2005-12-20

HIDDEN SPRINGS NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION MINUTES MEETING OF DECEMBER 20, 2005 CALL TO ORDER. The meeting was called to order at 7:05 PM at the West Linn Adult Community Center by Acting President, Lynn C. Fox. Other officers in attendance: Donna Baker, Treasurer, Charles Lytle, Acting Secretary. QUORUM DATA. Eligible members in good standing as of the previous meeting: 47. At 10%, the quorum for this meeting was 4.7 = 5. Only members in good standing can vote. The number of eligible members in good standing in attendance at the start of the meeting was 8. Therefore, the meeting stands as an official meeting of the Neighborhood Association. Twelve Hidden Springs residents attended during the course of the meeting. GUEST SPEAKERS. Ashanti Stearns, speaking on the Tryon Life Community Farm. MINUTES OF THE NOVEMBER 15, 2005 MEETING. Motion To Approve: Barbara Eden Second To The Motion: Donna Baker Vote On The Motion: 6 Aye, 0 Nay, 1 Abstention ? Motion Carried TREASURER’S REPORT. Treasurer Donna Baker reported a current account balance of $853.54. POLICE REPORT. W.L. Police Officer Bunce reported that there was a car theft and a car broken into on Pimlico during the previous month. He advised members to always lock their vehicles, even when you will be returning within a few minutes. He also cautioned members to never leave valuables in sight, even if the car is locked. Always place items in the trunk. HSNA POLICE ADVISORY COMMITTEE. n/a. OLD BUSINESS. (1) HSNA member and President of the League of West Linn Neighborhoods Curt Sommer reported that he received an e-mail that day stating that the current Clearwater project has been stopped and that the Clackamas County Board of Commissioners is rethinking their approach to gaining citizen approval for the effort. Guest David Dodds reported that the Kellog Creek wastewater treatment plant is very near capacity and that something will have to be done to accommodate all the growth in the Damascus/Happy Valley areas of Clackamas County. The Tri-Cities plant has the capacity to take Milwaukee, Oregon City, and West Linn at full build-out. The current W.L. Council did nothing on this issue this spring and never took a position one way or another, choosing to just ignore it. Continued avoidance of the issue by Council could lead to sharp increases in sewer rates with no benefits to West Linn citizens, thus forcing West Linn residents to finance growth in East Clackamas County. (2) Eugene Schoenheit of the District #1 citizens group fighting the Clearwater project, reported that the Clackamas County commissioners informed them today that they were ceasing efforts on behalf of the current Clearwater project. The County will pay the group’s attorney fees, and a referendum will be held on the issue. Mr. Schoenheit warned HSNA members that the massive development ongoing and planned in the Happy Valley/Damascus area will have to have sewer service, so don’t expect the issue of massive infrastructure capital improvements to just disappear. (3) Acting President Lynn Fox displayed copies of: the original title transfer of Wilderness Park to the City, including the covenant not to develop or do anything to or with the park except for necessary maintenance; the relevant section of the City Code stating that nothing can be done to Wilderness Park without a vote of the citizens; the contract let for the placement of the water line, including a map clearly showing the route right through the park. The Friends of Wilderness Park has been re-activated, with Lynn Fox as temporary President. At a near-future meeting, a resolution will be voted on to communicate to the Council and Mayor that the water line must be immediately removed and the cleared area replanted. HSNA Minutes December 20, 2005 Meeting Page 2 NEW BUSINESS. Acting President Lynn Fox briefed the membership on the status of the neighborhood plan. Originally, city staff stated that there was only $15,000 available for this purpose that would have to be shared amongst three neighborhoods, Hidden Springs, Tanner Basin, and Parker Crest. Apparently most of this money was spent for the city staff survey of residents owning land contiguous to the current city boundaries. This survey asked the owners if they would consider annexation into the City if the City waived the $2,000 application deposit. In the interests of economy and the common good, officers and members of HSNA, PCNA and TBNA indicated a willingness to share a consultant and proceed with plans in a manner similar to the three completed, or nearly completed plans of Willamette, Robinwood and Bolton, provided autonomy was retained by the three associations. The Council allotted $75,000.00 to complete three plans simultaneously and a request for proposal was published and proposals were received from six consultant companies. In mid-evaluation Marylhurst, Neighborhood Association was added as a fourth participant without consulting Hidden Springs. The presidents of the other three neighborhood associations simply told the City which consultant they personally preferred. HSNA Acting President Lynn Fox asked the Secretary, Charles Lytle, to review all the proposals and make comments on each one, and then rank them. She then called an emergency meeting at the library to discuss the proposals and allow attendees to examine them all. In addition, all documents were available for review at the December 20, 2005 membership meeting. The general consensus was that Carol Connell’s previous positive experiences with the City, the fact that she supplied the most hours for the project and the high degree of citizen trust she has earned over the years made her the most fiscally responsible choice and best served the common good. The president was instructed to submit Carol Connell as the consultant of choice for HSNA. GUEST SPEAKER ASHANTI STEARNS. The Tryon Life Community Farm is an organic/sustainable project that is currently renting seven acres adjacent to Boones Ferry Road on the west and Tryon Creek Park on the east. It is in unincorporated Clackamas County between Portland and Lake Oswego. The Farm is a registered non-profit and has as its mission the teaching of organic/sustainable practices in gardening, landscaping, and animal husbandry. It is currently staffed by volunteers. There are a number of structures already built, and the volunteers teach an ongoing series of classes on green, Earth-friendly practices in a suburban setting. The current owner is selling the property, and there is a standing offer from a builder who wants the land to build a development of 23 single-family homes. The seller has set a deadline of the end of the second week in January 2006 for the Life Community Farm to match the builder’s offer. The group has already raised over a million dollars in cash and pledges, but still needs around $100K more. Ashanti showed a PowerPoint presentation on the farm and then left donation flyers for the membership to take home. NEXT MEETING DATE TO BE JANUARY 17, 2006 Motion To Meet In January: by Chuck Lytle Second To The Motion: by Ingrid Mueller Vote On The Motion: 6 Yea, 0 Nay, 1 Abstention ? Motion Carried ADJOURMENT. The meeting was adjourned at 9:01 PM by Acting President Lynn C. Fox DRAFT MINUTES RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED BY C.R. LYTLE