npGREENWAY

npGreenway Headlines Oregonian's In Portland Section

2009-11-19T11:27:00.001-08:00

npGreenway fans woke up this morning to a front page/center fold article in the Oregonian's In Portland section about our dream trail.

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2009/11/n_portland_dreams_of_its_own_r.html

The full page story gives a good presentation of npGreenway's vision and some of the advances that advocacy has made in the past few years. All members of npGreenway need to pat themselves on the back and get ready for more talking, writing and nudging to get the trail designed and built. It's fun work with a great group, so join us!

Celebrate the newly installed Big Pipe Portal trail sculpture on Swan Island

2009-09-21T20:38:00.000-07:00

caution: families on the road!

2009-06-30T15:33:00.001-07:00

caution: families on the road!
Originally uploaded by xtracycleinc

Love this picture that I saw on xtracycleinc's flickr feed today. We need some of those bike share lane markings around here!

no 35 || eNEWSLETTER : IT'S AN EXCITING WEEKEND!

2009-06-19T08:29:00.000-07:00

npGREENWAY Newsletter

North Portland Greenway Trail Advocacy
2009 June 19 Issue no 035

npGREENWAY Pedalpalooza Bike Ride

Saturday, June 20th 5PM, North end of Eastbank Esplanade at the lower level of the Steel Bridge

We are excited to be leading this ride again this year. If you are not familiar with Pedalpalooza, you should check it out. It is the main event of the year for Shift, a loose knit group of folks dedicated to "bike fun." There are over 200 events planned this year for the 2+ week festival with 25 events this Saturday alone!

Last year we received rave reviews of this ride and would love to share the experience with more of you this year.

Note: Dress for the weather and be prepared for some possible rocky/rough terrain. Road bikes are not recommended. This ride will end up at the University Park Neighborhood "Bike-in-Movie." The movie is billed as a "technicolor, swashbuckling classic" and is due to start at dusk.

Sunday Parkways is BACK!

Sunday, June 21st 9AM-4PM, North Portland

What better way to honor dad than spend the day outside in a 7.5 mile temporary park?!? This all day party in streets opened up to pedestrians, bicyclists, skateboarders, tricycles and people of all ages is back! Last year we had an absolutely fantastic time and are thrilled that we get to experience it again. We will have a booth with drinking water and copies of our 2009 Vision Map available in the same location as last year--right next to the Bike Gallery free repair tent above the Overlook Bowl near N Willamette and N Jessup. We are also looking for a few more volunteers to staff the booth in the following shift times:

9:00-11:00 am

11:00 am-1:00 pm

1:00-3:00 pm

3:00 -4:30 pm

Please e-mail us at info@npgreenway.org if you can volunteer for any of these times. It is a great opportunity to connect with your neighbors and find out more about the North Portland Greenway. Sunday Parkways is also looking for volunteers to be "Intersection Super Heroes" and direct traffic at certain locations along this 7.5 mile temporary park.

Northwest Trail Alliance - A "new" group with "experience"

Northwest Trail Alliance, nw-trail.org, has recently gone through a rebranding effort and changed their name from Portland United Mountain Pedalers. We look forward to working with them as we look for synergies between our vision for a hard surface greenway trail and urban "natural surface" trails. If you would like to become involved in this area, please contact npGREENWAY board member, Mark Pickett. Mark is also the person to contact if you would like to get involved with trail maintenance and restoration or soft surface off road bicycle projects or trail maintenance on bicycle approved corridors in Forest Park.

Creating the Greatest System of Parks, Trails, and Natural Areas!

Tuesday, June 30, 2009 6-8PM Keen Footwear 926 NW 13th Avenue

What's in a Name? You're invited to discover… the new name for our region's world-class network of parks, trails and natural areas, its new logo and how we might use it, and how you can help us connect our communities to their most extraordinary assets

Please RSVP by 6/26 to RSVP@ConnectingGreen.us

Pass on this invite to anyone else who should be at this important Connecting Green event!

* Keen Footwear is located at the Southeast corner of NW 13th and Lovejoy (kitty corner from Safeway) on the second floor. Parking is limited. Please bike, walk, ride the streetcar or TriMet's #77 bus to the event. The bus/streetcar stop is located across the street on 13th Avenue.

** To keep this a low-impact event, please bring your own cup or glass (BYOC/G)!

Portland Bike Rush Hour featured on New York City's Streetfilms

2009-04-30T09:55:00.001-07:00

Bike Traffic continues to grow exponentially in Portland. Recently, Clarence Eckerson, Jr. from New York City's Streetfilms.org in was in town. Eckerson worked with Portland's Dan Kaufman of Cranked My Chain CycleTV to produce this great video about cycling rush hour on the Hawthorne Bridge. They showed one brief clip of the busiest greenway in the country in NYC. I look forward to when we can show a video of the North Portland Greenway being used as a busy commuting route as well.

Check it out below:

Portland: Bike Rush Hour on the Hawthorne Bridge

by Clarence Eckerson, Jr. on April 29, 2009

The first time you visit Portland, Oregon, the gaggles of cyclists streaming over the Hawthorne Bridge during rush hour is a sight you will never forget. It's something other cities need to see and be inspired by.

On a recent vacation there, I couldn't resist cranking out a Streetfilms shortie, so I naturally hooked up with Crank My Chain's Dan Kaufman to capture the essence of the PM rush and talk to cyclists about what it feels like to be a part of the mass of cyclist humanity in Southeast Portland, Hawthorne corridor. As Greg Raisman from Portland's Bureau of Transportation pointed out: 20% of all traffic on the Hawthorne Bridge is bikes. And, Portland's number of cyclists has risen 600% in the last fifteen years and shows no sign of letting up.

Note: This video was also featured on BikePortland.org here.

Cycling Through History

2009-05-22T09:12:00.000-07:00

The following is a guest post by North Portlander, Dan Haneckow. Dan writes a blog about Portland history called Cafe Unknown. He lives in the Overlook Neighborhood and is a supporter of npGREENWAY.

Barbara Bartlett Hartwell liked to look back. From 1959 to 1967 she delivered a series of lectures on the vanished Portland of her childhood at the cusp of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, a time she described as an "... Indian summer of leisure, freedom from global worry, elegance, manners, that died with Edward VII." In 1975 her reminiscences were collected in a limited edition booklet, Sprigs of Rosemary, published by the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in Oregon.

In it she describes an upper-class life of mahogany paneled parlors, calling cards and society balls held in the grand Victorian mansions clustered around Nineteenth Street in northwest Portland. But not all of her recollections took place indoors:

"In addition to culture, we achieved transportation. First there was the horse car, then the cable car, and at last the electric trolley; then when we knew we'd gone as far as it was possible to go, until the bicycle took the world by storm, and ladies in bicycle skirts, which were regarded as daring as later miniskirts, whirled along special bicycle paths over to Piedmont and up the Willamette."

It is a rare look at Portland's cycling boom of the 1890s when most of the city took to two wheels. Demand was so great that one merchant, Fred T. Merrill, sold 8,850 bicycles in Portland in 1898 alone, with the largest bike dealership west of the Mississippi.

Of interest to supporters of npGREENWAY, Hartwell looks back to when a network of bicycle trails crossed what was then called the Peninsula. The "special bike paths" she refers to were common in Portland during the boom years, many are said to have become automobile roads at a later date. The path to the new Piedmont neighborhood was one of the most popular in the city. "Up the Willamette" likely refers to a trail along the bluff, analogous to today's Willamette Blvd, as the Mock's Bottom lowlands were swampy or submerged entirely.

Barbara Bartlett Hartwell's description is all too short, but she provides a fleeting glimpse of North Portland before automobiles dominated what few roads existed, and reminds us that projects such as npGREENWAY and Sunday Parkways have deep roots in Portland's past.

We welcome guest articles for the npGREENWAY blog. If you have something you would like to share, send an e-mail to info@npgreenway.org

Oregonian publishes article about new sculpture gateway on existing North Portland Greenway Trail

2009-04-23T10:05:00.000-07:00

18-foot sculpture hails Big Pipe project

by Michael Bales, special to The Oregonian
Thursday April 23, 2009, 7:00 AM

MICHAEL BALES/SPECIAL TO THE OREGONIANThe sculpture at an entrance to the North Portland Greenway Trail is known as the "Big Pipe Portal."

A new public sculpture on Swan Island frames the Willamette River and city's west side in an 18-foot arch of concrete and steel.

The arch, installed at an entrance to the North Portland Greenway Trail, artistically links the river to what's buried nearby: the Big Pipe project, which reduces sewage and storm-water pollution in the Willamette.

Just southwest of the sculpture, the westside pipe tunnel crosses beneath the river and intersects with the Swan Island Pump Station, most of which is at the bottom of a 165-foot shaft. The eastside pipe tunnel, still under construction, is scheduled to reach the station in 2011.

Click here to read the entire article on the Oregonian website.

Come make your VOICE heard on how Interstate Corridor Urban Renewal Funds should or should not be used in the Rose Quarter Redevelopment

2009-04-18T09:41:00.001-07:00

Mayor Adams takes comments on Rose Quarter "Redevelopment"
Originally uploaded by npGREENWAY

From our friends in Overlook neighborhood:

Interstate Corridor Urban Renewal Advisory Committee will meet on Monday, April 20, from 6:00-8:30 at Kaiser Town Hall. Mayor Sam Adams is scheduled to speak at 7:30 about the proposed Rose Quarter development and how ICURA could help fund it. There will be opportunity for public comments at 6:15 and 8:00. This development process is speeding along and it's critical that the public weigh in, especially the people who live in the Interstate Corridor. This would be the third time that North and Northeast Portlanders have funded city and regional projects (i.e., the Interstate Light Rail Line and New Columbia). There are many important projects throughout the Interstate Urban Renewal Area that need to be completed; helping to pay for the Rose Quarter development would divert necessary monies away from North and Northeast neighborhoods. Come and participate!

Rose Quarter Redevelopment Plans Must Include Pedestrian & Bike Access through Greenway

2009-04-14T23:37:00.001-07:00

npGREENWAY'sFrancie Royce looks on
Originally uploaded by npGREENWAY

Tonight, the Mayor held a "town hall style" meeting regarding the plans to redevelop the Rose Quarter. The Portland Tribune published a synopsis of the evening here: http://bit.ly/iFK5

npGREENWAY was there and we were pleased to hear several people including our own Francie Royce question the mayor and make known publically the fact that the North Portland Greenway needs to be given thought at the beginning of this project. It should not be an afterthought to be shoe-horned in at the 11th hour.

You can view our photos from the evening here: http://bit.ly/2P2JqO

There were many concerns brought forth tonight. I hope the Mayor and the city staff make the right decision.

Build Less Bridge CRC Opposition and Alternatives Rally Map

2009-04-03T15:05:00.001-07:00

Build Less Bridge CRC Opposition and Alternatives Rally Map
Originally uploaded by npGREENWAY

Online map helps you find a (bike) ride to Sunday’s Build Less Bridge Rally

Planning to attend Sunday’s Build Less Bridge CRC Opposition and Alternatives Rally?

A new online map can help you meet up with other folks riding from your part of town, or organize a feeder ride of your own.

The event is on Sunday, April 5th at noon in Waterfront Park under the west side of the Morrison Bridge.

Routes on the map so far leave from places like Vancouver, St. John’s, Cully, Northwest, [...]

For more information click here to read the BikePortland.org article or
here for the group's Facebook page.

4/18/2009 Cathedral Park 2nd Annual "Earth Day at the Beach" Project

2009-04-01T07:08:00.000-07:00

Time: 9:00 AM-1:00 PM

Site Address: N Baltimore Ave and N Bradford St

Directions: From I-5 North, take exit 305B to merge onto N Lombard St. Continue to follow N Lombard St west for ~2.5 miles. Turn left at N Baltimore Ave and go toward the river. Park entrance is just after Bradford St.

Meeting Location: Park in the small parking lot to your left as you enter the park. If that lot is full, park in boat ramp parking lot. Meet at the picnic tables near the large metal sculpture (under the bridge south of the parking lots).

Coordinator: Brett Lyon

Contact Email: brett@solv.org

Contact Phone Number: (503) 844-9571 x332

Project Activities: Join Portland Parks and Recreation and Cathedral Park neighborhood members for a day of litter pick up and general spiffing-up of this beautiful riverside park. Activities include: Cleanup, Illegal Dumpsite Cleanup, Litter Pickup. Snacks will be served and there may be complimentary lunch for volunteers afterward (donation pending)

Safety Issues: Water Body on Site, Hazardous Materials/Needles, Homeless Camp Site, Uneven or Slippery Ground.

Volunteers To Bring: Litter Grabber, Work Gloves,

Crane Swings Big Pipe Portal Into Place on Swan Island Greenway Trail

2009-03-26T15:26:00.000-07:00

A large crane carefully swung the woven metal arch over the trail. It was an early Saturday morning on Swan Island, and mist still hung in the hills across the Willamette River. City of Portland crews and the metal artist, Ean Eldred, guided one end of the arch onto its concrete pedestal. Cautiously, and with respect for the art piece, the crew in hard hats looked like they belonged on an industrial site as they pulled out tools to tightened the pieces together. One crew member motioned to the crane operator to give some slack, others twisted wrenches to tighten the Big Pipe Portal to its concrete base.

The pedestal concrete is made from sections of the Big Pipe, the massive sewer pipe running under the Willamette River from the west to the east, part of the Bureau of Environmental Services Combined Sewerage Overflow project. Some of the metal in the arch comes from rebar also used in the Big Pipe project. Designers with rhiz A+D, a Portland intradisiplinary design studio, successfully created the piece to make the Big Pipe visible. The diameter of the Big Pipe Portal is the same as the pipe under the Willamette River. Other elements of the twisting metal on the arch represent the current and eddies of the river. The sculpture was funded by a percent for art from constuction of the sewerage pump station on Swan Island.

For a dramatic effect, The Big Pipe Portal straddles an entry to the Greenway Trail on Swan Island. The arch will welcome trail walkers with a framed view of the river and west hills as they step onto the trail.

Thanks to the work by Bureau of Environmental Services, Portland Parks and Recreation and designers and artists rhiz A + D. http://www.rhizaplusd.com/ for this signature entry to the Greenway Trail on Swan Island.

Directions: Trail entrance on N Port Center Rd off of N Going St on Swan Island.

npGREENWAY on Travel Oregon Blog

2009-03-19T09:32:00.001-07:00

npGREENWAY on Travel Oregon Blog
Originally uploaded by npGREENWAY

npGREENWAY Board Member, Francie Royce, wrote an article that was published on the Travel Oregon blog today.

Walking the Greenway Trail on Swan Island
By Francie Royce

Swan Island, an industrial hub in North Portland, home to heavy industry and distribution warehouses, would seem an unlikely location for a trail for wildlife viewing on the Willamette River. Those who do walk this flat one mile trail of the future North Portland Willamette Greenway Trail will be pleasantly surprised to find a nice mix between viewing wildlife and a working river. It is one of the few locations for public access to the Willamette River in North Portland.

On a sunny but chilly October afternoon as I walk along and look out on the north flowing Willamette River, black and white ring necked Canadian Geese calmly sit on the water in floating formation, tug boats chug by, and fishermen in small pleasure craft dangle their lines into the water hopefully. [...]

Click here to read the entire story on the Travel Oregon Blog.

Portlanders are lobbying for Bikes in D.C.

2009-03-12T07:51:00.001-07:00

National Bike Summit - Day two-40
Originally uploaded by BikePortland.org

In case you didn't know it, we thought we'd let you know that there is a delegation of Oregonians in D.C. right now lobbying for us at the National Bike Summit. I love this photo of Bike Gallery Owner, Jay Graves revealing his 'inner portland' underneath his jacket and button up shirt.
GO PORTLAND!
Between meetings on Capitol Hill, Maus of BikePortland.org
found free wi-fi and an outlet in Union Station.
Originally uploaded by BikePortland.org

To read more about the 2009 National Bike Summit, you can follow all the coverage at BikePortland.org.

Metro Needs assistance with Trail Counting

2009-03-12T09:54:00.000-07:00

Metro needs some help calibrating an infrared trail counter.

Robert Spurlock, Metro's Associate Regional Trails Planner, asked if we could round up some folks to assist with the process. He needs to calibrate the infrared trail counters by comparing the tool's data to a hand count. He needs four different trail counts completed. One two hour count during a week day and one two hour count during a weekend at both Smith Bybee Wetlands and Mount Talbert Park.

If you have time to assist, please e-mail Mark Pickett to let him know when you could be available. Mark will relay the info to Robert.

no 33 || Great News!! $444,800 approved for North Willamette Greenway Plan

2009-03-05T10:54:00.001-08:00

npGREENWAY Newsletter

North Portland Greenway Trail Advocacy
2009 March 05 Issue no 033

We've been sending a lot of messages to the npGREENWAY community asking for your support. We have already expressed our gratitude for your response supporting the greenway in large numbers. This morning, we are very pleased to announce that progress has been made.

One of our volunteers attended a meeting of the Metro Joint Policy Advisory Committee on Transportation (JPACT) this morning where they presented their final recommendation to the Metro Council for projects that would receive Regional Flexible Funds (RFF). After a very competitive process the final recommendation was made; including $444,800 in project development funds for the Willamette Greenway Trail: N Columbia Blvd - Steel Bridge.

There are still some formalities to go through, but in our understanding, this was the largest hurdle that was remaining in the process. Metro Council is scheduled to consider the JPACT recommendation at its March 19th meeting, completing the process.

Your actions had a direct result on the outcome. This is acknowledged in a memo stating "TPAC considered the comments received during the public comment period. This was reflected by [...] recommending funding of the North Willamette Greenway master plan; the project receiving the most public support from the public comment period."

Thank you and have a great weekend!

Go To npGREENWAY.org»
or follow us on twitter at: twitter.com/npgreenway»

no 032 || Waud Bluff Trail needs to be part of Fed Stimulus Funding

2009-03-02T13:59:00.001-08:00

npGREENWAY Newsletter

North Portland Greenway Trail Advocacy
2009 March 02 Issue no 032

Support NEEDED from Mayor, Parks and Metro for Waud Bluff Trail in Stimulus Funding!
deadline for input tomorrow March 3rd
NOTE: the deadline for submitting public comments may be extended if substantial changes are made to project list.

As you have no doubt seen, heard, or read in the news, The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is attempting to economically stimulate our economy by distributing funds across the country. "Metro anticipates about $38 million to be available to fund city and county transportation projects in the Portland metropolitan region as part of the federal economic stimulus package. Because the stimulus package is geared toward immediate job creation, the project selection process is on a short timeline."[1]

As many of you know, Waud Bluff Trail was originally awarded $1.2 Million after an incredibly competitive grant application process in the fall of 2004. There were projects from all over the state in the running for a fairly small pot...$7 Million or so. Unfortunately due to a number of factors the $1.2 Million is no longer enough to get the trail built and there is a significant funding gap before design and construction can proceed.

According to the Portland Parks department project manager's budget, an additional $1.6 million is needed to close the funding gap and get this important project built! That is a small price to pay in exchange for the economic benefits and livability dividends it would provide for our city and neighborhoods.

Early this year, we watched the Mayor stand alongside the Daimler Truck CEO at their First Gear Academy Ribbon Cutting Ceremony and proclaim his support for Daimler and this part of the city. The Waud Bluff Trail not only benefits Daimler and its families going to First Gear Academy, but also UPS, Adidas North America, The University of Portland and countless other large and small employers alike.

I have heard Rex Burkholder, Metro Councilor and Chair of the 17 member Joint Policy Advisory Committee on Transportation, proclaim that Waud Bluff needs to be built and is a great example of a project that should receive stimulus dollars.

However, from our understanding, it is NOT currently on the list!

Portland citizens voiced their opinion nearly 5 years ago and secured funds that were supposed to have had this project built by now.

Please contact Mayor Adams, Councilor Burkholder and Commissioner Fish and ask them to help restore the public trust and put this project on the Federal Stimulus list to receive the necessary funding to be built! This may be the only chance to fill the funding gap anytime in the near future. ...and it would create jobs now!

Key Items to remember:

Its ready to go,
its a key link to jobs on Swan Island,
it connects the community to the future North Willamette Greenway Trail,
it provides safe passage over Union Pacific Railroad via an already heavily used path,
its supported by UPS, US Coast Guard, adidas America, Overlook NA and the Swan Island Business Association.

Please contact your elected officials:Sam Adams, Mayor
Phone: (503)823-4120
e-mail: Samadams@ci.portland.or.us
Commissioner Nick Fish
(503) 823-3589
e-mail: Nick@ci.portland.or.us

Metro Councilor Rex Burkholder
503-797-1546 | 503-797-1793 fax
e-mail: rex.burkholder@oregonmetro.gov

Thank you to our friends for all of your support. Your voice is being heard and it does make a difference. We will be sending you more letters soon about upcoming walks and bike rides this summer--and those won't require any letters or public testimony on your part!

Local Architect and Blue Ribbon Trail Committee Member has vision of Portland full of bike paths and trails amongst other things

2009-02-26T08:25:00.001-08:00

Over at the Burnside Blog, they published part 3 of a series entitled
"IF I WERE KING OF THE (URBAN) FOREST Here are some excerpts that we wanted to share with you:

Architect Rick Potestio is one of the design community’s most engaging thinkers—the product of a childhood spent basking in the work of masters like Johns Yeon and Storrs, Pietro Belluschi, Zaik and Zimmer. Portland-born, U of O-trained during the ‘70s heyday that also brought us Nancy Merryman, Brad Cloepfil, John Cava and others, Potestio went on to work in the offices of Thomas Hacker, SERA, Mahlum, among others. He’s been described as “an architect’s architect, in the vein of Kahn, Scarpa, etc. Almost the id and super-ego to the ego of Brad Cloepfil.” If you saw his bold, speculative work as part of last year’s PDXplore exhibition at PNCA or if you’ve ever talked with Potestio, the first thing that strikes you is his sincerity and enthusiasm for big ideas—the type of utopian fervor that got us all excited once upon a time about the possibilities of architecture and planning. It’s a welcome reminder that cities can and should remain aspirational.

[...]

Here’s a sampling of some of Rick’s vision of a Portland that might be.

If you had unlimited funds and a full-pass to develop, rehab, or build, what would you do, where, and why?
“Well OK, you asked. . .

a) TRANSPORTATION
* develop a city-wide Streetcar system. (However it may have to be rubber wheeled—bikes and tracks don’t mix well).
* build a bridge connecting NE Fremont with NW 23rd Avenue. I’d complete [the] bike path system, create bike boulevards or a woonerf street system [a “residential yard” where motorists, bikes, peds share a street without boundaries such as lanes and curbs and have access to the whole street, not just sidewalks].
* create a boulevard system, with roundabouts at principle intersections.
* I would create a funicular system for the West Hills.
* cap portions of 405 and all of I-5 from the Rose Garden to the Columbia River. I would tear down or build over I-5 on the East Bank.
* Institute a bike share program as in Europe.
* Ask Trimet to base bus schedules and routes on activities, not just on commutes to the core—i.e. I’d advocate for evening Trimet routes to connect enertainment centers, weekend routes that connect activity areas/parks. I’d also ask them to buy smaller, more friendly and fun buses.
* Remove all the traffic circles (and other traffic calming devices) at intersections lower the general speed limit—and increase enforcement and fines.
* Study, with intent to implement on a test basis in some neighborhoods, a designing of streets as is currently being approached in German and the Netherlands.

Click here to read the complete article at Portland Spaces.

Help us finish strong!

2009-02-10T17:08:00.000-08:00

npGREENWAY Newsletter

North Portland Greenway Trail Advocacy
2009 February 10 Issue no 031

Help us finish strong!
deadline for input February 12th

The Regional Flexible Funding process is coming to a close.
Please take a moment and let Metro Councilors know that you want to the North Portland Willamette Greenway completed from the Steel Bridge to the Columbia. Your help is needed, again.

WOW! There isn't a better word to describe our reaction to the work you all did last time we asked you to step forward in support. npGREENWAY supporters were heard loud and clear at Metro late last year. (See our blog post here.) A heartfelt thanks to the 214 people that made supportive comments. Put those 214 comments up against the 797 total comments for the entire region and you can be sure that your voice helped keep the North Portland Willamette Greenway Trail on an important list to fund project development.

However, we aren't done yet and more help from you is needed.
Metro and City staff are supportive, but there is sharp competition in the region for these Regional Flexible Funds.

The $444,800 Willamette Greenway Trail package is one of the remaining projects still in the running for part of the $21.65 million. The next step is consideration at a joint meeting of the Metro Council and JPACT on February 12, 2009, 4:00 PM. (JPACT is bureaucratic jargon for a group of elected officials and others from around the Metro Region that make decisions on Federal Transportation dollars that come into our area.) After reviewing all input, they will vote to approve projects at the March 5th Metro Council meeting.

So, if you haven’t yet, or can again, tell Metro why the North Portland Willamette Greenway Trail is important to you, your family and our community. Help secure funds for project development for the North Portland Willamette Greenway Trail.

Click Here to comment online now!
or

Email trans@oregonmetro.org
Mail “Regional Flexible Fund”,
Metro Planning,
600 NE Grand Ave,
Portland, OR 97232
Fax “Regional Flexible Fund” at 503-797-1930
Testify orally (and submit written comments)
at 02/12 Metro Council/JPACT hearing

OVERVIEW OF SCHEDULE

01/30 TPAC made final recommendation to JPACT on RFF allocation (included npGREENWAY)
02/12 JPACT/Metro Council joint public hearing on TPAC recommendation 4pm Metro
03/05 JPACT makes recommendation to Metro Council
03/19 Metro Council Approved recommendation (pending Air Quality Analysis)

Do you have a talent you can share?
volunteers needed

Many of you have asked "What's going on with the greenway these days?" Our answer us always, "A lot!" It is often difficult to summarize and distribute this information to you all. Our Website and our Blog are great sources for this information, but they are only as good as the content being put into them.

If you have a passion for blogging or writing and would like to help us get our message out, please attend one of our upcoming core group meetings. Any other desires to help will be welcomed with open arms. Our core group meetings are held on the first Tuesday of the month, 7:00 AM at the Madrona Hill Cafe, and the third Monday of the month, 7:30 PM in the back room of Anna Bannanas in St Johns.

Thanks from your friends at npGREENWAY!

npGREENWAY
from the Esplanade to the Columbia

Join the effort to encourage more bike and pedestrian projects

2009-02-24T07:59:00.000-08:00

The letter below came from the 1000 friends of Oregon Website. They are spearheading a campaign to get the federal economic recovery act to spend more money on bike and pedestrian projects.

Here at npGREENWAY, we are working dilligently to receive additional funding to build the Waud Bluff Trail. This project has been languishing for nearly 5 years now and needs an additional $1.6 million to construct. According to a recent report compiled by Metro, the Waud Bluff Trail project would create 18 design and construction jobs. The report describes the project as follows: "Leveraging MTIP and local SDC funds, construct a key trail connection and bridge over railroad to Swan Island Industrial Park." To find out more about the Waud Bluff Trail and other improvements in the area, download the Swan Island Trails Action Plan. [2.386Mb pdf]

Please consider sending communication to the Governer expressing your opinion through the form on the 1000 Friends website.

Send an email to Governor Kulongoski

Dear Governor,

The federal economic recovery act allocates $334 million in federal surface transportation program funds to Oregon. We respectfully request you invest these funds in ready-to-go transit, bike and pedestrian projects that will create jobs and make our communities stronger.

Under the State Constitution, Oregon's communities are locked out of the Highway Trust Fund for bicycle, pedestrian, and transit facilities. Please help Oregon's communities access the federal recovery funds for these vital investments.

Oregon has the opportunity to spend federal dollars to make our transportation system more equitable, sustainable, resilient to fuel price spikes, and independent of foreign oil sources while putting Oregonians back to work. We appreciate your leadership and look forward to working with you to ensure these dollars make a real difference for Oregon's transportation future.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

Connecting Green Meeting Tonight

2009-02-19T14:01:00.000-08:00

This video was created by Metro staff for the launch of the Connecting Green Blue Ribbon Committee for Trails last spring. Tonight, the Connecting Green Alliance will again come together for a "chance to find out what's been going on for the past year, sign up to become actively involved in the Connecting Green Alliance, and keep the momentum up," says Mike Houck. "[It is an] Opportunity To Continue Launching The World's Greatest Regional System of Parks, Trails, and Natural Areas." We hope to see some of you there.

Keen Footwear, 926 NW 13th Avenue

5:30 pm to 7 pm

5:30 pm Check In and Socializing

6 pm Program

Meet the Connecting Green Alliance Coordinator and CGA Core Group

Presentation of the Creative Brief created by Sockeye Creative after meeting with numerous stakeholders since our Connecting Green Meeting. The Creative Brief will guide next steps to a Brand and Marketing Strategy for Connecting Green.

Connecting Green Success Stories From Around the Region:

Tualatin Hills Park and Recreation District’s $100 million bond measure
Regional Trails Initiatives: New Regional Trail Leadership Position; Blue Ribbon Trail Committee Recommendations; Funding Approval for New Trail Project……….and more
Refining and Defining The System
Sharing Success Stories
Exploring the Petals (Trails, Restoration, Acquisition, Conservation Education, The System)

7 pm Socializing

Baltimore Woods and Old Growth Oak Trees Walk

2009-02-18T10:43:00.000-08:00

Several curious people showed on a cold, shivering Saturday morning in February to go on a walk lead by Friends of Baltimore Woods with npGreenway members. Barbara Quinn and Jim Barnas of FBW led walkers on the future North Portland Willamette Greenway Trail along the edge of Baltimore Woods and pointed out precious old growth oak trees. The trees are some of the last remaining stands of oaks along the Willamette River. Oaks with spreading branches provide the best habitat. Other highlights of the walk were a peek at the oldest house in St John's, and talk about a pioneer cemetary that was either moved or built over.

From the Streetfilms blog: Earl Blumenauer talks transit, stimulus, bikes and Obama

2009-02-10T10:12:00.000-08:00

Contrary to what some politicians would have us believe right now, bicycling and transportation is a non-partisan issue. Or, as Earl Blumenauer calls it in the video below, "a BIKEpartison" issue. We need to continue the momentum to improve our non-motorized transportation infrastructure in this country for myriad reasons. The time is now!

Rail and Trails existing together...another local example

2009-02-07T08:52:00.000-08:00

Rail and Trails existing together. Yes, despite what the railroads here in North Portland are testifying, it is possible--and safe!

Here is a great video shot by Michael Irving of his exerience on the Westside Express Service this week. Checkout the great views of all the water and trails. Love the view of the bridge from the train. We experienced it last summer on the bike, but this provides a whole new perspective.

Here today.... gone tomorrow?

2009-01-29T15:54:00.001-08:00

Big Kid Fun
Originally uploaded by npGREENWAY

I am attempting to document Triangle Park as best I can before it is all transformed into a University River Campus. The graffiti and tired, worn out buildings have a strange sort of beauty to them that I will miss.

For those of you who don't know, this property was recently purchased by the University of Portland. npGREENWAY is excited for the opportunity that this provides for the University and for the Willamette Greenway Trail. We are looking forward to a new 12' wide hard surface transportation trail through this area in the future.

npGREENWAY

npGreenway Headlines Oregonian's In Portland Section

Celebrate the newly installed Big Pipe Portal trail sculpture on Swan Island

caution: families on the road!

no 35 || eNEWSLETTER : IT'S AN EXCITING WEEKEND!

npGREENWAY Pedalpalooza Bike Ride

Sunday Parkways is BACK!

Northwest Trail Alliance - A "new" group with "experience"

Creating the Greatest System of Parks, Trails, and Natural Areas!

Portland Bike Rush Hour featured on New York City's Streetfilms

Check it out below:

Portland: Bike Rush Hour on the Hawthorne Bridge

Cycling Through History

Oregonian publishes article about new sculpture gateway on existing North Portland Greenway Trail

18-foot sculpture hails Big Pipe project

by Michael Bales, special to The Oregonian Thursday April 23, 2009, 7:00 AM

Come make your VOICE heard on how Interstate Corridor Urban Renewal Funds should or should not be used in the Rose Quarter Redevelopment

Rose Quarter Redevelopment Plans Must Include Pedestrian & Bike Access through Greenway

Build Less Bridge CRC Opposition and Alternatives Rally Map

4/18/2009 Cathedral Park 2nd Annual "Earth Day at the Beach" Project

Crane Swings Big Pipe Portal Into Place on Swan Island Greenway Trail

npGREENWAY on Travel Oregon Blog

Portlanders are lobbying for Bikes in D.C.

Metro Needs assistance with Trail Counting

no 33 || Great News!! $444,800 approved for North Willamette Greenway Plan

no 032 || Waud Bluff Trail needs to be part of Fed Stimulus Funding

Local Architect and Blue Ribbon Trail Committee Member has vision of Portland full of bike paths and trails amongst other things

Help us finish strong!

Join the effort to encourage more bike and pedestrian projects

The letter below came from the 1000 friends of Oregon Website. They are spearheading a campaign to get the federal economic recovery act to spend more money on bike and pedestrian projects.

Send an email to Governor Kulongoski

Connecting Green Meeting Tonight

Baltimore Woods and Old Growth Oak Trees Walk

From the Streetfilms blog: Earl Blumenauer talks transit, stimulus, bikes and Obama

Rail and Trails existing together...another local example

Here today.... gone tomorrow?

by Michael Bales, special to The Oregonian
Thursday April 23, 2009, 7:00 AM