April 2012
NEWS
South Waterfront Greenway Plan
approved by Design Commission
By Lee Perlman
The Southwest Portland Post
Wi t h t h e
osprey roost
issue solved,
at least in con-
cept, the Port-
land Design
Comm i ssi o n
approved the
Portland Bu-
reau of Parks Osprey family nest
a n d R e c r e - on the west bank of
ation’s South the Willamette River
Wa t e r f r o n t at South Waterfront.
G r e e n w a y (Photo courtesy of
Master Plan Paul Johnson)
last month.
The Greenway Plan contains $9.5
million worth of trails, recreation im-
provements and habitat for a swath of
waterfront 1.2 miles long and 100 feet
wide along the west bank of the Wil-
lamette River. However, lack of a dock
in the Greenway Plan resulted in a less
than unanimous vote.
At a previous meeting a major stum-
bling block turned out to be the Bu-
reau’s plans for the relocation of a
nesting site occupied in season by an
osprey over the last five years.
Greenway construction will require
the Park Bureau to relocate the nest. The
Park Bureau proposed an alternative
site on a “dolphin,” an upright piling,
but neighbors said it was too far away
from the bird’s chosen site.
These neighbors, with the assistance
of the South Waterfront Dog Club,
have constructed a pole 40 feet tall and
weighing eight tons as a site.
Last month, Park Bureau staff said
they would leave the osprey nest where
it is this year. Next year partisans will
move the pole to a nearby private prop-
erty, and the bird will choose between
this and the Park Bureau’s proposed
site. This seemed to please interested
neighbors.
Another issue was a proposed light
watercraft dock, long a part of the
project. Park Bureau staff said they had
encountered resistance from the Na-
tional Marine Fisheries Service, which
safeguards endangered fish species and
sees the pilings for a dock as a hiding
place for young fish predators.
Park Bureau staffer Liz Moorhead
said the Office of Healthy Working Riv-
ers is preparing a comprehensive look
at the city’s docks, due for completion
in 2013.
The Park Bureau remains committed
to providing a dock, Moorhead said, but
for now they were “decoupling” it from
the project and proceeding.
Commission member Ben Kaiser
expressed disappointment about this
decision. “At one point this was the
driving force for the whole project,”
he said.
“Because of fear of some agency,
we’re disconnecting ourselves from
the river. Who knows when it will
happen? There were just three boats
on the river yesterday, and there could
be hundreds.”
Kaiser ultimately cast the sole vote
against approval of the Greenway Plan.
Commission chair Gwen Millius cau-
tioned against “letting the perfect get
in the way of the good. Getting people
closer to the river is an undeniable
good. This is not our last opportunity.
I just can’t see holding up the whole
project because of the dock.”
The Southwest Portland Post • 5
Fulton Park Community Center
advocates lobby City Council
Advocates for the Fulton
Park Community Center,
which the Portland Bureau
of Parks and Recreation
has offered for closure if
the City Council asks for
budget cuts of six percent
or more, made their point
at a budget hearing last
month.
More than 150 people
attended a City-sponsored
public Budget Forum at
Cleveland High School,
and conspicuous among Fulton Park Community Center may be spared from
them were people wearing proposed budget cuts by Portland Parks and Recre-
red attire, which for the ation. (Photo courtesy of Isabel Souza)
evening at least connoted
advocacy for retaining Park facilities.
Portland Mayor Sam Adams con-
Most of these people were Fulton
ducted much of the meeting, and three
Park Community Center advocates,
of the other four City Council members
but a few were southeasterners protest-
attended; Commissioner Dan Saltzman
ing the proposed closure of Buckman
was on a trip to Egypt.
Pool, also on the Park Bureau’s list of
Commissioner Nick Fish told The Post
potential cuts.
that he was impressed by the support
In an on-site poll conducted with elec-
for Parks programs, but noted that an
tronic devices, the top priority for gen-
earlier demographic quiz indicated that
eral fund spending of those present was
those at the Forum were not at all rep-
parks and recreation, followed in order
resentative of the City as a whole. “It’s
of support by public safety-related pro-
a snapshot in time,” he said.
grams, public utilities, transportation
Commissioner Amanda Fritz wore
and community development.
red in a conscious show of support for
In another poll those present were
Fulton Park Community Center. Not-
asked to prioritize their top safety con-
ing that its closure is estimated to save
cerns; the results in order were traffic
$75,000 she said, “I’m sure we could
safety followed closely by drug dealing,
come up with that money somewhere.”
thefts from vehicles, gang activity, and
burglary.
– Lee Perlman