The tradition continues! All rides on TriMet’s buses and MAX will be free beginning at 8 p.m. on New Year’s Eve, Saturday, December 31

Celebrate safely with TriMet

December 21, 2011

Free rides on New Year’s Eve, plus extra late-night MAX service

The tradition continues! All rides on TriMet’s buses and MAX will be free beginning at 8 p.m. on New Year’s Eve, Saturday, December 31.
Buses and MAX will run on regular Saturday schedules, and MAX will provide extended late-night service.

MAX Blue, Green and Yellow lines

• MAX Blue, Green and Yellow trains will run on Saturday schedules with late-night service running approximately every 35 minutes until about 3:00 a.m.
• The last Blue Line trip to Gresham leaves Pioneer Square South station at 3:06 a.m.; the last trip to Hillsboro leaves Pioneer Square North station at 3:16 a.m.
• The last Yellow Line trip to Expo Center leaves Pioneer Courthouse/SW 6th station at 3:02 a.m.; the last trip to downtown leaves Expo Center station at 2:24 a.m. A trip to Rose Quarter Transit Center (TC) will leave Expo Center at 3:42 a.m.
• The last Green Line trip to Clackamas will leave from Pioneer Courthouse/SW 6th station at 3:10 a.m.

MAX Red Line

• MAX Red Line trains will run on Saturday schedules until the end of service; shuttle buses will carry riders between Gateway TC and Portland International Airport (PDX) as needed until around 3 a.m.
• The last trip of the night to PDX leaves Pioneer Square South station at 10:43 p.m. and the last trip of the night to Beaverton TC leaves the airport at 11:49 p.m.

For complete TriMet schedules and trip planning, or to receive service updates by email, visit trimet.org or call 503-238-RIDE (7433) weekdays between 7:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.

Pharmaceutical Medication Disposal Now On-site

A pharmaceutical drop-box was installed today inside the Tigard Police lobby. The drop box allows citizens to dispose of unwanted, unused or expired medications throughout the year. The Tigard Police Department is pleased to provide our entire community this newly added convenience. Tigard Police partnered with the Drug Enforcement Administration over the past year by participation in the nationally held Drug Turn-In events. Over 1400 pounds of pharmaceuticals were collected as a result of the past three collection events held in Tigard. Past year abuse of prescription pain-killers now ranks second-only behind marijuana as the nation’s most prevalent illegal drug problem. It became evident the community wanted options to safely dispose of their unwanted prescription medications. To that end, Chief  Orr began steps to bring a more timely and convenient option to Tigard residents.

The Med-Return box is available during police lobby hours. Acceptable items for return are prescription medications and samples, all over-the-counter medications, vitamins, pet medications, creams, ointments and liquid medications in leak-proof containers. The drop box is not suitable for thermometers, syringes, IV bags, bio-waste, aerosols of any type, inhalers and Epi-Pens. The drop box is not intended to receive large quantities of pharmaceuticals from health care facilities.

You can learn more about unwanted pharmaceuticals by visiting http://www.dea.gov/

Posto Dog Park

Dog parks where canines can romp freely without a tether are the fastest-growing segment of city parks, according to a study by the Trust for Public Land out today.

There were 569 off-leash dog parks in the 100 largest cities in 2010, a 34% jump in five years. Parks overall increased 3% in that time.

Portland, Ore., has the highest per capita: 5.7 dog parks for every 100,000 residents.

"There was a playground movement 100 years ago," says Peter Harnik, director of the Center for City Park Excellence at the Trust for Public Land. "In the last 15 to 20 years, it's these off-leash dog areas. There's a tremendous upsurge in demand and love for them."

The increase mirrors demographic shifts: There are now more households with dogs (43 million) than with kids (38 million).

"It's a playground for people without kids," Harnick says.

Many dog lovers have kids, of course, but in congested cities with a dearth of open space, dog parks have become the equivalent of playgrounds and community centers.

"It's socializing for both" the dogs and the owners, says Maria Goodavage, a San Francisco writer and mom (of a kid and a dog) who founded the Dog Lover's Companion series of guide books for dog owners and author of the upcoming Soldier Dogs: Untold Stories of America's Canine Heroes. "I met my husband in a dog area," she says.

Dog owners have become a powerful lobby, Goodavage says. Owners feel that "these children of ours are furry, they have four legs, but we're still paying taxes to be here, and we still want our recreational needs met."

Pooch power played out in a big way last year in Tigard, Ore., a Portland suburb. The lease on a 2.6-acre area that had been the Potso Dog Park was ending and the property was in foreclosure. The Trust for Public Land stepped in and negotiated to buy the property if the city could raise the money.

Dog owners jumped into action, went to City Hall, and handed out fliers. The measure passed.

Chris Garsteck, head of the Tigard Dog Park Committee and owner of a Doberman pinscher, could not fathom losing the park, which is attracting more people on weekdays now that many are unemployed. It has become a jobs network center of sorts, she says.

"Yes, they go there to exercise their dogs but ultimately, they form friendships," Garsteck says.

Red Cross Blood Drive

Please come join us and give the gift of life. Make that New Year’s resolution to donate blood and start the year off right!

To make an appointment follow the link below or call/email me and I will help you.

http://www.givelife.org/index.cfm?group=op&step=2&opid=919248

The drive is located in the Community room of the Tigard Library and is open to the public. Walk ins are welcome, but making an appointment helps.

If you have any questions, please go to the Red Cross website

http://www.redcrossblood.org/ or call me.

Thank you for giving the gift that no one can buy.

Sara Doughty

Hansen Software Specialist

City of Tigard

503-718-2675

 

Who to call for Traffic Signal Issues

Contact info for questions, issues, and/or complaints about traffic signals.  State Traffic Signals – along Pacific Hwy 99W, Hall Blvd, and all freeway interchanges:

Maintenance Issues (such as a light out, malfunctioning detector, signal in flash mode, etc.):

971-673-6201 during the day                      

503-731-4652 after hours

Timing issues (waiting too long, capacity, etc.) go to Dennis Mitchell at 503-731-8218 or dennis.j.mitchell@state.or.us

For City and County Traffic Signals:

Maintenance Issues:      503-846-7950 during the day

                                        503-629-0111 after hours

Timing issues with signals on Tigard City Streets should be directed to me at 503-718-2462 or mikem@tigard-or.gov

Timing issues on Washington County signals go to Stacy Shetler at 503-718-7947 or stacy_shetler@co.washington.or.us

Tigard Hires Michael Stone as City Engineer

The City of Tigard is pleased to announce the hiring of Michael Stone, P.E. as city engineer.

“Mike brings vast experience with infrastructure and transportation projects and is a highly respected member of the local engineering community,” said Public Works Director Dennis Koellermeier.

Mr. Stone holds a degree in civil engineering from Oregon State University and has served as the city engineer for the City of Wilsonville for the past 19 years.  Prior to this, Mr. Stone worked for the City of Tualatin as a civil engineer for 10 years. 

Mr. Stone will join the city on January 3, 2012.