While things may seem extraordinarily quiet on the Gateway Green front, there's actually a lot going on these days.
- The Friends of Gateway Green (FoGG) board is negotiating a formal agreement with Portland Parks and Recreation, defining the roles and responsibilities of each as the project moves toward development.
- ODOT is in the process of getting the property declared "surplus right-of-way" and the City has started the Environment Assessment, part of its "due diligence" process required before property is acquired by the city.
- FoGG is working, once again, with Oregon Solutions. This time we are exploring a specific funding opportunity called "crowdfunding". We hope to share more about this soon.
- FoGG board members continue to write and submit grant applications -- seeking funding for various elements of the project.
- In addition, we are exploring options that might enable us to develop a more detailed plan for the site, possibly as early as this summer.
In the meantime, we invite you to participate in some upcoming events:
First, Gateway Green will be one of several clean-up sites for the annual SOLVE IT Earth Day event -- Saturday, April 20, 2013 from 9 am til noon. Come help clean up the site.
Second, FoGG will have an entry in the Gateway Fun-O-Rama Parade on Saturday, May 18th. It's a short parade (about 3/4 of a mile). We're assembling a group of Gateway Green supporters to walk or bike in the parade. We need walkers to carry the banner, and others to hand-out brochures to parade watchers -- plus a group to ride/walk along behind the banner. The parade starts at 1pm, but parade participants are asked to assemble by noon. The parade ends by 2 pm at 111th Square, where the Gateway Fun-O-Rama Community Fair is being held.
Third, a "Geology 101" tour at the site has been tentatively scheduled - Monday, April 22, 2013 from 10:00 am to 11:30 am. Details to be posted later.
Please join us at one or more of these events.
The Gateway Green project is ... the collective efforts of a growing number of private, public, non-profit and philanthropic stakeholders. The project area consists of highly visible but underused open space surrounded by the confluence of I-84 and I-205, the city of Maywood Park and the adjoining publicly-owned, but practically inaccessible, open spaces on the eastern flanks of Rocky Butte (totaling an additional 80+ acres).
The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) maintains control and ownership of the approximately 38-acre parcel between the two highways... An ODOT survey of the site has indicated that approximately 24 acres of the 38-acre site is surplus to ODOT's needs and could be made available for outdoor recreation use...
[The] ... Declaration of Cooperation [was signed] on December 10, 2010.
Since that time, the project co-sponsors have continued to work diligently toward implementation of the Gateway Green vision. Significant accomplishments over the past two years include the following:
· ODOT's completion of a property appraisal resulting in a fair market value of $19,300.
· Portland Parks and Recreation has initiated its due dilligence on the planned property transfer and will be completing a Phase I environmental report. ODOT is assisting Parks with other known information about the property it acquired for transportation purposes.
· Completion of a Memorandum of Understanding between ODOT and Portland Parks and Recreation outlining the general terms and mutual intent for completing a formal property transfer agreement by March 1, 2013.
· Portland Parks and Recreation has identified the availability of SDC funds to purchase the property from ODOT.
· The City of Portland and Portland Parks and Recreation have confirmed that they have committed $200,000 per year to fund project operations and maintenance beginning in FY 2013-14.
· The Friends of Gateway Green retained the services of the Metropolitan Group to prepare a fundraising strategy, and the campaign has commenced in earnest.
· The Portland Mayor's Office has issued a Request for Information (RFI) to attract developer interest in an adjacent redevelopment opportunity site as part of the Gateway Urban Renewal Area. The combination of this development and the Gateway Green project could make for the realization of the long-time aspiration to create the Gateway Regional Center.
· The Portland City Council will be adopting a Transportation System Plan update with a proposed alignment for a connection of the future Sullivan's Gulch Trail to and through the Gateway Green site which will provide greatly improved access to the site for pedestrians and bicyclists resulting in less use of surface streets and off-site parking.
· More supporters and stakeholders have emerged, and new and expanded commitments to the project have been received since the original DOC signing.
Celebrate Halloween with Friends of Gateway Green -- by joining our bike ride on October 27th.
Join us October 13, 2012 from 9am to noon at Gateway Green for No Ivy Day. Gateway Green’s 12 wooded acres are currently dominated by English ivy, an aggressive and invasive specie. Help build on previous volunteers efforts by saving trees in immediate danger of being killed by ivy. Volunteers will focus on “Girdling”, cutting a solid ring of the ivy at both knee height and chest height, and pulling ivy away from the base of trees.
Directions
- If you take MAX, the red, blue and green lines run directly to the Gateway transit stop.
- Pedestrian and bicycle access is available from the northern and southern edges via the I-205 multi-use path.
- From downtown Portland - take I-84 east to exit 7 Halsey St., keep left on ramp, take slight right onto NE Halsey St., 1st right onto NE 102nd Ave., right onto NE Pacific St. to park and ride parking lot.
- From North Portland – I-205 south toward I-84/Portland/Salem, take Glisan St. exit 21A, left onto NE Glisan St., left onto NE 102nd Ave., left onto NE Pacific to park and ridge parking lot.
Meeting Location
Convene at Gateway Green, near the south end. (Walk north from Gateway MAX Station toward Rocky Butte); follow the Gateway Green signs.
The Gateway Green Fundraising Committee spent the summer meeting with half a dozen prospective donors of a "leadership" gift to kick off a major capital campaign. The meetings have gone well. No one has turned them down yet, but no large gifts have been received either.
This fall another element of the fundraising strategy is being launched, with the team working on a grant application to be submitted to the Metro Nature in Neighborhoods (NIN) Capital Grant program. The deadline for this grant program is in January.
To prepare for the Metro grant, the Friends of Gateway Green will be updating the Gateway Green Declaration of Cooperation. The original document was signed on December 10, 2010. Several of the commitments in that document have been completed. They'll be asking the many stakeholders to update and reaffirm their commitments to help make the Gateway Green project happen. There will also be an opportunity to add additional collaborators to the 21 who signed the original Declaration.
Another task being worked on, in preparation for the Metro grant application, is the proposed stormwater treatment facility, which will also be a focal point of the project. Several individuals from ODOT, the City and others are meeting the second week of September to continue working on this very complex aspect of the project.
Earth Day!! Come celebrate Earth Day with Gateway Green and Friends of Trees by planting trees along the I-205 Multi-Use Path (MUP) in the Gateway Area.
Friends of Trees will provide morning refreshments, gloves, tools, and all necessary guidance. NOTE: This area can be very wet, please wear waterproof boots and dress for the weather. Bring a water bottle, if you have one!
Gateway Green is slated to be dramatically transformed in the next few years. Be a part of the transformation by joining us in conjunction with Friends of Trees at this event. We are grateful for other partnerships, such as the East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District (EMSWCD), the City's Bureau of Environmental Services (BES), the Metro Regional Government and the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT).
We look forward to seeing you out there! RSVPs are not required. Please contact Andy Meeks at AndyM [at] FriendsofTrees [dot] org or (503) 595-0213 or Cary Watters with Friends of Gateway Green, at gatewaygreenpdx [at] gmail [dot] com or (503) 358-8325 for more information.
Directions:
If you take MAX, the red, blue and green lines run directly to Gateway. Several bus lines run to Gateway as well.
Pedestrian and bicycle access is available from the northern and southern edges via the I-205 multi-use path. In the City of Maywood Park, to the north, a pedestrian and bicycle bridge over I-205 takes you to the Gateway Green site. From the Gateway Transit Center at the south end, the multi-use path takes you over the I-84 freeway, under the Halsey Street underpass, and onto the Gateway Green site.
If you drive, you can park free at the Gateway Transit Center parking structure, the Green Line Main Street Park ‘n Ride to the south, or the Yellow Line Parkrose/Sumner Park ‘n Ride to the north. It is important that you do not park in business parking lots or on the surrounding residential streets.
Meeting Location:
Convene at Gateway Green, near the south end. (Walk north from Gateway MAX Station toward Rocky Butte); follow the Gateway Green signs.
Celebrate Earth Day by participating in Friends of Gateway Green “REMOVE-IT” event! Join fellow environmental stewards on April 21, 2012 from 9am-1pm in protecting and preserving native habitat through trash and debris removal.
The Gateway GREEN-IT events series strives to engage community members in enhancing the ecological and watershed health of existing and potential natural resources at the Gateway Green site, an undeveloped swath of land owned by ODOT at the confluence of I-205 and I-84.
For more information about this event, please contact FoGG Intern, Laura Goodrich, at 503.501.7197 or lauralgoodrich [at] gmail [dot] com (g)atewaygreenpdx [at] gmail [dot] com
Directions:
If you take MAX, the red, blue and green lines run directly to the Gateway Transit Center. Several bus lines run there as well.
Pedestrian and bicycle access is available from the northern and southern edges via the I-205 multi-use path. In the City of Maywood Park, to the north, a pedestrian and bicycle bridge over I-205 takes you to the Gateway Green site. From the Gateway Transit Center at the south end, the multi-use path takes you over the I-84 freeway, under the Halsey Street underpass, and onto the Gateway Green site.
If you drive, you can park free at the Gateway Transit Center parking structure, the Green Line Main Street Park ‘n Ride to the south, or the Yellow Line Parkrose/Sumner Park ‘n Ride to the north. It is important that you do not park in business parking lots or on the surrounding residential streets.
Meeting Location:
Convene at the Gateway Green, near the south end. (Walk north from Gateway MAX Station toward Rocky Butte); follow the Gateway Green signs.
I would like to say thank you to all of the participants and supporters of this year's CLICK-IT event. Because of you this event was a huge success. In just a few short hours we were able to compile over 30 photographic survey points!
Be sure to check back in the next few weeks to see the results.
Calling photographers of all skill levels! Friends of Gateway Green will be kicking off the 2012 “GREEN-IT” events series February 18, 2012 9am-12pm, with the “CLICK-IT” event (a photographic site survey).
A photographic site survey is a visual record of a property that is periodically updated. GPS waypoints will be used to ensure that future photos are easily replicable. A compilation of photographs taken throughout the duration of the project will showcase the extensivetransformations and accomplishments realized through the hard work and dedication of our community stewards!
The Gateway GREEN-IT events series strives to engage community members in enhancing the ecological and watershed health of existing and potential natural resources at the Gateway Green site, an undeveloped swath of land owned by ODOT at the confluence of I-205 and I-84.
Directions:
If you take MAX, the red, blue and green lines run directly to Gateway.
Pedestrian and bicycle access is available from the northern and southern edges via the I-205 multi-use path. In the City of Maywood Park, to the north, a pedestrian and bicycle bridge over I-205 takes you to the Gateway Green site. From the Gateway Transit Center at the south end, the multi-use path takes you over the I-84 freeway, under the Halsey Street underpass, and onto the Gateway Green site.
If you drive, you can park free at the Gateway Transit Center parking structure, the Green Line Main Street Park ‘n Ride to the south, or the Yellow Line Parkrose/Sumner Park ‘n Ride to the north. It is important that you do not park in business parking lots or on the surrounding residential streets.
Meeting Location:
Convene at the Gateway Green, near the south end. (Walk north from Gateway MAX Station toward Rocky Butte); follow the Gateway Green signs.
For more information about this event, please contact FoGG Intern, Laura Goodrich, at 503.501.7197 or gatewaygreenpdx [at] gmail [dot] com
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Calling photographers of all skill levels! Friends of Gateway Green will be kicking off the 2012 “GREEN-IT” events series February 18, 2012 9am-12pm, with the “CLICK-IT” event (a photographic site survey).
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Join Friends of Gateway Green on March 24, 2012 from 9am-12pm in the “PULL-IT” event! English Ivy among other invasive species, continues to spread throughout the Gateway Green site, threatening native fauna and flora. Help us build on success of last year’s event by further reducing the amount of non-native, invasive species at Gateway Green.
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Celebrate Earth Day by participating in Friends of Gateway Green “REMOVE-IT” event! Join fellow environmental stewards on April 21, 2012 from 9am-1pm in protecting and preserving native habitat through trash and debris removal.
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Additional events will be announced soon!
Additional Event Information: Laura Goodrich, at 503.501.7197 or lauralgoodrich [at] gmail [dot] com or Cary Watters, at 503.358.8325 or cary [dot] watters [at] pdx [dot] edu