July 2009 Mintues
July 22, 2009 SWNI BOARD MEETING DRAFT MINUTES
Call to order by President Brian Russell at 7:08 at the home of Patty and Prentiss Lee.
Board Members Present for meeting: Will Fuller, Brian Russell, Kathy Bambeck, Don Baack, Carolyn Raz, Jan Weston, Jim McLaughlin, John Gibbons, Nancy Hand, Marcia Leslie,Tom Schaper, Wes McMullen, Susan Egnor, Dorothy Gage, Kirky Doblie, Marianne Fitzgerald
Board Members Emeritus: Glenn Bridger, Patty Lee
Prentiss Lee, Commissioner Amanda Fritz
Staff: Sylvia Bogert, Jen Seamans, Payal Razdan
The Board considered only the motion filed on July 22, 2009 by Don Baack asking the Board to write a letter supporting the concept of an Active Transportation Corridor focused on Barbur Blvd connecting Tigard, Lake Oswego, Washington County, Beaverton, Lewis and Clark College, OHSU and Downtown Portland via SW 4th/6th, Naito Parkway and Slavin Road and the Gibbs St Pedestrian Bridge. The letter would be sent to the Portland City Commissioners, City Auditor, Jason Tel of Oregon Department of Transportation, the President of the Metro Council and the members of the Council,
the City managers of Tigard and Lake Oswego, Multnomah County
Commissioners, the legislative representatives and senators for this area of
interest, Fred Hansen of TriMet, Washington County commissioners, the
Mayor of Beaverton, and the Board of Tualatin Hills Park and Recreation District.
Don Baack presented the motion. Wes McMullen seconded it. Don Baack reported that Metro is including $100 million for this project in next appropriation request. Don believes the initial scope will be unmanageably large and expects it will have to be narrowed down. He advised he was personally bringing the motion, after a July 17, 2009 meeting with interested parties as the Trails Committee had not had time to meet to discuss it. Marianne Fitzgerald noted that the possibility of light rail had been raised at the July 17 meeting. She added that while Metro has set a high priority on having High Capacity Transit on Barbur, there has been no decision what form that would take and no specification that it means light rail. She noted that because Barbur Boulevard has already been approved as a multimodal HCT route, thus specifically providing for bicycle and pedestrian modes, the proposed corridor would be consistent with later HCT development. She noted the “devil is in the details” and emphasized that because of the potential feeder routes, this project will impact all 17 neighborhoods in Southwest and all should pay attention as the project develops. Marianne Fitzgerald said it’s clear the project, if it goes forward, will fall in the jurisdiction of several SWNI committees and might merit a multi-committee subgroup. Jan Weston further noted that even though the motion is coming from the representative of the Trails Committee, the issue is really a Transportation issue. Glenn Bridger commented on the urban-suburban so-called distinction and noted the proposed network, in light of the absence of a grid, would be more suburban in character.
Don Baack accepted Susan Egnor’s amendment to limit the supported corridor to bike and pedestrian projects.
Jim McLaughlin reported that a Communications Facility has been set up to keep track of events concerning the project with interested parties having to get Don Baack’s approval to get access. Jim McLaughlin suggested it be put on SWNI’s Constant Contact network. The motion passed with two abstentions (Gibbon, McLaughlin).
The meeting adjourned at 7:20 to enjoy the potluck picnic supper.
Respectfully submitted,
an Egnor
Secretary