The South Waterfront offers instant access to some of Portland’s best hiking and biking trails. Enthusiasts have three easy ways to access area trails: 1) The River Place/Waterfront paths 2) The Springwater Corridor 3) The SW Trails. All of these hikes are part of the “40-Mile Loop” and the now more than 140 miles of trails that run along the east and west banks of the Willamette.
Related Links 40 Mile Loop, Portland Parks and Recreation
According to the Daily Journal of Commerce Portland Parks and Rec has decided on a name for the neighborhood park here in South Waterfront. It will be named after Elizabeth Caruthers, one of the original settlers of this area along the Willamette River back in the 19th century.
Click here for more details.
UPDATE: Our friends over at Park Talk – the Portland Parks and Rec blog – have posted a few more details about our new park’s name. Click here to read up.
Friend of Ross Island (and South Waterfront) Mike Houck was recently interviewed for Portland Spaces’ Burnside Blog by author Tim DuRoche who is currently working on a series of interviews called “If I Were King of the (Urban) Forest.” Mike has a great perspective on what sustainable development should be and he has some very nice things to say about South Waterfront. Thanks Mike! To read the blog post: Click Here.
Our neighborhood park is finally on it’s way! Portland Parks and Recreation sent out a new advisory on the state of the neighborhood park today. It essentially details that due to the economic climate the construction bids came in UNDER projected costs, thus freeing up additional funds to add back in amenities that were originally cut due to the price tags. Here are the amenities being added back into the South Waterfront Neighborhood Park:
> Formal Bocce Ball Court.
> Movable tables and chairs.
> Plant larger, more mature plants than originally planned.
> Apply soil amendments to all lawn areas.
>Steel edging for plant beds to help retain their form.
So – most importantly – here is the current construction schedule for the park:
March – July 2009: Construction
August 2009: Construction Complete – Urban Garden, Naturalized Area and paths open
August – Sept 2009: Lawn Establishment Period
October 2009: All Park Areas Open!
For more information and the full a release from the Parks Buearu please visit the project website at: http://www.portlandonline.com/parks/index.cfm?c=45404
What: Two community meetings have been scheduled to give members of the public the opportunity to discuss the draft Trail Design Guidelines with Portland Parks & Recreation staff
When/Where: 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Monday, January 26
6820 SW 45 Avenue
7 p.m. to 7:40 p.m.
Thursday, February 5
1017 NE 117 Avenue
To Attend: If you plan to attend one of the meetings or have questions, please contact Elizabeth Kennedy-Wong, Public Involvement Manager, at Elizabeth.Kennedy-Wong@ci.portland.or.us or at 503.823.5113.
Trails are an integral part of our park and recreation system. They are used by people of all ages and abilities to exercise, relax, socialize, view wildlife, and travel to destinations such as school and work. Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) interprets the term ‘trail’ broadly to include sidewalks around parks, park pathways, sidewalks, and enhanced paths on green streets, as well as unpaved pathways in natural areas and regional multi-modal trails.
The Parks 2020 Vision plan identified “no trail standards” as an issue. It noted that trail standards are lacking for the many trail types, sizes, and materials needed in different settings. Impacts to sensitive habitat and stormwater quality and quantity must be considered.
PP&R has drafted these guidelines to aid staff in the design of trails and pathways in the entire parks system: regional trails, developed parks, and natural areas. They will also guide consultants, developers, and volunteer groups that build trails, whether designing a narrow footpath through a woodland, an exercise circuit in a lawn area or a waterfront promenade.
Fred Leeson sure has been writing up a storm about the South Waterfront lately – he had another small article last Thursday about our Greenway and the current situation with the boat dock. According to the article things are not sounding so good – the feds say the docks are nesting grounds for predators of young salmon. Read the full article here: South Waterfront Dock Idea may Sink.
Last Friday the Daily Journal of Commerce published an article updating Portlanders on the status of the neighborhood park here in South Waterfront. The bid process for construction of the park has been extended to January 15th, but the article states that construction will begin in late February 2009 – horay! Read the full article HERE.
The City Council is agreesively reorganizing the city bureaus and one of the changes is that Comissioner Nick Fish will now be overseeing Portland Parks & Rec.  It will be interesting to see how Commissioner Fish works towards getting the South Waterfront Greenway and Neighborhood Park completed.  Here is the official announcement:
http://www.portlandonline.com/parks/index.cfm?a=222450&c=48747
Hey Everyone – I just noticed that Portland Parks & Recreation has just launched a new blog caleld Park Talk. This blog is designed to keep the public informed about happenings at our local Portland Parks. It even has an RSS feed so you can have the news delivered to you! Let’s hope we start hearing some new news about the parks in South Waterfront soon.
We received an update for the South Waterfront Greenway this week – here is the latest:
November 2008 Update
The Greenway Project Team is working to obtain the necessary permits for the Central District Greenway from state and federal natural resource agencies. Key features of the riverbank design are being updated to enhance natural conditions along the
Improved Riverbank Design
Changes to the design concept have been developed through conversations with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) in order to secure a federal permit.
The improved design includes:
Contaminants Testing
Concerns about the presence of in-water contamination from past industrial uses will require additional testing this fall. Test results will help ensure that construction of the park also manages any remaining risk from past industrial activity.
A plan to gather sediment samples from the river bottom in the Central Greenway District was recently reviewed by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). Samples will be gathered in November and then tested to ensure public health and the environment are protected before, during and after construction of the Greenway.
Future Updates
The project team will continue to send periodic updates with news of progress to complete the Central District Greenway. For more information about the project, contact Patty Freeman, project manager at 503-823-5592, pkpatty@ci.portland.or.us, or visit www.portlandparks.org.
Barbara Hart
Community Engagement & Public Involvement Manager
To stay informed, please visit the South Waterfront Greenway page on the PP&R website: http://www.portlandonline.com/oni/index.cfm?c=29377&a=217758
Our friends at Portland Parks & Recreation sent us an updated FAQ page. It answers many questions, such as what is the current status of the Greenway? Will the light craft boat dock be built? And what is holding up construction of the Greenway? This is great information, to download the PDF, please click here: south-waterfront-greenway-faq-7_2008.pdf
You can also find this PDF and more information about the project on the City of Portland’s website, please click here.
Anatoliy (Toliy) Ioffe is a long-time Pacific Northwest resident with a love for the outdoors. He is thrilled to live next to the river, whose valley has been described as Oregon's Garden of Eden.
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