Invitation to Speak: Portland Pearl Rotary Club Hosts NWCC and PDNA

Thank you, Pearl District Rotary Club, for the invitation to speak with members in November - we appreciate your support!

Stan Penkin and Ken Thrasher present to the Portland Pearl District Rotary Club

Rotary Weekly Spotlights

Livability and Safety in the Pearl District

The dynamic duo of Ken Thrasher, Board Chair of the Northwest Community Conservancy, and Stan Penkin, Board Chair of the Pearl District Neighborhood Association, held the rapt attention of Club members on Tuesday morning, Nov. 28, 2023. The superhero allusion may seem like a bit of hyperbole, but these two men and the hard-working organizations they represent are involved in the challenging, on-the-ground work to make the Pearl District a better place to live, work and do business.

The Pearl District Neighborhood Association (PDNA) is one of Portland’s 95 neighborhood associations and has long been one of the most active and effective. Mr. Penkin described some of their longer-running campaigns, such as the Clean Team, Foot Patrols, Cigarette Receptacles, and Pet Waste boxes. He also described their efforts to clean up the area along I-405, which is particularly challenging with the City and ODOT’s rules. They have also recently received a grant from the City for graffiti cleanup and they have made a strong start in this effort.

Mr. Thrasher’s organization, the Northwest Community Conservancy (NWCC) has only existed for about a year, but what a fruitful year it has been. In early 2023, a six-person board formed a non-profit corporation to deal with a host of problems identified in the Pearl District: an increase in crime, homelessness, mental health, substance abuse, graffiti and trash problems, and declining police presence. Donations and memberships were raised, and a plan was created to attack these problems, which included action, reporting, and accountability. Visit the NWCC’s website to review the plan: www.nwccpdx.org.

Some key successes to date:

The number of tents in the Pearl has been reduced by one-half, with daily efforts to help people get into shelters and services with over 50% placed (lack of staffing at shelters is the biggest challenge).

Residents and businesses feel safer, the community is more livable, and businesses are more optimistic.

Arts and cultural events have benefited from these actions.

Three of Portland’s community and philanthropic leaders (Al Solheim and Partners, Mary & Tim Boyle, and Bobbi & Ray Davis) donated a combined $250,000 to support the startup of the organization. Many parties have joined as members.

NWCC contracted with a security company, Pacific Echelon, to provide a rapid on-site response to issues that arise in the neighborhood and to staff a hotline.

The metrics shared with the Club for October are a reflection of their commitment to transparency and accountability. The nine metrics monitor such things as the number of hotline calls (100% response), the average incident response time (7.75 minutes - frequently faster than police response), number of tents, commercial vacancies, and crime reports.

Many thanks to Stan Penkin and Ken Thrasher, and their respective organizations, for impressive work to make a positive change in the Pearl District.

Link here: https://www.portlandpearlrotary.org/newsletter/tuesday-december-5-pearl-post/