Southeast Portland (inner)

Clay Street Flyer

Join the City of Portland in celebrating our newest Green Street. The festivities begin with YOU. Help Portland kick off the design phase for the Green Street project on SE Clay Street from the Willamette River to SE 12th Avenue. It's St. Patrick's Day, so wear green and celebrate the greening of our city.

As Sam's Public Advocate for transportation, the year 2007 continued to provide me with abundant opportunities to assist citizens with their questions and concerns regarding City services and projects. Specifically, the insightful and passionate inquiries we received challenged me, along with other bureaus throughout the City, to "think outside the box" and in turn to provide action-oriented responses to citizens seeking results.

On September 6, 2007, Sam and the City Council committed to provide $27 million in tax increment funds to match $75 million in Federal Transit Administration resources to fund the cstreetcar is packing up and moving eastonstruction of the Portland Streetcar Loop Project, which will connect the east and the west side of the Willamette River. On the same day, Council approved the formation of a Local Improvement District, through which property owners will contribute $15 million to the Project. This action followed a Council work session where Sam presented the financial risks and benefits of proceeding with the Project.

Sam accepts a medallion that will later be installed in the sidewalk.

The Hawthorne Improvement Project was first developed by the community with PDOT planners back in 1996. Council adopted the plan in 2007. But then, it languished.

Under the changes, lobbying entities who spend more than eight hours "attempting to influence the official action of City officials" must register with the auditor. Under the original ordinance sponsored by Sam, elected officials and bureau directors must publish their official calendars. This is an effort to disclose who is meeting with city leaders and whose interests are being represented in the decisions of the council.

Mt Tabor Rain Garden Receives National Honors

Sam presents a certificate of appreciation to Portland Public Schools Superintendent Carole Smith for a successful partnership.

Commissioner Sam Adams gathered with Portland Public School Superintendent Carole Smith, Mt Tabor Middle School students and staff, and community supporters today to celebrate the national award winning Mt Tabor Rain Garden.

Last week the American Society of Landscape Architects gave national awards to two City of Portland sustainable stormwater projects, including the Mt Tabor Middle School Rain Garden. The project, a partnership between Environmental Services and Portland Public Schools, replaced 4,000 square feet of asphalt with a garden that treats stormwater runoff from roofs and parking areas.

"It's Labor Day, so instead of everyone going to work, we are all going to a picnic."

This was the very clear explanation the woman walking behind me to Oaks Amusement Park told her son, who was wondering why so many of us were walking along this trail.Picnicing with FriendsSam and Felicia at SEIUMulti-tasking MomVisiting at the Picnic

Proposed changes to the City of Portland's Transportation System Development Charge (TSDC)  program, as well as the list of improvement projects, reflect the direct involvement of several hundred stakeholders over the course of the TSDC Update study.  The Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC) -- representing a broad spectrum of Portland's residents, business community and interest groups -- oversaw the project from its inception.

Sam's comments to Council during today's work session:

Thank you for participating in this work session, where we will have the opportunity to discuss at length the status of the city, state, regional and federal efforts to secure capital and operating funds for the Portland Streetcar Loop Project.

This discussion is extremely important for many reasons, not the least of which is the fact that we have assembled more outside matching funds for this project than any previous Portland streetcar project. A big thank you is in order to U.S. Representatives Earl Blumenauer and Peter DeFazio for their efforts on the federal level and to the Oregon State Legislature for helping us get to where we are today.

Sam and I took a tour yesterday of the new RiverEast Center. Just off the East bank of the Willamette River, the building is the workplace to 250 employees from seven businesses and two non-profit organizations.

Jay Haladay, CEO of Coaxis, and Jeffery Reaves, President of Group Mackenzie, showed us the building's beautiful new design as well as some of the building's many environmentally-friendly features. These features include the reuse of the building's concrete for unique art features, on-site storm water management, and an innovative solar heating system.

Jennifer Anderson

The Portland Tribune

The unexpected downpour this week didn’t throw Eva Frazier for a loop at all.

Peggy Anderson

On Sunday, June 17, Portland City Commissioner Sam Adams joined ten Nob Hill business owners and residents in a walk along NW 23rd Avenue to assess the street's proposed reconstruction and to hear the views and concerns of those who live and work in the area.  Adams oversees Portland's transportation system - which Adams says is "in trouble." The commissioner's website www.commissionersam.com outlines the following facts about the city's transportation infrastructure:

Sam knew this was a controversial idea. Putting parking meters in a Neighborhood Business District in order to generate revenues to reinvest back into the District was the topic of  the book "The High Cost of Free Parking" by UCLA Professor Donald Shoup.

Sam first heard this idea at the 2005 Railvolution Conference. Sam realized that this could be an opportunity to improve our City's parking management. Demand for on-street parking to access neighborhood businesses exceeds supply. That means we need to be vigilant about ensuring effective parking turnover. The proposed addition of parking meters, which are proven to increase turnover, would make parking more efficient.

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.