Park News October 2021

October 2, 2021   Community, Parks, The Nature of Cedar Mill

Commonwealth Lake Park improvements need your support

Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District is putting together grant funding requests to support replacement of the weir that helps regulate the height of Commonwealth Lake and the multi-modal bridge that spans it. 

The loop trail around the lake sees more than 125,000 users in an average year! This project would retain the capacity to manage water levels in the lake as needed and would improve accessibility of the loop trail around the lake by widening the bridge, using more slip-resistant surfaces, and repaving sections of asphalt leading up to the bridge that could create mobility hazards.

THPRD has asked CPO 1 to support the project, and we’ll be voting at our October 12 meeting to send a letter. But they can use community support as well! To learn the best way to express your approval for the project, contact Cindy Dauer, THPRD Grant Specialist, at 503-619-6752 or c.dauer@thprd.org.

THPRD hosts their fourth Talking Walls event

Saturday, October 23, 11 am-2 pm. Howard M. Terpenning Complex, 15707 SW Walker Rd. To RSVP, please email l.ballesteros@thprd.org. Free.

Join seven amazing Latinx artists, alongside THPRD, Color Outside the Lines, and the Five Oaks Museum for a day of mural making, art and conversation. The theme for this event is Belonging, and supporting themes include community, resilience, youth, presence and home.

This event is intended to unite local youth and explore socially relevance in all forms of expression. Space at this event is limited. Youth in attendance will receive a bag filled with art supplies and other creative items. Lunch is provided, and all activities are held in compliance with COVID-19 measures. For more details of past events go visit Talking Walls.

Volunteer to improve our parks

Bring your family and participate in keeping our natural areas healthy and clean by joining one or more of these events! Please bring a reusable water bottle to drink from during each session. Tools and gloves will be provided; no gardening experience is necessary.
Register here for the event you want to join. Visit this page to see restoration projects in other area parks. 

Jackie Husen and Jordan Park

Saturday, October 23, 9-11:30 am , 10955 NW Reeves

Help us remove Himalayan blackberry from the natural areas of Jackie Husen Park and Jordan Woods! Please bring a reusable water bottle to drink from throughout the day. Tools and gloves will be provided. 

The Bluffs Park

Saturday, October 30, 9-11:30 pm, 11945 NW South Dr.

Help us remove English ivy from the natural areas of The Bluffs Park! Please bring a reusable water bottle to drink from throughout the day. Tools and gloves will be provided.

Community Garden Work Party at Bethany Lake Park

Saturday, October 30, 9-11:30 am, Bethany Lake Park, 5061 NW 185th Avenue

Help us spruce up the Community Garden at Bethany Lake Park! Volunteers will help weed and mulch, as needed. 

High honors for THPRD’s visioning process

Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District (THPRD) was honored to announce that the district’s visioning process was selected for two national awards from IAP2: the Public Involvement Project of the Year and the Core Values Award for Respect for Diversity, Inclusion, and Culture. The International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) is an international federation of public involvement professionals working in 26 countries to advance best practices in public participation in government decision making.

Judges included professionals in public involvement from throughout the U.S. According to judging comments, it recognized THPRD for an “inclusive, whole-community approach” that “sets a standard for 21st Century participation.” As the winning project from the United States, THPRD will now advance to international competition.

Board President Tya Ping said that THPRD is “honored and humbled” to have received both awards and recognized the efforts of our visioning volunteers and staff, especially for exhibiting racial equity values by “leading with intentionality to connect with underserved and BIPOC communities.” The 13 volunteers from the district’s Visioning Task Force began in the summer of 2019 by spending five months on intense community engagement to help identify public priorities and to set the stage for the district’s future planning efforts. These efforts included speaking with people, collecting ideas, participating in engagement events, engaging with youth, engaging with underserved populations through language support, and using focus groups with community-based organizations.

The Vision Action Plan was adopted by the THPRD Board of Directors in September 2020. To learn more about the district’s visioning process, visit the website or watch a short video.