In the center of the South Waterfront Central district sits the 2-acre South Waterfront neighborhood park. The park, which is temporarily seeded with grass, will be the location for many community and public events. Plans for the permanent park design and development have been finalized and can be found at portlandparks.org. Portland Parks and Recreation is slated to begin construction in February 2009 for completion in July 2009.
Contact: Director of Community Relations Lesley Poirier at lesley@southwaterfront.com for more information.
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
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.
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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