Take a look, and see how – and when – this outer East Portland park will be expanded from 5 acres to 25 acres …
Here in the Centennial Community Association neighborhood, folks trek through the 20 undeveloped acres of Parklane Park, envisioning improvements to come.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
After (mostly) patiently waiting, some for decades, neighbors in the Centennial neighborhood say they’re now looking forward to the full development of their major Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) outdoor facility – Parklane Park.
>> To read about it and the Open House held earlier this year, with links back to previous articles about Parklane Park, CLICK HERE.
Neighbors come to the open-air “Reveal” event at the park, including neighbor Ron Clemenson (far right).
“We came up with our ‘dream’ park with the 2009 Parklane Park Master Plan, remarked longtime resident and neighborhood booster Ron Clemenson, as he arrived for the “Park Plan Reveal” on the property, on Saturday, July 25.
“I think this’ll be a great thing for our community. We will finally have a first-rate park, built for families and people of all ages to come and enjoy,” Clemenson told East Portland News.
Showing the plan for improvements, while welcoming guests, is Maija Spencer, PP&R Community Engagement Coordinator.
The day of the self-guided tours, PP&R Community Engagement Coordinator Maija Spencer pointed out that the event featured several stations set up under canopies, to show where many of the amenities will be installed.
“The site has quite a history, as our long-time neighbors will tell you,” Spencer commented. “20 of the 25 acres on the site have been undeveloped for decades.
“So, today, we’ve unlocked the gates, and we’re letting folks take a self-guided tour to take a look at the new design for the park,” explained Spencer. “There stations around the park allow them to see the various planned improvements as they walk through.”
As seen in this PP&R plan, nearly all the elements identified in the 2009 Master Plan have been included, except for an aquatic center – but ADA improvements have been added throughout the entire park.
“Construction will start in the summer of 2021 and will wrap up in fall 2022, thanks to funding from City of Portland System Development Charges,” Spencer said about the project.
As neighbors walked through, they were encouraged to visualize the three new soccer pitches, the space for a community garden, the skatepark, the water play area, and the lawn terraces.
Just finishing their tour of the park are neighbors Larry Haggard and Theresa Haggard.
After Theresa and Larry Haggard completed their walk, they said they were looking forward to the improvements.
“When I lived here with my parents in the late 1970s, this area was a working stone quarry,” Larry recalled. “But I was told, before that, it was a small airfield. I remember the front wedge of the park was developed in the 1990s.”
“Looking over the plans, I think it will be good,” Theresa commented.
To follow the development of Parklane Park, CLICK HERE to open its official webpage.
© 2020 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News™