As Thanksgiving leftovers still linger in refrigerators and the first day of Hanukkah makes an early arrival (December 8th at sundown), Beaumont-Wilshire Neighborhood Association’s annual Winter Holiday General Meeting is not far behind. Held on Monday, December 10th at 7:00pm in Bethany Lutheran Church (corner of NE Skidmore St. and 37th Avenue, across from Wilshire Park), this year’s eclectic event features an evening of holiday treats, catching up on the latest neighborhood news, honoring BWNA volunteers, and participating in a long-awaited town hall discussion with City Commissioner and local resident Nick Fish.
Neighbors are encouraged to bring holiday dessert treats to share, with BWNA and local eating establishments adding to the mix. The meeting agenda will include the usual Question & Answer session with local police officers, commendations for BWNA volunteers, an update on the Beaumont-Wilshire welcoming sign design contest, a report on the proposed Beaumont Village apartment development on Fremont Street, and a conversation with Nick Fish. Commissioner Fish is in charge of the Portland Housing Bureau and Portland Parks and Recreation— and whom BWNA finally succeeded in booking for a speaking engagement.
While the session with Mr. Fish will be wide open to questions and concerns from the audience, there are two topics of special interest to BWNA related to Parks and Recreation that will kick off the discussion: the Wilshire Park Mural Preservation Project and the Gwen MacPherson Memorial Project. With respect to the mural project, BWNA has organized an ad hoc committee dedicated to the refurbishing, protecting and maintaining of the popular mural, with participation from Parks and Recreation as an essential factor in the success of the project. Gwen MacPherson, a longtime beloved B-W resident and prized BWNA and Central Northeast Neighbors Board member, lost her battle with cancer last August. A fund has been established through public donations to BWNA (at the request of the family) for the establishment of a lasting memorial in Wilshire Park such as the planting of a tree or adoption of a bench. Gwen was a key player in organizing and implementing National Night Out picnics and a regular visitor to Wilshire Park with her grandchildren. This project is still a work in progress and in need of a catalyst— perhaps in the form of a sympathetic advocate in City Hall.
So come celebrate with your neighbors, partake of tasty desserts, and lend your voice to the meaningful discourse. Mark December 10th on your calendars today.