The Division/Clinton Annual meeting was Tuesday, January 26 at St Philip Neri.  The officers for 2010 are President Darice Robinson, Vice President Jean Baker, Secretary Jane Fisher, and Treasurer Sue Wallace. 

 The Division Streetscape planners held three meeting for business owners in January, timing them for business convenience, one early morning, one at noon, and one right after work.  All were well attended and the thoughtful suggestions the business and property owners brought are being adopted as much as possible.  30% of the businesses and property owners came to the sessions.  Thank you to all of you who took the time to give the planners the necessary feedback.  Plan to attend the Open House on February 10th from 4:00 – 7:00PM to see how well your suggestions were implemented.

Businesses continue to come and go.  The corner lot on the north side of 12th and Division now houses Los Gorditos, a sit down version of the popular Tanqueria Los Gorditos food carts.  The other half of the building will house a beer garden with outdoor seating.

The mural on Rite Aid’s front wall has been seriously graffitti’d.  Artist Rin Carroll Jackson has been asked to give the D/CBA an estimate on the time and cost to repair it.  Since the mural has a clear, protective coating on it, Rin is experimenting with different methods of cleaning in hopes she won’t have to call you all back to repaint.

The D/CBA board meetings have moved from Jane Fisher’s Edward Jones office to the OHSU Richmond Clinic on the corner of 39th and division, thanks to new board member Ern Teuber.  We have been hearing from two police officers, one from Central Precinct, 39th to downtown and East Precinct, 40th to beyond our borders at 60th.  The meetings continue to be open to all bda members.

John Lambert of Division Hardware would like to form a group of businesses to go into battle against the mass of moldy, soggy, unsightly posters that litter our utility poles.  He reported that the initial cleaning took nearly two weeks.  After that, once a week keeps the area around his business clean and trim.  He has collected a sandwich baggy of staples from the two poles near his business and urges other businesses to join him.  Posting on the poles and leaving them to rot is another form of graffiti.

The City of Portland and Portland Development have announced Portland Main Streets, a new program to help commercial districts improve themselves.  To be a Main Street, a group of businesses, residents, and other interested parties must go through an application process, form a non-profit, and raise the funds needed to fix up a chosen portion of a commercial street.  To learn more and to become eligible to apply, at least two people must attend one of the two available workshops at Oregon Association of Minority Entrepreneurs Main Conference Room, 4134 North Vancouver Avenue, on February 2nd from 1:00 – 8:30 PM or February 3rd from 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM.  Even if you decide not to apply, the workshop will give you ideas about improving your area, raising funds, or preparing to apply next year.