January 2025 MNA Meeting Minutes

Montavilla Neighborhood Association Meeting Minutes

I. Meeting Details

Date: Monday, January 13th
Time: 6:30pm
Location: Threshold Brewing, 403 SE 79th Ave, Portland, OR 97215

II. Attendance

Present Board Members:

-Spencer Knowles

-Steph Cleary

-Colleen Howard

-Laura Mulligan

-Sarah Hartzel

-Louise Hoff

-Scott Simpson

-Kristina Perry

-Elizabeth Lister

III. Call to Order

The meeting was called to order at 6:31 PM by Spencer Knowles, President, after confirming that a quorum was present.

IV. Agenda

· Introductions and Attendance

· Treasurers Report

· SE Uplift Update

· Committee Reports

o Landuse and Transportation

o Parks and Gardens

o Communications

§ SE Uplift Grant

· Unfinished Business

o 1818 Shelter Village

· New Businesss

o Joint Safety Committee

o Removal of Board Members

§ Spenecer Knowles, Kat Moss, Rick Reynolds

· Treasurer’s Report— No gains, no transactions  

· Colleen SE Uplift update: District 3 update, collecting survey information from the city for the new City Council, provided flyers and online link, has contacted Montavilla News and the schools goal is to get 1,000 responses and have 900 so far. Due date: January 31st. Financial incentive: $500 extra dollars if our neighborhood gets the most responses

o   Thursday the 30th: City of Portland is showing how the budget works with the new government, go to Southeast uplift and childcare and food will be provided from 6:30-8:30

o   Still money for grants ($22,000)

· Land Use Update:

o   Closure on 94th to the 25th

o   Work is continuing on 82nd and Ash on the median

o   All of the dwellings on 82nd are starting to go into the Oak Street Village

o   Action Item: If anyone is interested in Land Use and Safety position, Scott will be stepping down

·       Parks and Gardens: no official updates

o   Skate park is coming along, new sidewalks on the other side (Berrydale)

o   Request for information on fixing the roads between 89th and Berrydale Park: they will be patching the pavement as of the last meeting, road should be improved along the park side, school side will not be updated

o   MNA member question: has called 311 about patching the streets in the city, has asked if the city would teach citizens to patch streets as a volunteer effort. 

·       GNA Committee Update:

o   Voted to sign at the December meeting, officially signed at the end of December

o   Is currently dissolved

o   Will be a new GNA committee for the 818 site. A call will be put out for input once the JOHS has selected a service provider

o   At the last meeting we voted to give testimony to the county. Laura gave the testimony. The council was asking for approval/disapproval on proceeding with funding. One person at the meeting testified to approve, multiple people testified against proceeding with funding until we see progress with Oak Street Village. The county commissioners ultimately approved the funding with an asterisk by Commissioner Brimm-Edwards that the funding would go forward as long as a GNA was negotiated. 

o   The county commissioners were not swayed by the emotion present by the people who testified. JOHS spoke before members of the community and gave testimony about their November meeting; JOHS testimony did NOT match what actually happened at the November meeting.

o   A mother with a child at Bridger spoke to the lack of communication from JOHS about the new site. Two days before the commissioner’s meeting JOHS contacted the school. She emailed JOHS about their “community engagement” from January-March, and they did not provide any set schedule for when those meetings would be.

o   It was noted that the Oak Street Village had a service provider selected BEFORE budgeting was approved by the commission, so why did the commission vote to approve funding before a service provider was selected in this case?

o   Another community member expressed concern about Straightway Services and their lack of experience, as well as the “contract with teeth” with JOHS

·       Community Advisory Committee: 2 MNA members, 2 METBA members, 2 residents from the site, 1 member of JOHS, and a City of Portland rep

o   A community member expressed to the Oak Street Site that there were tents around the site, and asked someone involved in the site—most likely Mr. Green— when those tents would be taken care of, and the service provider told the resident that “those tents are the responsibility of the city, not me, so call the city.” The community member was concerned that the GNA was already not being upheld, even before opening.

o   Spencer read the outlines for the “standing, collaborative” and “meeting monthly” committee as outlined by JOHS

o   Action Item: JOHS will post the GNA by tomorrow, January 14th. Spencer will post the GNA to the Montavilla website

·       Spencer made a motion to restart the Joint Safety Committee between METBA and the MNA, seconded by Scott

o   January 14th at Covert Café (82nd/Morrison) is the first meeting at 5:30pm

·       Spencer made a motion to remove two board members to make it easier to achieve quorum: Kat Moss, seconded by Laura. Approved

o   Spencer made a motion to remove Rick Reynolds, second by Scott, approved unanimously

·       Spencer announced stepping down from the neighborhood association as his new job acceptance with Steve Novick is a conflict of interest.

·       Laura called for approval of the minutes for December, Sarah seconded, unanimously approved – action item: need to be uploaded to MNA site (Steph, Spencer)

·       Louis called for approval of November minutes, Steph seconded, unanimously approved – action item: need to be uploaded to the MNA site (Steph, Spencer)

·       Laura shared that Personal Beast was robbed at gunpoint, and if people have pets to please support them

·       Steph is making a mural for PDX Saints Love, is looking for paint donations

·       Laura put out to the community that we are looking for a new president, Laura is the interim president for the next month. We will revisit the meeting in February.

·       Action Item: Spencer will check if our website URL is expiring

IX. Next Meeting

The next board meeting is scheduled for February 13th, 2025 at 6:30pm

X. Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned at 7:36 by Laura

Minutes Submitted By:

Steph Cleary, Secretary
January 13th, 2025

Maintaining the website and taking over the newsletter

Slow hand off

Action Item: Spencer will check if our website URL is expiring