The new Schools web page is now available, with links to all schools serving the SWNI area, a description of the Schools Committee, and some news about school-related events.  Reach it at http://swni.org/schools or click on the Schools Committee under Committees.  To add articles or send comments, please email schools@swni.org, or call Will Fuller at 503-764-5501.

Friday, December 5, 6 - 9 pm
Saturday, December 6, 8 am - 4 pm
in Multnomah Village

Friday enjoy:
Carriage rides at Key Bank from 6 to 9 pm
Great Shopping and carolers until 9 pm
Tree lighting with Santa at 6:42 pm
Portland Art Collective Show at Multnomah Arts Center

Saturday:
Kiwanis Pancake Breakfast, 8 am
Great carolers and shopping all day

Join your neighbors for great holiday music and chili at the Food Front "veranda"

Join us as we support the 2008 Spirit of Portland Award winners.
Thursday, December 11, pm
City Hall, Council Chambers
1120 SW 5th Ave
Portland, OR

Southwest Portland recipients include:
South Portland Neighborhood Association -- Neighborhood of the Year
and
Hoopin' it Up Basketball Camp -- Outstanding Partnership

Tuesday, December 16, 7 pm
Multnomah Center, Capitol Room
7688 SW Capitol Hwy

Portland Fire & Rescue invites the communities of the Southwest
Neighborhood, Inc. (SWNI) to a presentation of recent challenges and changes
affecting the relocation of Fire Station 18 and the construction of Fire
Station 21. Neighborhood Association members and residents of southwest

SWTrails is pleased to present Bicycle Facilities Strategy to Reach Platinum Status in Southwest Portland.

September 24, 2008

Grand Opening
will be
Friday, Saturday, Sunday,
October 10-12,
11:00 am to 5:00 pm
Food Front Hillsdale
6344 SW Capitol Highway
Portland 97239
503-546-6559

The Office of Neighborhood Involvement and the Southwest Neighborhoods, Inc. are excited about the opportunity to speak to you about the completion of your projects and how the small grants program has helped you to build local partnerships, increase neighborhood involvement, attract new and diverse members and sustain and build a strong local network.
 

Betsy Shand, South Burlingame neighbor, and Sylvia Bogert, SWNI Executive Director, have spoken about organizing a South Burlingame neighborhood meeting in September. Betsy indicated that she and another interested person might consider co-chairing the neighborhood.

The following items have been suggested for the agenda:

Open House

Thursday, September 11, starting at 7 pm
Ainsworth School, 2425 SW Vista

Saturday, September 20, 2008, at 2 pm

Capitol Hill Elementary playground, 8401 SW 17th Ave

Opens September 27-28, 2008
Friends of Tryon Creek State Park, 11321 SW Terwilliger Blvd.
For more info: 503-636-4398 or www.tryonfriends.org - click on Natural Cycles

Many people are unaware that fluorescent tubes of all kinds, including compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs, contain toxic materials — such as mercury — and should never be thrown in the trash. Also, extreme care should be exercised to prevent breakage. To recycle fluorescent tubes of all kinds in an environmentally responsible manner (for free), you may take them to a Metro hazardous waste facility or round-up event. Also, The Home Depot will recycle unbroken CFLs at any of its stores (take them to the returns desk).

Guru and apprentice positions available. No experience necessary, but a willingness to learn and big ol’ goofy grin on your face are helpful! Successful applicants can expect to perform one (or more) of the following tasks…

Opened in the late 1950’s, George Smith Elementary School operated for nearly 50 years before being closed by the school district for “declining enrollment.”

In the eighties or nineties, Smith’s boundaries were shrunk in order to enhance the number of students at Markham, which had been closed. The students south of Taylors Ferry Road, many of whom walked to Smith, were bussed to Markham. This was detrimental to our community by fragmenting it, and by eliminating an opportunity for healthy exercise for students by walking to school in a safe, quiet neighborhood.

TriMet has issued the results of bicycling related surveys they conducted last August via the web, and subsequently onboard MAX trains. Here is an executive summary of their executive summary:

Background:

According to a recent national study, integrating bikes and transit:

• Extends the range of transit
• Provides greater mobility options to customers at the beginning and end of their transit trips
• Has the potential to increase transit ridership
• Encourages cycling by giving cyclists the option of avoiding unsafe streets, hills, fatigue, and poor conditions (darkness and weather) if bikes are allowed onboard
• Has the potential to decrease congestion and help reduce air pollution by providing an alternative to driving

Anyone who has created web pages which display graphics using SWNI’s Drupal content management system (CMS) will want to know about an impending change which will affect your pages. We are about to upgrade Drupal, but due to compatibility problems, we are dropping the [Inline] module, which we previously used for displaying graphics on web pages.

What moves around the City offering fun programs and activities celebrating Portland as one of the most livable cities in the US?