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DMA VISTA wins Spirit of Portland Award
On November 17, 2015, DMA’s AmeriCorps VISTA service member, Kem Marks proudly received a 2015 Spirit of Portland Award. Each of the five City of Portland Commissioners nominates one individual and one organization for a Commissioner’s Award. Commissioner Steve Novick nominated Kem Marks to receive an individual award.
Kem has been active in the East Portland Action Plan (EPAP), and the East Portland Neighborhood Office (EPNO) since 2013. Kem is the EPAP representative for the Powell Division Bus Rapid Transit project Steering Committee, and on the Citizens Advisory Committee for implementation of the Outer Powell Safety Project. He has also work on a body of local residents to assist Portland Bureau of Transportation improve the connectivity for pedestrians in the neighborhoods along SE Division.
Kem said he was very proud to represent East Portland and Division Midway Alliance in all of these activities. He stated that his goal was to make East Portland a better place to live and to make sure that the residents were properly served by investments made in the community.
DMA to “Clean House” on National Day of Service
 Monday January 18th, 2016 is the official recognition of the birthday of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It is also a day of National Service in which people come together to celebrate the spirit of helping our neighbors. Division Midway Alliance (DMA) will be doing its part by hosting its annual neighborhood cleanup. Volunteers will concentrate their efforts to ‘clean house’ in the district, as it were, by removing trash & graffiti along SE Division between 117th and 148th Avenues.
Last year’s cleanup resulted in the removal of almost a half-ton of trash, a number of hypodermic needles, and over 100 graffiti tags. It also brought out over 40 of the area’s residents to do their part in taking care of the neighborhood.
This year, DMA is getting the word out even earlier to make sure as many who want to participate hear about it and are able to plan for January 18. The cleanup will start at 10:00 am and last until 1:00 pm at the DMA offices at 11721 SE Division St. Supplies will be provided as well as a brief demonstration on how to clean graffiti. After the cleanup, DMA will be providing refreshments to volunteers. We will be crossing our fingers for the beautiful weather we had last year, but we know that a little rain never stops people in the great Northwest.
If you are interested in volunteering, you can go to the DMA website at www.divisionmidway.com to find out more details
METRO and TriMet Want Your Opinion
METRO, the regional government, and TriMet, the regional transit agency want your input regarding a proposed Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project for the area. METRO and TriMet are asking residents to fill out an online survey to see how riders feel about potential changes to the bus stops along SE Powell and SE Division in Portland and Gresham. You can go to www.trimet.org/survey to fill out the survey. The survey will be open through January 8, 2016, so there is not much time to waste.
Nick Sauvie of Rose CDC, and an EPAP member had concerns about the proposed project stated, " TriMet’s plan has too many BRT stops and would eliminate local bus service that currently exists along Powell (from Willamette River to north/south connection – probably 82nd) and Division (from north/south connection to Gresham). For BRT to get drivers out of their cars, travel time needs to be competitive with driving. David Hampsten, who has been EPAP’s transportation expert, estimated that express service could cut travel time by 30 minutes from downtown to Mt Hood Community College. EPAP advocates are also concerned about the impact the lost local bus service would have on seniors and disabled people who might have to go twice as far to the BRT stops."
Responding to this survey is very important, and DMA encourages you to express your thoughts. This is the time when the community has the opportunity to weigh in on whether they want to change how many bus stops are along SE Division and where they are. There have been no final decisions as to whether the BRT replaces the current bus service on SE Division or whether it will be in addition to the current service. One of the consequences of the BRT project would be fewer stops if the current service were not maintained. This will require longer walks for those who use stops that are eliminated.
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