|
BNA Open House Committee Meeting
12/08/20 Traditionally, the BNA Board of Directors does not meet in December so we decided to host an open house for all committees to have a discussion and share information going on at the committee level. Attending Board Members: Tom Hickey, Matt Whitney, Bridget Bayer, Antoinette Edwards, Gorgy Gonzales, Paul Wargnier, Gayle Miller, Bill Coffman, Mary Shivell, Erik Molander Attending Neighbors: Laura Miller, Sharon Drew Morgan, Brian Stipek, Leslie Sayer, Brian & Erik, Sue Gress Opening: Ann Howell shared thoughtful recognition and gave thanks to the local indigenous people and traditional tribal lands where we now live. Disaster Safety Prep – Ann Howell This committee is actually 3 groups who consider and prepare for catastrophic regional events like an earthquake. Neighbors interested in knowing more about what is happening during an emergency should join one of these groups.
Use these links for more information on basic preparations: • Prepare: Have water on hand – 1 gal/person/day for 2 weeks City of Portland: https://www.portlandoregon.gov/pbem/ Red Cross: https://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies.html • Make a Plan https://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/make-a-plan.html Other good first starts to be prepared for emergencies: • Make a Will • Arrange for out of state text contacts Safety Watch Out for Bridgeton – Keep your eyes open and communicate what you see. Consider joining What’s App to be able to share safety information in real time. Otherwise, stay in touch on Facebook, NextdoorBridgeton or face-to-face with your direct neighbors. Report all crimes to the Portland Police, every time. Property theft – Consider making arrangements to have packages delivered to neighbors who are retired or home workers to be a delivery contact point. Also use delivery stations like local lockers at the Pantry Pride. Add lighting! Trip lights are an effective deterrent. Cameras, real or fake, with signs help too. Sharon Drew & Ann will do a lighting assessment to look for dark places in the public right of way to ask PBOT for more lighting here. An individual effort by Sure Guard Construction asks neighbors to join them in funding a late night (12:00am to 5:00am) patrol for the next few months or until their project is complete. Cost is approx. $100/month. A patrol person will not be armed and will only be present as a deterrent. Contact Bridget Bayer 503.673. 6290 for more information. Land Use – Erik Molander Levee – The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) recommendation, presented to our neighborhood late October, is based on the plan to raise Bridgeton Road and the levee to 38’ for 500-year flood protection. This is an opportunity for our neighborhood to make additional improvements to our community. Proposals include continuous sidewalk, bike lanes to connect the 40-mile loop, and buried utilities. These improvements will need to be paid for through local funding. Individual properties affected by these changes will need to be addressed in terms of new drainage concerns, interface with public property, etc. The BNA will post a survey for everyone to be able to contribute to a shared list of what would need to be addressed both personally and for the neighborhood as a whole. Clean & Green Team – Bridget Bayer This committee will continue to manage the entry triangle and keep it beautiful. We will organize litter clean ups and monitor air, land and water polluters. We are taking part in collective action with about 60 other neighborhood groups to focus on clean air. Currently, we are still asking ORRCO & Ecolube to improve their discharge from their yard and install emission scrubbers on their exhaust stack. Welcome Committee - Mary Shivell This group is working to make people feel welcome in Bridgeton and to help others learn how to make people feel welcome. Committee members are working on getting more information out to neighbors, in person, safely & distantly, not just through social media. Other activities include Neighborhood Vigils for Racial Justice that will always be held on the third Thursdays at sunset on the corner of 3rd Ave & Bridgeton Rd. If the weather is bad, Vigils will be kept short. A signature sound will be played to remind us of George Floyd’s almost 9-minute overt racist death at the conclusion of each meeting. The next Neighborhood Vigil will be on Thursday, 12/17/20 at 4:30pm. Meeting ended at 8:30pm Addendum There are other BNA Committees that were not covered at this meeting. Communications Committee - Ann Howell, Lead- NEED new lead contact person 1. Online Socializing: Facebook (164 members), Nextdoor Bridgeton (462 Neighbors) 2. Live Bridgeton Website: http://www.livebridgeton.com 3. Hand Delivered Fliers: Designed, printed and distributed to about 450 homes 4. A-board Signs: NEED new volunteer to help (about 1 hour/month) 5. Mailchimp Newsletter: Emailed to 290 Bridgeton neighbors Events Committee - Gorgy Gonzales, Lead Events are organized 3-4 months in advance generally with an ad hoc group of Board members and other neighbors. Annual events:
The BNA Bylaws have been revised and approved by all attending the Annual elections Fall General meeting on October 20, 2020.
Revised bylaws can be accessed on this page at the right. Congratulations to new and returning neighbors who were elected to serve on the
Bridgeton Neighborhood Association Board of Directors in 2021 Antoinette Edwards Bill Coffman Bridget Bayer Erik Molander Gayle Miller Gorgy Gonzalez Jan Strand Jon Peterson Mary Shivell Matt Whitney Paul Wargnier Tom Hickey Walter Valenta MEETING AGENDA
1. Election of BNA Board of Directors for 2021 2021 Bridgeton Neighborhood Association Board Election As of this writing, 9/29/20, there are twelve volunteers willing to serve on the board. Because the BNA bylaws allow for 15 seats on the board, these candidates are presented as a single slate for your approval. The currently listed candidates are: Antoinette Edwards Bridget Bayer Erik Molander Gayle Miller Gorgy Gonzalez Jan Strand Jon Peterson Mary Shivell Matt Whitney Paul Wargnier Tom Hickey Walter Valenta If you would like to volunteer to join the board, and help keep Bridgeton a great place to live, please contact BNAneighbors@gmail.com 2. Approval of Revisions to the BNA Bylaws The Bridgeton Bylaws (Linked HERE) require an annual review by the board to ensure that they are up to date. The most recent update was in 2015. The 2020 Bridgeton Neighborhood Association board recommends the following updates, resulting in the amended 2020 Bridgeton Bylaws (Linked HERE) Move ARTICLE XI GOVERNANCE to become Article IV and renumber all subsequent articles and references to articles. Reason: Governance sets the standards for the other functions of the BNA, so should be defined before those other articles. Further, this article defines the Portland City organizations and documents that oversee the system of neighborhood associations that are referenced in later articles.
“Roberts Rules of Order shall be followed in all areas not covered by the bylaws.” With the following: “Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern formal votes on issues and elections, and may be invoked as needed by any member to govern discussions.” Reason: Robert’s Rules of Order are occasionally useful for small organizations, especially when issues become thorny, but under normal circumstances they are an unnecessary complication and are routinely ignored. Any member who feels that they are being run over by the majority should be able to demand a systematic approach to discussion that will allow them equal opportunity to be heard. The original text is ambiguous and simultaneously limiting.
With the following: “Membership is open to any person above the age of 18 who is a resident, property owner, or holder of a business license located within the BRIDGETON NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION neighborhood boundaries.” Reason: Just as City, State and National jurisdictions limit voting to adult residents, we assert the same arguments for limiting participation to those with adult judgment.
Reason: Clarity. The section specifies 15, but does not specify 15 of what.
With the following: “All meetings are open to the public. Only Board members are eligible to vote. All BNA members can participate in discussions. The meeting chair will maintain order.” Reason: Clarity. The board’s purpose is to understand and respond to input from the community, and to represent the community through responsible civic action.
Reason: The Portland Office of Neighborhood Involvement no longer exists under that name, but the guiding principles are still found in the ONI Standards.
With the following: “The Board may establish committees. Committees will make recommendations to the BNA Board and shall not act on their own accord, without Board approval.” Reason: Clarity. A positive description of a committee’s purpose is at least as important as a description of its restrictions.
Reason: Seriously? |
2021 BNA BoardWe are volunteers who help Bridgeton neighbors become more of a community through events, activities and by sharing information. Tom Hickey, Chair
Matt Whitney, Treasurer Bridget Bayer, Secretary Erik Molander, Land Use Chair Gorgy Gonzales, Events Chair Jan Strand, Beautification Walter Valenta, Land Use Jon Peterson, Historian Paul Wargnier, Safety Antoinette Edwards, Welcome Bill Coffman Gayle Miller, Welcome Mary Shivell, Welcome BNA BylawsBylaws approved at the BNA General Meeting on 2020.10.20
BNA General Meeting Archives
December 2020
Categories |
RSS Feed