College Nature Park Nearing Completion

The finishing touches are going on at the College Nature Park site at the corner of Troutdale Road and Stark Road in Troutdale, Oregon. Metro purchased the site from Mt. Hood Community College and the City of Troutdale is developing it for recreation as well as preserving it for open space. This project is the first phase in the Beaver Creek Trail system that will eventually link together Mount Hood Community College, Beaver Creek Canyon, local neighborhoods and the 40-mile regional trail. The multiuse, accessible trail loop features three wetland overlooks offering unique views into the Beaver Creek wetlands below. Street improvements along Troutdale Road provide parking, access and improved green street facilities. A rustic stone wall and a curving trail fit the sites rolling topography and make this brand new development feel like it has always been there. This is another great GreenWorks project example of balanced conservation and recreation.

Oregon Department of Justice Site Improvements

The Oregon Department of Justice (DOJ) is the main legal branch of government for the State of Oregon. Its main offices are located in Salem, Oregon in a historic building built in 1929 adjacent to the state capitol building and the capitol mall grounds. GreenWorks provided new planting and irrigation design services to replace existing planting and irrigation of the DOJ building site perimeter. Much of the existing planting and irrigation piping was from the 1930’s and in need of an upgrade. Large overgrown rhododendrons were posing security concerns and the irrigation system had become a patchwork of repairs. The new planting design addresses security, provides a mixture of native and ornamental plant species, and upholds the standards of the capitol mall landscape. The new, efficient irrigation uses water saving rotor spray heads. Additional project site improvements include waterproofing the building foundation and a large electrical vault as well as resurfacing the facility parking area. These improvements follow on the heels of an extensive interior remodel completed in 2007. The client for this project is State of Oregon, Department of Administrative Services (DAS). Project design consultants include SERA (Architecture - project lead), KPFF (Civil Engineering), PAE Consulting (Electrical Engineering), Peter Meijer Architect (Historical Consultant) and Professional Roof Consultants (Waterproofing). The contractor for the project is Dalke Construction and the landscape contractor is DeSantis Landscapes.

Engelman Park: A Nature-Themed Neighborhood Park

With the high demand to incorporate nature into people’s lives in urban settings yet provide basic needs such as playgrounds and passive open space, there is a new type of park emerging: Nature-Based Neighborhood Park. Engelman Park in Wilsonville, Oregon has the elements of a traditional neighborhood park, but it feels quite different. Located in a high-density residential neighborhood, the nature-theme is a derivative of the large amount and size of the existing trees planted by the Engelman family in the 1960’s. Along with the preservation of the urban tree canopy, the design relies on vast native planting areas and an understory of forest duff, as well as nature-based playgrounds to give the sense and feel of a wild, natural environment amidst a developed neighborhood setting.

On opening day, children started their play experience at the nature-themed playground structures near the entrance of the park. After a few runs down the slide, they made their way along the crushed rock path that follows the dry-creek bed towards the play equipment in the back of the park that focus on balancing and climbing. Along the way, the kids discovered boulders and downed logs carefully placed throughout the park as landscape elements. As soon as one child strayed off the trail, others followed suit as if they never had the opportunity to see and touch a real rock or log. Next thing we knew, a two-year old was insisting the dry creek bed was their personal pathway. Why walk on plain-old concrete when you can walk on rocks?

Nature-Based Parks allow for self-discovery; children are free to roam the park and play in areas that are unlike any place they have seen or been to. Despite being quite simple looking, it was no small feat to create this feeling in a one acre park. It took thoughtful design moves to create the space, from the layout and scale of paths and gathering spaces, to planting design, to the placement of boulders and downed logs. The park was designed to represent a wilder, natural environment with an aesthetic that enables park users to feel as if they have left the City without going far from home.

GreenWorks Visits U of O Architecture Studio

GreenWorkers Dave Elkin and Jeff Boggess were invited to visit Kevin Nute’s fifth year/grad level architecture studio at the University of Oregon in Eugene on October 11th.  The class is in the first stages of a year-long design process to rethink future development of two decommissioned Titan I nuclear missile complexes built in Northern California during the Cold War era. Design challenges the students face include reuse of underground building infrastructure, removal of invasive plant species and remediation of contaminated soils and groundwater.

Dave and Jeff offered advice based on past and current bioremediation efforts (aka treatment wetlands and stormwater management), followed by an engaging round table discussion with the students and professor.

Thanks for the invite Kevin!  Good luck and keep us posted.

Nature Play Emerging at Silver Falls State Park

NATURAL PLAY SETTING Last week construction was in full force at Silver Falls State Park with a crew working on the natural play area. The Bear, Cougar, and Bird themed discovery areas are being developed with unique large log components. The North Falls Nature Play Area was designed around a 1/4 mile loop trail with 15 animal themed areas. The setting and access to natural materials will make this a fantastic project!

CONSTRUCTION AND VOLUNTEERS A four foot diameter fir tree was felled, portioned into pieces, peeled and placed in the natural play area. Half of the tree will become a crawl through 'cub den'. The other half will be hollowed out and become the 'bear cave'. Tons of rocks were arranged into a scramble so kids can climb the rocks like a Cougar would. A group of volunteers braved the rain last weekend and planted hundreds of native trees and shrubs. The play areas instantly felt more alive. The bird blind was also set and the project is one step closer to completion. Look for a grand opening announcement in June 2013.

Oregon Recreation and Park Association Annual Conference

The Oregon Recreation and Park Association (ORPA) recently held its annual conference in Medford, Oregon. GreenWorks staff members that attended included Mike Faha, Robin Craig, Michelle Mathis and Andrea Cameron. The conference offers a variety of activities including workshops, networking, and recreational opportunities. GreenWorks staff members gave presentations on two topics during the conference. Michelle Mathis presented “Ready, Set Go! Nature Play is Spreading Across Oregon” with Jerry Burgess, Capital Project Manager, Tualatin Hills Parks and Recreation District; and Mark Davison, Planning Team Leader, Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. Robin Craig presented “Parks Can Be Key to Economic Development” with Janet Bebb, Principal Regional Planner at Metro.

The Oregon Recreation and Park Association (ORPA) is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization founded in 1954 to serve members of the park and recreation profession.  Our mission is to support our members through training, professional development, legislative advocacy, information and peer-to-peer networking in order to enhance the quality of recreation and parks services.

Engelman Park Nearing Completion

Wilsonville’s next Neighborhood Park, Engelman Park, is nearing completion. Site amenities include paths, native plantings, seating areas, and nature based playgrounds which are nestled amongst a framework of large specimen trees that include Douglas Fir, Engelmann Spruce, and a lone Red Oak.  JP Contractors will be completing the construction next month for the park which will provide a central open space for the Montebello neighborhood.

The Lewis and Clark Festival Park Ribbon Cutting Ceremony and Grand Opening!

After three years of design and construction, more than 100 project partners, residents, and citizens of the community came out to celebrate the accomplishments of The City of The Dalles. Thursday, September 6th marked the dedication of the commercial dock facility and the Lewis and Clark Festival Park. The speakers at the ribbon cutting ceremony included Mayor Jim Wilcox, City Manager Nolan Young, and US Representative Greg Walden. Refreshments were served at the park following the ribbon cutting. You can enter “The Dalles” into the search function of our blog to find past entries which chronicle the construction of the park.

The Park and Dock are located on Union Street and East 1^st Street, The Dalles, Oregon. Come out and see the City’s newest gem for yourself!

Corvallis Wastewater Treatment Wetland

For the past several months, GreenWorks has been working for the City of Corvallis as part of a multi-disciplinary team led by Kennedy/Jenks Consultants to develop a schematic design for a 30-acre treatment wetland on the banks of the Willamette River directly across from the city’s downtown.   The design combines wastewater treatment using the cleansing abilities of plants and micro-organisms, with trails, overlooks, interpretive displays, and other public open space amenities.

Seven to ten million gallons of Class B wastewater will be piped every day from the nearby Corvallis Wastewater Reclamation Plant to the wetland site. At the wetland, the wastewater will be distributed into a series of emergent marsh wetlands before infiltrating through a rocky sub-layer back to the river.  During this infiltration process the primary role of the wetland is to cool the wastewater.  In order to preserve fish habitat, all Oregon municipalities discharging wastewater to natural bodies of water are required by the DEQ to adhere to certain Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) temperature limits.

On August 7^th, the design was presented to Corvallis city officials and the general public.   GreenWorks generated a series of 3D visualizations to convey the design intent where wastewater treatment and public open space intertwine.  Further sessions with city and county review boards are scheduled for the near future.

Minto Island Bicycle & Pedestrian Bridge Concept Design

The City of Salem and Salem’s Urban Renewal Agency are moving forward with plans to connect three major urban parks and more than 20 miles of trails along the Willamette River. The Minto Island Bicycle & Pedestrian Bridge is a tied-arch design spanning 600-feet over the Willamette Slough, connecting the existing path in Riverfront Park to the 900-acre Minto Brown Island Park.

GreenWorks developed a conceptual framework that integrates the bridge terminus in Riverfront Park with the existing circulation, the 30’ diameter “Eco Earth” art globe, as well as the existing park infrastructure. New terraced seatwalls provide additional park seating overlooking the Slough, and are complemented with accent plantings that help anchor the bridge terminus.

Construction could begin as early as Summer 2014. Click here for a link to the City of Salem website, which provides additional information about this exciting project.