Bonnie Kooken, Orenco resident for 50 years and fierce advocate for preserving the historic Orenco townsite, passed away on February 2. She was 81. Mayor Steve Calaway spoke of her passing during this week’s city council; you can read his entire statement here. A quote: Our community lost one of its champions this month with the unexpected passing of Bonnie Kooken. A resident of Hillsboro’s Old Orenco neighborhood for more than 50 years, Bonnie was a charter member and current chair of the City of Hillsboro’s Historic Landmarks Advisory Committee. He continues: Every Hillsboro resident benefits from Bonnie’s influence and community-building efforts. Driven by her commitment to preserving the land that is home to Orenco Woods Nature Park, Bonnie and[…]
I live near NW Amberwood Drive and 206 Avenue; at least, I did. According to the signs on these streets I now live on Walker Road and John Olsen Avenue. There are a lot of road name changes happening in Hillsboro right now, which is confusing. Even worse: different apps are figuring this all out at different paces. Near my place Google Maps knows about John Olsen Avenue, but Apple Maps still calls it 206. Neither knows about Walker Road. You could spend a lifetime discussing whether the various changes make sense—my wife and I have already put hours into this. Why is Amberwood, which doesn’t connect to the existing Walker Road, being called Walker? And why does the change[…]
This week the Trump administration approved a set of tariffs on imported solar panels, a policy that could impact hundreds of jobs at Solar World here in Hillsboro. We’re living in an age of sharp partisan divide, but issues like this show the world is so much more complicated than red versus blue. First of all: this is a policy change that Oregon Senator Ron Wyden agreed with Present Donald Trump about, which is certainly rare. If anything Wyden thought the policy didn’t go far enough, calling it a partial victory: I’ll be closely studying this decision to see if it will be sufficient to level the playing field for American solar manufacturers against the flood of foreign-made solar panels. However,[…]
If you haven’t been to a Bag and Baggage show yet, you should. This isn’t a theatre company that’s good “for Hillsboro,” it’s a great theatre company, period. They do amazing work, which is why people travel from all over the metro area to see it. In February Bag and Baggage is going to bring some individual performers from around the metro area to downtown Hillsboro. It’s called Solofest, and tickets are only $10 for a two-show night. Here’s the lineup, with info provided by Bag and Baggage, along with links to all of their homepages. Rob Katsuno and his work American Spirit, a story of how American culture shaped Katsuno’s own aspirations as a Japanese-American. Katsuno is a Portland-based,[…]
You probably noticed: the signs welcoming you back to Hillsboro now have a six digit population. 100,000 people call this city home—in 1990 it was only 40,000. Growth has been consistent since then, give or take the great recession. I moved here in 2015, so I’m not a longtime resident. And yet even I’ve seen several empty lots near my home turn into high-density housing seemingly overnight. The rate of change is staggering, and with 20,000 people likely to live in South Hillsboro that’s only going to accelerate. I’ve been thinking of this more often since a zoning dispute in the old Orenco townsite came up during a city council meeting a few weeks ago. Residents near a now-vacant lot[…]
Hillsboro City Council looks likely to establish a communications utility by February, in part to ensure fiber is ready to go in South Hillsboro before the roads are built. The proposal, recommended by the Finance Committee, will be up for first reading by City Council on January 16 and second reading on February 2. Proposals like this generally only make the City Council agenda when they’re likely to pass. But don’t expect a municipal broadband provider anytime soon: this policy is more about infrastructure. To quote a recommendation from Rob Dixon, Assistant City Manager: The ordinance would establish a communications utility, create a communications fund and direct the Planning Commission to initiate a code amendment that would lead to the[…]
Hillsboro’s city councillors will vote on a resolution Tuesday outlining their “Guiding Principles” for 2018. It’s a mostly vague list, and doesn’t outline any policy specifics. Still, the wording provides some insight into what elected officials in the city feel they need, or want, to work on. Here’s the list in full, the order of which is not supposed to reflect relative importance. Support community mobility by continuing to improve our transportation system Work with community partners to increase public transportation access and service options Support cultural inclusion and expanded engagement with diverse community members Create partnerships to encourage and support the development of more market rate and affordable housing Continue working with community partners on homelessness Support the development[…]
Block 67, better known to longtime Hillsboro residents as that place where Hanks Thriftway used to be, is shaping up to become a mixed use development likely not dissimilar to Orenco. At least, that’s what it sounded like during a city council work session last week. Economic Development Officer Dan Dias used the half hour session to announce the city has chosen a developer to work on the site: the oddly named, and impossible to Google, Project^. Hanks Thriftway was closed in 2015; the city bought the lot a year later in order to direct its development. During the working group city officials expressed a desire for the development to connect the main street region of downtown to the medical[…]
Billy, a police dog here in Hillsboro, will soon have a bullet and stab proof vest. From a Hillsboro Police alert: Hillsboro Police Department’s K9 Billy will receive a bullet and stab protective vest thanks to a charitable donation from non-profit organization Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. K9 Billy’s vest is sponsored by Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. and will be embroidered with the sentiment “In memory of K9 Ty, California City Police Department”. Delivery is expected within eight to ten weeks. Check out Vested Interest in K9s, Inc for more information about the charity providing the vest.
Hillsboro’s entire City Council signed an open letter to congressional represenatives this week, urging them to preserve the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). The letter, sent to the offices of Senator Jeff Merkley, Senator Ron Wyden, and Representative Suzanne Bonamici, makes the point personal by telling the story of a protected community member. We are personally vested in the DACA program’s future through the many Dreamers who call our city home. One young woman, 17-year-old Fatima, who preferred that her last name be withheld from this letter, has served as a member of our Youth Advisory Council and dreams of graduating from Western Oregon University or the University of Portland, then starting her career as a second grade teacher. We[…]