On March 14th, Mike Walker and I met with ODOT regarding their property located in the Deer Point neighborhood, adjacent to Hwy 26.  They were checking in to see if the neighbors had any concerns about the property and to see if the city may be interested in the purchase of the property.  They are working on long term planning and are thinking about making a move in the future to somewhere east of the city limits.

Also on March 14th, I had a meeting with Superintendent Aaron Bayer to catch up on areas of mutual interest.  The continued good relationship between the district and the city keeps proving itself invaluable as we work together to make the Cedar Ridge project a win-win proposition for both agencies.

On March 15th, Kelly O’Neill and I went to the Clackamas Board of County Commissioners regarding our UGB expansion.  The county planning representative was extremely helpful and presented our case well.  Kelly then had the opportunity to talk directly to the commissioners.  After the presentations were complete we received a unanimous approval for the expansion.  As soon as the new county ordinance and meeting minutes are complete we can finish putting a packet together to send the the state.  We anticipated final approval by this late summer, perhaps sooner.

I had several meetings this month relating to planning and building and met with contractors and builders regarding their needs.

On March 17th, David Snieder and I met with the Oregon Arts Commission about our upcoming public art program.  We got some valuable input and have opted to move towards an Arts Commission or Council.  Work on this project continues and options for staffing positions and funding are crystallizing.  Additional work on the base infrastructure of the program and legal details also need to be completed.

March 20th, Members of the Budget Committee were drafted, and selected by the Mayor.  The nominations went to council for final approval.  Work on the budget, budget narratives and budget message continued.

Also on March 20th, we held a council workshop and met with North Star consultants for a brief overview of our branding process and next steps.  The team stayed in town for several days, had a tour, conducted one on one interviews and focus groups.  Another survey will be out in April.

On March 23rd, I met, virtually, with EvoGov regarding a new website platform that was purchased prior to Seth Atkinson’s departure.  There are some final details that needed to be worked out.  Training for key staff is scheduled for April.

All the Department Directors, Oregon Trail School District  staff and I met with the Clackamas Co Department of Health to get a briefing on the state of the health in our area of the county and to provide some suggestion and input to them about ways to get our folks healthier.  We also brainstormed about ways the city can incorporate lessons learned into our events, such as more activities that help encourage exercise.

Budget is almost completed and we will be holding Budget Committee Meetings the third week of April.