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Two Cedar Mill parks get improvements this summer
By Virginia Bruce

The venerable Cedar Mill Park is getting a makeover this summer, and we’re also getting a newly-developed neighborhood park further east.

Roger Tilbury Memorial Park was acquired by the Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District (THPRD) in 2002 through two separate donations. In 2008, voters passed a Bond Measure that gave the district funds to develop and improve parks throughout the area. Tilbury was on the list to receive some of this attention, and planning began in 2012. After discussions with the neighbors, the final Master Plan was approved by THPRD’s board. The park amenities will be built in two phases, with the second phase to be funded by other means, including a grant. The budget for the current phase is about $786,000, and includes the playground and picnic areas, paved and soft-surface trails, and entrances.

Roger Tilbury Memorial Park Master Plan

“Nature Play” areas are becoming increasingly popular as park features. These can include logs, easily-climbable trees and rocks, trails through woods, and other features that encourage children to explore. There will be three small Nature Play areas in Tilbury, along with a more-traditional playground adjacent to an open grassy area and picnic tables.

The natural areas of the park will be improved, through removal of non-native plants and replanting of native shrubs and trees, in a future project conducted by the Natural Resources and Trails department.

In Phase I, access to the park will be from NW 93rd. Neighbors decided that they didn’t want a parking lot, so folks outside the immediate area will need to bike or walk to the park. When Phase II is completed, there will be another entrance from NW 94th Terrace, and a trail and bridge that will also connect to the Trillium Hollow co-housing development.

Construction is expected to begin later this month, with completion in late summer.

Cedar Mill Park is a nearly five-acre parcel just west of Cedar Mill Elementary on Cornell Road. It’s one of the older parks in the district (the current school was built in 1927). THPRD took ownership of the park in 1960, not long after the district was formed.

Renovations for the park were also included in the District’s 2008 Bond Measure, and after public meetings, discussions of numerous options, and extensive planning, including negotiations with the Beaverton School District (BSD), plans for upgrading the park were finalized in 2012.

This project includes relocated tennis courts, a play area, and a soccer field. THPRD is also renovating BSD's baseball/multi-use field, which will be administered by the district. This means that district teams will be able to schedule use of the baseball and soccer fields outside regular school times. THPRD is chronically short of ball fields, so the addition of the three fields will be welcomed by the sports communities. The ballfields at Cedar Mill Elementary School will be closed beginning the week of June 16 for construction. Completion of construction and reopening of both the park and school ballfields are anticipated for Fall 2014. The construction contract was awarded to Milroy Golf Systems, Inc. for $1,121,920.

The natural area along the west side of the park, along with the parcel acquired several years ago from the Brady family, will be improved in a future project. The trail through the Brady area will be paved as part of the current project, providing a much better way for neighbors to get to the school and park. A community garden was originally part of the Cedar Mill Park plan, but the location was not conducive to a good gardening experience. Current thinking in the district is to locate a garden on the newly-acquired property adjacent to Husen Park on Reeves St.

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