Maria Thi Mai's blog

[img_assist|nid=2056|title=This project addresses congestion on I-5 bridge between Vancouver and Columbia Blvd|desc=|link=popup|align=left|width=70|height=94]Columbia River Crossing is a bridge, transit and highway improvement project to address the congestion on I-5 between SR 500 in Vancouver and Columbia Boulevard in Portland. It is lead by the Oregon and Washington departments of transportation which are working to identify ways to improve traffic flow, safety and transit service on this stretch of highway.

The project is at an important decision time about which bridge and transit options to include in the draft environmental impact statement. As a reader of this forum, you might be interested in commenting on the transit and bridge recommendations because the ideas that are advanced are the only ones that will be considered for further analysis.

[img_assist|nid=2056|title=This project addresses congestion on I-5 bridge between Vancouver and Columbia Blvd|desc=|link=popup|align=left|width=70|height=94]Columbia River Crossing is a bridge, transit and highway improvement project to address the congestion on I-5 between SR 500 in Vancouver and Columbia Boulevard in Portland. It is lead by the Oregon and Washington departments of transportation which are working to identify ways to improve traffic flow, safety and transit service on this stretch of highway.

The project is at an important decision time about which bridge and transit options to include in the draft environmental impact statement. As a reader of this forum, you might be interested in commenting on the transit and bridge recommendations because the ideas that are advanced are the only ones that will be considered for further analysis.

Air traffic - After four years of work, another round of comments is in order on the Port's plan

Monday, December 25, 2006

A plan to reduce or control noise from Portland International Airport is moving into a public comment period, allowing opponents of aircraft noise to lobby one more time for proposals that were rejected during a study that covered four years.

 The City of Portland has had an ecoroof program since 1996 when BEOrpinela EcoroofS first constructed a small ecoroof and monitored it's rainfall management characteristics. The results were successful and since that modest beginning numerous other demonstration Ecoroofs have been installed; and codes and policies blostered to support installation of more Ecoroofs.

As a North Portland resident, Sam experiences and understands noise issues. Within weeks of being in office, Sam and his staff began addressing cargo aircraft noise from the PDX airport. This quickly expanded to train, freeway, and race track noise throughout the City with the proponderance of the noise focused on North Portland.

Sam recognized that citizens living in North Portland faced a significant set of noise sources and promised to evaluate the extent of the problem and to develop possible solutions. With a small earmark in the 2006 budget, Sam initiated a two-year project to evaluate the noise problems in North Portland.

Beginning in the fall of 2005, Commissioner Sam Adams charged City SW 12th & Montgomery Street Plantersbureaus with creating a programmatic approach to implementing Green Streets as part of all road projects. This resulted in a Phase 1 Report (completed March 2006) which identified opportunities and challenges to implementing solutions.

Guest Author: Oregon Representative Jeff Merkley

Jeff Merkley is Oregon's Speaker of the House for District 47My fight for storm water discounts began in 1998 when Portland cancelled our storm water discounts after promising them during annexation. Dr. Howard Horner , former David Douglas School Superintendent and water fee advocate and I organized the East Portland Coalition against Unfair Storm Water Fees and the battle was on.

Are you motivated, intelligent, hard working, and interested in a "greener" Portland?

If the answer is Yes, consider volunteering as a Staff Associate in our dynamic, fast-paced and welcoming office.

Primarily, you will be working with Sam's Environmental Policy Director in two main capacities:

• assisting the director on environmental policy issues such as: stormwater manageement, watershed implementation, brownfields, greenstreets, ecoroofs, superfund, and invasive species; and
• taking a primary, lead role in advancing one or more office specific initiatives related to environmental policy for Portland

You may also be asked to perform administrative tasks, depending on the needs of the office.

After nearly eight years of effort, Portland launched Clean River Rewards and began granting stormwater discounts to ratepayers who control stormwater runoff on their property. The discounts are worth as much as 35% of stormwater management charges, and ratepayers may earn an additional credit for as much as 12 months worth of discounts. Any Portland stormwater ratepayer may register and qualify for Clean River Rewards. City Council committed to offering stormwater discounts through June 30, 2017.

Dignitaries cut the ribbon for OHSU's new Center for Health and HealingLast Sunday, the morning light streamed through the big bright windows of OHSU's newest building on the South Waterfront. This facility represents one of the first of many innovative developments that will transform this once blighted land into a dynamic community.

Inspired by chains, derailers and other bike parts, James and Amy DeRosso create unique terra cotta pottery for your homeJust a friendly reminder that you can do your holiday shopping at City Hall this Thursday at our First Thursday BikeCraft Show. 

Here's what Bike Portland's blog has to say... Portland BikeCraft is the bike-lover's holiday gift bazaar that showcases local, handmade, bike-themed arts, crafts, films, music and more. Last year the event debuted at a coffee shop and the room was absolutely packed, so organizer Jonathan Maus has moved it to a larger venue - the main floor of the City Hall (1221 SW 4th Ave). Vendors include furniture fabricator Matt Cartwright, wool bike cap creator Shaun Deller, functional bike-adorned pottery makers James and Amy DeRosso and components manufacturer Chris King unveiling a new, unique catalog for 2007. Live music by the Trash Mountain Boys. The event goes from 4-8:00 pm.

Conduit Dance provides support for dancers and choreographersLast Sunday, Sam asked the audience to "Raise your paddles" and help raise funds for artists of Conduit Dance. We enjoyed performances by: Gregg Bielemeier, Tim DuRoche, Lyndee Mah, Tere Mathern Dance, Oslund+Co/Dance and the Minh Tran & Company.

George W Sr Aguilar won the Sarah Winnemucca award for creative nonfictionLast Friday night, Sam and I joined hundreds of other book enthusiasts to honor Oregon writers at the 20th Annual Oregon Literary Arts Book Awards at the Oregon Art Museum. We began the evening with Barry Lopez who spoke eloquently about the evening's full moon and community of the landscape.

Doug Christi of Anderson Roofing harvests tomatoes from his ecoroof in NW PortlandLast Thursday (Dec 1) more than 100 ecoroof enthusiasts joined with Sam and representatives of the fledgling ecoroof industry and citizens of Portland to help chart the next course for the advancement of Ecoroofs in Portland. Presentations were made about the progress made over the past 10 years when the first ecoroof was constructed to test its rainfall catchment performance. (It worked then and subsequent testing of other Ecoroofs has shown they can retain as much as 60% of the rain that falls on them. Acting very much like our evergreen forests.)

Hundreds of sedums help green up the ecoroof on the Portland buildingOther presenters included representatives from Ecoroofs Everywhere; GBD Architects, Portland State University, Gerding Edlen Development, Gold Properties, and Portland Office of Sustainable Development. Almost all aspects of ecoroof development was covered, including the good news (they work to address at least 10 major urban issues) and the bad news, not all are equal and quality of design and construction is very important.

Bikers- Light up! Drivers-Be aware!On November 30th,  Sam launched Portland's first Bike Light Parade at the Community Cycling Center. This parade kicked off our winter cycling safety campaign, "See and Be Seen." We brightened up a chilly Alberta Street Last Thursday with an array of bike lights, Christmas lights, reflective gear, glow sticks, and more. Although Sam's bike was bright enough to leave you seeing spots, he had some serious competition in the all of the "Best and the Brightest" contest categories. Any bike that arrived without proper lighting departed with a free set of front and back lights installed by Jeff Bernards, the founder and operator of the Get Lit campaign.