Author: Scott Mizee

As you may know an important trail link is on the 150% list for ODOT funding.  This project would connect the Pier Park bridge and Chimney Park with a bridge over Columbia Boulevard and trail up to the St. Johns Landfill overlook.  It’s a key link in both the NpGreenway and the 40-Mile Loop.  It’s approximately $5 million in transportation funding. 

Comments in support are due by June 30th.  It’s so important that people write in and support this application.  Please forward to the largest possible list and let people know that comments are due by June 30.  The project is listed under Metro and is titled Willamette Greenway Trail: Chimney Park/Kelley Pt Park.  The comment is in the form of an e-mail and could be as simple as, “I support this trail project with the bridge over Columbia Boulevard and the connection to the St. Johns Landfill.” 

npGREENWAY Supporters,

A crucial opportunity to complete the northern-most segment of the Willamette Greenway trail is here. Metro has submitted a grant, that if funded, will construct the segment between Kelley Point Park and Pier Park (Segment 1).

ODOT is going through a project selection process NOW. Review the grant application and fill out the 5 minute survey to make your choice known. Deadline for survey submission is Thursday,
January 31.

Greetings,

Are you interested in plans to build a 4-mile section of the Willamette Greenway Trail between Chimney and Kelley Point parks in North Portland? Then please take a minute to let the Oregon Department of Transportation know what you think about this and other projects being evaluated for active transportation grants.

Just go to the survey, fill in the required information, select the “Portland and Washington County” area of interest, then weigh in on project #87: Willamette Greenway. The more support a proposal receives, the stronger its chance of being funded. The
deadline for comments is next Thursday, January 31.

Metro and Portland Parks submitted a proposal to do the design and engineering work needed to complete this section of the Willamette Greenway, which is also part of the 40-Mile Loop and the North Portland Greenway Trail. You can read the full application here.

A separate application to build the trail was submitted to another ODOT grant program, and is working its way through the process.

npGREENWAY
from the willamette to the columbia

North Portland Greenway Trail Alignment Study
and the preferred Swan Island access route

npGreenway is pleased to share that Commissioner
Nick Fish has assured us that he and his Parks team agree that “the alignment along the river is, and always will be, the preferred Greenway route.”

At the October 3rd trail alignment study advisory committee meeting comments by Parks staff and the study consultant raised concerns that the trail was being set away from the river south of Swan Island. npGreenway’s vision has always been to use the existing Cement Road.

Two members of the npGreenway board met with the Commissioner and his Park Bureau team in late October, then received a subsequent email committing to following up on several things to move this vision forward.

npGREENWAY
from the willamette to the columbia

Dear North Portland Greenway Trail Supporter,

Now is an important time for you to make comments on the Trail Alignment Study  the City of Portland Parks and Recreation and their  consultant, David Evans & Assoc.  are working on.  There are maps of 5 trail sections on the PP&R blog, linked here.  http://northportlandgreenwaytrail.wordpress.com/current-npgt-documents/

A public open house to review their work and comment will be hosted by PP&R on Wednesday, May 16 6:30 to 8:30 with formal presentation 7:00 -7:30,  

5000 N Willamette Blvd,  University of Portland Chiles Center, Hall of Fame Room.

npGREENWAY is concerned that  PP&R’s  effort to create a trail alignment that is reasonable to construct in a short time frame loses  the vision of a trail  along the Willamette River.   Therefore we propose the following:

1.  The trail alignment must be consistent with that shown in the River Plan that was adopted by City Council following years of public involvement.  

2.  In locations it is not possible to build the  trail in the near future due to river related industry must have two alignments  shown, ie. Preferred Alignment  and Near Term Alignment.. Specific  areas are north of the Broadway Bridge where there is an active grain elevator and another is the former Crown Cork and Seal site north of Baltimore Woods. 

3.   A trail east of the Rose Quarter as shown on the PP&R blog is totally unacceptable.    Both the Near Term Alignment and the Preferred Alignment must be closer to the Willamette River.  The maps miss the opportunity of the former Thunderbird Motel site and a connection to the Steel Bridge and the Eastbank Esplanade. The trail must  be a multi-purpose  trail for walking and biking, not just  biking in existing bike lanes. 

4. The PP&R blog map misses the opportunity to utilize the street that is adjacent to Interstate, use the Larrabee signal and continue north on Larrabee. This route enables one to see the working waterfront.   

4.  The PP&R blog map and matrix miss the significance of Colombia  Blvd and the need for a protected crossing,  

5.  The PP&R blog misses the opportunity of connecting the two sides of the Willamette River using the BNSF bridge.  

Please take a look at the PP&R blog and leave a comment.   npGREENWAY suggests the 5 comments above as immediate concerns.   http://northportlandgreenwaytrail.wordpress.com/current-npgt-documents/

Looking forward to meeting you at the Open House.  If you can’t come, please go the the link and make your comments.  

Thanks,   Your friends at npGREENWAY 

Metro District 5 candidate Helen Ying’s answers below are in response to questions sent to candidates running for Metro elections. To see the original request click here. All responses from Helen Ying  are shown in there entirety:

1.  Please explain your familiarity with the Willamette River Greenway Trail between the Eastbank Esplanade and the Columbia River?

I have met with one of the board members and my campaign manager attended the first planning meeting. I look forward to the day that my family can use the trail to ride from our home near downtown Portland to the tip of Kelley Point Park.

2.  What experience do you possess in working with a railroad company to procure use of or purchase of some property to place a multi-purpose trail on?

My experience lies with bringing people together and work toward solutions through collaboration.  Successful negotiations with railroad companies have been accomplished by the painstaking work of previous leaders.  Historically, railroads are very difficult bargaining partners. Acquiring the necessary land will require finding the right combination of inducements and public pressure to allow these federally protected national companies to recognize the benefit of their participation in a project that will benefit everyone.

3.  ‘Taking’ is a concern for both the government entity and the private property owner when requiring the owner to construct a portion of a trail when development is proposed. Would you be willing to work to develop standards that would enable the trail to be constructed in exchange for requiring fewer parking spaces?

Right-of-way takes can be a very difficult process requiring an immense amount of time in negotiations. If easing requirements (creating fewer government regulations on the business) is an incentive to allow completion of a section of the trail, then I would gladly make that part of negotiations. I believe all stakeholders will see the benefit of fewer incentives to drive to work.

4.  What funding proposals would you propose to construct the trail?

Metro MTIP funding and Rails to Trails Conservancy could be possible sources as a start.  However, it will most likely require other sources such as a bond to get the project completed.  Metro has convened a group of community members to examine new funding revenue streams through its Community Investment Initiative.  It would be helpful to explore their recommendations.

5.  If a bond measure were to be submitted to the public for trails would you support the Willamette River Greenway Trail being one of the trails to be constructed? If so, would you support construction of the entire trail at one time or a portion or portions of the trail?

I definitely support the Willamette River Greenway Trail.  It is one of the top priorities for neighbors in the district I wish to represent. There are other important priorities as well, such as the Sullivan’s Gulch Trail.  Funding a project in full or in part really depends on where the project is in its development, as well as where the other projects are in the funding queue.

6.  How can npGreenway assist you in getting the trail constructed?

Help me get the message out about my support for  this great path. It’s a regional priority that has many benefits. We’re talking about a project that can stimulate the local economy with local jobs, offer healthy commute options, and improve livability. I would love to work with NPGreenway to help make sure there’s a clear path to success in our region’s vision for multi-modal connectivity.

Contact information for Helen Ying:
www.helenformetro.com
Helen@helenformetro.com

City Council candidate Mary Nolan’s answers below are in response to questions sent to candidates running for City Council elections. To see the original request click here. All responses from Mary Nolan are shown in there entirety:

1.  Please explain your familiarity with the Willamette River Greenway Trail between the Eastbank Esplanade and the Columbia River?

I’d describe my familiarity with the Willamette River Greenway Trail plan as modest and growing.  I’ve visited some of the key sites included in the plan and already begun to get briefings from advocates and some affected property owners.  I have long been supportive of regional and statewide trail expansion programs, and helped lead efforts at the legislature to support these programs by adopting strong policy frameworks, improving land land use laws and assuring funding through natural resources agency budgets.
I’d also mention my lifelong support — and string of successes — for open space, environmental stewardship and livability enhancements at the local, regional and statewide levels.

2.  What experience do you possess in working with a railroad company to procure use of or purchase of some property to place a multi-purpose trail on?

I’ve negotiated dozens of very complex agreements.  Among the most challenging were:

• creating a funding mechanism for the Healthy Kids Program in which after being defeated by big tobacco in our first attempt, I came back the following session to help lead negotiations with hospitals, insurance companies health care experts and advocates for children to craft an agreement that insured over 80,000 and leveraged over $100 million annually in federal funds.
• bringing together river users, ratepayer advocates, major polluters, small business owners and environmental groups to formulate the Clean River Plan to clean up the combined sewer overflows on the Willamette and Columbia Slough.
• updating the state’s land use laws for the first time in nearly 20 years through a complex process involving conservationists, local governments, developers and public health leaders into the Big Look.
• chairing a joint public-private consortium with FAA and NASA to modernize certification regulations for airplane safety, in which companies in direct competition with each other came to agreement on a regulatory framework to improve safety for all general aviation passengers.
• Co-chairing the complex process to develop and pass the budget for the entire state of Oregon, involving over 150 different agencies, hundreds of funding sources, 50,000 employees and over $25 billion in annual expenditures.

But I’ve never negotiated with a railroad.  Perhaps the closest analogy would be negotiations I led for the City of Portland in ownership rights and maintenance costs for street light equipment in the public right-of-way in which we faced similar challenges relating to long-established rights, shared costs and long-term commitments.

I have established effective and respectful relationships with a growing number of players with interests in the trail plan area.  By reaching out to understand the needs and interests of neighbors, trail advocates, public health proponents, property owners and major industrial facilities, I’ve positioned myself as a credible, even-handed, open-minded and effective negotiator who can earn and retain the trust of all parties.
I mention my other successes in the hope that they illuminate my effectiveness in a wide range of challenging negotiations.  In particular, the key skill I bring to this effort is a proven capacity to lead a diverse, sometimes competing or opposing, group of stakeholders to find common ground where it is possible.

3.  ‘Taking’ is a concern for both the government entity and the private property owner when requiring the owner to construct a portion of a trail when development is proposed. Would you be willing to work to develop standards that would enable the trail to be constructed in exchange for requiring fewer parking spaces?

I like to look at the underlying purpose a rule or requirement is aimed at when considering whether to waive, relax or even undo it.  Parking requirements are mostly imposed to protect adjacent property owners and reduce congestion.  But they tend to increase total single-car traffic and work against efforts to shift to alternative transportation like transit, bike and pedestrian modes, so absent proof of their value I tend to question their usefulness anyway.
Having chaired the House Land Use Committee in 2009-2010, and having received 1000 Friends of Oregon’s Tom McCall Legacy Award for my leadership on land use, I applaud your astute recognition of the tension around property rights and public benefits.  While I hold strongly to principles of fairness, stewardship and equity, I have found that the best solutions are most often found or developed when parties come to the conversation with a willingness to authentically understand each others’ concerns and give validity to each others’ needs.  As a result, I encourage all parties to enter collaborations willing to realistically explore a range of options, and I would myself approach negotiations for property or right-of-way acquisition with an open mind guided by a vision of healthy neighborhoods, healthy neighbors and a healthy economy.

4.  What funding proposals would you propose to construct the trail?

The success of funding proposals is most often dependent on the strength and breadth of the coalition supporting both the project to be funded and the funding source.  In particular, if those who will pay the cost are the loudest advocates, the funding proposal is most likely to be successful.  Instead of proposing my own favorite funding mechanism, I’d work to build a robust coalition with uncommon partners to develop and then advocate for funding.
That’s the approach I used successfully to raise hundreds of millions of dollars each year for the Healthy Kids Program, and to craft the budget-balancing plan that included bills that became M66 & M67 which preserved natural resource programs and parks programs (not to mention 3,000 teacher jobs and basic public safety services).
Among the options for funding the trail project should be existing City Parks funds, City and State pedestrian funds, Metro’s Intertwine program, state and federal grant funds for healthy communities and alternative transportation and new initiatives like the bond measure you mention below.

5.  If a bond measure were to be submitted to the public for trails would you support the Willamette River Greenway Trail being one of the trails to be constructed? If so, would you support construction of the entire trail at one time or a portion or portions of the trail?

This is the point in candidate questionnaires that gets pretty sticky.  I am impressed with the inclusive and ambitious work that has gone into the planning and initial implementation of the npGreenway project, and look forward to working with your team to implement.  My enthusiasm extends to committing to exploring and actively promoting as ambitious a trails program as possible.  But until the kind of strong, effective coalition I referenced in question 4 above is built, I think it is unwise to promise any one project or group that it/they will be included.
I’m a pragmatist.  There are times when presenting a big visionary proposal resonates best with the public (the original Measure 66 which set aside lottery funds for open space and watershed programs and was recently extended through M76).  There are other times when incremental approaches are more successful when the public (project specific bond measures for public safety and libraries come to mind).  Having put in the groundwork to build winning coalitions that have been able to achieve lasting success, I know what it takes to get to the finish line with results worth celebrating.  I will support whichever approach — entire trail all at once or successive portions — is most likely to win public approval.

6.  How can npGreenway assist you in getting the trail constructed?

Build and expand the coalition that is committed to this vision.  Make sure you ask as much of yourselves as of others.  Be both visionary and practical.  Support candidates with a proven track record of delivering important results in environmental stewardship and livability — like me.  And then push us to stretch our thinking outside conventional wisdom.

Contact information for Mary Nolan:
www.marynolanforcitycouncil.com
(503)248.9930

North Portland Greenway Trail alignment maps are available for viewing at the Portland Online Greenway project site Look in the March meeting notes for the link. What do you think? Leave us some feedback.

Link (http://www.portlandonline.com/parks/index.cfm?c=56617) removed by City of Portland.

City Council candidate Amanda Fritz’s answers below are in response to questions sent to candidates running for City Council elections. To see the original request click here. All responses from Amanda Fritz are shown in there entirety:

1.  Please explain your familiarity with the Willamette River Greenway Trail between the Eastbank Esplanade and the Columbia River?

I was familiar with the trail before being elected, as a community organizer working on neighborhood and environmental issues.  I served on the Citizen Advisory Committee/Task Force that planned standards for exemptions for recreational trails in the City’s Environmental Zone regulations, allowing some trails to be built by right without Environmental Review.  While serving on the Portland Planning Commission for seven years, 1996 – 2003, I acted in support of refinements to the Greenway regulations, such as adoption of the “q” regulations in 2002.  This zone is intended to protect the functional values of water quality resources by limiting or mitigating the impact of development in the setback.  As a citizen activist and neighborhood land use chair, I was also aware of the community’s advocacy protecting Baltimore Woods.

When I started my job on the Council in 2009, one of my first actions was to create the Office of Healthy Working Rivers.  This small, nimble bureau is designed to address the Willamette and the Columbia in a comprehensive manner, looking after both human and wildlife needs in the water and in the adjacent neighborhoods.  I was given a tour of the npGreenway by Francie Royce and others.  The tour convinced my staff and me to put trail development high on our priority list, to be considered whenever a project in the area is planned.  I worked with the Council and made sure there was some (still not enough) public process for the University of Portland project.  I supported funding for purchase of parcels in Baltimore Woods, and attended the Open House celebrating the major purchase. And I spoke with Congressman Wu, urging him to add extra funding for trail development whenever appropriations for dredging and other industrial projects are considered by Congress.
I will continue to be a firm supporter and active partner with npGreenway if re-elected.

2.  What experience do you possess in working with a railroad company to procure use of or purchase of some property to place a multi-purpose trail on?

I don’t have any experience negotiating with railroads.  My expertise is in working with neighborhood activists to get your voices heard, and in finding the right City or Portland Development Commission staff with the experience to get a particular job done.  Occasionally, I have met with leaders of companies, outlining why it is in the company’s best interest to work with neighbors rather than annoying their customer base.  I have had significant success in using virtuous appeals on principles, in getting to mutually satisfactory outcomes.  I will bring these skills and experiences to the table, if I am in the position of being the City’s chief elected negotiator with the railroads in the future.

3.  ‘Taking’ is a concern for both the government entity and the private property owner when requiring the owner to construct a portion of a trail when development is proposed. Would you be willing to work to develop standards that would enable the trail to be constructed in exchange for requiring fewer parking spaces?

I am willing to explore and consider a range of options to make trail construction truly a win for all parties, including this suggestion.

4.  What funding proposals would you propose to construct the trail?

I will consider all potential funding proposals.  We need citywide and Metro-wide discussions to evaluate potential funding mechanisms for a range of needed transportation improvements, including recreational/transportation trails.  I have served on the Metro Policy Advisory Committee for the entire time I have been on the City Council. I asked consultants hired by Metro to look into a Metro-area funding proposal, which is currently being developed. I suggested it should be on the lines of the Greenspaces bond measures in terms of identified projects/services voters would be buying, but not necessarily based on property taxes.  This measure would be for regionally significant and inter-jurisdictional projects.  Clearly, npGreenway would qualify due to connections with the Springwater Corridor and inclusion in the 40-mile loop and other regional trails.
The City Council also must lead conversations with our communities about funding for transportation infrastructure citywide and multi-modal, including but not limited to trails.  The recession was not the right time to propose additional fees, and we are not through the dark days yet.  Yet we have huge holes in all transportation funding areas, from major bridge and road projects through trails and basic street paving and sidewalks.  Once the economy starts expanding instead of shrinking, and after the Portland Plan is completed, I want to be on the Council to push for and participate in those discussions.  I am committed to good public process leading to outcomes that are accepted and work, and I will continue to make decisions ensuring community voices are included, heard, respected and acted upon.  Elected leaders should propose a range of options, and be open to other suggestions from the community.  Then it is up to all of us to decide what we want to pay for, and how to pay for it.

5.  If a bond measure were to be submitted to the public for trails would you support the Willamette River Greenway Trail being one of the trails to be constructed? If so, would you support construction of the entire trail at one time or a portion or portions of the trail?

Yes.  Inclusion of the Greenway Trail would be a major selling point for any bond measure for trails.  It is the showcase example of trails, given our investments in a cleaner Willamette and our dependence on the river for both industry and human welfare over many centuries.
I will support construction of the trail however we can get it, whether in one big project or in many smaller ones.  I support consideration of trail potential in every development application on sites where the Willamette Greenway is identified.

6.  How can npGreenway assist you in getting the trail constructed?

Help me win re-election, please!  I have demonstrated my commitment to issues npGreenway and I both care about, over the past three years.  What you have seen from me in my first term is just a downpayment on the results you can expect in the next four years.  I will no longer be the rookie, and I will build on the good working relationships I’ve developed with both Dan Saltzman and Nick Fish, the two Commissioners continuing in 2013, and with the communities of Portland, to get even more done.  I face an opponent who has accepted large donations from industrial owners along the Willamette.  I ask npGreenway volunteers to help me win the election on May 15, by contacting your friends and neighbors and urging them to send in their ballots with my bubble marked.  A local car salesman used to say, “If you don’t come see me today, I can’t save you any money.”  My paraphrase is, “If you don’t get me re-elected on May 15, I can’t help you any more.”  If you help me win the election, I will continue to be your voice in City Hall, advocating for the npGreenway whenever and wherever I can.

Contact information for Amanda Fritz:
www.Amanda2012.com
Amanda@portlandoregon.gov
(503) 823-3008