Graham Oaks Nature Park Grand Opening

Join GreenWorks and METRO this Saturday in Wilsonville for the grand opening of Graham Oaks Nature Park.  GreenWorks will be there to celebrate the park's grand opening where METRO will lead tours, a dedication ceremony, showcase student artwork, and highlight the park's history.  Hope to see you there!   For more information visit:

http://www.oregonmetro.gov/index.cfm/go/by.web/id=10365/level=4

http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2010/09/post_19.html

APWA 2010 Fall Conference - Pendleton, OR

The Oregon Chapter of the American Public Works Association is hosting their Annual Fall Conference in Pendleton, Oregon.  The city of Pendleton is expected to complete over $35 million in public works projects between 2010 and 2011, and are excited to show off all their hard work.  The conference begins Tuesday, October 12^th, and lasts through Friday, October 13^th. On Wednesday, October 13^th, GreenWorks will be hosting a streetscape design workshop at the conference.  The workshop will include a tour of some recently completed projects in Pendleton.  GreenWorks led the design and development of construction documents for these new improvements.  The projects include a new gateway entrance landscaping in front of the Pendleton Convention Center, new frontage improvements for the Round-Up Grounds, new Centennial Plaza for Round-Up Grounds and Roy Raley Park, and the new Riverfront Park along SW Court Avenue.

Also during the conference, GreenWorks will present on an innovative green street inventory process recently completed for the City of Portland Columbia Slough Watershed Group.

Join us for a great conference in Pendleton, OR!  Get 'er Done

Silver Falls State Park Natural Play Area

Have you ever wanted to nap like a cougar, climb into an ant hill, build a birds nest or dig for insects like a bear? In the coming year you may be able to do all these things and more in the animal themed interpretive,  natural play area at Silver Falls State Park. GreenWorks has begun work on phase one of the interpretive natural play area at the Park. The idea grew out of the Oregon Parks and Recreation ‘Stepping Stones’ program with the goal to get kids outside and connected with nature.  A 2009 series of workshops with educators, OPRD staff, designers and of course kids, developed themes, ideas and concepts using the Stepping Stones methodology.

The Silver Falls Play area will be animal themed. The young and young at heart can explore a series of play areas situated in a fir and fern wonderland. The first phase of construction will include bear, ant, cougar and bird themed areas. Below are schematic site plans of some of the areas, as well as sketches developed in the design workshops last year. Keep your wild ears open for further design and construction news.

Have a wildly fun and safe Labor Day Weekend.

Oregon City Green Street Construction Nearing Completion

As part of the realignment of Warner-Milne Road at the Molalla Avenue intersection, the City of Oregon City hired a team with GreenWorks to design a rain garden in a vacated portion of the right-of-way that will treat stormwater runoff from the adjacent heavily-travelled roadways. A series of large serpentine Corten steel fins meander through the site, articulating the stormwater channel and creating a striking contrast to the lush rain garden plantings. The first of its kind in Oregon, this rain garden incorporates prominent sculptural elements that highlight the City's committment to sustainability.

The project also consists of various streetscape improvements including new street trees, decorative tree and trench grating, and permeable concrete sidewalks.

Anderson Road Green Street Construction Nearing Completion

Construction on the Anderson Road Green Street project in Damascus, Oregon is progressing and nearing completion. This photo shows plants being installed in three of the six stormwater planters that are part of the project.

Graham Oaks Nature Park is Under Construction

Graham Oaks is Metro’s new regional park and includes an important piece of the Tonquin Regional Trail. (Metro is the Portland, Oregon area regional government including Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington Counties). This 250-acre nature park situated on the western edge of the urban growth boundary (UGB) in Wilsonville, hosts an amazing variety of habitats both existing and restored. Over 150,000 trees and shrubs were planted in the restoration effort.

Construction is full speed ahead as the regional trail piece is installed, plazas are completed and artistic additions are coordinated. Soon you will be able to enjoy expansive views, walk through the forest, sit in the shade of the signature oak tree and spot birds in the wetland. GreenWorks completed schematic design, construction documents and is providing construction administration.

Be on the lookout for a grand opening in September and be ready to enjoy all the site has to offer!

City of Dundee Selects Design for New Wastewater Treatment Plant Nature Park

Located within the city limits of Dundee, OR, the Dundee Parks and Open Space Plan identified a portion of the new wastewater treatment plant site to become a city-owned natural park. About 40 acres in size, this site has a strategic location along the Willamette River, offering potential for public use and recreation. GreenWorks established a park concept plan along the northern and eastern edges of the property while incorporating three zone designations:

Zone 1: Habitat – a zone dedicated to the Western Pond and Western Painted Turtles

Zone 2: Treatment – a zone committed to the development of the new waste water treatment plant

Zone 3: Recreation – a zone designed for public use / recreation

GreenWorks created three concept alternatives that focused on the public recreation zone, while aligning with the goals and objectives of the two adjacent zones: habitat and treatment. Based on the three concept alternatives and supporting precedent imagery, The Park’s Advisory Committee defined a program and established key elements for a preferred alternative. Some of the key elements include: protecting and restoring recognized priority habitats such as wetlands, riparian forest and shrublands, and Western Oregon oak woodland and oak savannah, and establishing a small area in the northwest corner of the site that provides access for passive recreation, a nature-based play area/playground, and the interpretation of environmental, cultural, and historical values associated with the site.

GreenWorks presented the preferred alternative to Dundee City Council. The concept was accepted in July.

UO Design Camp Wraps Up Week 1 with a Focus on Landscape Architecture

Week One wrapped up with more design foundations and a focus on the field of Landscape Architecture. Claire and the other instructors lead campers on a walking tour of Portland. Along the way, the students were divided into teams and tasked with creating performance installations at different sites based on water-themed words such as meander, rush, and babble. Check out the UO Design Camp blog for more details about the day’s events.

http://uodesigncamp.wordpress.com/2010/07/30/day-four-july-30th/

The Dalles Riverfront Connections Pushes Forward

GreenWorks, working closely with KPFF and Nathan Good Architects, was charged with developing a festival area located on a swath of land in between I-84 and the Union Pacific Railroad on the edge of The Dalles' city limits. Comparable in size to approximately three Portland city blocks, this design incorporates a parking lot accommodating 60-65 vehicles, and a covered picnic pavilion, buttressed by restroom and picnic facilities. This focal point forms a strong presence to Union Street as well as a stage to the "great" lawn in which events could be held. A public art feature is proposed to be located on axis with Court Street. All of these elements combined, help to establish a strong connection with the historic downtown to the Columbia River, enhancing community identity, and encouraging economic development.

The Federal Economic Development Administration recently awarded the City of the Dalles a $2 million grant toward a new marine terminal that will complement this project and boost the city's economic growth.  For more on the grant and the current riverfront improvements in The Dalles visit: http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2010/06/new_marine_terminal_in_the_dal.html

The project is pushing forward with gusto. The team is on track to wrap up construction documents for the commercial dock and festival area by the end of August. The project is scheduled to go out to bid on September 1, with construction starting in November.

GreenWorks Principal Contributes as LARE Master Grader

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Jim Figurski, Principal and Technical Director at GreenWorks and a former President of the Council of Landscape Architecture Boards (CLARB), just returned from Minneapolis where he served as a Master Grader for Section C (Design) of the Landscape Architecture Registration Exam (LARE). Master Graders donate nearly of week of their time reviewing criteria by which the exam is scored and training other graders in the interpretation and application of those criteria.