We train our lifeguards to be the best - to proactively scan the water in our pools and to make good decisions when called upon to act. In order to assess the lifeguards’ ability to be rescue ready, the Portland Parks & Recreation Aquatic Department conducts in-house audits by our full-time staff, as well as unannounced national audits by our lifeguard certifying agency.

On November 11, Portland Parks & Recreation pools received an unannounced audit by Ellis & Associates (E&A) national auditor Robin Vilander. The evaluation process is broken into three sections including a visual lifeguard surveillance, simulated emergency rescue evaluation, and an administration section evaluation. Vilander was very complimentary of the staff commenting, “All lifeguards did an excellent job in providing professionalism and rescue readiness. Overall great job today.”

This was third “exceeds” overall audit evaluation PP&R Aquatics has received for the current year.

Lifeguards that were individually audited include Kelly Beaudoin, Christopher Meigs, Katie Purrett, Martin Hahn, Matt Dannis, Michael Carr, LeeAnne Griffin, and Christine Hickman. Group scenarios included an unconscious guest simulation at Mt. Scott Pool and a spinal management simulation at Matt Dishman Pool. Vigilance Awareness Training (VAT) and airway/circulation management simulations were also conducted at Matt Dishman and Southwest Pools.

After compiling all of the information from the day long audit, Vilander issued an “exceeds” standards which is the highest score available. Congratulations to all the staff who participated in the audit process and keep up the good work!

Submitted by: Phil Lewis, District Aquatic Coordinator

Thanks to some good weather and a lot of helping hands, five new trees were planted on the North Omaha Park Blocks (6490 N Omaha) this past Saturday, November 14. Coordinating the planting were three new Neighborhood Tree Stewards from the Arbor Lodge Neighborhood: Liz Stevenson, David Taylor and Allen Wheeland.

To promote the tree planting, the Tree Stewards posted on the Arbor Lodge Neighborhood and Overlook Neighborhood Yahoo Groups and on Liz Stevenson's blog, as well as by using the traditional word of mouth.

The Omaha Park Blocks run for half a mile from North Killingsworth to North Rosa Parks Boulevard, and feature over 50 elm trees what were planted after the Columbus Day Storm in 1963. This year five elms were removed because of Dutch Elm Disease and the funds were not available to replant the trees. 

Working with North Portland tree inspector Jim Field and Larry Stevens from the Portland Bureau of Maintenance, the neighborhood selected to plant two Oregon white oaks, two Accolade elms, and a Big Leaf Maple. 

Special thanks is due Portland Parks & Recreation Urban Forestry Crew Leader Gary Hill, who was able to pick up the trees from nurseries and deliver soil to amend the planting site. 

PP&R will work with the adjoining property owners and Neighborhood Tree Steward Liz Stevenson to establish the trees over the next four years, providing the neighbors with slow drip irrigation water bags, garden hoses, and email reminders.

Submitted by: Karl Dawson, Urban Forestry Outreach Specialist

The realization of the Waud Bluff Trail in north Portland is getting closer. A short connector trail that provides access from N. Willamette Boulevard near the University of Portland to the North Basin Avenue on Swan Island, the route is a vital piece in the City’s trail system. Unfortunately, the informal trail down the bluff is in disrepair and it ends at the railroad tracks at the foot of the hill.

Now, thanks to funding from the Oregon Transportation Enhancement (TE) Program, design and construction of a formal trail and bridge over the railroad tracks will soon be underway. Even though Swan Island's bikeways, sidewalks, and off-street trails are not currently completed, this upgraded trail will make it much safer to walk or bike to Swan Island businesses, the Willamette Greenway trail, and McArthur Riverfront Park.

You can learn more about the Waud Bluff Trail project at one of two open houses scheduled tomorrow, Wednesday, November 18:

Morning Open House
11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Daimler Trucks North America
4435 N. Channel Avenue
Corp 9 Building (behind McDonalds on river side)

Evening Open House 
6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
University of Portland
5000 N. Willamette Blvd
Chiles Center, Hall of Fame Room

Portland Parks & Recreation staff and project consultants will be on hand to explain the project and answer your questions.

Submitted by: Beth Sorensen, Public Information Officer

Portland Parks & Recreation recently acquired three new properties, all located adjacent to existing park properties, including nearly a half acre that will provide Leach Botanical Garden with much-needed expansion space. The other acquisitions are adjacent to Knott Park in northeast Portland and Gates Park, a park property in outer east Portland which, though yet undeveloped, recently underwent significant enhancements to expand its recreational use.

“We are steadily moving forward with our commitment to acquire park properties east of I-205,” notes Parks Commissioner Nick Fish. “These new acquisitions will add to our existing parks, including the beautiful Leach Botanical Garden, and enable us to offer more recreational opportunities to residents in this part of our city.”

Leach Botanical Garden
Leach Botanical Garden is located in a woodland hollow carved by Johnson Creek in southeast Portland. This botanical garden specializes in preserving the original John and Lilla Leach collection, as well as introducing Northwest native plants through educational programs, conservation, and community involvement.

At less than 16 acres, the Garden has not had the room needed to expand its collection or its education programs. The acquisition of an immediately adjacent .45 acre parcel, located at 6604 SE 122nd Avenue, will provide much-needed additional space. It has not yet been determined how the new property, particularly a house situated on the lot, will be used. PP&R will work with the Leach Garden Friends to determine the best use of the house.

The purchase price for the property was $175,000, funded by a partnership which combined Park SDC (System Development Charge) acquisition funds and Portland’s share of Metro’s voter-approved 2006 natural areas bond measure funds.

Knott Park
Located at NE 117th Avenue and Knott Street, Knott Park is currently a 12.4 acre park with several features, including ball fields and disabled access play areas. To expand the park, PP&R has purchased an immediately adjacent .46 acre property at 11510 NE Knott Street. The purchase price was $170,000, funded by Parks SDC acquisition funds.

Gates Park
Gates Park is currently a 7.5-acre site, located on SE 136 Avenue between Holgate Boulevard and Mall Street, which was acquired over a period of several years in order to provide a future park in the Powellhurst Gilbert neighborhood. Starting in December 2008, several enhancements were made on the property, including the removal of invasive plants, site grading, and the installation of basic features such as soft paths, open lawn, signage, and seating areas, has made the park much more accessible for the neighborhood.

The purchase of an immediately adjacent 1.5 acre property at 13915 SE Holgate Blvd. will enable PP&R to eventually enlarge the park. There are currently two houses on the property that may be rented out in the short term, but which may need to be demolished at such time as Gates Park is more fully developed. The adjacent property was purchased for $379,000, funded by Parks SDC acquisition funds.

Submitted by: Beth Sorensen, Public Information Officer

Portlanders really love their parks and recreation services, according to the City of Portland 2009 Resident Survey. Released today by the City Auditor’s Office, the survey results indicate that 86% of residents rated Portland’s parks good or very good, and 77% felt good or very good about the City’s recreation services.

“The survey results confirm how much the public values their park system, especially in these tough economic times when more people are taking advantage of free or low cost activities close to home,” noted Parks Commissioner Nick Fish. “They recognize the vital role our parks and natural areas, as well as our community centers and recreation programs, play in the quality of life we enjoy here in Portland.”

The satisfaction levels with parks and recreation services have consistently shown a positive upward trend over time. Residents visited their neighborhood parks more often and rated the quality of their parks, including landscaping and grounds maintenance, significantly higher than five years ago.

In addition, the number of respondents rating the City’s recreation services highly continued to increase, 77% in 2009, up from 70% in 2005. “Most residents continue to feel positive about City recreation programs’ affordability, variety and quality of instruction,” according to the Survey.

East Portland
One noteworthy statistic was in park visitors in east Portland, where 26% of residents reported never visiting a neighborhood park near their home, as opposed to 12% of residents citywide who reported never visiting their neighborhood park.

“East Portland is still a parks deficient area of the city,” remarked Commissioner Fish. “The Parks 2020 Vision set a goal for every Portlander to have a neighborhood park within a half mile, or about a 10- to 15-minute walk away. We are fully committed to closing that gap, particularly in east Portland.”

He pointed out recent steps to achieve equity of parks in east Portland include the acquisition of three parks properties in outer east and northeast Portland, which was announced earlier this week, as well as the master plans for Beech Park, Clatsop Butte Park, and Parklane Park, which received the full support of the Portland City Council in March, paving the way for the future development of these three new parks.

About the report
This is the 19th year the City Auditor has conducted a survey of Portlanders, sending over 9,000 surveys to randomly selected households this past summer. Of those, 3,194 were returned, providing invaluable feedback on residents’ perceptions of the City’s progress in many areas, including public safety, transportation, public utilities, community development, and parks and recreation.

Submitted by: Beth Sorensen, Public Information Officer

The Oregon Renaissance Band leads off the second series of popular Family Friday concerts at the Community Music Center (CMC) in Southeast Portland this Friday evening, November 13 at 7:15 p.m., with “Extreme Early Instruments”. 

Family Friday concerts, a newly established series at the Center entering its second season, are short musical programs by popular local musicians designed for school-age kids and adults to enjoy music together.

The popular early music ensemble Oregon Renaissance Band will feature the smallest and the biggest, the highest and the lowest, and the rarest instruments from the 16th and 17th centuries, including the tartold, a rackett-like instrument decorated like a green and red dragon, with long spiraled brass tubes hidden inside.

What:  Oregon Renaissance Band “Extreme Early Instruments” - a family concert
Where:  Community Music Center, 3350 S. E. Francis, Portland
When:  Friday, November 13, 2009 at 7:15 p.m., ending by 8:30 p.m.
Tickets:  $5 for individuals, $15 for families, purchased at the door only

Mark your calendars now for these future Family Friday Concerts:
January 15 – New Year’s Surprise – To Be Announced!
February 12 – Portland Cello Project
March 12 – In Mulieribus
April 17 – Classical Revolution PDX
May 14 – Brandon Garbot & Friends

There’s no concert scheduled in December, as there’s already lots for families that month!

For more information, visit the CMC website or call the CMC at 503.823.3177. Community Music Center, Inc., non-profit partner with Portland Parks & Recreation, provides low-cost opportunities to learn about, enjoy, and make music.

Submitted by: Gregory Dubay, Community Music Center

Quick! Get your hands on a copy of the new 2009 Willamette Week Give!Guide (G!G), the weekly newspaper’s annual fundraising effort for area non-profits. Just out on newsstands today, Wednesday, November 11, the issue highlights several worthy non-profit programs, including GRUNT (Greenspaces Restoration and Urban Naturalist Team), part of PP&R’s Environmental Education program.

The G!G program runs through November and December, providing an easy way for you to support this valuable teen natural resources employment program through your donation. Or give the gift of giving and make a donation to GRUNT as your holiday gift to someone special.

Celebrating its 5th season, the G!G’s goal is to hook Willamette Week readers on philanthropy, while at the same time providing publicity to a variety of non-profits. As a bonus, Willamette Week offers all manner of rewards to donors, matched to the levels of the donations. Some incentives for donating include a free Powell’s pint glass, TriMet tickets, coffee, wine, and free admission to a special G!G show at Berbati’s Pan.

About GRUNT
In an effort to combat Portland area high schools’ alarmingly high dropout rate, GRUNT recruits teens from underserved communities to participate in an 8-week leadership and environmental science training program. Graduates are eligible for year-round paid environmental internships, and they continue working with PP&R for years. Participants learn about the plants, wildlife, and ecology of the NW and earn a paycheck while working to protect them.

The city benefits economically, culturally, and environmentally.  GRUNT is a multicultural community of learners, and teens form friendships and learn to respect people who are very different from themselves. GRUNT becomes like a family, providing a support system that helps teens succeed while developing an environmental ethic.

So help support this great program through the WW Give!Guide and get a little reward for yourself this holiday season while you’re at it! Just visit the Give!Guide for more information or to donate to GRUNT. 

Submitted by: Kelly Simpson, Environmental Education

Portland Parks & Recreation has temporarily closed a small portion of the Eastbank Esplanade near the Morrison Bridge to bicycles and pedestrians for safety purposes. The 400' section of the paved portion of the trail along the popular route that parallels the Willamette River will be closed for repairs until further notice. A simple, adjacent route is available on the cantilevered section along the same route.

The location of the closure is roughly 500 feet north of the Morrison Bridge. SE Stark Street is an east/west directional indicator of the location of the closed section.

Over the past number of weeks a short section of the paved section of trail in this area has experienced some sagging. In order to do further investigative work, and to protect the public's safety, PP&R has closed off access to this small section of trail, which parallels the grated metal section of walkway that is cantilevered out over the Willamette River.

The section is expected to be closed for at least a month as staff investigates the cause and scope of the trail failure, and determines an engineering solution that will prevent the problem from happening again in the future.
  
"We are very lucky that the section that needs to be closed has a perfectly safe alternative right next to it," said Eileen Argentina, Services Manager for PP&R.   The cantilevered section of grated metal walkway will remain open for all users during the time the parallel section of trail is closed. During the closure PP&R will investigate to determine the cause and potential solutions for the trail slumping, after which appropriate repairs will be made.
 
All users of the Eastbank Esplanade, including pedestrians, cyclists, dog walkers, runners, and others, will need to use the adjacent cantilevered section of the trail. Trail users should be cautious when using the metal grated walkway as all users, moving in both directions, will need to share this space. Additionally, trail users are encouraged to be mindful of construction vehicles and crews who will be present on the trail. 

When construction begins on repairs, crews will also be staged in the parking area underneath the Hawthorne Bridge, which is a common access point onto the Eastbank Esplanade.

Check back here for information on the closure and construction timing as it becomes available.

Submitted by: Beth Sorensen, Public Information Officer

This rainy season you will have the opportunity to participate in a pilot project to test the theory that people can have more trail access at Powell Butte Nature Park and take better care of the trails by staying off the trails when they are muddy.

In past wet seasons, Portland Parks & Recreation City Nature managed a trail closure program that closed trails when wet. The trouble was, trails were closed when rain was expected or there were only a few wet spots.
 
There were different opinions about what constitutes wet and at what point will bike tires damage trails?

PP&R City Nature listened to trail user frustrations and agreed to a one season pilot project to test the theory that trail users can take good care of a nature park and its trails using self–management on those trails.

You will see new signs posted at trailheads and trail junctions saying "Trails closed when muddy." If a trail is dry, enjoy! If a trail is muddy and you can see your tracks, please do not use it. Please do not skid, and please pass other trail users with consideration.

Thanks for taking care of Powell Butte Nature Park!

A collaborative effort with:

Northwest Trail Alliance
Portland Parks & Recreation
Friends of Powell Butte
Equestrians

Submitted by: Lynn Barlow, Natural Areas Supervisor, PP&R City Nature East

This morning, Portland City Council approved three agreements that will enable the Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation (ORHF) to move forward with plans for a new facility for the restoration and management of three historic steam locomotives.

The agreements include approval of a loan of up to $1 million to assist ORHF in the purchase of land in the OMSI district of inner Southeast Portland for the new facility, as well as a management agreement with OHRF to operate and manage the locomotives and a formal memorandum of understanding which ensures the public benefit of the locomotives.

Many people don’t know that the City even owns steam locomotives, or that they’re under the stewardship of Portland Parks & Recreation. In fact, Portland is the only city in the country that owns two operating steam locomotives, the Spokane, Portland & Seattle 700 and the Southern Pacific 4449. A third locomotive owned by the City, the Oregon Railway & Navigation 197, is currently being restored.

As an umbrella organization, the Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation serves the interests of the locomotive groups and other local rail organizations. OHRF and its member organizations have dedicated themselves for the past 30 years to the restoration and preservation of the three locomotives and to locating a permanent home for them. 

Given to the city in 1958, the three locomotives first sat in the weather at Oaks Amusement Park for decades. Starting in 1974, they each moved to the Brooklyn Roundhouse for restoration. Union Pacific Railroad, owner of the Brooklyn Yard, has development plans that specify the locomotives, equipment and roundhouse be removed by February 2012. 

New facility
ORHF will be developing the new restoration and interpretive facility near the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI). ORHF has spent the last year conducting extensive due diligence in anticipation of the property purchase. No major concerns stand in the way of the sale. The closing is set for mid-November.

When the land purchase became known, the OMSI District property owners invited ORHF to join their group. These property owners in the area surrounding the OMSI help coordinate their future plans in conjunction with a master plan OMSI is developing. The plan envisions a pedestrian plaza that connects area tourist attractions with proposed retail and educational facilities. A major transit center will connect the district to the rest of the metropolitan area. Stations for the future Milwaukie-Portland Light Rail line, the Eastside Streetcar, stops for bus lines, and a proposed parking garage will all converge in the middle of the district. With the addition of the ORHF restoration facility, the district will represent over 100 years of rail travel.

These agreements are an exciting opportunity to move the City closer to having a rail heritage museum in the industrial corridor, a move which will also provide a economic boost to the eastside industrial area.

Submitted by: Beth Sorensen, Public Information Officer