2024 Accomplishments
A summary of projects & events brought to you by the Roseway Neighborhood Association
The Roseway Neighborhood Association (RNA) continued to build on its successes and accomplishments in 2024! Through events, projects, and outreach, our volunteer-run board has worked hard to keep neighbors informed, connected, and inspired about the future of our neighborhood.
Community Meetings
Starting in January 2024, the Roseway Neighborhood Association moved to a new format and cadence for our meetings. We held four community-focused meetings in 2024, in January, April, July, October. These two-hour meetings allowed us to set aside more time to go deeper on the topics that are most important to the community than we could in the combination board and community meetings that we had held over the last few years.
January Meeting - Candidate Forum for District 3
In January 2024, we hosted our first community meeting, which focused on what it means to be part of the city’s District 3. We also covered Roseway Neighborhood Association’s 2023 accomplishments, updates from committees, and a presentation by Southeast Uplift district coalition office about how neighborhood associations, district coalition offices, and the new district councilors fit together.
Our community meeting was District 3’s first ever candidate forum and the first candidate forum that the Roseway Neighborhood Association has put on.
Topics for the candidate forum included neighborhood involvement, affordable housing, empty storefronts, and general livability. We had to keep questions and answers brief since we had eight candidates for the forum, but candidates were exceptionally respectful of the time limits, so we ended up with some time to take questions from the in-person audience.
April Meeting - Transportation Projects in Roseway
The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) is in the design, planning, and construction phases of several projects that intersect with and impact the Roseway neighborhood. It was a good time to hear from PBOT about their plans, and for them to get feedback from neighbors. The projects covered included: 70s Cully Connector Greenway, Mason/Skidmore Greenway, 72nd and Mason Carless Plaza, Building a Better 82nd Ave
Many neighbors asked questions and provided feedback on the plans. In particular, feedback on the Mason/Skidmore Greenway, slated for construction starting fall 2024, resulted in additional safety features to slow traffic and avoid accidents along Mason St, and at a dangerous intersection at NE 67th and Mason in particular.
We also had a visit from a Portland Police officer to discuss concerns about recent shots fired near Wellington Park and Scott Elementary school.
July Meeting - Environmental Action & Education
Our July 23rd Community featured presentations on a number of Roseway and adjacent neighborhood projects focused on environmental action and education. Catherine Clark presented information on activities of our Placemaking Committee regarding our forthcoming street plaza at NE 72nd Ave and Mason St. We are working to make the plaza an exciting and welcoming space for all of the community. Megan Blossom, a local business owner and artist is creating the design for our street mural. The Roseway Parkway is an important component of our plaza, and volunteers are working to plant four 200 square foot areas on the parkway near the plaza with a variety of native plants. These plantings will be the start of a much larger Pollinator Corridor connecting local greenspaces.
Suzanne Briggs of Rose City presented the history and current state of the Rose City Bluff Trail and Restoration project along the Rose City Golf Course. She additionally provided information on the creation of a Nature Garden and Orchard Learning Circle at Rose City Heights Middle School. The final presentation on Roseway Outside came from Martine Reynolds, a parent involved with Rose City Park Elementary School. A concerned group of parents has been working together to improve the school playground, and they presented their vision plan with aims to: transform the space to reflect the diverse identities and needs in the school and contribute to a strong sense of belonging, give kids opportunities to play and learn in green spaces every day, and provide flexible weather-appropriate places for gathering during and after school.
October Meeting - Board Elections & Ranked Choice Voting
We had a really wonderful October community meeting, with a presentation on Ranked Choice Voting by neighbor Nord Winnan, followed by elections for the RNA Board. Attending neighbors voted in incumbent board members, along with four new members!
The results of this year’s community meetings have been impressive! We have had 50 to 100 attendees, both in-person and virtual via Zoom, and we have received positive feedback from the community about the quality and content of the presentations and discussion. We hope to see you at a community meeting next year!
Events & Projects
The Roseway Neighborhood Association was proud to bring numerous events and projects to the neighborhood this year. From Earth Day to the free Concert in the Park, it was great to see so many familiar faces, and to meet new neighbors and friends of Roseway! Here’s what we were up to in 2024:
Earth Day Event
Roseway held its second Earth Day event in April of 2024 in our proposed plaza site at NE 72nd Ave and Mason St. We put on activities like nature walks, arts and crafts (people loved the salmon hats), and we were the starting point for a PBOT-led bike ride. We had a number of environmental non-profits and businesses participate in our event.
We gave away ~150 native plants grown with funds provided by a grant from Central Northeast Neighbors.
Sunday Parkways
The Cully/NE Sunday Parkways rolled through Roseway again in 2024. Roseway Neighborhood Association was there at NE 72nd and Mason with streamers for bikes and information about the associations and its current projects. People from across Portland also met near our table for a bike ride in honor of the late Trailblazer legend Bill Walton.
This year, we helped decorate over 100 bikes, bringing smiles to many faces!
Concert in the Park - Glenhaven
Almost 600 people from the greater Portland Metro area attended our Summer Free For All Concert in the Park on July 18th, 2024!
We featured the band Wamba, with their traditional West African rhythms. It was a beautiful, warm summer evening in Glenhaven Park that was enjoyed by all.
Funding for this event was provided by a grant from Central Northeast Neighbors.
Roseway Dumpster Day & Neighborhood Cleanup
In addition to being our biggest fundraiser of the year, the 2024 Dumpster Day and Neighborhood Cleanup helped neighbors to clear tons of debris from their houses, apartments, and yards. Here are some of the numbers:
We had 24 volunteers help the day-of and about 150 customers came through to donate
10.67 tons of bulky waste was collected, along with almost 1.5 tons of metal and electronics, and a lot of re-usable items found new homes
Neighbor’s donations helped RNA to raise about $3,000 for project and activities that benefit the neighborhood!
Many thanks to our sponsors and partners: Metro, Central Northeast Neighbors, Southeast Uplift, Portland Parks and Recreation, Leub Family Metal, Portland Refuse and Recycling, Restore, Rocky Butte Farmers Market, Subway, Rose City Haulers, and Safeway.
Ice Cream Social
The 2024 ice cream social was once again paired with emergency preparedness, and it was a great success! The phenomenal firefighters from Engine 12 arrived to show kids (and adults) their rig. Neighborhood BEECN sites were highlighted, and information about upcoming informational meetings was posted. Eric, a leader for our Neighborhood Emergency Team (NET) passed out information and resources (like water heater hangers to use in an emergency). Community members had a lot of questions and showed interest in learning more. RNA placemaking representatives hosted a table at the event as well.
The RNA provided 200 ice cream treats, and all were given out by the end of the two-hour event!
Pollinator Patches, Tree Tending, and Tree Walk
Neighbors have been active in caring for our diverse tree population on the Roseway Parkway for many years. Maintenance on the parkway is largely volunteer based, and we can always use more help in weeding, mulching, and mowing.
Tree diversity on the parkway was highlighted in a tree walk given by local volunteer Catherine Clark, and Concordia resident Jim Gersbach on October 12th. We have over 200 trees planted on the parkway, with species representing 16 plant families. Working with Portland Urban Forestry, we plan to continue planting to replace the flowering plums, and further increase our tree species diversity.
In fall of 2024, we will be planting four native plant garden areas on the parkway near our proposed plaza site on NE Mason St.
Funding for this project was provided by a grant from Central Northeast Neighbors. Neighbors will be assisting in the care of these “Pollinator Patches” and we plan to expand the plantings around the parkway and through the neighborhood.
Solstice Celebration - Coming again this December!
The RNA will host another winter solstice celebration on December 21st from 4 - 6 pm. We will gather as a community on the Roseway Parkway at the site of our street plaza on NE Mason St and 72nd Ave to celebrate the onset of winter. Hot drinks and snacks will be provided as well as the opportunity to share important songs and stories for the longest night of the year. Funding for this event is made possible by a grant from Central Northeast Neighbors.
Plaza Design and Planning
The Placemaking Committee has been working with PBOT, and board and neighborhood volunteers to create a welcoming and joyful space for all of our neighbors. We are currently working on our plan to get all of the most requested components (seating, shade, games, gathering space) together for next year’s Grand Opening of our plaza. One of our goals is to make this a welcoming space for neighbors passing through from neighborhoods all over Portland.
Our plaza will occupy a unique space in the midst of the Roseway Parkway, and we want to feature and increase the diversity of the abundant natural elements found in this space.
Communication & Outreach
Communication and outreach is a critical part of our volunteer organization. Without it, we wouldn’t be able to put on such amazing events or grow the size of our community meetings. Here’s how we “got the word out” this year:
Monthly eBulletin
Through our monthly electronic bulletin, RNA provides information about upcoming meetings, exciting news about goings-on in the neighborhood, and important updates about what’s happening in the city.
We now have about 350 email subscribers (up from 208 a year ago). Our average open rate for bulletins over the past year is 77.5%.
The high engagement shows that neighbors are very interested in what’s going on in Roseway and are interested in what we’re doing. It’s a good sign to keep the effort up and keep growing!
If you haven’t already, please subscribe to our monthly bulletin!
Community Meeting Mailer
We promoted the community meetings with a mailer that went to all residents and businesses. We made sure that the mailing list included apartments so that we reached all residents. We also advertised them in our monthly bulletin, on social media, and via lawn signs.
Outreach and Education through Social Media
In 2024, RNA kept the neighborhood informed and inspired through frequent social media posts. The posts covered upcoming events organized by RNA, events organized by others, information about staying safe and healthy, needs-based services, updates on the plaza design, and calls for volunteers.
On Facebook, we now have over 1,400 followers. We have created over 100 posts which reached 6,200 users.
We sometimes post major news and events to the unaffiliated Roseway PDX community group, but please also follow our official Roseway Neighborhood Association page.
On Instagram, we have over 400 followers, double from last year. We have also created over 100 posts which reached 2,500 users.
Signage for the Neighborhood
RNA has a signage committee that has been looking into additional neighborhood identity signage and structures. The goal is for Rosewarians to be reminded of the pride we have for our neighborhood and for visitors to see that they are visiting or passing through a special place. The committee is currently working on designs and getting cost estimates that we can present at our January community meeting.
Want to join the effort? Send us an email!
RNA Board T-Shirts
The RNA board utilized local Roseway screen printer Make House Printing to print shirts for all board members. Board members proudly wear our Roseway logo, and community members are able to identify board members easily at meetings and events.
Other Endeavors
In addition to community meetings, events, projects, and communication efforts, the board was busy at work in 2024. Here are some of the other projects we worked on this year:
DEI Training
The RNA board partnered with Capacity Building Partnerships for an introduction to DEI training. The outcome was to collaborate on a common analysis and language for inclusiveness and equity work. We identified community ground rules to help steer our meetings, reflect on why this type of work is important, how it addresses institutional & structural oppression, and begin to establish a shared vocabulary. During the training, we had a breakout discussion to share real-life examples of how DEI shows up in our personal lives and communities. The RNA’s objective is to continue making this practice a part of our onboarding process for new board members, and creative sustainable action that serves the diversity of the Roseway community.
Business Relations
The Roseway Business Relations Committee (BRC) helped to steer local business owners to kick off their first mixer event organized and attended by Roseway business owners. Through the BRC efforts, we were able to hand off community insights and data from the Business + Community surveys we developed to inform the business-led group moving forward. The group has successfully hosted three mixers building support for each other and a collaborative network.
A couple of BRC members have met with several prospective business tenants to introduce them to Roseway and encourage them to open business in one of the empty storefronts in the neighborhood. We are hopeful that this outreach will pay off in a more vibrant and activated business corridor.
Sponsored School and Community Events
Scott Elementary School partnered with Portland Urban Forestry in February to plant ~50 large form trees on both the school grounds and the adjacent Wellington Park. Students from both first and fourth grades joined in to learn how to plant trees, and then had a great time planting them. These trees will one day provide much needed shade for the school and playground in addition to their many environmental benefits.
Working to Eliminate Street Takeovers
Traditionally, the center of Roseway at NE 72nd and Sandy has been a destination for illegal street takeovers. These events bring in participants from several states and have resulted in disruption, vandalism, and violence in our neighborhood. The Roseway Neighborhood Association pushed two initiatives that eliminated street takeovers in 2024 and hopefully for the future:
The first is that RNA worked with PBOT to install the soft medians that are now along Sandy. The medians make the intersection less appealing for street takeovers and also help to route and calm traffic. Of two city-wide takeovers in 2023, the first used this intersection, but the second avoided it.
RNA also endorsed and encouraged the adoption of ORS 615, which was passed in 2023, thanks in part to the support of our state representative Truy Tran. This law expanded traffic crimes and penalties associated with street takeovers. With more enforcement options and tougher penalties, in the summer of 2024, Portland Police were much more proactive about enforcement, including a mission that disrupted a large regional street takeover event, seizing vehicles and weapons, and effectively disrupting the event.
Additional Achievements:
Mitigated graffiti (via PEMO) through reporting and outreach to business and building owners.
Liaised with Portland Police (via PEMO), which helped encourage their missions targeting human trafficking, shootings, car theft, and street takeovers.
Connected with Portland Parks and Recreation on a planned walking trail through the Rose City Golf Course (planned for 2025 or 2026).
Improved board training and documentation to help make it easy to join the board and contribute right away.
Improved volunteer signup capability and tracking so that anyone who wants to make the neighborhood better knows what opportunities are available.
Monitored development notices, which ensured that new developments are responsible and benefit the neighborhood.
Responded to over 400 emails to <rosewayneighborhood@gmail.com>. The inquiries range from questions and concerns from neighbors to community news that organizations wanted to share with Roseway. We try to be responsive so that we know best how to support the neighborhood.
To everyone on our 2024 board… THANK YOU!!!
RNA Officers
President: Chris Hansen
Vice President: Ash Hester
Secretary: David Moskowitz
Treasurer: Catherine Clark
RNA Board Members
Bob Price
Sarah Gibney
Ted Carlston
Ava Williams
Erin Werner
David Moskowitz
Chris Hansen
Britanie Kessler
Catherine Clark
Ash Hester
Chris King
Rachel Anderholder
