Come one come all to celebrate the River at South Waterfront with a movie in brand new Elizabeth Caruthers Park!  Activities begin at 7:00 p.m., movie begins at dusk.
Featuring:

• Live Music
• The Mayor of Hooperville with Hula Hoop Lessons
• Handmade artisan vendors
• Kids activities
• Free Ice Cream from Umpqua Bank
• Free Italian Sodas from Old Spaghetti Factory
• Free Popcorn

Movie starts at dusk, featuring “Mamma Mia!”

RiverFest Movie in the Park at South Waterfront

Saturday, August 21, 7:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.
Elizabeth Caruthers Park
3508 SW Moody Ave., Portland, OR. Map it

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

From Portland Parks and Recreation:

Elizabeth Caruthers Park is now open! Just over two acres in size, this much awaited new park in the heart of the South Waterfront District is located between SW Moody to the east and SW Bond to the west. A community celebration is planned for August, but you can visit the park now!

Caruthers Park offers visitors an urban garden area, featuring a community gathering area with movable tables and chairs and a built-in bocce court, a garden retreat area with granite seat walls and a historic marker honoring the site of Portland’s first cabin, and an environmental play area with a spray/play stepping stone feature and seating logs.

There is also a naturalized landscaped area, with boardwalks, naturalized plantings, undulating topography with stormwater detention, and Song Cycles public art created by Doug Hollis. In addition, an open lawn area provides space for a variety of use, including an 8′ tall sloped landform for seating, sunning, and play.

Other features of the park include a variety of trees and plantings, pathways with benches, park lighting, a festival edge on Bond, electrical infrastructure for events, bicycle racks, a drinking fountain, dog waste bag dispensers, trash receptacles, and streetscape improvements.

Contractor work on the final touches will be ongoing for the next month or so. The fence around the lawn and landform area may remain up until August 1, as we allow the lawn to establish.

PP&R looks forward to celebrating the opening of the first park in the South Waterfront neighborhood with you this summer. It’s been a long time in the works, but this breathtaking new park will provide a place of respite and recreation, a place for public gatherings and private moments, for generations to come.

A community celebration is scheduled for Thursday, August 19. In the meantime, come down this weekend and check out Portland’s newest park!

For more info, click here.

We at Community Relations recently received the following letter from Portland Parks & Recreation on the status of the South Waterfront Greenway:

April 22, 2010

What is the Greenway?

The South Waterfront Greenway runs along the west side of the Willamette River, from Lane to Gibbs Streets.   The original Greenway Plan was developed in 2004 by Walker Macy and an Advisory Committee which included OHSU, area developers, city staff and residents.  The Greenway Plan created a long term vision for the Greenway.  Its primary goal was to balance environmental, recreational, fish and wildlife habitat and future resident’s needs. The vision for a developed greenway included enhanced wildlife habitat, vegetation, bike and pedestrian paths, overlooks and lawn areas.

The plan is great but its implementation has been challenging.  Key issues that have delayed development of the project include:

• permitting – habitat and related environmental requirements
• property transfer
• remediation of environmental contamination

While significant progress has been made on these issues, they are not yet fully resolved.

When will the Greenway get built?

In September 2009, we shared with the community that the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) indicated the need for the design to better accommodate fish habitat in the area of the central district.  After much discussion, we asked our consultants, Walker Macy, to develop a design approach that would balance habitat, access, and recreation considerations and meet NMFS requirements.

Following the development of design options to discuss with NMFS, including consideration of a sheet pile approach shared with the public last year, we are still working with Walker Macy to finalize the feasibility and cost of a preferred revised approach.

Once Walker Macy has completed sufficient design and estimating work, we will meet with NMFS with the updated design to proceed with permitting.  In addition to the NMFS permitting process, there is a permit process through the Bureau of Development Services.

This work is taking a long time.  Back in September we indicated that the earliest “in-water” work window was likely 2012.  That remains true, although it is possible that delays may result in construction being pushed back to 2013.

For more information contact, Liz Moorhead, Project Manager at 503-823-5883 or liz.moorhead@portlandoregon.gov

Portland Audubon’s Sternwheeler Tour Around Ross Island

The Audubon Society of Portland is once again offering its popular RiverFest Ross Island Tour on-board the Sternwheeler Rose.

Saturday, Aug 22, 2009
6:00 pm to 8:00 pm

If you don’t paddle, canoe or kayak, there’s no better way for you and your family to get out on the river and see great blue herons, osprey and bald eagles nests–not to mention some of Portland’s most beautiful scenery–on this relaxing evening cruise.

Mike Houck from the Urban Greenspaces Institute and staff from Audubon Society of Portland will provide expert commentary and answer questions on the remarkable variety of natural sights and sounds, as you travel in comfort up through the Holgate Channel and circumnavigate Ross, Hardtack, and East Islands.

Cost is $25 per person (children 5 and under are free). Click here to register now–space is limited!

Or contact:

Ariana Longanecker
alonganecker@audubonportland.org
503.292.6855 x112

Quick Update: There will be a Public Hearing on the proposed No Wake Zone for Holgate Channel and Ross Island Lagoon, Monday, July 27th at 6 pm, in the Portland Building 1120 SW 5th Avenue, 2nd Floor Auditorium
Here is a recent letter from Mike Houck of the Urban Greenspace Institute:

Thank you for you support to date for creating a No-wake Zone in the Holgate Channel and Ross Island Lagoon. Several hundred people have written letters in support of this effort, and more than 200 people showed up to support this effort at a hearing back in May. We have sent a strong message to the Oregon Marine Board that there needs to be one location along the entire Lower Willamette River that is set aside to protect wildlife and provide a safe place of canoeists and kayakers to enjoy nature.

The Marine Board will be making a final decision on the no-wak zone petition on Monday, July 27TH.

It is essential that we have a strong turnout at this hearing and there may be opportunities for public testimony.

The Marine Board may or may not take testimony.  However, they will be counting heads.  It’s critical that there be a big turn out for this hearing.  Please come and bring others who support a No Wake Zone for the Holgate Channel and Ross Island Lagoon.

For more information please visit the Urban Greenspace Institute’s website: http://www.urbangreenspaces.org/no-wake.htm

Last week the Daily Journal of Commerce provided a short update on the progress of the new park in South Waterfront, dubbed the Elizabeth Caruthers Park.  Click here to read the article.

This Saturday the South Waterfront Sustainable Lifestyle and Transportation Committee is teaming up with SOLV and the City of Portland’s River Renaissance Initiative to clean up the river bank along the Willamette River here in South Waterfront.  If you are interested in helping out please contact Rick at sustainablelifestyle@gmail.com to sign up.

Location: Meet at the Meriwether East Tower (0836 SW Curry St.)

When: Saturday May 16th at 9 AM.

We received word from Portland Parks & Rec this week about the status of the Greenway – please see the Project Manager’s message below:

Regarding the project schedule – As many of you realize, one of the causes for the project delay, was the discovery of soil contamination.  After lengthy discussions between the Department of Environmental Quality, property owners, Portland Development Commission and Portland Parks & Recreation,  its been agreed that some additional sampling work needs to be undertaken along the greenway.   This work is expected to start in May.

In addition to the information we gather from the soil samples – we will incorporate the feedback from the discussion between the City and National Marine Fisheries that took place in late 2008.  These two additional information sources will inform the projects design so that an updated permit application can be submitted to the Army Corp of Engineers and National Marine Fisheries Service.  We anticipate being able to submit the updated permit applications in November 2009.

In October 2009, we will invite the community to review the updated designs so that you know how the project may have been amended.

Thanks to everyone for your patience and support and we work through these challenges. 

Elizabeth Kennedy-Wong
Community Engagement and Public Involvement Manager
Portland Parks and Recreation
(503) 823-5113