City may want more ‘green’ for parks upkeep

PORTLAND, Ore. - Portland has some of the best parks around and city officials said they may need more money from taxpayers to keep them that way.

Officials at the Portland Parks and Recreation Department said they are considering putting a bond measure before voters in November. They say the city’s parks are on the verge of being “loved to death”.

About 95 percent of Portlanders go to at least one every year, which is 6.5 million visits. That kind of use by visitors is evident from corroded pipes and roofs with holes in them - some that are covered with tarps.

At the Lovejoy Fountain downtown a wooden makeshift support holds up an awning. In Southeast Portland, playground equipment is 30 or 40 years old, and the community music center needs seismic upgrades to be safe.

Wading pools the state ordered to be shut down, because health codes don’t allow standing water, will sit empty this summer unless the city converts them to splash pads.

They’re “not cheap, a couple hundred thousand dollars each, but we think it’s money well spent given how many kids use these (wading pools),” said Chris Dearth, the bond coordinator.

Zari Santner, executive director of Portland Parks and Recreation said park projects will create local jobs. “And that’s what Portland needs right now,” she said.

According to city figures, it will cost the average household about $8 a month. It could be a tough sell to voters because of high unemployment, the city plans to double water bills, and taxpayers will also be paying for a zoo bond voters passed last year.

Parks department officials said it is talking with neighborhood groups to find out what should be fixed and how it will be paid for. They said public input will help them decide if a bond measure is the way to go.