An Exciting Project in Astoria!

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Mike Faha and Derek Sergison recently visited Astoria earlier this month for a series of public meetings related to the Shively Park and McClure Park Master Plans. The public meetings will help our master planning team collect community input that will lead to establishing a future vision for these parks. We are very excited to be working again in Astoria. Other recent work includes the Astoria Waterfront Visioning Plan, The Riverwalk project, and Downtown Wayfinding Plan.

Old Youngs Bay Landing Interpretive Display Project

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If you happen to be headed to the coast Presidents Day Weekend, be sure to stop at the Old Youngs Bay Landing Interpretive Display Project. GreenWorks assisted Suenn Ho, Principal at Resolve Architecture and Planning, with site planning an interpretive display near the Old Youngs Bay and Lewis and Clark bridges for the Oregon Department of Transportation. Old Youngs Bay and Lewis Clark Bridges were built by Conde B. McCullough in 1921 and 1924. Both bridges are being repaired to bring them up to code. The display consists of salvaged materials from both bridges and the rustic panels are comprised of etched historic drawings, biographical information and student poems and drawings celebrating McCullough’s craftsmanship behind the historic bridges. The interpretative display was complete in May of 2016 and is located on the western approach to the Lewis and Clark River in Astoria Oregon.

Astor Elementary Project Completed

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Last summer, we blogged about Astor Elementary School’s depaving project where a group of volunteers spent a Saturday removing 5,000 square feet of asphalt to make way for a new playground. The demolition was orchestrated by Depave (depave.org) whose mission is to assist communities in transforming their pavement lots into neighborhood greenspaces. We are very pleased to share that the new playground is now complete and includes a turf mound, group swings, tree groves, and a custom log and boulder climber. These elements were carefully designed and arranged to have a high play value and promote social play with the use of manufactured equipment and natural materials.

Children and Nature Symposium

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Ben Johnson will be taking part in two panel discussions at the Children and Nature Symposium, organized by the Intertwine Alliance. Ben will be contributing to conversations on “Rethinking Risk and Liability in Outdoor Spaces” and “Optimizing Creative Play - a New Way to Look at Playgrounds.” Event details:

Where: Oregon Zoo (4001 Southwest Canyon Road, Portland, OR 97221) in the Cascade Crest ballroom

When: Mon, Mar 13, 2017, 9:00 AM

For more info: http://www.theintertwine.org/calendar/children-nature-schools-symposium-finding-new-ways-help-our-students-thrive-0

Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/children-nature-schools-symposium-and-green-schools-tour-tickets-31112227510

GreenWorks welcomes Gini Piercy, Landscape Designer

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Gini has a Masters of Landscape Architecture degree from the University of Oregon and a Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Visual Arts from the University of Washington. After receiving her masters, Gini taught several courses at the University Of Oregon Department Of Landscape Architecture, including a course based on her Masters Project, applying contemporary drawing concepts and teaching methods to a landscape architecture curriculum in order to develop a comfort and confidence with the act of drawing in the design process. Gini’s appreciation of sensitive design and place identity stems from growing up on Ebey’s Landing National Historic Reserve, Whidbey Island. She credits this for leading her to work with cultural landscapes at the National Park Service and drawing her to GreenWorks. In her spare time Gini enjoys drawing, gardening, and exploring public lands with her boyfriend and their dog, Trooper.

Gill Williams named one of the Top Influencers in the Landscape Architecture Industry

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Gill Williams, principal at GreenWorks, has been named one of the top influencers in the Landscape Architecture industry by the web entity Fixr. The architects were chosen by nationwide industry experts based on each individuals contribution to blogs and websites, as well as awards won and landscape associates. Follow the link to see all recognized individuals and opinions on upcoming trends for the Landscape Architecture industry: https://www.fixr.com/blog/2017/02/24/top-100-influencers-in-the-landscape-architecture-and-design-industry-2017/#ic10

Ridgewood View Park Awarded for Sustainable Infrastructure

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The Tualatin Valley Water District’s (TVWD) Ridgewood View Park Reservoir and Pump Station was completed in October of 2016 (except for the lawn area, which will be roped off until spring).

You can learn more about this project at TVWD’s website: http://www.ridgewoodviewwater.org/ GreenWorks aided TVWD in replacing an outdated reservoir with a new one adjacent to Ridgewood View Park in Beaverton. The new water project required extensive piping and construction staging on the Tualatin Hills Parks and Recreation District (THPRD) park site so, in turn, TVWD needed to upgrade the amenities in Ridgewood View. GreenWorks’ proposed new park elements, including open lawn, paths, parking, picnic shelters, access to natural areas, playgrounds, and a bocce ball and tennis court on top of the reservoir. Innovative elements for the project included terraced rain gardens that treat and convey stormwater from the roof of the reservoir. The park’s new rain gardens help screen the 15’ wall of the reservoir in the park and provide an educational resource for TVWD, THPRD, and the residents of the neighborhood.

This project received the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure’s (ISI) Envision rating system’s Gold Award. Read more about the award here: http://sustainableinfrastructure.org/envision/project-awards/ridgewood-view/

Washington Park Groundbreaking

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Join Parks Commissioner Amanda Fritz, Parks Director Mike Abbaté, and Kimberly Bown, Chair of the Friends of Washington Park International Rose Test Garden, to celebrate the groundbreaking for ADA accessibility improvements at Washington Park International Rose Test Garden.

Groundbreaking Celebration:

Friday, February 24 – 1:00pm – 2:00pm (speakers at 1pm)

Meet by the Rose Garden Store, 400 SW Kingston Avenue*

Free and open to all!

*Note: Access and parking at Washington Park is limited due to Water Bureau Reservoir construction. The best access from downtown Portland is via W Burnside St to SW Tichner Drive.

Construction will begin in late February/early March and is expected to be complete by the end of May 2017. For more information about the project, please visit:

https://www.portlandoregon.gov/parks/69726

Making Improvements to Show We Care

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GreenWorks is currently reviewing our sustainable office practices and looking for ways to improve. GreenWorks has been promoting sustainable design and sustainable office practices for decades, but we like to think that sustainability is not a destination, but a journey! There’s always room for improvement. This week, we received new recycling boxes from the City of Portland’s Sustainability at Work program. Each box comes printed with a list of what can and cannot be recycled in it. This will help maximize recycling in our office. We’re definitely starting the year off right. Even our Valentine’s Day decorations, made from repurposed paper, show our efforts to keep sustainability as a core value of the firm.

Tanner Springs Park Honored as a Frontline Park

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Tanner Springs Park was named a Frontline Park by the City Park Alliance. This is a designation bestowed on park projects that demonstrate urban park excellence, innovation, and stewardship. Tanner Spring Park is currently featured on City Park Alliance’s website and can be accessed at the link below. Thanks to Portland Parks & Recreation Director Mike Abbaté and Mark Ross, Media Relations, for their help preparing the awards submittal!

http://www.cityparksalliance.org/why-urban-parks-matter/frontline-parks/parks/437