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Public Invited to Attend When :Tue & Wed Mar 13-14, 2011 Where: Gresham City Hall East Hill Church Details below

Transportation and economic development plan being discussed for Gresham, Troutdale, Fairview and Wood Village.

Metro regional government is offering two community forums, March 13 & 14, to learn about and participate in the East Metro Connections Plan.

Investing in Gresham and the East Metro area
Federal and state money is shrinking, and when the region makes difficult decisions about who gets it, they reward those cities that agree on near- and long-term priorities. Through an effort called East Metro Connections Plan, Gresham and other east county cities are developing that shared agreement.

Metro will be advocating for federal and state transportation money to make our area more attractive to employers while protecting our neighborhoods, making our roads safer and promoting our treasured natural areas.

Many of you have participated in this effort already. Your input helped identify problems and shaped the solutions Metro is considering. But your role isn’t over. Decisions will be made this spring about how investments will be prioritized. Metro want you to weigh in to tell them what is most important to you.

Participate in person

Other ways to be involved

• Participate online and discover what we learned over the last year, such as why we don’t need a Mount Hood freeway, at www.oregonmetro.gov/eastmetro
• Get email updates by sending a request to eastmetroconnections@oregonmetro.gov
• Request a briefing for your neighborhood association or local event
• Come to a steering committee meeting share your comments; their next meeting is on March 14 from 2-4PM at East Hill Church (see above)

Walking and biking to HB Lee Middle School will soon be safer and easier. The Oregon Department of Transportation has awarded the City of Gresham and Reynolds School District $169,000 to add bike lanes, signs to slow traffic, and new crosswalks on 172nd Ave between NE Halsey and NE Glisan.

New crosswalk, signs and paths
The Gresham project includes extending a bike and pedestrian pathway and building a covered bike structure on the HB Lee campus. It also includes a new mid-block crosswalk and two signs advising drivers of the school zone and their actual speed. The improvements are expected to make it safer for students who face speeding drivers and have difficulty crossing the street as they walk or cycle to school.

One of 10 statewide awards
The project is one of 10 Oregon Department of Transportation awards statewide to promote healthy living among children and reduce congestion, fuel consumption and air pollution around schools.

A partnership for healthy students
It also highlights a new public health partnership between Multnomah County, the cities of Gresham and Portland, and local school districts to prevent obesity and chronic diseases by boosting children's physical activity and healthy food options.

Thank You for repaving NE 162nd Ave, From the entire Wilkes East Neighborhood

The following is and excerpt from a letter sent to the City of Gresham Road Divison regarding the 162nd Ave repavement project by the president of the Wilkes East Neighborhood Assn on behalf of the Board and our neighbors. Viewed entire letter here.

STREET CLOSURE NOTICE The City of Gresham has contracted with Kerr Contractors, Inc., to repair and repave NE 162nd Ave from Hoyt to Halsey (View Map). The project originally set to start October 10th will now begin Monday, October 17th. Neighbors are advised to find alternate routes. Completion is expected Friday, October 21st -- but could last take longer as parts of the project are weather-dependent.

NE 162nd Ave will be closed to all through traffic during construction.

City of Gresham Transportation says the contractor will remove the existing asphalt in the car and bike lanes, pulverize the existing road base and rebuild it to a depth of 12", treat the road base with cement, and cover it with hot asphalt. There will be no widening of the existing road bed or bike lanes.

Detours will be in place for residents with alternate access to their homes. Residences fronting 162nd Ave and those without alternate access will be accomodated; however, they may experience delays.

The contractor will notify affected residents one week prior to starting contruction. Electronic message boards will be placed at both ends of the project annoucing the closure dates a few days before construction begins. "NO PARKING" signs will be posted as needed. Illegally parked cars will be towed at the owners' expense.

Road repairs, 165th & NE Russell Click to enlarge

Street Repairs Underway, Now through Fall 2011 Pothold Hotline Available Beginning this week and through the Fall five hundred individual street sections will be repaired within the boundaries of the City of Gresham.

Increased funding = More neighborhood repairs
Twenty-five percent of the five hundred scheduled repairs this summer will be residential. This is all made possible due to the increase in the gas tax and licensing fees. In total $3 million dollars will be spent on this project. In the past Gresham has only had $1 million dollars available at a time to repair city streets.

Got a Pothole? Give'm a Call
An adjunct to this project will be a Pothole Hot Line. Call 503-618-2626 to report potholes in your area.

Share your thoughts and opinions on parking in Downtown Gresham. Take the online survey. Now through June!

Downtown Parking Survey

What’s your opinion of parking in historic Downtown? Is it hard to find a parking space, or just fine? You are invited to share your thoughts and opinions on parking in Downtown Gresham through an online survey.

As part of the Downtown Parking Plan project, the City has developed questions regarding parking availability and preferences among those who use Downtown parking. Answers to questions also will help guide how to manage and provide parking in the future.

The survey will be available through June. Please spread the word. Click here to take the survey!

Neighborhood news Pedestrian and Bicycle Improvements along Halsey (162nd-181st) PDX Airport North Runway Construction May-Oct 2010

Come to the Neighborhood Meeting

When: Monday, Mar 22, 2010 7:00PM
Where: St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church
17405 NE Glisan St
Get map!

Save the date!

Be sure to save Monday, Mar 22nd at 7:00 PM to attend the next Wilkes East Neighborhood Meeting. Learn what's going-on in your neighborhood. Discuss issues important to our community. (See full story for Agenda below).

Join Your Neighbors. Get involved. Make a difference.

Who should attend?

This meeting is open to all residents and businesses in the Wilkes East Neighborhood!

"Bye-bye" curbside parking. Much needed upgrades coming. Sidewalks, ADA rampes, bike lanes, and a new crosswalk near 172nd.

Changes coming to Halsey Street

May - September 2010 the City of Gresham’s Transportation Division will enhance Halsey Street between 162nd and 181st Avenues. The project includes construction of new sidewalks where they are missing, new ADA ramps, and an enhanced crosswalk on 172nd or at a nearby intersection to facilitate access to the north side of Halsey Street from H.B. Lee Middle School. Get Map!

The street surface will also be repaved with microseal, a more durable road surface than the existing asphalt. When the street is resurfaced automobile lanes will be realigned and bike lanes will be added to the north and south sides of the street. With the addition of bike lanes some on-street parking will be eliminated.

Suzan Wells, Pres. SWNA outside abandoned QFC store 182nd/Powell. Gresham Outlook

City identifies 181st & Halsey as one of four potential Gresham locations. Five years later, still no 'Big Box' building code for responsible development.

According to a recent City Council report the possibility is real.

At the October 13th 2009 City Council meeting city planners presented a report that acknowledges Gresham's (Oregon's fourth largest city) need for a big-box policy. The report outlined areas of concern; a summary of how similar sized cities address those issues; and how Gresham compares.

Report recommends delay

The report recommends delaying code development saying the retail market has slowed, making another big-box development unlikely anytime soon. Besides, "A big-box store requires eight acres to accommodate parking," said John Pettis, associate comprehensive planner, "there are no vacant properties (in Gresham) that meet that requirement".

Planners did however identify four sites big enough to be redeveloped to accommodate a big-box (bigger than 100,000 sq. ft.); including 181st & Halsey. (See map below for location)

Has the air traffic noise increased over your house? Share your comments at this meeting

When: Thursday, Oct 8, 2009 6PM
Where: Gresham City Hall
1333 NW Eastman Pky
Get Map!

The Citizens Noise Advisory Committee (CNAC) for the Portland International Airport would like to personally invite you and your neighbors to it's upcoming Monthly meeting being held next week at the Gresham City Hall. The Agenda for the meeting is below.

We look forward to seeing you all there.