What do you want from your transit system?

A very important series of meetings coming up -- your chance to tell the Cherriots Board what you want from the system. Attend one, several, many, or all of them, and share your ideas and perspectives on how the Cherriots Board should deal with the defeat of its second operating levy in a row.

TOWN HALL MEETINGS on:
Redesigning Bus Service/What Does the Community Want

• Feb 19 Thu 6:30 – 8:30 PMWest Salem Roth’s (1130 Wallace Rd NW)
• Feb 25 Wed 6:30 – 8:30 PM Marion County Fire Station (300 Cordon Rd)
• Mar 2 Mon 6:30 – 8:30 PM Leslie Middle School (3850 Pringle Rd SE)
• Mar 3 Tue 6:30 – 8:30 PM McNary High School – Cafeteria (595 Chemawa Rd N) note that this meeting will also discuss Keizer Transit Center Planning.

Next after that is a series of meetings for the public to
OPEN HOUSE – Review Service Proposals/Voice Your Preference

• Apr 27 Mon 6:30 – 8:30 PM South Salem High School (1910 Church St SE)
• Apr 28 Tue 6:30 – 8:30 PM Marion County Fire Station (300 Cordon Rd)
• Apr 30 Thu 6:30 – 8:30 PM West Salem Roth’s (1130 Wallace Rd NW)
• May 7 Thu 6:30 – 8:30 PM Keizer Fire Station (661 Chemawa Rd N)
  

There are also a number of regular Cherriots Board/Committee meetings that are always open to the public. These meetings are all at the county office building next to the Court Street Transit Center, where Cherriots HQ is located:

• Regular Cherriots Board meeting is on Thursday, Feb 26, Meeting starts with a work session at 5:30, with the regular board meeting (and opportunities for public comment) at 6:30 PM (Senator meeting room, first floor).
  

• The Cherriots Planning & Operations Subcommittee will meet on Tuesday, Mar 3 at 1:30 PM, 5th Floor (Cherriots Admin Office – Large Conference Rm).

• Mar 12, Thu, (Both meetings in 5th Floor Conference Rm)
  2:30 PM/Specialized Transportation Subcommittee
  4:00 PM/Finance, Admin & Marketing Subcommittee
  

• Mar 26, Thu (Both meetings in Senator Hearing Room, first floor).
  5:30 PM/Board Work Session
  6:30 PM/SAMTD Board of Directors Meeting
  
  
• Apr 2, Thu (Time TBA)/Budget Committee Training Session (5th Floor Conf. Rm).

• April 7, Tue (5th Floor Conference Room) 1:30 PM/Planning & Operations Subcommittee

• Apr 9, Thu (both in 5th Floor Conference Rm)
  2:30 PM/Specialized Transportation Subcommittee
  4:00 PM/Finance, Admin & Marketing Subcommittee
  

• Apr 9, Thu, Time TBA/Budget Committee Orientation (Senator Hearing Room)
  

• Apr 14, Tue, 6:00 PM/Budget Committee Meeting (Senator Hearing Room)

And if you want to run for the Cherriots Board, here are some dates you should be aware of:

• Mar 19, Thu, 5:00 PM, Filing deadline for District Candidates
  

• Mar 23, Mon, 5:00 PM, Deadline for submitting Candidate Statements for inclusion in county voters' pamphlet
  

You probably need to contact the County Elections Office for information on which districts are up for election and how to proceed if you want to run.

Salem Sustainability Calendar, back half of February 2009

There's a lot of sustainability events in these next few weeks that merit your attention and participation. Please come out and help out in as many of these as you can, starting with

==> Tonight, 2/16, Marion-Polk Food Share's Community Garden planning meeting, details here.

==> Tomorrow, 2/17, Salem City Council will consider a plan to expand bicycle access in the Salem City core by permitting bikes on sidewalks:

One change would allow bike riders to ride on the sidewalk in an area bounded by Front, Cottage Union and Trade streets. The change would give bicyclists easier access between Salem City Center and Riverfront Park.

The second change would allow bicyclists, skateboarders and roller skaters to ride on designated Salem Civic Center property, making it easier to connect between Liberty and Commercial streets NE on the south side of Mirror Pond.

Salem City Council meetings are open to the public. The council will meet at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in council chambers at the Vern Miller Civic Center, 555 Liberty St. SE.

==> Wednesday, 2/18, City of Salem Town Hall meeting to discuss the giant budget hole we're in and hear citizen priorities, North Salem High School, 6 - 8 p.m. You can be sure that plenty of people will be out to argue for continuing business-as-usual priorities, which would only worsen our situation in terms of adopting to the new reality. Come out and speak up for investments in sustainability.

==> Monday, 2/23, C.I.T.Y. (Chickens in the Yard) presentation during public comment period at the Salem City Council meeting (at City Hall, 555 Liberty St. SE). The agenda won't isn't released until the Friday before, so it's hard to say exactly when the public comment period will start; it might be as later than 8, but we still need as many people as possible to come to City Hall and show the council that people are determined to get the city to quit harassing people who want to keep a few laying hens (instead of, for example, pit bulls or loud barking dogs or pot belly pigs). Council meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. in council chambers at the Vern Miller Civic Center, 555 Liberty St. SE.

==> Wednesday, 2/25, Salem Transition Initiative for Relocalization (STIR) -- meets at 7 p.m. at the Straub Environmental Learning Center (take A St. off 14th; SELC is right next to Olinger Pool, just south of North High; you can also get there via the pedestrian bridge over the creek that connects the High School to the pedestrian path along 12th St.)

==> Friday, 2/27, Oregon League of Conservation Voters Marion County Chapter invites you to Grand Vines (Corner of Court and High Streets) to hear from Cherriots Board member Lloyd Chapman about efforts to generate support for multi-modal transportation in Salem. This is a great opportunity to learn more about Salem-Keizer transportation, how the recent service cuts effect Marion County and what you can do to as a transit supporter.

==> Saturday, 2/28, Terra Gardens on Cordon (just north of State) is offering a free talk on caring for fruit trees from 10 a.m. to noon.

Word to the Wise

Click on poster to link to a sobering, important talk about why the poster is so vital.