Traffic enforcement is always a topic of interest here in Sandy. We know many residents have concerns about speeding and other traffic issues; many of our police officers live in Sandy too and share the same concerns.

The Sandy Police Department (SPD) is taking a multifaceted approach to traffic enforcement, and we'd like to share the following highlights with you:

DUII Focus: In the last few years SPD has established a renewed emphasis on impaired driver and DUII enforcement. This emphasis has included extra training for officers, dedicated DUII details during major holidays and high alcohol usage events, and sending officers to the state-wide DUII conference for further education. In 2023, SPD officers made 95 DUII arrests.

ODOT Grant: SPD received a grant of over $20,000 from the State of Oregon in support of dedicated traffic enforcement details. The grant is designated for five specific purposes: impaired driving enforcement, speed enforcement, safety belt safety, pedestrian safety, and distracted driving enforcement. These funds facilitate additional directed traffic patrols. During March 2024, SPD officers logged roughly 20 hours that were solely focused on speed enforcement under this grant.

Radar Trailer: SPD has a speed radar trailer that is moved to a new location around town roughly twice a week. The radar trailer collects and analyzes data that allows us to focus and enhance our speed patrol efforts. To the right is a graph from a recent traffic study completed by the trailer in a residential area, near the intersection of Hood St. and Bruns Ave. 

To request a new location for the radar trailer (within city limits), please visit the webform on our site.

City of Sandy residents: the City of Sandy and Hoodview Disposal & Recycling are excited to announce the return of our annual curbside cleanup event!

Cleanup Day Details:

Regular household garbage (food, etc.) is NOT included and must be kept separate from your cleanup items. Absolutely no paint, hazardous materials (including household chemicals), asbestos contaminated construction materials, concrete, bricks, dirt, or rock. No appliances containing freon will be accepted.



Small cleanup items must be contained in garbage cans or plastic bags with a 60-pound weight limit. Please place items out for collection curbside by 6:00 a.m. on the day of the event. To maintain the cleanliness of your neighborhood, please do not set material out prior to Friday afternoon.

Please remember that illegal dumping directly affects your rate, so it is important to report the crime. If you see someone dumping illegally, please file a report at the following web address as soon as possible: www.clackamas.us/dumpstoppers

Got Questions? We've Got Answers!

Q.) How much can I set out?

A.) There is a maximum limit of 5 garbage cans. Larger items such as a piece of furniture or an appliance will each count as 5 of your 5 allowable cans.

Q.) What if I’m out of town on the clean-up day?

A.) Please try to make arrangements with a neighbor or relative to set your items out for you. If you miss the clean-up day, we do offer bulky item pick-ups year round, at an additional charge.

Q.) The driver took some of my items, but left others. Why?

A.) Uncollected items were on the unacceptable items list. You exceeded the maximum limit of 5 garbage cans, please call our office to arrange an additional bulky item pick-up.

Additional questions? Contact Hoodview Disposal at:

www.hoodviewdisposal.com or 503-668-8300

Under the Sandy Clean Waters program, the City has taken significant steps to reduce inflow and infiltration (I&I) of rainwater and groundwater into our wastewater collection system (the pipes that run from homes and businesses to the wastewater treatment plant). I&I in our pipes takes up system capacity and adds to the flows that have to be treated at the plant.  

The initial phases of our I&I reduction project focused on the four specific areas of the system that contributed the most I&I (i.e. the most deteriorated pipes). We have been successful in completely overhauling these four sub-basins, which involved lining and replacing the existing pipes and laterals, both public and private. The results of the improvements have been dramatic: during rain events the treatment plant is receiving flows about 30% lower than what would have been seen before the repairs were made. 

With the most urgent overhaul work completed, the City is now able to pivot to a more surgical approach to I&I reduction, such as grouting manholes throughout the City. Manholes can have multiple leaks that flow at more than five gallons per minute each (picture multiple garden hoses pouring through the wall of a manhole).  The video below provides an overview of the manhole grouting program.

Under the coordination of Sandy’s Wastewater Supervisor (see the Employee Spotlight feature below), work crews have been targeting these manholes and plugging leaks across the city. Additionally, we have contracted to have the remaining portions of our wastewater system inspected by CCTV over the next 18 months. These inspections will allow us to target more I&I work, and will also facilitate future infrastructure replacement efforts by providing baseline data for our asset management program.

Sandy is currently in the planning stages for a new park in the Deer Pointe neighborhood, and we want YOU to be involved!

Residents of Deer Pointe have waited many years for this park (located off Meadow Ave between Hwy 26 and Fawn St - see the map for reference). We are pleased to be able to move forward now on this long-awaited project.

Join us for an open house event where attendees can learn more about the plans and provide input on park priorities. The open house will be held at the Sandy Community Center on Thursday April 18th from 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm.

Please don't hesitate to reach out with questions: (503) 668-5569.

If you're interested in reading more about future park development, check out Sandy's Parks & Trails Master Plan here.

SOLVE Cleanup Event

Help us celebrate Earth Day with our annual Solve It in Sandy clean-up event on Saturday April 20th from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm!

Every year Earth Day is observed by people all over the world as a day of action. We plan to make our Earth Day impact in Sandy by investing in the cleanliness of our parks, and we hope to see you there!

We welcome all ages and any amount of time that volunteers have to dedicate to the event. Drop by the Sandy Community Center on April 20th to pick up supplies (and some Starbucks coffee!) and chose your location to clean-up!

Drop ins are always welcome, but prior registration helps our staff understand the amount of volunteers participating and plan appropriately for the event. Make sure to sign up today through the QR code.

Thanks for making a difference!

Arbor Day 2024

This year we're celebrating Arbor Day by planting 12 new trees at Tupper Park: six Black Tupelos and six Stellar Pink Dogwoods!

Much like Earth Day, Arbor Day is a holiday that celebrates nature. Its purpose is to encourage people to plant trees, which support the health of our planet, provide habitat for many critters, and reduce stress for humans. Planting even one tree makes a difference!

If you would like to help us plant some trees, please meet at Tupper Park on April 26th at 4:30 pm. Our Arbor Day event will end once all of the trees have been planted. Please make sure to wear appropriate clothing. This event will happen rain or shine!

If you have any questions, please contact Amy in our Parks and Recreation Department.

Low Mow Spring

As part of Sandy's commitment to being a Bee City, we're spreading the word about "Low Mow Spring!"

We want to encourage residents to let their grass grow a little longer this spring to support bees and other pollinators. Sandy's code allows grass to grow up to 10 inches in height, but you don't need to go that high to provide a boost for bees.

To support pollinators, we'll be letting the grass grow longer at Deer Point, Melissa Field, Big Fir, and Campion Way Park. These are open public green spaces (non-developed parkland) where long grass won't interfere with park and activity use, but will still help pollinators. We will continue to mow and keep our high use parks in good shape for public use.

Why mow less in the spring?

Lawns cover 40 million acres, or 2% of land in the US, making them the single largest irrigated crop we grow. The start of the growing season is a critical time for hungry, newly emerged native bees. By allowing your grass to grow longer your lawn can help your bee neighbors thrive by creating habitat!

Make sure to join us at the Sandy Public Library on Saturday, April 27 between 10:00 am and 12:00 pm to celebrate Children's Day / Día del Niño!

This is a bi-lingual, bi-cultural event for the whole community. Local organizations and community groups will provide a variety of activities for children, and we will be making use of the whole library, inside and out.

There will be something for everyone: bilingual storytime, book giveaways, a scavenger hunt, arts and crafts projects (like rock painting & button making!), refreshments, and so much more. 

Bring your kids, grandkids, or the neighbor kids to the Library and come join in the fun!

The SAM Clackamas Town Center route (SAM CTC), which connects Sandy and nearby towns to job access, health care, and shopping, launched in January 2024. The first fifty riders on the new route were entered into a raffle for one of five prizes. Each winner received a year-long SAM pass and a gift card to a local Sandy business!

The winners from the random raffle drawing expressed their excitement about the new route and the convenience it will bring to their lives:

• As a regular rider, Billy P. uses the SAM CTC route to get to and from work. The direct route significantly improves his commute, saving him both time and money.

• Martin H. utilizes all SAM services to commute to areas throughout the Portland Metro area. He can safely get to where he needs to go without the stress of traffic and parking. Although he has a truck, the financial savings and the positive environmental impact of using transit motivate him to use SAM instead of his personal vehicle.

• Max P. uses the bus daily and said it has been “life changing.” Knowing he has dependable and affordable transportation has relieved much of the stress he felt commuting back and forth to work. Before the SAM CTC bus started running, he depended on family and friends or expensive private shuttles.

• Joe B. is another daily commuter. He takes the bus from Portland to Timberline for work.

• Deynira M. uses public transportation for everything: work, errands, and recreation. Her whole family uses it whenever they travel by airplane, and the SAM CTC route will save them considerable time when traveling to and from the airport! She also couldn't say enough about how friendly, kind, and welcoming all the SAM drivers are, regardless of the route.

Join us in congratulating all our lucky winners, and if you haven’t hopped on the new SAM route yet, give it a try! You can find the schedule here.

Here's the latest in our comprehensive database of active land use applications, complete with links to public meetings, documents, plans, maps, explanatory videos, staff reports, and other materials! You'll also find links to opportunities to take part in the decision-making process by submitting your own testimony.

Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

Be a part of the process! Members of the public are always welcome at meetings of the City Council and other boards and commissions.

Get meeting details and learn more about the variety of ways you can participate by visiting our online meeting portal.

Mark Your Calendars:

• City Council: April 1st
• City Council: April 15th
• Library Advisory Board: April 17th
• SandyNet Advisory Board: April 18th
• Planning Commission: April 22nd