 You’re invited to my first-ever virtual constituent coffee on Monday, September 22nd! Please bring your questions, concerns, and feedback about what is happening in your neighborhood; how you feel the new City government is working; what you would like Council to focus on; and anything else. Register at tinyurl.com/ClarkCoffee.
 I’m dedicating time to meet with District 4 constituents both virtually and in their own neighborhoods — to hear what’s on your mind and to provide information on a variety of issues. I am also reaching out to attend neighborhood association meetings when possible. You can find all of my event listings here.
Please save these dates:
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Far Southwest: 11 am-1 pm Friday, September 19th in Room 215 of the Technology Classroom Building at Portland Community College Sylvania, 12000 SW 49th Avenue.
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Online: 5:30-6:30 pm Monday, September 22nd. Register here.
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Hillside: 11 am-1 pm Friday, October 10th at Hillside Community Center, 653 NW Culpepper Terrace.
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Eastmoreland: 3-5 pm Thursday, October 23rd at Eastmoreland Golf Course Bar & Grill, 2425 SE Bybee Boulevard.
 Last week I met with two organizations in District 4 working to address our homeless crisis.
Blanchet House is readying an overnight emergency shelter in Northwest Portland for up to 75 women. “Bethanie’s Room” will provide food, hygiene supplies, bathrooms, as well as referrals to health care, counseling, and housing.
I spoke with Executive Director Scott Kerman and Shelter Director Shelly Bancroft, who said that unhoused women are frequently domestic violence survivors and increasingly an older population. You can support Blanchet House by buying the children’s book “Toby Finds a Home,” which is available through its website.
In Old Town, CityTeam Portland is refurbishing the Overland Building, which will house 120 men struggling with homelessness or addictive behavior. The faith-based restorative residential program has multiple phases: The first floor is for transitional beds; the second floor is dedicated to workforce training; and the third floor will have transitional housing for those on the cusp of securing a living-wage job.
Executive Director Lance Orton shared his personal story about overcoming heroin addiction and graduating from the program. Both of these privately funded organizations will provide vital services in District 4.
 In recognition of National Preparedness Month, bureau staff delivered a presentation before my Transportation and Infrastructure Committee about the City’s preparedness efforts, public awareness campaigns, and strategic goals.
In the event of a citywide or regional emergency (severe winter storm, flood, or major earthquake), households should be prepared to be on their own for at least a week. Volunteer neighborhood rescuers will likely be first on-the-scene when firefighters and police are slowed by impassable streets or overwhelmed by calls for help.
In fact, according to former Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Craig Fugate, up to 95 percent of all people rescued in a disaster are rescued by a neighbor. With that in mind, here is a handy checklist to make sure your household is prepared:
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Join your Neighborhood Emergency Team (NET): These are Portland residents trained by the Portland Bureau of Emergency Management and Portland Fire & Rescue to save lives and property within their own neighborhoods until professional responders can arrive.
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Sign up for public alerts: Public safety responders send lifesaving alerts and instructions during emergencies via landline phone, cell phone, text, and email to warn community members to take action, such as staying indoors or evacuating.
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Be 2 Weeks Ready: This means having a plan and the supplies necessary to help your household survive for two weeks following the many different types of natural disasters that could strike our region.
 This week I inspected the proposed five-mile corridor for the Interstate Bridge Replacement program with members of my Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
This vital connection between Oregon and Washington is essential for moving commerce, creating jobs, improving safety, and expanding multimodal options on both sides of the river. Each day more than $130 million in freight crosses the bridge, and it’s subject to congestion that can last up to 10 hours with a bridge lift.
Special thanks to Vancouver Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle as well as leaders from TriMet, the City of Portland, and the City of Vancouver for this tour!
 Did you know that the Portland Bureau of Transportation has a team dedicated to small-scale traffic safety improvement?
Every year, PBOT receives about 3,000 requests through PDX 311 for warning signs, crosswalks, traffic calming, pedestrian issues, and other concerns. It then investigates and prioritizes these requests based on the limited revenue streams available.
Last week my Transportation and Infrastructure Committee heard from leaders who want to create safer routes to school for kids in downtown and South Portland. They are proposing solutions for an unsafe stretch of South Sheridan Street near the International School of Portland that includes incomplete sidewalks, missing bike lane connections, and limited safety features. The coalition includes:
- Downtown Portland Neighborhood Association
- South Portland Neighborhood Associations
- Better Block PDX
- Portland State University’s Transportation Research and Education Center
- Oregon Health & Science University
 This week marked the return of Portland Sunday Parkways to downtown for the first time in five years! Special thanks to everyone who walked, rolled, or biked to our Central City for car-free fun; to Portland Bureau of Transportation staff and volunteers for pulling off this monumental effort; and to all of the City staff and community groups who participated.
 I had a great time this week at the 8th annual Goose Hollow Days! The street festival included a porky constituent, Penelope the Pig, as well as community groups like Friends of Washington Park and Zoo Railway and the Portland Symphonic Girlchoir.
 This month I joined the Hillsdale Neighborhood Association meeting to share updates from City Council, discuss the Hillsdale Farmers’ Market, and touch on other important topics that matter to this community.
What stood out to me was the high level of engagement from residents! It’s encouraging to see so many people taking an active role in shaping the future of their neighborhood. It was also a pleasure to reconnect with longtime neighbors and friends!
If you’d like me to attend an upcoming meeting in your neighborhood, please reach out at councilor.clark@portlandoregon.gov. I’m always happy to stay connected and support your work in building strong, vibrant communities.
During the City budget process, I sent $2,000 out of my office budget to each of District 4’s 32 neighborhood associations. Those checks finally landed this week!
 Last week I met with constituents in the Arlington Heights neighborhood, where we discussed safe streets, wildfire prevention, behavioral health, and much more.
Special thanks to the Arlington Heights Neighborhood Association for helping to spread the word and to Hoyt Arboretum Friends for hosting us!
 It’s not every day that you get access to Portland City Hall’s ecoroof! Green roofs help create habitat for native plants, reduce pollution and carbon emissions, and reduce harmful stormwater runoff.
In 2005, Dan Manning began building ecoroofs in partnership with the Bureau of Environmental Services’ Ecoroof Incentive Program. Since then, he and his team have designed and installed more than 150 ecoroofs across the city.
To find out more, you can visit ManningDesignConstruction.com or call 503-309-5858.
 Last week Portland Art Museum Director Brian Ferriso gave me a sneak preview of the Mark Rothko Pavilion, an ambitious 21,881-square-foot glass addition that will connect the museum’s two historic buildings while providing stunning views of the South Park Blocks. The museum’s expanded campus will open to the public on November 20th with a free four-day community celebration.
The museum recently announced a major endowment from the Schnitzer family that includes the naming of its director position — the largest gift ever from an individual donor in its 132-year history. Brian will serve as the first Arlene and Harold Schnitzer Director for the next three months before he leaves to lead the Dallas Museum of Art. Portland has been blessed with his visionary talent for nearly 20 years!
 This month I visited the Portland Police Museum, which is filled with fascinating artifacts like this creature from the TV show “Grimm”!
Sgt. Spencer Schaaaf from the bike patrol told me about the City’s first black officer, George Hardin, who was hired in 1894, and the City’s first female officer, Lola G. Baldwin, who became the first female officer west of the Mississippi and the second in the nation way back in 1908 — four years BEFORE she could vote!
You can also check out Portland’s first traffic signal, which was lit by a kerosene lamp — a “high-tech” alternative to whistling and waving arms! One officer infamously estimated that the device saved him about “200 pounds of wind.”
The museum, which is located at 1111 SW Second Avenue, is only open from 10am to 2pm on the first Thursday of every month or by appointment.
 This month I joined my friend Don Powell, Mayor Wilson, Council President Elana Pirtle-Guiney, and others to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Lan Su Chinese Garden.
Built by expert artisans using traditional materials and methods, Lan Su represents the relationship between Portland and Suzhou, our sister city in China’s Jiangsu Province.
 Portland has proclaimed September 15 to October 15 as Hispanic and Latinx Heritage Month, and the community turned out this week at El Grito, an annual celebration of this vibrant and diverse community at the Rose Quarter.
At a time of increased hostility toward immigrants in particular, Mayor Wilson’s proclamation reaffirms: “Portland is a sanctuary city that is committed to protecting and supporting families and individuals seeking refuge, peace, and a better future — not out of privilege or leisure, but out of necessity, hope, and survival.”
 Our local arts and culture organizations create hundreds of jobs that drive our local economy, while fueling the creative spirit that makes Portland unique. And in the face of severe federal funding cuts, they need your support more than ever. Check out The Oregonian fall arts guide to see what’s coming up!
The Old Town-Chinatown neighborhood has transformed boarded-up buildings into a free, open-air art exhibition! The No Vacancy Window Gallery is a self-guided tour that you can take through November. KATU-TV spoke with curator Lauren Lesueur about these ingenious installations.
Oaks Amusement Park — which just turned 120! — has removed the drop ceiling from its Dance Pavilion to reveal the planks of its original timber roof, Willamette Week reports. OPB also spoke with Oaks Park ride inspector-operator Sean Strauss about why he loves his job: “There’s color, motion, families, diversity…. It’s a combination of things that were important to me as a contributor to this city.”
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