Next Up at City Council, 4/30/08

There are oodles of interesting items on this Wednesday’s Portland City Council Agenda. I can only review a few issues today – please check it out yourself.

There are three Time Certain items, at 9:30 am, 10 am, and 10:30 am, so it’s likely the discussion of the proposed relocation of the Sauvie Island Bridge to NW Flanders won’t start until later. The 9:30 am item,

517 TIME CERTAIN: 9:30 AM – Assess benefited properties for street and stormwater improvements in the SW Texas Green Street Local Improvement District (Hearing; Ordinance introduced by Commissioner Adams; C-10014)

This ordinance represents years of work by citizens and staff, figuring out how to provide both a paved road and environmentally-sensitive stormwater management, on a small segment of a street in SW Portland. Kudos to those involved. We now know that green streets are not only better for water quality and neighborhood aesthetics, but also they cost less than traditional engineered/piped mechanisms of dealing with pavement runoff.

On the Consent Agenda:

Fire and Rescue – 521 Apply for a $1,300,000 grant from the Department of Homeland Security to purchase a new fireboat (Second Reading Agenda 485)

The City should talk with Multnomah County about whether there is duplication in river patrol services with both Portland Fire and Rescue and the Multnomah County Sherrif’s department currently providing coverage.

Wow, applying for an $18 million loan, as an emergency ordinance:

*530 Authorize loan application in the amount of up to $18,000,000 to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality under the State Revolving Fund Program for Columbia Blvd Wastewater Treatment Plant Digester Expansion and Revegetation Program projects (Ordinance)

That’s one where I’d like to have time to read more information.

Then here’s the most controversial item, probably:

543 Authorize the Portland Office of Transportation to enter into a contract with Max J. Kuney Construction, owner of the old Sauvie Island Bridge, to rehabilitate, relocate and acquire the old Sauvie Island Bridge center span for the purpose of moving it to NW Flanders St over I-405 (Ordinance introduced by Commissioners Adams, Leonard and Saltzman)

accompanied by:

547 Authorize application to the Oregon Department of Transportation, Transportation Enhancement Program for a grant of up to $1,000,000 for Phase Two of the NW Flanders Bike Boulevard, Sauvie Island Bridge Relocation Project (Ordinance)

See my comments here. I expect neighbors from all over the city to take time off work this Wednesday morning, to comment on this proposal.