Town Hall! Saturday Coffee!

Meet your Oregon State Legislators

State Representative Margaret Doherty invites you to attend the following events:

·         Join her for a cup of coffee on Saturday, May 26,  from 1-2 p.m. at Portland Bagel Company in Tigard (9802 SW Shady Ln, Tigard, Or). It will be an informal chat meeting to discuss events in the Legislature and in the community.

·         Senator Ginny Burdick and Rep. Doherty will host a town hall on Thursday, May 31, at Tigard City Hall (13125 SW Hall Blvd) from 7-8 p.m.  The topic is a discussion about health care and what it means to Oregonians.   Sean Kolmer, Governor Kitzhaber's health policy advisor will join the discussion. Rep Doherty said, “I hope everyone will join me for this informative and interesting town hall.”

Margaret Doherty Constituent Coffee:

What: Constituent Coffee
When: Saturday, May 26th from 1-2pm
Where: Portland Bagel Company, 9802 SW Shady Lane, Tigard, off Greenburg Road

In Other Words Tickets-ticket-web-ad

The Good Neighbor Center is dedicated to providing safe emergency housing with supportive empowering services for families. Their work helps families get off the street and into safe housing. They report that thanks to the generous support from the Tigard community they are able to serve roughly 90 families each year. GNC can house nine families at a time. The Center provides families with guidance and resources to help gain stability and self-sufficiency.

We are having a night of storytelling for adults on June 9th from 7:30-9:30pm at the Broadway Rose Theater next to C.F. Tigard Elementary.

Law Enforcement Memorial

This year, National Police Week is May 13^th through the 19^th. During that week, one day is identified as Peace Officers Memorial Day. In keeping with local tradition, a service to honor fallen law enforcement officers is held on the Friday during National Police Week. The Washington County event is now held each year at the Hillsboro Civic Center. 

Today’s service begin at 11 a.m. when the Interagency Honor Guard entered the plaza for the posting of colors. The nearly hour-long service also included several musical tributes to the men of Washington County law enforcement who have gone before us.  Our own Lt. Mike Eskew performed Amazing Grace on bagpipe. Mayor Dirksen, Chief Orr, Officer Cote and Chaplain Ruptak all shared poignant remarks in-line with tone of the service. In addition, a flag salute was provided by Hillsboro Fire and Rescue and a reflective fallen officer roll call conducted by an emergency services dispatcher was conducted. This year the broadcast was transmitted via the speaker system on a Tigard Police patrol unit parked on the perimeter of the plaza. Needless to say, it was very moving.

Friday’s event is a way to honor those who have given the ultimate sacrifice while protecting and serving our communities. We will always remember.

News from 211info.org

211 is a grassroots movement. The service, whether online or by phone, has the potential to affect the lives of people all around you.

In times of personal or community crisis, 211 is a go-to source for valuable information.

Are you currently unemployed and in need of mortgage assistance?

By Deb Kallen, Communications Specialist

Are you struggling to make your mortgage payments? Have you recently fallen behind in your payments? If you fall into either of these categories and are currently receiving unemployment benefits, you may be eligible to apply for the Mortgage Payment Assistance Unemployment (MPA-U) Program. A part of the Oregon Homeownership Stabilization Initiative, the program provides for up to one year of mortgage payments, or $20,000, whichever comes first. The funds are available statewide in the form of a five-year forgivable loan. Twenty percent of the principal is forgiven each year with a five-year maturity subject to the homeowner continuing to reside in the property.

How does it work?

A certain dollar amount becomes available for each county in Oregon on a pre-set two-week cycle, beginning on Wednesdays at noon when online applications become available. The next application cycle begins Wednesday, May 16. Homeowners who wish to apply must begin the application process by the following Tuesday and submit their application by the Friday of that second week. If homeowners find out that all the funds were used up before their application was processed, they are encouraged to apply again during a subsequent cycle.

To find out if you may be qualified for a loan through the MPA-U program, you can take the online eligibility exam. A list of the mortgage servicers who participate in the MPA-U program is listed on the OHSI website. Assistance can only be given to people whose mortgage loans are serviced by participating lenders.

Homeowners who would like to apply but who do not have internet access can use computers at their local WorkSource offices. Click here to find out where the office in your area is located. For homeowners who would like to apply but need additional assistance or assistance in Spanish can contact the HUD-certified housing counselors listed on the OHSI website.

Where does the money come from?

In 2010, the U.S. Department of Treasury awarded Oregon $220 million as part of the Troubled Asset Relief Program to be used for foreclosure prevention. Oregon received this money due to its high unemployment rate. The Treasury gave Oregon the opportunity to design its own programs in response to its unique housing needs, both in urban and rural areas of the state.

Since the inception of the MPA-U Program, over 4,500 homeowners have received assistance.   The MPA-U is one of three programs the state has developed or is in the process of developing. Another OHSI program, called the Loan Preservation Assistance Program, is set to launch this summer. It will assist homeowners who have regained employment or recovered from financial distress to ensure their home loans become, or remain, affordable. The third program, the Loan Refinancing Assistance Pilot Project, is in development. Once it is ready to go, it will assist underwater homeowners in Deschutes and Jackson counties who have regained employment or recovered from financial distress.

Lake O - Tigard water partnership news

During the water filtration process, alum is added to the river water to help capture sediments. When those sediments settle, they still hold quite a bit of water. Some of the water must be removed before the sediment can be transported to a landfill.

The Partnership considered two options for dewatering the sediments resulting from water treatment:

• A centrifuge that spins the sediments at a very high speed, similar to a clothes washer’s spin cycle (but much faster). This method is used at Wilsonville’s state-of-art water treatment plant.
• A screw press that slowly squeezes water from the sediments. This technology is new to drinking water treatment in the U.S., but more commonly used in Europe and Asia.

While the centrifuge can whiz around at high speed, 10,000 rpm (revolutions per minute) the screw press crawls at the pace of an earthworm – less than one rpm. That difference in speed translates to significant savings in power costs and reduced need for maintenance and upkeep. Able to operate unattended and with few moving parts, the screw press equipment is less expensive to own and operate. “It’s big, plain and slow – but it really works,” explains water treatment engineer Bill Persich.

The potential for cost savings drew the Partnership’s attention and led to a week-long pilot test in April of screw press dewatering equipment at Lake Oswego’s water plant. The screw press pilot test demonstrated further advantages:

• In Wilsonville, the centrifuge method yields a product with 25% dryness (or 75% remaining moisture content). The screw press pilot in Lake Oswego consistently produced sediments with 30% dryness, indicating the potential to save money in handling, transporting and disposing the sediments. Lower waste volume equals lower cost.
• The screw press is almost silent – no noise impacts for treatment plant workers or neighbors.

The quest for high quality drinking water as well as cost savings continues for all Partnership facility designs.

For more information about the Lake Oswego Tigard Water Partnership, please visit lotigardwater.org or call 503-697-6502

Washington County 2035 TSP Website Updated with New Events

 

 

Welcome

 

Washington County is studying the current transportation system and how it could change to better meet the long-term needs of the County's residents, businesses, and visitors. The result of this study will be an updated Transportation System Plan (TSP) that will include all transportation modes, including freight, pedestrians and bicyclists, transit, rail networks, airport, and motor vehicles.
Your involvement in this project is very important! You can review who is involved in the project and how to get involved in upcoming events and meetings. To view the Public Involvement Plan (click here).

Three Community Open Housesto be held in June
Interagency Coordinating Committee (ICC)to meet May 31, 2012
Community Advisory Committee (CAC)to meet June 4, 2012

 

Public Involvement Plan

Work Flow Diagram

Washington County Law Enforcement Memorial Service

The Tigard Police Department is proud to organize and present this year’s county-wide memorial service.  The revered event is coordinated by a different law enforcement agency within Washington County each year.

This year, National Police Week is May 13^th through the 19^th. During that week, one day is identified as Peace Officers Memorial Day. In keeping with local tradition, a service to honor fallen law enforcement officers will be conducted on Friday, May 18^th at the Hillsboro Civic Center located

150 E. Main St.

in Hillsboro.  The service will begin at 11 a.m. when the Interagency Honor Guard enters the plaza for the posting of colors. The planned hour-long service will also include several musical tributes to the men of Washington County law enforcement who have gone before us.  In addition, a flag salute being provided by Hillsboro Fire and Rescue and a reflective fallen officer roll call conducted by an emergency services dispatcher will also be presented.

Friday’s event is a way to honor those who have given the ultimate sacrifice while protecting and serving our communities. We will always remember.