Message from the Mayor
May, 2012
This month I'm writing about Tigard’s friendly and cohesive neighborhoods, a characteristic that ranked highly in the recent Community Attitudes survey. Improving city livability has been a Council priority for many years because we know that friendly and cohesive neighborhoods don’t just happen; they build over time.
Over the last 50 years, elected leaders, residents, volunteers and staff have worked to create a solid foundation for the place we call home. Today residents feel safe, streets and utilities are maintained, challenges are addressed and people know their neighbors. That’s a pretty good definition of community!
Since 2006, residents have been the cornerstone of a Neighborhood Network Program that strives to connect neighbors
to the city and each other to improve communication and address issues that are unique to each neighborhood. Every
neighborhood has its own blog, maintained by a volunteer living in the neighborhood. I applaud these dedicated
neighbors — you will too once you visit their sites! Get connected at www.tigard-or.gov/neighborhood.
The city's adherence to a strict policy of open and ethical business practice helps create effective and transparent public engagement. Our website and Cityscape help us connect residents to a wealth of information about the city and public participation shows us where we could do better.
All in all, I would say that Tigard is the attractive, close-knit city we call home thanks to neighborhoods with residents who care and look out for each other. Keep up the good work!
Craig E. Dirksen, Mayor
craigd@tigard-or.gov
April, 2012
Community Attitude Survey: Infrastructure
According to our recent Community
Attitude Survey, the city characteristic that
Tigard residents value most highly after Public
Safety is, “streets and utilities like water and
sewer are well maintained.”
Over the years, Tigard residents have
invested hundreds of millions of dollars in
creating the public facilities that we all use
every day.
We must have well-maintained systems
for safe water and efficient removal of waste
in order for our community to be healthy.
Without well-maintained streets and roads, we
could not function as a community; we would
not be a community.
Aside from that, it just makes good
business sense to always protect your
investment.
How could we, as a city, consider
ourselves good stewards of the people’s
property; how could we, as a community,
consider ourselves competent citizens if we
failed to take care of the material things that
make our home in Tigard a pleasant place to
live? After the physical safety of our families, it
must be our first priority.
I take great pleasure in knowing that
my fellow Tigard residents feel that the city
does a good job in maintaining what we have.
Tigard’s infrastructure is vital to making the
city A Place to Call Home.
March, 2012
In the recent Community Attitudes Survey, Tigard residents told us that the city characteristic they value most highly
is “residents feel safe.” Public safety has historically been government’s first responsibility and Tigard is no exception.
Our police department has a total
complement of 91 staff, including 73 sworn
officers. Tigard Police provide complete, 24-
hour patrol protection and incident response
plus the department has special units assigned
to commercial crime, crime analysis and
detection, school resource officers, and a
canine patrol unit. With an annual budget of
over $14 million, providing public safety is the
city’s largest single expenditure. Tigard’s law
enforcement philosophy is crime prevention
through education, proactively addressing
the causes of crime and a visible police
presence. While our police department is very
competent at responding to criminal activity,
their first priority is always to deter crime.
As a result of that mission, the crime
rate in Tigard is very low and definitely helps
“residents feel safe,” but I think there’s more
to it than just the city’s public safety efforts. A
safe community is also created by its structure,
like safe streets and sidewalks, effective street
lighting and cohesive, active neighborhoods.
I’ll talk about our efforts in those areas in the
coming months.
They’re all part of keeping Tigard, A Place to Call Home.
February, 2012
The number one concern expressed by Tigard residents is always traffic congestion, especially on Pacific Hwy. This is because 99W is a major commuter and freight route to and from Portland. Over the past several years, the city has devoted a lot of time and energy to finding a solution that makes useful changes.
Just this past year, a $12 million project was completed that improved the intersections at Hall Blvd. and Greenburg Rd. and replaced the traffic signal control system with a state-of-the-art, reactive and interactive system that responds to traffic levels and time of day by adjusting the timing and duration of traffic lights.
There are plans for an improvement project at the intersection of Gaarde and McDonald but we are seeking additional funding before we can proceed with construction. Future plans call for a widening of Pacific Hwy., north of Hwy. 217, which will be paid for by anticipated development in the Tigard Triangle, adjacent to Costco and Winco Foods.
Another reason for congestion on Pacific Hwy. is the lack of alternatives for getting around the city. We have plans to improve the connectivity and condition of Tigard’s streets so residents are not so dependent upon one main route. These include improvements to Walnut St. and 121st on the west side and a major expansion of 72nd Ave. from Pacific Hwy. to Hwy. 217 on the east side.
The third leg of the transportation system stool is how we make public transportation more convenient and useful to Tigard residents.
The Southwest Corridor Plan is looking at future land use and how High Capacity Transit (HCT), in the form of light rail or bus rapid transit, fits into that model. One thing I feel strongly about is that potential rail transit in the corridor must not impinge on the 99W right-of-way or reduce its capacity. Ideally, the line would come into Tigard from Portland through the Tigard Triangle, either parallel but apart from Pacific Hwy. or along 72nd Ave. into Tigard’s downtown, and south from there. I would actively oppose a rail line that takes away capacity from Pacific Hwy.
All of these plans will take time—in the case of HCT, ten years or more—and money. But as we move forward, we do have a plan and will work to make it a reality.
January, 2012
Happy New Year, Tigard!
I know that some people are predicting that the world will end this year, but if it’s all the same to you, we at City Hall are going to go on planning and providing city services based on the assumption that that is not the case.
Late last year the city completed its biennial Community Attitudes Survey. The survey gives us valuable information about the issues that Tigard residents think are important and tells Council and staff where they should be focusing the city’s attention and resources.
Based on this year’s survey results, I am going to use this column to comment on the issues you’ve
identified and share the city’s plans and activities in those areas. I’m going to call it,
“Quality of Life: What Makes Tigard ‘A Place to Call Home’?”
In each installment, I’ll take an issue like transportation, neighborhoods or community development and write about what makes Tigard special in that area. I’ll let you know how your city is working to protect and enhance what works, and how we plan to meet the challenge to improve what doesn’t work.
I think it will be fun and informative, and I look forward to hearing your response
to my articles. If you’re interested, view the latest survey results here.
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Community Attitudes Survey
• How satisfied are you with city services? • What services warrant the
most emphasis from city leaders? • What is your overall perception of Tigard?
Every two years Tigard residents are surveyed to ascertain their use of and
satisfaction with City services as well as to determine priorities for their
neighborhoods and the City. Topical questions added to this year's survey ask
residents their opinion on recreation, social media, economic development, and
high capacity transit.
Results here...
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