Ardenwald-Johnson Creek NDA neighbors meet to discuss the proposed secure residential treatment facility on SE Balfour Street.

I attended our neighborhood association meeting last night that turned out to be a repeat of the November 13, 2007 meeting. That proposed criminally insane treatment facility on SE Balfour Street dominated the meeting. About 120 people attended the meeting (based on the sign-in sheets I’m crunching to update the membership list and observation). One semi good thing came out of it: the size of the facility was reduced to eight beds from the original fifteen beds.

Most meetings go on for about two hours, but this one carried on for three. I video recorded (digital and analog tape) the entire meeting, which is good because if there is any context that gets distorted, we can easily rebut it (thank you YouTube).

Now, I have to finish entering the membership names, contacts and the three-hour meeting minutes. Then I’m on vacation to go have some fun.

Kim Hutchinson speaks before Ardenwald Residents at the Balfour House protest Sunday morning. Sept. 28, 2008.

I spent my morning at the proposed secured residential treatment facility protest on SE Balfour Street. Many residents, men and women, old and young, and children showed up at the family-friendly peaceful demonstration. I showed up with my camera to shoot some photos and notepad to jot down some notes so I have something for our neighborhood association Website or city newsletter.

Of the approximate 50 or so people that attended the event this morning, only one person, Mike Bowen of National Alliance on Mental Illness, stepped up on the soapbox and spoke in favor of the facility. Then a heated debate ensued between Ardenwald resident Kim Hutchinson and Bowen.

Oregon Rep. Linda Flores (R-Clackamas) attended the protest. “Those laws need to be changed,” Flores shouted to the crowd, referring to the American Disabilities Act and Fair Housing Act that prevent such notification of criminals residing in the neighborhood.

“I’m encouraged that you are so informed, you are prompt, you’re letting the facts tell the story, you’re not basing on community fear, and your work, you’re not biased or prejudice,” Flores shouts to the crowd. “You have done your homework.”

I could not disagree with Cuthbert Powell, a resident who lives immediately next door to the facility, sounding off on a point in the issue. “You’re the only government official to attend and you’re not even in our district,” Powell stated to Flores before the crowd.

Rep. Carolyn Tomei (D-Milwaukie) did not attend the event, but after seeing a description of her legislative committee participation, I can see why.

As Chair of the House Human Services and Women’s Wellness Committee, I have been monitoring recently passed legislation. In addition to being Vice-Chair of the House Transportation Committee, I serve on the Oregon State Hospital Patient Care Committee and also on the PSRB oversight workgroup (Psychiatric Security Review Board) whose job it is to find community placements for people with mental illness leaving the state hospital.

—http://www.leg.state.or.us/tomei/

The Milwaukie Mayor Jim Bernard and city council members did not attend the protest under the advice of the city attorney; however Mayor Jim Bernard did plan on attending earlier last week before advised not to. The reason was believed that Columbia Care Services may sue again.

Kim Hutchinson responded with, “Columbia Care has control of our government!”

It’s a beautiful day in the Ardenwald-Johnson Creek neighborhood.

See more photos.

Ardenwald neighbors gather at 2808 SE Balfour St., the site of the proposed secured residential treatment facility. The city council gave the city manager the go-ahead to settle the suit with the mom-profit Columbia Care Services, Inc.

I love the Ardenwald-Johnson Creek neighborhood in Portland/Milwaukie. The neighborhood boundaries are in two cities, but when neighbors get together, we unite.

Tuesday night the Milwaukie city council authorized the settlement of the discrimination suit filed by the Columbia Care Services, Inc. instead of bringing the case to trial, which the city has a very slim chance of winning.

Many residents in our neighborhood are against this facility because of the high-risk criminally insane forensic patients residing in a low-security facility built under the same codes as a residential home. The code also includes fences that cannot be higher than 6 feet and cannot have barbed wires.

The crimes committed by the criminally insane residents range from theft to arson to assault to murder. You can read more about the secured residential treatment facility on SE Balfour St. in Milwaukie at the www.ardenwald.org/balfour.html Web page.

I don’t care as long as it can make a phone call.

Apparently my not-so-trusty personal cell phone (read: not a corporate electronic leash) cannot provide me the time of day. The phone reads: “18:2.” That would be six twenty-something in the afternoon. As long as it makes phone calls, that is all that matters, especially 911.

Also note the bars streaking across the screen at the top of the display. Do you see the phone is from AT&T, whose slogan is “How many bars do you have?” I have five scratching through the icons at the top of the display. It’s your top-quality made in China cell phone.

MILWAUKIE, Ore.—I had the pleasure to attend the King Road resurfacing project completion ceremony at noon today on the Safeway parking lot at SE 44th Avenue and SE King Road in Milwaukie. A few dozen people, including Milwaukie city staff, employees and public safety officials turned out to enjoy the festivities and chow down on the free lunch. Meeting and talking with many of the people who attended was quite enjoyable, and so was the fascinating tour and education on the city’s new photo radar van that was present at the event today.

An unidentified man snoozes along SE Van Water Street in Milwaukie. Aug. 27, 2008.

Many times I will see homeless people snoozing on the park benches along the Springwater Corridor Trail. Today on my way home from my bike ride to Portland, I found a white male crashed out at the 2800 block of SE Van Water Street in Milwaukie, located one block away from the Springwater Trail. Beverage cans spilled out from the two bags beside him. He wore a pink girl-like backpack on his back. He laid on the grass in a fetal position while his head rested on a red duffel bag. I shouted at the man several times, asking if he was alright. After the seventh shout, he finally awoke and responded with “I’m okay.” The reason the man was crashed out was unknown and I won’t speculate or assume anything. At least he appeared to be fine but tired, so I let him be.

A dashboard-baked pizza.

An interesting snapshot I captured with my cell phone camera during the trip to the grocery store today: a pizza baking on a car’s dashboard. At least it was not a pot of water.

A stray cat found on my bathroom shelf where cleaning supplies are stored. It also left a stinky mess, thus destroying the shelf.

“Meow.”

I hear a cat’s meow, sounding like it’s coming from outside of the bathroom window. The sound was actually coming from the shelving area, so I looked around for this cat. I also smelled a very foul odor in the bathroom, somewhat like the smell of dog poo. My two dogs were inside the house, but I saw no evidence of poo. I was outside in the backyard minutes earlier picking up dog poo, but I had already taken off my shoes.

In fact, the stench was strong enough that I knew it wasn’t “memory” odor, the odor you can still smell but it no longer exists. Then I glanced up on the top shelf. Lying on the top shelf was a white cat bunched up in the corner, avoiding the pile of diarrhea it left behind.

I ran downstairs to grab the gardening gloves for hand protection (in case it scratches or bites), then went back upstairs to rid the cat from my house. I grabbed it from the scruff of its neck and tossed it out the front door and into the front yard. Then I went to begin work on the clean-up.

The cat’s mess saturated into the particle board, therefore destroyed the shelf.

This was one cat that left behind one stinky mess. I don’t know how in the world those cat people with hundreds of cats defecating and urinating in the house can live with the stench.

What a way to start off on a new slate, too.