The City of Oregon City Department of Community Services is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a grant in the amount of $253,900 from the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) to fund the construction of Canemah Neighborhood Park.

Oregon City, in partnership with Metro, awarded an Oregon Parks & Recreation Department Local Government Grant in the amount of $253,900 for Canemah Neighborhood Park

July 19, 2010
Contact: Scott Archer, Community Services Department Director

The City of Oregon City Department of Community Services is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a grant in the amount of $253,900 from the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) to fund the construction of Canemah Neighborhood Park. These funds are awarded through the OPRD Local Government Grant Program; a competitive grant process, which utilizes Measure 66 dedicated lottery funds for parks and recreation purposes in local communities throughout Oregon. The City will also provide a local match in same amount of the grant, for a total project of $507,800. The City of Oregon City, with significant support and cooperation from Metro, applied for this grant earlier this year. Metro owns the “Canemah Bluff” property, a significant natural area adjacent to the Canemah Neighborhood Park.

Canemah Neighborhood Park, also referred to as Canemah Children’s Park, is located in the City’s historic Canemah neighborhood. It has existed as a park space for over 100 years, and is in need of improvements to provide accessibility and increased recreational opportunities for the local neighborhood and the community. In addition, its location adjacent to the Metro-owned Canemah Bluff natural area provides a unique opportunity to expand the existing park use, create a gateway to the natural area, and increase public awareness of the rich cultural history and environmental significance of the site. As part of the City’s Parks and Recreation Master Plan, Oregon City residents expressed a strong desire to expand existing parks, increase accessibility, and preserve and allow access to natural areas. To address this issue, the City engaged in a Canemah Neighborhood Park master planning effort which resulted in a partnership with Metro and the approved design.

The new park will combine the existing Canemah Children’s Park, the Paquet Street right-of-way, and a 1-acre parcel of the adjacent 38-acre Metro owned natural area into a new neighborhood park. Specific improvements to the park site will include new parking, new pathways and a trail which connect to the adjacent Metro property, new site furnishings, a new overlook area, new playground equipment, a new full-sized basketball court, expanded open lawn area, new interpretive signage, new picnic areas, invasive species removal and native plantings. All of these new amenities and improvements will be ADA compliant, greatly improving the accessibility of the park.

This OPRD grant provides the City the opportunity to make an important step toward combining expanded recreational opportunities with regionally significant environmental educational opportunities. The City will be leveraging the grant funds with community volunteer efforts for invasive species removal and native replanting. These volunteer efforts will be coordinated through Metro, which has a proven track record of successful community education and natural resource preservation. With park improvements, the Canemah Neighborhood Park and adjacent Canemah Bluff will be a part of the Intertwine, an ever-growing network of integrated parks, trails and natural areas that provide unparalleled opportunities to preserve natural areas, open spaces, water and wildlife habitat and give residents greater access to the outdoors.

The City plans to complete these park improvements over the next year, with the new park opening anticipated by late summer or early fall of 2011. Questions regarding this information may be directed to Scott Archer, Community Services Director at sarcher@orcity.org or (503) 496-1546.