President’s Message
Hello neighbors, I hope you are well. First, I want to give kudos to Al Ellis, editor of this newsletter, and all the contributors to the fantastic May-June edition. Amidst the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic and the stay-at-home order, BWNA decided to publish May-June newsletter exclusively online on our new website (bwnapdx.org/newsletters). If you missed your newsletter two months ago, please take the time to find it online and, while at it, register for the BWNA mailing list. With this issue, we welcome back the printed edition as we gradually adjust to the “new normal” of the coronavirus.
To say the least, social distancing requirements have made in-person meetings and events challenging, forcing cancellation of a planned spring neighborhood cleanup as well as all BWNA meetings (the last one being a board meeting way back in early March). That said, we are all adapting to our new situation, and BWNA activities resume on the second Monday evening of July (July 13) with a regularly scheduled board meeting—even if only by Zoom—in an effort to keep things moving forward as normally as possible during these unprecedentedly abnormal times. (NOTE: for updated announcements about meetings and activities, click on “Upcoming Events” and/or “Blog” at the top of our website’s home page.)
Despite not having meetings, BWNA’s work continues on a limited basis. For instance, as a follow-up to his “Letter to the Board” editorial in the last newsletter about speeding on NE Skidmore adjacent to Wilshire Park, neighborhood activist Sam Balto contacted the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) to request a traffic count on this stretch of road. The BWNA board responded on behalf of the neighborhood by seconding Sam’s request to PBOT (board consensus reached via e-mail), basing the decision not only on information presented by Sam, but also on previous traffic safety concerns expressed by residents, including traffic bypassing the intersection at Prescott by using Skidmore and 37th as a detour. While traffic is less on Skidmore as a result of people staying close to home, PBOT is planning to proceed with the traffic count when conditions return to a more normal level.
Also of note, BWNA’s Friends of Wilshire Park (FoWP) committee was able to secure the purchase of playground equipment using donated funds and invaluable cooperation from Central Northeast Neighbors and Portland Parks & Recreation. We appreciate the hard work of the FoWP committee and the many donations received to make this a reality. Renewing the playground equipment at Wilshire Park is something we can all benefit from. You’ll find more information in the article by FoWP’s Tiffney Townsend on page 1.
Given the acute polarization of politics, the pandemic, and most recently the urgent and justified calls for racial and social justice in light of the tragic death of George Floyd, I’ve heard it said that historians of the future will likely focus on 2020 as a pivotal year for the world. We are living a history that touches all of us, visible right here in our own city and neighborhood, with businesses and families struggling, protests in the streets, and all the accompanying uncertainty. Let’s hope the remainder of this year will be one to look back on with some fondness for how we came together and worked to create a better future. Stay safe!