SENTINEL NEWS SERVICE 1 park, 3 plans
July 10 open house unveils Cathedral Park proposals
By Carolyn Neuhausen
In the next step of the Cathedral Park Project process, the public is invited to an open house to critique and comment on three proposals for the future of the park.
The plans will be unveiled on July 10 at an open house held at the Water Control Lab, 6543 N Burlington Ave., adjacent to Cathedral Park. The open house will be held 6:30-8:30 p.m. and offer an opportunity for community members to voice opinions regarding the future of the park to officials from Portland Parks & Recreation and North Portland Neighborhood Services.
One of the key motivators behind many of the proposed changes to Cathedral Park is the idea of making the park more accessible for the growing North Portland population. “I think this is the city’s park, [this is] the park for all of North Portland and beyond,” said Kathleen Wadden, project manager for PP&R.
According to the PP&R website, some guiding aspects for park changes will be to utilize sustainable design and minimize park upkeep through high-quality materials and planning; to improve salmon and avian habitats; and to provide more opportunities for water recreation, like swimming, boating and fishing.
The process of revamping the park started last year when PP&R conducted a comprehensive survey of the park, its facilities, usage and layout.
North Portland residents and eight community members that made up a Public Advisory Committee generated ideas for the types of features the new plans should include. The land-survey information and the ideas and comments regarding what the community would like to see at Cathedral Park in the future served as the foundation of the park’s Master Plan. This plan was the building block for the three design proposals.
Late last year the park bureau interviewed different landscape architecture firms and decided on Mayer/Reed, a Portland-based company that has drawn up the three different plans.
A master plan was essential in preparing for the park’s future, according to Wadden, who said that without a plan, sometimes changes are made separately and can throw a park’s layout off. “We’re trying to look ahead to the next 20 years and make a plan that we’re going to follow instead of making decisions [regarding the park’s future] more off the cuff,” said Wadden.
The final Concept Plan may be one of the three drafts or it might be a plan that includes different aspects and features of each plan. Cathedral Park is unique in that it is one of the city’s few waterfront parks and has both a fishing dock and boat launch as part of its facilities. “We know that the boat launch is old and needs updating,” said Wadden.
Mary Jaron Kelley, a staffer with the city’s North Portland Neighborhood Services office, has been working closely with different neighborhood associations and groups to increase public involvement and knowledge regarding the Master Plan and new Concept Plans.
Kelley believes that Portland residents should come to the open house because it is their chance to be involved with a park they use. “And it’s a great opportunity for residents and non-residents of the neighborhood in making a great park better,” said Kelley.
If community members have any questions regarding the open house or the Cathedral Park project, they can contact Kelley at (503) 823-4099.
No comments:
Post a Comment