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it's been talked about for years now.
and the streets are getting more and more crowded with pedestrians, performers, parties and whatnot.
alberta needs to be closed on last thursdays.
it's about getting a permit.
it can be done like: portland marathon, block parties and other events in the city where the barriers go up to close traffic
when i worked for friends of forest park we had to get a permit to close down some streets for our walk/run event.
it's mostly red tape, time and some money
the office is with the city of portland and is located close to PSU on sw 4th or something.
i don't have the deets bcause i wasn't the person who organized the permit aspect of the event.
so all that needs to happen is someone who has the time, gumption and demeanor to walk into a city permit office to get the information so all who care can move forward with this idea.
and the streets are getting more and more crowded with pedestrians, performers, parties and whatnot.
alberta needs to be closed on last thursdays.
it's about getting a permit.
it can be done like: portland marathon, block parties and other events in the city where the barriers go up to close traffic
when i worked for friends of forest park we had to get a permit to close down some streets for our walk/run event.
it's mostly red tape, time and some money
the office is with the city of portland and is located close to PSU on sw 4th or something.
i don't have the deets bcause i wasn't the person who organized the permit aspect of the event.
so all that needs to happen is someone who has the time, gumption and demeanor to walk into a city permit office to get the information so all who care can move forward with this idea.
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Portland
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Re: closing alberta street to vehicular traffic for last thursday
Thu, May 3, 2007 - 9:36 AMUgh. Had a bit of trouble finding this, but I think it is the basic info for closing a street:
www.portlandonline.com/Auditor/index.cfm
Some of the permits require a fee ($70-$2,300-TBA) and/or insurance/indemnity.
I wonder if the organizers don't already have the "large sidewalk" permit? -
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Re: closing alberta street to vehicular traffic for last thursday
Thu, May 3, 2007 - 2:10 PMhuh, that was my next thought:
the "organizers"
who are these people?
it's a volunteer committee i assume.
the thing about doing street closures is that it would require several committed volunteers every month to make this happen.
the two areas of responsibility:
1) red tape: attaining and maintaining permits
2) leg work: being in place on alberta street at each intersection and road crossing to assemble and put up the multiple road barriers that would be required...and then again to remove them. no one, not the police, etc, will be the ones to do this. it will have to be the committee.
we should find these organizers/group and see what they already have underway on the street closure sitch -
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Re: closing alberta street to vehicular traffic for last thursday
Thu, May 3, 2007 - 6:10 PMwould be great to have it shutdown - seems obvious. Seems like just from a safty perspective alone it should be done.
I heard the reason it hasn't happened though is that enough neighbors along the street were against it. That was from word of mouth, so maybe it is only a case of red tape and money. -
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Re: closing alberta street to vehicular traffic for last thursday
Thu, May 3, 2007 - 8:28 PMthe biggest thing holding this thing back is having a committed group of people to just go out there and
gitterdun
imho
let's leave hearsay aside
and just move forward on this.
i know more than 3 homeowners in the alberta district living only homes away from alberta street itself who would be thrilled to have the streets blocked. -
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Re: closing alberta street to vehicular traffic for last thursday
Thu, May 3, 2007 - 11:23 PMIt's annoying for homeowners to have their street blocked off, yes, but it's more annoying to actually be driving through the dense jungle of bodies populating the monthly shindig... -
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Re: closing alberta street to vehicular traffic for last thursday
Fri, May 4, 2007 - 12:43 AMI'm in the Alberta neighborhood but a little further down than the main mass near the coop. I think we'd only need to block it off from about maybe 20th or 22nd to ~30th or so.
Getting to and from our houses really isn't that big a deal We're only talking about 10-12 blocks and it's easy access to go one block off and get to your houses from there.
I don't know that I have that much time/energy to focus on this right now (it's all going to building my business right now) but I'd be totally supportive of this plan and see where I can help out.
Perhaps someone can talk to one of the galleries or businesses and see "who's in charge"? -
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Re: closing alberta street to vehicular traffic for last thursday
Fri, May 4, 2007 - 1:56 AMI mean...I'm near the coop so not quite in the main mass we'd need to shut down around 20th or 22nd to 30th
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Re: closing alberta street to vehicular traffic for last thursday
Fri, May 4, 2007 - 2:13 AMi'm on a roll...
i moved to portland from burlington vermont which is home to church street...a completely motorized vehicular free roadway in the center of the city and one of the most populous streets.
the people and business owners managed to make it free of the motor vehicles and so can we.
so check this out for inspiration:
www.walkinginfo.org/de/curb1_print.cfm
(not meaning we should permanently make alberta car free...but once a month is definitely doable) -
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Re: closing alberta street to vehicular traffic for last thursday
Fri, May 4, 2007 - 6:23 AMokay, so nobody knows "who's in charge"? that's surprising.
dwan, i'd be happy to help out with this. -
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Re: closing alberta street to vehicular traffic for last thursday
Fri, May 4, 2007 - 10:06 AMI have very little time to help at the moment - but I live in the neighborhood and would be happy to host a planning meeting or provide some limited resources. Sorry - I'm being very protective of my time and involvement right now due to an extreme focus on building my business right now. -
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Re: closing alberta street to vehicular traffic for last thursday
Mon, May 7, 2007 - 4:37 PMget the neighborhood associations involved. they can work with the city and help provide the insurance.
Concordia and Vernon are part of the NE coalition of neighborhoods
www.portlandonline.com/oni/se...dex.cfm
they can help with getting the permit for closing down the street. All you have to do is get a group of people that can convince everyone on the street to sign a petition.... -
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Re: closing alberta street to vehicular traffic for last thursday
Tue, May 8, 2007 - 1:33 PMTonight's the night (and it's gonna be alright...) to explore this issue and network with others....
Join us this Tues. May 8th, 7:00 p.m. @ Enterbeing 16th & Alberta . . . "The place where you live is where you can create change."
Every second Tuesday of the month
Last Thursday Confab
April's Last Thursday ended with a "bang" of sorts! Although we were out in it oourselves earlier and had our usual mellow experience, apparently the folks after dark got pretty rowdy and things escalated into a "news event". After all was said (or shouted) and done (or overdone) it came down to an ongoing problem that needs to be addressed. People drink openly on the street on Last Thursday's especially after the sun goes down and the young people start to "party hard" as the music escalates. The city is very concerned about the potential for violence and so are we!
An ad hoc meeting of concernted business folks and others met at the Arcadian Ballroom on May 2nd for an informal discussion on what to do about the meelee! Many people showed up and there was alot of cross talk, etc. but ultimatey it was agreed that we need a more actively watchful eye on the streets on Last Thursdays, in general.
There is a meeting scheduled for May 14th to actually arrange a strategy including (perhaps) a volunteer patrol to insure that open drinking and unlawful acting out is curbed before another "disaster" strikes. It was also suggested that the business owners "hire" a crowd control company to do a professional job of peacekeeping. Of course, the group was divided somewhat about exactly who would pay and how much it would cost.
It does seem clear that we have something here that is worth protecting and preserving. In the world we are living in today this artistic expression of diversity and community is one of our most precious assests.
Your Chair,
Lindy" -
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Re: closing alberta street to vehicular traffic for last thursday
Tue, May 8, 2007 - 1:41 PMDamn...I'm working and won't be home until almost 8:30pm. Maybe I'll swing by and see if it's still happening by then. -
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Re: closing alberta street to vehicular traffic for last thursday
Wed, May 9, 2007 - 11:46 PMAnybody got an update to this? - I just read this thread with interest, has anyone checked out the Arts on Alberta site? They apparently have a board that coordinates Last Thursdays and the street fair, among other things. I am new to the neighborhood (I live in Woodlawn), but am interested in the future of this event and my neighborhood. This board appears to likely be the group "in charge", or at least should partner with.
I wonder if shutting the street down for 10 blocks or so could be part of the solution to the "event" mentioned that got everyone's attention. Creating a safer space for the event, and also a clear ending to the evening when the roadblocks are removed. That may create the additional presence that might help prevent future risk and make the event more enjoyable for everyone.
If we are not already, we should be members of this organization. I downloaded mine and plan on submitting it this week.
Perhaps as members, we can ask the Art on Alberta Board to form a committee that works to close the street and make it a safer space for the event and address the concerns that arose.
artonalberta.org/content/view/18/31/
Art On Alberta
2215 NE Alberta Street
Portland, Oregon 97211
info@artonalberta.org
www.artonalberta.org -
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Re: closing alberta street to vehicular traffic for last thursday
Sun, May 13, 2007 - 12:30 PMI would like to help. I love the Alberta art walk and think blocking the streets is a great idea. If they can do it in The Castro (a very busy section in San Francisco) we can do it here.
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Street closure, coming soon to an Alberta near you?
Thu, May 17, 2007 - 10:22 AMJoseph Blanchette, the board President of Art on Alberta, was nice enough to respond to an email about street closure. Here's the relevant portion of his reply:
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However I can say that your assumption is correct, Art On Alberta in conjunction with
other members of the Alberta Street have been discussing the pros and cons of street
closure for about two years off and on.
Current there exists an entity called the Alberta Street Safety Committee that is
actively involved in discussing with the community the ramifications of street
closure in various modes.
They are also in contact with a department of PSU who will be doing a survey and
discussion point questionnaire to the entire Alberta Community about this idea.
While many of us in the art community think this is an idea that is long time
coming, it must be remembered that we are not the only ones who live in this
community, other longer term homeowners, and local businesses have opinions about
what this would mean to them and we must listen and take their ideas into account.
Ideally a street closure will reduce the traffic of cars, allow for may street
vendors repositioned in booths, or not, on the street instead of on the sidewalks in
front of local businesses, allowing for greater flow of pedestrians, and more space
for artists to show their works.
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So, pending neighborhood approval, it's in the works. -
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Re: Street closure, coming soon to an Alberta near you?
Fri, May 18, 2007 - 12:05 AMGreat, thanks for the update! -
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Re: Street closure, coming soon to an Alberta near you?
Sat, May 19, 2007 - 8:11 PMJust to put in my opinions... I think like 15th to 30th would be better. And I really don't like the idea of "crowd control" prowling around. The cops totally escalated that event just by being there. I think the "crowd control" might inevitably do the same. Just a thought. -
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Re: Street closure, coming soon to an Alberta near you?
Sun, May 20, 2007 - 7:13 PMdepends on the crowd control.
rangers don't escalate tension at the burning man. -
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Re: Street closure, coming soon to an Alberta near you?
Tue, May 22, 2007 - 8:09 AMYou know...there are a lot of Burners around for Last Thursday. Maybe we need to make a proposal?? -
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Re: Street closure, coming soon to an Alberta near you?
Wed, June 6, 2007 - 9:51 AMA group of neighbors, business owners and the city have been working hard to keep Last Thursday safe and fun. The Last Thursday preservation society has been formed and they need volunteers to help out with a street patrol. We have talked about signs and volunteers alerting drivers of the event before they head down the street. Closing the street isn't an option at this point.
If you love this event and want it to continue consider volunteering for the street patrol.
Leave your name and number at VideoRama on 27th and Alberta if you would like to help out.
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Re: Street closure, coming soon to an Alberta near you?
Mon, May 21, 2007 - 4:51 PMGood points. However, I agree with Rua and Rob that the best way to effect change is to join Art On Alberta and/or attend their meetings. The Art On Alberta organizers don't have time to cruise Internet forums like ours, so suggestions need to be presented to them directly.
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Re: Street closure, coming soon to an Alberta near you?
Tue, May 22, 2007 - 8:08 AMOk - I've lived in the neighborhood for 6 years now so this is just my residential opinion and having seen the event grow.
While closing 15 blocks seems like a really cool idea I honestly think it's a bit overkill. Most of the space between about 15th and 20th has only a few shops and stores and a lot of empty sidewalk space. While there tends to be a block of people around the Alberta Coop between 15th-16th the rest of those 5 blocks is really not very densely populated. The sidewalks can get a bit busy but not overly crowded.
The main bulk of vendors and people begins around 20th with the empty lot on the corner, moving on down to the RX Building and Starry Rose Cafe, then the clown house, and finally the main collection of galleries and stores starting around 22nd up to about 29th by the pizza shop.
So 20th to 30th would be the area I'd love to see blocked off. It's the biggest mass of people and a smaller area is more likely to be acceptable to the less supportive neighbors.
Just my thoughts on the subject.
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