Building a Better Beaverton: City Manager, Climate Action, New Public Art, Cooper Mt Reservoir

New Public Art Finds ‘Common Threads’ in Beaverton’s History and Future

The first of four public artworks have been installed near the site of the Patricia Reser Center for the Arts, currently under construction. The work adorns the Beaverton Central District parking garage and can be seen at the intersection of Southwest Rose Biggi and Southwest Crescent Avenues. The seven-story tall artwork was created with perforated painted aluminum panels and artwork was designed by local artist team Addie Boswell, Van Cooley, Sara Siestreem, and Antwoine Thomas. The artwork shows two child artists, representing the creative future, growing out of Beaverton’s history. Repeated patterns reference the bounty of nature, Indigenous art forms and modern industry.

The young artists are shown involved in their work representing the creative future of the area. They grow out of the history of the bottom half, which is grounded by native plant species, including the Oregon White Oak, acorns, horseradish and more. A beaver dam also grounds the piece, as the beaver’s work on the swampland created the fertile conditions that that encourage the diversity of agriculture we see today.

There are three basketweave patterns included (copyright Sara Siestreem — Hanis Coos). The patterns draw from the Indigenous history of the area. The basic plaiting is made of dried cattails, the crab basket pattern in the girl’s dress represents water, earth and sky in its twining, and the diamond shapes in the boy’s shirt are traditional symbols of the salmonberry. This is the first berry to appear in spring, and is thought to give the salmon directional help for spawning.

“Common Threads” was made possible through the city’s 1% for Art Program. Funding for this garage comes from the Beaverton Urban Redevelopment Agency (BURA).

Beaverton Stays Committed to Climate Action

In January, the U.S. began the process to re-enter the Paris Climate Agreement, which aims to limit temperature increases as a result of greenhouse gas emissions.

Since 2017, the City of Beaverton — along with 3,800 other local governments and organizations (representing 155 million Americans) — has been part of the We’re Still In declaration, demonstrating a commitment to the Paris Agreement.

The Beaverton Climate Action Plan (BCAP) looks to uphold the commitments of the Paris Agreement and achieve zero greenhouse gas emissions for the community by 2050 — or sooner. In addition to mitigation actions (those that reduce emissions), the plan also includes adaptive actions that aim to respond to impacts of climate change — like improved preparations for extreme weather events or preparing for population changes due to climate migration.

Reducing emissions community wide will include shifting to clean energy sources, challenging the status quo on how we get from place to place, and re-examining the flaws in our food system. It will also require a shift in individual actions around our consumer choices and all the “stuff” we consume.

2020 saw some initial progress toward these efforts on 42 of the BCAP’s 86 actions. The marathon continues in 2021 with opportunities around food waste reduction, the reduction of single-use items, increases in energy efficiency, and more, along with other opportunities in response to action taken at the state and federal level.

Read the Climate Action Plan at www.BeavertonOregon.gov/green.

Help the City Reach its Climate Goals!

Earth Day, Thursday, Apr. 22, is right around the corner. Let’s make a pact this year that not only helps the city reach its climate action goals but that saves you money as well!

Did you know that food waste is the second-largest emitter of greenhouse gases in Beaverton and number one for households? That’s not exactly bad news. Preventing wasted food is an action everyone can take and we have the tools, tips and resources to help!

Visit www.EatSmartWasteLess.com to get started today!

Know Your Government: What Does a City Manager do?

Beaverton voters approved a new city charter in the May 2020 election that changed the city’s form of government from a strong mayor to a council manager structure. The Beaverton Charter of 2021 became operational on Jan. 1. The office of city manager is the administrative head of the city government. The city manager is responsible to the City Council for the proper administration of all city business. The city manager is the administrative head of the city who:

• Oversees daily operations and delivery of city services;
• Proposes and administers the city budget;
• Appoints, supervises, and removes city staff;
• Makes reports and recommendations to the council about the needs of the city;
• Has no authority over the mayor, councilors, support staff of mayor or council, city attorney, municipal judges, or city auditor.

The city appointed Kurt Wilson interim city manager as of Jan. 1. The interim city manager supports the transition to the new city charter and the recruitment, selection and early onboarding of a long-term city manager. A decision by City Council is expected to be announced in early summer, followed by onboarding of the incumbent.

Stay informed on the talent acquisition process and learn more about upcoming opportunities for involvement at www.BeavertonOregon.gov/citymanager.

Cooper Mountain Reservoir Now Under Construction

The city is constructing a drinking water storage reservoir and other associated improvements in the South Cooper Mountain area. This project will provide a seismically resilient backbone storage system that serves to meet the drinking water storage needs of the existing development on the eastern slope of Cooper Mountain, the rapidly growing South Cooper Mountain area, and potentially, the future development, that was recently added to the urban area. The project is located on a city-owned 10-acre property on 18250 SW Kemmer Rd. in Beaverton. This property is also the home of an existing city owned 5.5-million-gallon reservoir.

This project also includes a drinking water transmission main along Southwest Kemmer Road and other on-site improvements such as a booster pump station building, aquifer storage, a recovery well, a mechanical building and a storage building. The reservoir and other associated components are designed to blend with the neighboring residential community.

On-site construction started in May 2020 and is scheduled to be completed in late summer 2022.

For more city news, visit www.BeavertonOregon.gov.