About the Boise Parking Plan Stakeholder Advisory Committee
PBOT wants to fully understand parking and transportation issues in Boise so we can come up with equitable and effective solutions. We selected 14 people in March 2023 to advise us on a comprehensive parking management plan which could include a new kind of parking permit program, with new tools and techniques to try out and potentially parking meters. Members are not parking experts but are familiar with their local area parking patterns and transportation issues.
PBOT was seeking for diverse perspectives, interests, and lived experience with parking and transportation in Boise such as residents, employees, regular visitors to the Boise neighborhood, property and business owners, as well as those who fit the descriptions below. It is critical to the success of the project that we hear from everyone directly affected especially:
Long-term residents who drive and own vehicles
Small business owners or managers, especially on the Vancouver/Williams Avenue corridor
Historic Black residents
Black residents and others displaced from North and Northeast Portland who regularly visit Boise and Albina neighborhoods
Employees who live outside the neighborhood
Residents with young children
Residents and employees with disabilities or who have mobility challenges
Renters and residents of multifamily buildings
What's required of members?
Members will help advise on every aspect of the plan, including the process for outreach, planning, and decision-making; the boundaries of the study area; the boundaries, hours, and rules of a possible permit program; as well as ways to make any changes to parking more equitable and sustainable.
Members will attend regular Committee meetings, between April 2023 and December 2024, about 2 hours per month. Meetings are open to the public and are held virtually.
How were members selected?
A selection committee made up of volunteers of two existing parking committees, a community representative, along with a member of PBOT's Transportation Justice committee, reviewed applications. All personal identifying information was removed before applications were reviewed. The selection committee was tasked with finding 11-15 people to serve on the committee representing a diverse group of perspectives. Staff from PBOT's Parking Operations team and Equity & Inclusion team approved the final list of members.
Boise Parking Plan Committee members
- Jen Stack, Chair - Resident, Boise Neighborhood Association
- Velmer Bridges Jr., Vice-Chair - Resident
- Trent Aldridge - Chief Program Officer, Self Enhancement Inc. & Historic Resident
- Marc Beck - Resident
- Cherie Davis - HR Director, Self Enhancement Inc. & Historic Resident
- Stephanie Hering - Employee
- Chase Holenstein - Resident
- Jaclyn Kirouac-Fram - Executive Director of The Rebuilding Center
- Christian Lee - Owner of The Rambler, Historic Mississippi Business Association, Resident
- John Russell - Resident
- Mela Seaver - Resident
- James Thompson - Owner of jetwoodshop
- Jesse Nobile - Resident
- Jerrell Waddell - Assistant Pastor Life Change Church
- Stacee Wion - Owner of SpielWerk Toys, Resident
Leadership
Jen Stack Co-chair
Jen and her family moved to the Boise neighborhood in 2013 after living and working in California as a chemist. In addition to being a full-time mom, Jen is the Boise Neighborhood Association Communications chair, involved in her daughter’s school PTA and she and her husband, Zack, have been managing the Free Clothing Exchange, a small nonprofit that provides clothing resources in a shopping style environment for all. She cares for this city and neighborhood and wants to help make it better and safer for everyone. She loves giving back to this neighborhood and looks forward to serving on the parking committee.
Velmer Bridges Jr. Vice-Chair
Velmer has lived in the Williams district for 3 years now with his girlfriend Samantha. He works as in -Home Tech Expert with a company called Asurion which includes a lot of driving throughout the region. Recently his car was stolen because of a viral Tik Tok challenge that influenced people to steal tons of Kia and Hyundai cars. Thankfully he got it back and it was a reminder that parking in our community is essential for services, engagement and growth and it's important to focus on the challenges and safety to provide adequate parking for everyone! He hopes that being a part of this parking committee, he can become more engaged and understanding of common issues we all encounter in our neighborhood and can help to implement a more sustainable and easy to navigate parking system.
Purpose:
- Co-chairs help set agendas, bring up issues, ideas, concerns to project team.
- If people have concerns, they can bring them up with co-chairs/vice-chairs, especially if they don’t feel comfortable bringing up to city or project staff.
- Bring positivity to the group and process.
- Energy is important to ensuring a good process and good outcomes.
- Foster an open and inclusive environment.
- Bring local knowledge, act as a bridge between neighborhood and city project team.
- Listen, learn, and advocate for those who may not have time but whose voices/perspectives need to be heard.