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About The Southwest Portland Post. (Portland, Oregon) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 1, 2017)
4 • The Southwest Portland Post NEWS September 2017 Childers and Arendes give parents’ perspective on Spring Garden Park development By Erik Vidstrand The Southwest Portland Post Outdoor movies, ice cream socials, and dog walking have been put on hold this summer at Spring Garden Park. Families with small children are finding other parks to attend while anticipating the completion of Southwest Portland’s newest park. Even though the neighborhood is losing the park for a year, families are making due with trips to Custer, Woods and Gabriel parks. An August visit to the park found the entire property scraped down to the top soil with trees, shrubs, and plants gone. A chain link fence surrounds the park edge along both streets. Tractors of every sort were lined up and parked for the evening. A water truck, steam roller, and road grader were also present. The park project has been a mix of emotions for the community over the past few years. A simple natural play area was improved with a $10,000 grant from Multnomah Village Umpqua Bank. Further action by community members and park advocates turned the small park into a multi-million dollar project. Funded by Portland Parks and Recreation, the park will have a splash pad, contemplative garden, picnic shelter, an improved natural play area, and a gathering area in the form of a small amphitheater. It was the gathering children and their families area which sparked came to enjoy the park. some tension causing “ W h e n t h e re w a s a n a rift with neighbors. opportunity to grow the park, While many applauded Portland Parks organized the additional features community outreach events and improvements, involving teenagers, parents, others felt the gathering and other interested parties. area (with an electric A park advisory committee outlet) would bring was developed and meetings noise and amplified went on for months,” music to the park. Childers said. Friends of Spring According to Arendes, “The Garden Park were city leaders were thorough in whole-heartedly behind getting everyone on the same all the improvements, page. The gathering space including the gathering Bare soil and trees gone are among the changes as Spring Garden is only 40 square feet. City Park construction continues. (Post photo by Erik Vidstrand) space allowing movies facilitators allowed all voices and music. to be heard with agreements logs, large rocks, and sand. But some folks in on fi nal plans.” “This area fosters natural play,” the neighborhood said they were Electricity will be available but will Childers said as her two young disappointed by media coverage, have a lock box, she said. children drew pictures nearby. “This The women explained that including previous stories in The Post is unlike traditional parks with teenagers felt they needed a space for on the park development. swings, slides, and monkey bars.” them beyond gardens, splash pads, Post editor Don Snedecor and Childers said that they partnered and a sandbox. Retaining walls with reporter Erik Vidstrand sat down with with the Multnomah Neighborhood large rocks were designed with the Sara Childers and Carine Arendes, Association, Capitol Hill Library, teens in mind for simply hanging out. co-chairs of Friends of Spring Garden and the parks bureau. Events such Due to some budget cuts, some of the Park, in July to get their specifi c take as National Night Out, and pie and components originally in the design on all the developments. ice cream socials were held. Fire had to be curtailed substituting less The leaders explained that the park fighters brought their trucks, city expensive building materials. was an undeveloped 4.65 acre site commissioners came to give speeches, with a dramatic downhill slope to the (Continued on Page 6) and most importantly, neighborhood north at Southwest Spring Garden Street. The Friends of Spring Garden Park was formed and were successful in acquiring the Umpqua Bank grant. They used the money to develop a small natural play area complete with Hans J Manseth – Certified Financial Planner™ 503.227.4817 / hans@hjamfinancial.com Securities and investment advisory services are offered solely by Equity Services, Inc., Member FINRA/SIPC. 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