Portland Parks & Recreation News

[PhillyPDX]

Originally Posted by maccoinnich

Without looking into it, I'm guessing a large percentage of Parks's budget comes from non-discretionary sources, including SDCs, the Parks levy, etc.

Which I guess is ok, but how could $600m not be enough? Philly has underfunded parks to be sure, but its parks budget is only $75m. In a city over 2x the population.

I’d be curious to see how $600m is spent annually, and why that amount might need to have a new tax levy double the current one (per wweek article), and that’s stated to be even before deferred maintenance is considered.

If $600m is not even for maintenance, where the heck is that much money spent?

[Jakz]

Originally Posted by PhillyPDX

I’m hoping someone can see where my numbers aren’t adding up.

Article today the Portland parks has a major funding issue:

https://www.wweek.com/news/2025/01/22/th...d-major-cuts-will-the-city-council-bite/

And then per Portland website, it shows PP&R getting $84m from discretionary budget:

https://www.portland.gov/budget/2024-2025-budget/documents/fy-2024-25-proposed-budget/download

But then, in the detailed 24-25 city budget (pg 9 of link below), it looks like PP&R got a whopping $600m budget. Where am I missing the disconnect here? Where is that $600m going?

https://www.portland.gov/budget/2024-2025-budget/documents/fy-2024-25-proposed-budget/download

That's wild. Looks like $200 million of the parks budget is in the "Parks Capital Improvement Program Fund," with 70% of that amount under "Contingency".

I'm sure it's more complicated than this, but at face value it seems the maintenance backlog could be fixed by using the contingency fund for those projects over four years.

I agree something seems off here. Might be worth seeing if WW wants to investigate.

[PhillyPDX]

Originally Posted by Jakz

That's wild. Looks like $200 million of the parks budget is in the "Parks Capital Improvement Program Fund," with 70% of that amount under "Contingency".

I'm sure it's more complicated than this, but at face value it seems the maintenance backlog could be fixed by using the contingency fund for those projects over four years.

I agree something seems off here. Might be worth seeing if WW wants to investigate.

Could be some of what Nick Fish was warning about a few years ago.

https://www.wweek.com/news/2023/07/12/po...s-as-it-fails-to-maintain-existing-ones/

[ThatDarnSacramentan]

Originally Posted by PhillyPDX

Which I guess is ok, but how could $600m not be enough? Philly has underfunded parks to be sure, but its parks budget is only $75m. In a city over 2x the population.

I’d be curious to see how $600m is spent annually, and why that amount might need to have a new tax levy double the current one (per wweek article), and that’s stated to be even before deferred maintenance is considered.

If $600m is not even for maintenance, where the heck is that much money spent?

Not that I'm tacitly agreeing or disagreeing with the Parks Bureau budget, but I'm hard pressed right now to think of other cities around Portland's size that have something like Forest Park. I feel like that on its own could command a decent budget. As always, though, I could be wrong.

[downtownpdx]

I’ve always supported parks levies as do most Portlanders. But in light of the recent tax discussions, I hate to think we’re possibly swallowing another increase. I love our parks and there is actually a great new one opening across the street from my house in a couple months (Parklane, expanding from 5 a 25 acres). Isn’t some of parks funding from development fees? If so that might explain part of the shortfall, since development has slowed recently.

[stan]

I’ve lived in NYC, Miami, and Nashville and Portland’s park system is next level. Most cities would be lucky to have a Mount Tabor Park, while we have access to Forest Park, Powell Butte, and Oaks Bottoms as well as a pretty robust network of smaller parks. This doesn’t even count non Portland Parks such as Smith and Bybee /Tryon Creek. I think there’s a valid broader conversation on how we fund things that matter (roads, parks, and other core services) and the increasing trend of having funding mechanisms that can only be spent on certain things (and build up large unspent reserves)while core assets/services deteriorate.

Park SDCs are only supposed to be used for capital improvement projects, which includes capacity increasing improvements like what’s happened at several parks recently like Parklane, Luuwit View, and Mill Park. Can’t use them for routine maintenance and probably most deferred maintenance that don’t add capacity to the park system.

My favorite recent park improvement is Errol Heights, which includes a pretty unique natural area, in deep SE that was primarily funded through $12 million from SDCs. The parks investment also was part of a related improvement to nearby local streets (PBOT project) that paved several local streets and added sidewalks.

[babs]

Originally Posted by ThatDarnSacramentan

Not that I'm tacitly agreeing or disagreeing with the Parks Bureau budget, but I'm hard pressed right now to think of other cities around Portland's size that have something like Forest Park. I feel like that on its own could command a decent budget. As always, though, I could be wrong.

Forest Park is somewhat of an exception. The Parks bureau has essentially handed over management of the park to the Forest Park Conservancy, who does fundraising to maintain the park. I think there was a realization years ago that the city didn't have the resources to properly manage this asset so a different approach was taken for the community to take over. The FPC has done a great job.

[PhillyPDX]

Originally Posted by stan

I’ve lived in NYC, Miami, and Nashville and Portland’s park system is next level. Most cities would be lucky to have a Mount Tabor Park, while we have access to Forest Park, Powell Butte, and Oaks Bottoms as well as a pretty robust network of smaller parks. This doesn’t even count non Portland Parks such as Smith and Bybee /Tryon Creek. I think there’s a valid broader conversation on how we fund things that matter (roads, parks, and other core services) and the increasing trend of having funding mechanisms that can only be spent on certain things (and build up large unspent reserves)while core assets/services deteriorate.

Park SDCs are only supposed to be used for capital improvement projects, which includes capacity increasing improvements like what’s happened at several parks recently like Parklane, Luuwit View, and Mill Park. Can’t use them for routine maintenance and probably most deferred maintenance that don’t add capacity to the park system.

My favorite recent park improvement is Errol Heights, which includes a pretty unique natural area, in deep SE that was primarily funded through $12 million from SDCs. The parks investment also was part of a related improvement to nearby local streets (PBOT project) that paved several local streets and added sidewalks.

The parks are nice, and mostly exceptionally maintained (my kids play baseball at Irving park, I swear they mow that more than once a week. Nice…but maybe excessive). But at the same time, making sure money is spent well is important too. It’s nearly impossible to get my kids into swim lessons at Dishman, because they don’t have the lifeguards for more classes (we are told due to $$$).

The National Park Service is well funded, and is able to design nice things, and is the envy of the world. The entire NPS budget: $3.8b. So where is Portland needing $600m annually PLUS $600m for deferred maintenance? For one city?

Or another way to look at it, NPS gets $3.8b for 15,000 FTE = $253k/FTE. Portland parks gets $600m for 700 FTE = $857k/FTE. Maybe NPS construction is appropriated separately from NPS, I don’t know. That’s a huge difference in funding/FTE though.

Maybe my math is wrong, my data inputs are wrong, or I’m looking at it incorrectly.

[maccoinnich]

North Park Blocks Extension open house #3 is at PNCA on Thursday, February 13th. They'll be showing the final design, which I understand will be a refined version of the Option B shown at open house #2.

[maccoinnich]

UPDATE: 2/12/25 - The North Park Blocks Open House will be postponed to Wednesday, March 12, 2025, due to the winter weather forecast for February 13, 2025.

[maccoinnich]

Presentations to the City Council Arts and Economy Committee on the Steel Bridge Skatepark [PDF] and Darcelle XV plaza [PDF].

• Video Link

[maccoinnich]

Originally Posted by maccoinnich

UPDATE: 2/12/25 - The North Park Blocks Open House will be postponed to Wednesday, March 12, 2025, due to the winter weather forecast for February 13, 2025.

This is tonight. No updated materials on the project website yet though.

[maccoinnich]

Open house design boards [PDF - 92MB] and survey for the North Park Blocks extension.

[uncommon.name]

Steel Bridge Skatepark project moves forward after land swap

By Austin De Dios | The Oregonian/OregonLive

Downtown Portland is one step closer to hosting half-pipe runs after city councilors greenlit a land transfer needed to move forward on the much-anticipated Steel Bridge Skatepark.

Portland City Council unanimously approved a land swap with the Oregon Department of Transportation on Thursday, giving the city the real estate in Old Town to launch on the long-planned project.

The future park is set to fill 35,000 square feet at the base of the Steel Bridge, replacing sloped, grassy terrain with rails, half pipes, spectator seating and fiber-glass roof panels. The roof will be equipped with solar panels to power the park’s lighting, concepts show.

Portland officials traded a chunk of property at Interstate 405 and Southwest Naito Parkway for portions of land the state’s transportation department holds between Northwest Naito Parkway, 1st Avenue and Everett Street, according to the city’s ordinance.

Read more at Oregonlive...

[downtownpdx]

I live across the street, it's really a great addition to the neighborhood.

After 5 years, SE Portland park unveils nearly $30 million expansion

Screen Shot 2025-05-12 at 6.10.25 PM by Ryan Miller, on Flickr
Published: May. 10, 2025, 4:24 p.m.
By Tatum Todd | The Oregonian/OregonLive

A new park expansion has a lot for Portlanders in time for spring and summer: a splash pad, basketball and tennis courts, a skatepark and a playground.

Even that’s not everything that came with the $29.7 million project, which saw Southeast Portland’s Parklane Park expand from five acres to 25 acres. After more than five years of design and construction, the additions to Parklane Park are now open to the public.

“The expanded Parklane Park is a community centerpiece,” Portland Parks & Recreation Director Adena Long said in a news release. “It helps address the significant lack of parks, open spaces and recreation in the Centennial neighborhood.”
...

With the expansion complete, Parklane is now Portland’s largest developed park east of Interstate 205, serving more than 2,800 nearby homes, according to the bureau.

continues - https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2025...unveils-nearly-30-million-expansion.html

[maccoinnich]

Design firms named for $92M North Portland aquatic center



Scott Edwards Architecture and Perkins & Will are teaming up to design the North Portland Aquatic Center.

The project would deliver a state-of-the-art, inclusive indoor aquatic facility to a 10-acre site at the Northgate Park in North Portland. The project has been in planning since April 2021 with city and state funding being raised for the facility.

The project is in the design phase with construction expected to begin in 2027, according to city spokesperson Mark Ross.

The new facility will have two pools, a public pavilion, splash pad, community plaza and a parking area. The project is expected to cost $91.5 million.

...continues at the Portland Business Journal ($).

[colossalorder]

Washington Park reservoir reopens June 14. Looks like they did a beautiful job. Leave the swimsuit at home!

https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/w...283-282f946c-1f50-4134-80c3-48c8f7c3f4c8

[maccoinnich]

North Parks Blocks Extension on the Design Commission agenda for 1/8. Here are the drawings [8 MB].

[maccoinnich]

There's still no Slabtown Park
Where did the money go? Neighbors had no clue.



For more than a decade, the city promised to build a park at Northwest 20th and Pettygrove.

Yet a “fenced-off pile of dirt” and no timetable to begin construction is all Northwest District Association President Todd Zarnitz sees.

Worse, Portland Parks & Recreation finally admitted—after years of assurances that progress was near—that there is no money for the project and no commitment to find it. That contradicts years of bureau updates affirming that the project was funded and a project manager hired.

Zarnitz dug into public documents recently and made what he called “a stunning discovery.” The Central City Parks System Development Fund—the primary source of the park’s funding—was indeed dry. But the money hadn’t gone to nearby infrastructure mitigating the impact of growth, as state and local law requires.

...continues at the NW Examiner.