With Neighborhood Night Out Picnic in Wilshire Park substituting for the August general meeting, June became the last opportunity until October for residents to express viewpoints and make announcements at a general meeting (normally held on second Mondays of even-numbered months, with board meetings on odd-numbered months). Chaired by newly-elected BWNA President Tim Hemstreet, the breadth and import of the agenda did not disappoint, running the gamut from end-of-session state legislature issues to adoption of revised BWNA bylaws to a neighborhood tour.
The evening began with State Representative Barbara Smith Warner, whose district includes Beaumont-Wilshire. A multi-term veteran legislator, Representative Warner served on several key committees during the 2017 session, with the emphasis on budgetary reform. After providing an overview of major financial challenges facing the state and proposed legislation aimed at addressing shortfalls, she fielded attendees’ questions and concerns. These included foster care problems (the elephant in the room being the inadequate number of foster care homes, urging those in the room to consider taking on a foster child); making corporations pay their fair share of taxes; and an especially troubling issue for established residential neighborhoods like Beaumont-Wilshire, the demolition of viable, relatively affordable entry-level-buyer homes. According to a unanimously-approved BWNA resolution, this is a problem that would be exacerbated by passage of House Bill 2007. (Read more about HB 2007 in John Sandie’s “Beaumont Bloviating” editorial in this issue.)
A second guest speaker was Kathy Buss, spokesperson for the Association of Retarded Children (ARC), providing advocacy, support, and services to families with children and adults who have intellectual and developmental disabilities. Ms. Buss is making the rounds in hopes of persuading neighborhood associations to participate in an ARC clothes drive, which not only benefits ARC, but also raises money for the contributing organization. Participation will be considered by BWNA.
Next, after months of discussion and fine-tuning, the final draft of a revised BWNA bylaws package was overwhelmingly approved by residents attending the general meeting. The revisions—some substantive (e.g., duties of President and Vice-President), others housekeeping (e.g., form and composition improvements)—are posted on the BWNA website home page, www.bwna.us.
Other topics discussed were proposed playground improvements for Wilshire Park (spearheaded by Board member Gary Hancock), BWNA’s push for City of Portland support for neighborhood-led volunteer maintenance of the Wistaria & 41st Traffic Island Garden (update provided by Vice-President Kathy Campbell), planning for National Night Out Picnic (coordinated by Kathy Campbell), the constructive CNN round-table discussion with City Commissioner Chloe Eudaly (reported by Secretary Barb Strunk), and the meeting finale—plans for a BWNA-organized Walking Tour of the Beaumont-Wilshire Neighborhood (initated by Land Use Chair Jack Bookwalter).