2005/11/08

Skyline Ridge Neighborhood Association November 8, 2005 The Fall meeting of the Skyline Ridge Neighborhood association was held Nov 8th, 2005 in the West Linn City Council chamber at City Hall. This was a well attended meeting with 21 residents and guests in addition to several city council members, city officials, and Mayor Norm King. Old Business The review of old business began with approval of the May 2005 meeting minutes. The meeting minutes are also available on the city website www.ci.west-linn.or.us. Loretta Schwartz provided budget information showing expenditures for the year (mostly the July 4th picnic and publication of the directory) totaling $3143, leaving us with a balance on hand of $695. Members of the CC&R committee were not present, therefore discussion of the CC&R's was tabled until the next meeting. Please let me know if anyone needs additional copies of the CC&R's, particularly those that pertain to roofing. I will also try to have the CC&R information available thru the city website. The 4th of July Picnic attendance was up again this year with 194 persons attending in addition to a number of guests including TVF&R. The feedback following the event was overwhelmingly positive, and there were several useful suggestions for next year's picnic. Thanks to Kristin Tufte, Cheryl Labar, Elizabeth Theide, and many others for setting up, Kristin Campbell for coordinating the parade, Lynnette Rucker for organizing the games, and Bob and Loretta Schwartz for managing registration. A multitude of other volunteers also contributed to make this event successful-thanks to all. The neighborhood directory was distributed door to door last August. Thanks again to Mike Baggetta, Kristin Campbell, and Shelly Cruze for putting this together. Please let me know if you need additional copies or if you are aware of new neighbors who need a copy. The E-mail list has undergone numerous revisions and is now in a usable form. Please let me know if you need the list for neighborhood correspondence. New Business The New Business began with an overview of crime in our neighborhood facilitated by officer Ashby of the West Linn Police Dept. While our neighborhood is generally considered quite safe, we are not immune to criminal activity and there was considerable discussion about setting up a neighborhood watch program. Tracy Gilday stepped forward to lead this effort. Future meetings and discussion will be held to address this issue. Linda Zahavi has volunteered to be our representative on the Police Advisory Committee. Concerns were raised about speeding traffic on our neighborhood streets as a threat to the scores of young children in our area. City engineer Ron Hudson was present to discuss a variety of options for addressing this problem. Although speed bumps are being used on Marylhurst, the steep grades on Troon, Stonehaven, and parts of Skye Parkway would probably render them unsafe, particularly in icy conditions. In addition, they are quite expensive, app 3000$ apiece. We discussed other measures including the radar trailer or requesting increased police patrols. He also discussed ways in which the city can help with foliage over growing street lights and traffic signs. A new development is planned near our neighborhood. Phil Gentemen has purchased property along Mountain View Ct and Skye Pkwy with the intention to build several large houses. Although he has voiced interest in presenting his plans to our group, he was not able to make the meeting. We will await further information from him. Our city councilors suggested we get involved to provide input from our neighborhood by participating in the pre-application process. We need a volunteer to take on this task. Please let me know if you're interested. Our city council has asked that our neighborhood begin a discussion of what long term goals and visions we have for the future regarding issues such as sidewalks, parks, traffic, etc. This would allow us to decide our priorities and eventually come to a consensus how we would like these issues to be addressed. Our neighborhood plan may then be presented to the city council and they will assist us in implementing it. We need volunteers to begin work on this long range project-please let me know if you're interested. Lastly, my 2 year term is almost up and it's time to pass the baton to a new president. It would also be helpful to have a vice president. Please let me know if you would like to step into either of these positions. Respectfully submitted, Mitch Brock 503-635-7389 Brockmkrmd@aol.com