Buckman Community Association

2/10/05 BCA General Meeting Minutes

2/10/05 BCA General Meeting Minutes

In Attendance: Lily Witham (BCA), Gilly Burlingham, Steve Hoyt (SEUL), Ann Bowling (BCA), Blair Vail, Faddeh Yuetsu Wolf, Don MacGillvray, Melinda James, Wayne Miya, Jeannie Burt, Roger Burt, Laura Jeager, Susan Lindsay (BCA), Bethany Pratt (BCA), Jim Andrews (BCA), Fred Wearn, Susan Aldrich, Lee Perlman (Hollywood Star).

Minutes approved- A motion was made by Ann Bowling to approve the minutes from 2/3/05 Board meeting. Seconded by Bethany Pratt, unanimous vote. The minutes from January 6th were also approved with a motion by Bethany Pratt, seconded by Ann Bowling with a unanimous vote.

Our House- Representatives from Our House came to the meeting to report some changes to the plan. The facility has been changed to community service status instead of residential care facility, and this change of designation has caused some zoning changes affecting the floor area, the height of the fence along the “back yard” and setback changes to 15’ instead of 5’. Jim Andrews made a motion that the BCA writes a letter in support of an application for exemptions for Our House. Lily Witham seconded the motion, and the vote was unanimous.

Liquor Committee Report- Lily Witham reported that she has signed good Neighbour Agreements with the owners of the Buckman Grill, Gil’s Speakeasy and an additional amendment for Imbibe.

St. Francis Update- Susan Lindsay has not been able to meet again with Valerie Chapman. Commander Sizer feels firmly that undercover officers can always buy drugs on the property, and she wants officers to have access to the dining hall. Susan asked that we all work together with community policing to resolve these issues. Roger Burck reports that the encampment at 9th & Oak has been removed by the efforts of Officer McMurray. A 3 block radius “buffer zone” is desired by residents of Buckman. The police continue to make arrests and compile statistics. Roger Burck also pointed out that by excluding the police from the property, St. Francis forfeited the GNA with Buckman in 1998.

Lighthouse Kiosk- Neighbours from the 20th and Madison area expressed a strong desire for a village convergence project featuring a lighthouse and an “intersection repair” .

Earthday Cleanup- draws ever nearer and Ann Bowling announced that she is looking for volunteers.

Community Garden Crisis- Don MacGillvray reported that PPR has made planes to drop the community gardens from their budget. Lily Witham made a motion that a letter be sent from the BCA. It will be drafted by Don and sent out by Susan Lindsay. The motion was seconded by Bethany Pratt, with a unanimous vote.

Burnside Bridgehead Project- Deadlines have been extended through April. Susan Lindsay requested that the 3 developers meet with the recommendation/evaluation committee. A reminder that the next URAC meeting will be held on Monday February 14th, from 4-6pm at the Goodwill meeting rooms.

Lone Fir Cemetery- All 5 Metro commissioners voted to preserve the land as part of the cemetery. Susan Lindsay will send a letter of thanks from the BCA to the Commissioners.

PDC- Fred Wearn and Susan Aldrich from PDC brought plans for the Holman Bldg. Currently light-water craft are being stored in part of the building. RFP selection team 2 firms are interested in moving into the building. CoAxis, a software firm is moving from Beaverton, with 160 jobs. Group McKenzie, architects, will move from Southwest Portland, with 220 employees. $1 million loan for seismic upgrade (program incentive for jobs), $1.4 million in grants due to Tax Increment Financing. $600,000 will come from a fund for the proposed plaza. Also planning to take advantage of state energy tax credits. PDC paid 2.45 million for lots and bldg. Appraised for as much as 1.6 million/ industrial uses. M’Lou Christ asked about promised amenities such as meeting rooms, caf?©, public restrooms. Mary Ann Schwab wants sq. footage guarantee of 14,775 sq. ft. for light-water craft storage, lease will be protected in 20-year contract. Briefing planned for February 23rd.

Voter Owned Elections- Don McGillvray spoke about the voter-owned elections, formerly called the “Clean Money Campaign”. This is a publicly funded fund (from City Budget), which provides $150,000 for commissioner candidates and $200,000 for mayoral candidates in the general elections. Don asked for a letter of support from the BCA, and showed a draft letter he had written. Jim Andrews made a motion for the BCA to send a letter of support, which was seconded by Bethany Pratt, with a unanimous vote. Don will fine-tune the letter for the BCA to send.

Board Member appointed- Gilly Burlingham has expressed interest in becoming a BCA board member. Bethany Pratt made a motion that Gilly be appointed to the BCA board, which was seconded by Ann Bowling, and received a unanimous vote.

Land Use & Transportation Workshop- Steve Hoyt reminded us of the upcoming Land Use and Transportation Workshop to be held on Saturday, February 26th, at Southeast Uplift.

Meeting was adjourned at 9:10.

Submitted by Lily Witham, BCA Secretary.