A searchable database created by Metro's Data Resource Center reduces barriers to mining 40 years of public annexation records for city and service district staff, real estate agents, developers and history buffs who use the information to do their jobs.

Letters of Intent deadline for neighborhood cleanup matching grants program approaches

Is your neighborhood planning a spring cleanup event? Let your local government know – and let Metro help cover the cost.

Happy Spring! Looking around your house and yard? Starting to plan for spring and summer projects? KINK 101.9-FM gathered tips from Metro recycling information specialist Betty Shelley last week. Betty’s got the dirt on everything from tool sharing to paint recycling to help you save money and reduce waste as the season warms and you get busy.

ODOT is closing Highway 213 near Metro South from March 22-27, and garbage and recycling customers are encouraged to take loads to Metro Central during the closure.

Metro posted 10 grey-and-green demonstration signs along Fanno Creek Trail recently — the beta version of signage the regional government plans to post along The Intertwine network of trails, parks and natural areas.

The survey is intended to gauge support for restoring, taking care of and publicly opening more of the 16,000 acres of natural areas and parks that Metro owns or manages. During the next several months, the Metro Council will consider asking voters to invest in making the most of the places they’ve protected.

The East Metro Connections Plan will consider increasing bus service, adding sidewalks, coordinating traffic signals, changing road widths, and re-designating freight routes.

The hazardous waste facility at Metro South transfer station celebrated two decades and a ton of stories in paint and jars this week. Most of the materials that come through the doors are mundane – old paint cans, car batteries, fluorescent lights and propane tanks – but there's the occasional jar with a human brain or pickled pet.

Did you know that Metro, your regional government, is responsible for the Oregon Zoo? It is, and that gives me, as a Metro Councilor, the pleasure and responsibility to ensure that the elephants, bears, butterflies and other creatures in our care enjoy a high quality of life.