Francie is a co-founder of npGreenway. She was a planner and project manager
with the City of Portland Transportation Options Divison for a number of years.
While with the City, she was a member of the national conference Rail-Volution
planning committee. Through her diverse travels Francie realized how people all
over the country look to Portland to set the standard for land use and
transportation planning and programs, especially biking and pedestrians. She
loves to walk and bicycle in the Portland metro region, and walk in cities
whenever she travels.
Curt, a retired county and city land use planner, walks, utilizes mass transit
and bikes most places in Portland. Numerous trips to downtown have raised his
awareness of the lack of a greenway trail along the Willamette River between
Cathedral Park in St. Johns and downtown, the Eastbank Esplanade and the
Springwater Corridor. He is, through his participation in npGREENWAY, able to
work toward his goal of linking not only St. Johns but other areas of Portland
with the Willamette River.
Pam has been a Kenton resident for over 29 years and became a community
activist in North Portland shortly after her arrival. Her many
contributions to North Portland include work as a
teacher, coordinator of Caring Community of North Portland and a 40
Mile Loop Land Trust board member. Pam’s hard work was vital in the
creation of the Peninsula Crossing Trail. As a co-founder of npGREENWAY she
continues to work towards a network of trails in North Portland for the health
and welfare of the community.
Joe is a St Johns resident, past chair and current vice chair of the St Johns
Neighborhood Association. Bicycling opened his eyes to neighborhood and
community building, prompting his participation in other groups. Connection to
family wage jobs on Swan Island and the central city drives his desire to build
the npGREENWAY trail. Creating a viable alternative to the auto, as well as
quality of life issues, make creating this trail important to him.
Lenny has worked in the Swan Island Industrial Area for 20 years, commuting
there by bus and bike and enjoying a daily walk along the existing Willamette
Greenway Trail. Since 2000 he has managed the Swan Island Transportation
Management Association whose mission is to improve access to Swan Island via
transit, rideshare, bike and walk. The TMA has partnered with the City of
Portland to make improvements to the Going Street sidewalk (Going to the River),
to add the new Pump Station segment to the Willamette Greenway Trail, and to
secure funding for the Waud Bluff Trail. The Willamette Greenway Trail thru
Swan Island will improve access to jobs, offer better connectivity between Swan
Island businesses, and offer nearby residents improved access to some lively
stretches of the working Willamette River.
Mary is a community networking specialist working at North Portland
Neighborhood Services. Her work entails community organizing, public
involvement and volunteer coordination. She has an environmental design
background and is an avid gardener.
Scott has used trails for cycling, rollerblading, and walking since he was a
boy growing up in Northwest Montana. After graduating from architecture school,
he commuted from home to work on the Boise River Greenbelt in Idaho. This
experience was his primary inspiration when he co-founded npGREENWAY in the
fall of 2004. Today you will often find him on his bike commuting from the
University Park neighborhood to his office in downtown Portland. He looks
forward to the day when his entire commute will be filled with the cool river
air as opposed to the current chug of diesel exhaust.
Jason, a fanatical bicyclist can be found many weekends pulling his two
daughters around North Portland in a bike trailer. His daily bike commute to
the Lloyd Center business district has raised his awareness that North Portland
is lacking in a destination greenway trail like the Spring Water Corridor.
Through npGREENWAY he is able to work toward achieving his goal of creating
both a safe and scenic trail that can be used for recreation and transportation
purposes.