Pase 10________ _________________________
3¡3ortlanb (Dbseruer
May is, 2013
An artist’s rendering shows the interactive water play feature coming to Dawson Park in north Portland.
Dawson Park Grows Amenities
Renovation to pay tribute to African-American history
Historic D aw son Park will benefit
from a $200,000 donation from its
neighbor. Legacy E m anuel M edical
C enter, the hospital, P ortland Parks
and R ecreation and the Portland
Parks F oundation announced last
week.
T he contribution w ill pay for a
new w ater feature at the soon-to-
be-renovated park at N orth Stanton
Street and W illiam s A venue.
T he 2-acre park is undergoing a
$2.1 m illion m ak eo v er that w ill e n ­
com pass m any im provem ents, in ­
cluding in terpretive panels w hich
tell the history o f the park, an im p o r­
PCC Honors
Diamond Alum
Award Winner
Martina
Clemmons!
tant cen ter for the A frican -A m eri­
can com m unity.
T he interactive w ater feature w as
originally suggested by neighbors
du rin g extensive public in v o lv e­
m ent and heavily supported, o ffi­
cials said.
In the last tw o years, P ortland
C o m m is s io n e r N ic k F is h h a s
partnered w ith L egacy E m anuel on
a num ber o f p rojects including the
d o n atio n earm ark ed tow ards the
ex p an d e d an d fe n c ed c h ild re n ’s
p lay g ro u n d w ith new play eq u ip ­
m ent, new pu b lic art, flo w erin g
plants, new and m ore picnic areas
and barb eq u e grills, lighted p ath ­
w ays and bike racks.
T h e s ta irs a n d ra m p a ro u n d
D aw son P a rk ’s g azebo are being
w idened to p rovide A D A access
and m ore space for p erfo rm er-au d i­
en ce in te ra ctio n d u rin g su m m er
concerts. T he existing basketball
We ’re delighted to see yet another
successful public-private partnership
coming to fruition. The generous gift from
Legacy Emanuel will greatly add to the
amenities and improvements at Dawson
Park, and will be a neighborhood treasure
for generations to come.
- Portland Commissioner Nick Fish
fountain.
“W e ’re delighted to see yet an ­
other successful public-private part­
nership com ing to fru itio n ,” said
F ish. “T h e g en ero u s g ift from
L egacy E m anuel w ill greatly add to
the am enities and im provem ents at
D aw son Park, and w ill be a n eig h ­
b orhood treasure fo r g enerations to
com e.”
O th er features o f the park ren o ­
vation will be a large central law n, an
« a. PSU with work as an archivist, helping to
srve a collection oi documents that showcase
Portland's early African American community.
R e a d m o re a t o p p o r tu n ity .p c c .e d u
Portland
Community
court, sh elter and restroom s w ill
rem ain in place.
“ I w as b o m at Legacy E m anuel,”
said Joe N unn, a longtim e neig h b o r
and co m m u n ity activist. “ I grew up
n ear the p ark, still live here, and
dedicate m y tim e to this com m unity.
A s a kid, I w as in ch ild care at St.
M artins, w here they w ould take us
to D aw son Park three tim es a w eek.”
N eig h b o r D onny A d air said the
park “ m eant everything to u s” w hile
grow ing up in the 1950s and 1960s.
“A s toddlers w e used the sw ings
and ju n g le gym . A s w e got o ld er we
p la y e d s o ftb a ll, p in g -p o n g an d
teth erb all,” A d air said. “M y older
b ro th er even w orked several years
as p ark host, h elping us to learn arts
and crafts. It w as a safe p lace to play
from daw n till dusk under the w atch­
ful eye o f n eighbors and citizen s.”
L egacy E m an u e l’s donation was
inspired by E m an u el’s com m itm ent
to the c o m m u n ity , acco rding to Dr.
Lori M organ, the h o sp ital’s ch ief
adm inistrative officer.
“D aw son P ark is vital part o f our
neig h b o rh o o d ,” M organ said. “W e
are thrilled to co llab o rate in the im ­
p rovem ent o f this lo ng-tim e c o m ­
m unity asset. T he w ater feature w ill
provide ch ild ren and adults alike
w ith a new w ay to be active and
enjoy the p ark .”
C o n stru ctio n is ex p ected to b e ­
gin this fall.
D aw son Park is n am ed in honor
o f an E p isco p al m inister, the Rev.
John D aw son, w ho w as an a d v o ­
cate o f ch ild w elfare an d civic im ­
provem ent in the 1920s.
T he g azebo in the p ark w as built
in 1978 to show case the 120 year-
old cupola salvaged from the Hill
B lock B uilding, once a cornerstone
o f the old A lbina com m ercial district
and an inform al gathering place for
the A frican-A m erican com m unity.
Woodlawn Neighborhood Cleanup
T he W oodlaw n N eighborhood
A sso ciatio n ’s annual cleanup will
be held Saturday, M ay 25 from 9 a.m.
to 2 p.m . at 6360 N .E. M artin L uther
z /
• I • i z
I
K ing BIvd.
Fees are $ 10 and up based on size
o f load. B ring house debris, m etals,
b agged garbage, glass, w ood, sm all
I I
appliances, furniture, and reusable
items. E-w aste and tires carry a nom i­
nal ex tra fee. T he cleanup is not
lim ited to W oodlaw n residents.