of the following SMILE committees will be available to answer your questions and to invite you to get involved if you are interested: Land Use, Transportation, SMILE Station and Oaks Pioneer Church rentals, Disaster Preparation, Crime Prevention, Sellwood-Westmoreland History, Stewardship of Natural Amenities (“SNAC”), and Friends of Moreland Woods. Drop in on Sunday, April 29, 11 to 3.

Annual May SMILE election – consider joining the Board!

The annual SMILE neighborhood association Board and Officers Election takes place each year at the SMILE May General Meeting, which this year will be on Wednesday, May 2, starting at 7:30 p.m. There is a Nominating Committee to develop a slate for the neighborhood to vote on at that meeting; but as usual, nominations will also be welcome from the floor at the May 2 General Meeting before the elections take place. Four one-year Officer positions will be open (President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary), and four of the eight two-year “Board Member At Large” seats will be open as well. Some of those currently holding these positions may be planning to run for re-election, but competition for these seats is nonetheless encouraged. SMILE will open the nominating process at the next SMILE General Meeting on Wednesday evening, April 4.

SMILE Land Use Committee update

David Schoellhamer, Chair of the SMILE Land Use Committee, reports that the committee will meet Wednesday, April 4, at 6 p.m. at SMILE Station, S.E. 13th and Tenino. It expects to be discussing SMILE's response to 1) a revised proposal from the city Residential Infill Project (RIP) to reduce the size of new buildings in the single-family zones and increase density, and 2) a city proposal to revise the public notification and public meeting requirements for new developments which would apply to fewer, but larger, developments in Sellwood and Westmoreland. You are welcome to attend the meeting.

“Buy a Brick” fundraiser still underway at SMILE Station

There’s still time to “buy” an engraved brick in the new SMILE Station front path, and giving one to a friend, business, or loved one makes a fine present. Board Member Kim Borcherding is spearheading the marketing of the bricks being “sold” for personal engraving in the new brick pathway up the SMILE Station lawn, leading to the remnant of the original Sellwood Bridge on display there. Sales have been good, but a number of bricks remain to be sold. SMILE originally expected to have the engraving done in April, a time originally approved by the engraver; but since then he has accepted an assignment elsewhere in the country in April, and at any rate he says he needs dry weather to do the engraving – and April is not noted for dry weather in Oregon. We now expect to arrange with him to do the engraving in the latter half of August, Oregon’s driest month. This also gives us more time to “sell” the remaining bricks, probably climaxing the sales effort at a table at Sundae in the Park, on the first Sunday in August in upper Sellwood Park. The funds raised will help liquidate the cost of the project; excess funds that might be generated will be used for other neighborhood needs. More than 500 bricks are to be thus memorialized, as well as about 40 larger 12” x 12” pavers. “We’re offering the bricks and pavers at $100 for the regular size brick, and the larger pavers go for $500 each,” SMILE President Joel Leib explains. For complete information, including how to purchase, visit the new website, www.getasmilebrick.com – or go to www.SellwoodMoreland.org, and look for the “Buy a Brick” link.

SMILE’s technological upgrades

SMILE Board Member Kevin Palmer has been spearheading efforts to update technical modernization for SMILE. The original goals of this project were three: Security and management, knowledge transfer (standalone e-mail addresses), and improved communication (changing from a listserv to “Google Groups”). He details progress made: We now have access to the Google “G-Suite” at no charge, as a nonprofit organization; our e-mail lists are now on Google Groups. We have created e-mail addresses for SMILE Board and leadership positions under 3 domains (sellwood.org, oakspioneerchurch.org, and morelandwoods.org). And, he has created a template for e-mailed newsletters, and has aggregated e-mail addresses from a total of 1,300 on various lists. A special priority has been to improve SMILE’s ability to reach the new renter residents – with the enormous amount of new apartment inventory constructed recently in Sellwood and Westmoreland, this group constitutes a much larger component of the residents SMILE represents in its interaction with the city. The problem seems to be that renters often do not feel part of a neighborhood, but only of the city. SMILE continues to try methods to catch the attention and improve the representation of this group on its Board. At least partly to this end, Kevin has been developing content, logistics, and consistency for issuing a twice-monthly e-mailed SMILE newsletter. He hopes to start sending such a newsletter in early April.

“Sundae in the Park” to tap neighborhood talent

This year’s SMILE-sponsored “Sundae in the Park” in upper Sellwood Park on August 5th will begin at noon with an hour of neighborhood talent – a “Neighborhood Showcase” of entertainment! And we are looking for several neighborhood singers – solo or in a group – dancers, musicians, sword swallowers, or whatever, that would like to have their act highlighted on stage, performing at Sundae in the Park. The acts can be made up of kids and/or adults. Each one will have 10-15 minutes to strut their stuff, and show us what they’ve got. It may seem like a long way off, but August 5th – the first Sunday of August – is the date of this event, and we are already gearing up for a great day. Once the hour is full, that’s it – so don’t delay. Contact us today at – smileghoffnagle@gmail.com.

Attend a SMILE meeting!

You’re invited to attend SMILE meetings every month at SMILE Station, an historic fire station now owned by the Sellwood Moreland Improvement League neighborhood association. The April General Meeting will be at 7:30 pm on Wednesday, April 4th – and the next regular Board meeting will be at 7:30 pm on Wednesday, April 18th. SMILE Station is on the southeast corner of S.E. 13th at Tenino, a block south of Tacoma Street, at 8210 S.E. 13th in Sellwood. Meeting agendas beforehand, and draft meeting minutes afterward, are posted online at: www.SMILErecords.org.

Two volunteer leadership positions opening

Two longstanding events of special importance to Sellwood and Westmoreland are its annual cleanup, which takes place on one May Saturday morning each year in the south parking lot at Westmoreland Park – it’s the oldest neighborhood cleanup drive in the state – and Sundae in the Park, held for the past 38 years in Upper Sellwood Park on S.E. 7th on the first Sunday afternoon in August. Both are led by neighborhood resident volunteers – in the case of the cleanup, by Kris Heiberg; in the case of Sundae in the Park, currently by Nancy Walsh. Both Kris and Nancy are planning to step down from this responsibility in the next year or so, and both invite involved residents to step up to take over. Both have notes and timelines and contacts already organized in writing to make the transition easy, and both would like an interested resident to “shadow” them step by step as they ensure a successful event next year. Anyone interested in considering taking such a leadership role will find it fun and interesting, and this will really involve you in the community. For more information, come to a SMILE General or Board meeting), or call 503/234-3570 and leave a message to find out more.

Rent SMILE Station – or the historic 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. See more at: www.SMILEstation.org. 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.

Community volunteers serve on SMILE committees, too!

SMILE is also looking for neighbors to serve on one or more of SMILE’s committees, including:

Transportation Committee
Land-Use Committee
Stewardship of Natural Amenities Committee (“SNAC”)
Sundae in the Park Committee
History Committee
Emergency Preparedness Committee
Crime Prevention Committee
Friends of Sellwood Community Center
Historic Pioneer Church Committee
SMILE Station Committee
Finance Committee
Communications Committee
Various ad-hoc committees as needed

Attend a SMILE meeting, and find out more about what we do!

Websites for Sellwood-Westmoreland

SMILE offers two complementary websites as a resource for the neighborhood. One is the neighborhood’s blog: www.SellwoodMoreland.org – posting neighborhood news, and regularly updated. A second website contains SMILE’s agendas, minutes, announcements, documents, resources, and much ongoing and regularly-updated neighborhood reference information – it’s online at: www.SMILErecords.org. In addition, SMILE maintains an informational website for the Oaks Pioneer Church on Spokane Street at the east end of the Sellwood Bridge, for which it is the renting agent: www.OaksPioneerChurch.org. For more on SMILE Station: www.SMILEstation.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.

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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SMILE 2017-18 Board election results!

At the May 3, 2017, Annual General Public Meeting, SMILE's annual Board election was held. The results were:

Officers (1-year terms):

President: Joel Leib

Vice President : Gail Hoffnagle

Treasurer: Pat Hainley

Secretary: Eric Norberg

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

TERM EXPIRES 2018

Elaine O'Keefe

Elizabeth Milner [Elected to fill this vacant seat at a special election on October 5, 2016]