Salem’s R&R General Contractors, owned and supervised by Jesse Rodriguez, will build the park. The project is scheduled for completion in winter of 2013.

Portland Parks Commissioner Nick Fish and PP&R Director Mike Abbaté will speak at the event. Numerous neighbors, community, and civic leaders are expected to attend.

“We are excited to build this new urban green space, the third in a sequence of parks in the Pearl District,” said Commissioner Fish. “It’s a win-win: a new recreation area for families, and much-needed construction jobs for our community.”

Portland Parks & Recreation wants to recognize the project advisory committee members Keith Thomajin, Patricia Gardner, Lisa Hamilton, Anita Kissee-Wilder, Catherine Levi, Steve Pinger, Linda Salinsky, Jillian Smith, and Steve Young for their efforts in seeing the park through the planning process. Special thanks also go to Tiffany Sweitzer and all area neighbors and stakeholders.

Funding for The Fields park construction is made possible in part via $5,140,000 from the Portland Development Commission, and $400,000 from Portland Parks & Recreation system development charges (SDCs). SDCs are one time fees assessed for new development and property user changes. Park SDCs help ensure that Portland’s quality of life keeps pace with our growing and changing city by providing additional parks and recreation facilities needed to accommodate growth. There is no general fund money for the construction of the Fields park.

PROJECT BACKGROUND

This is the third park that was outlined in the Portland River District Park System Urban Design Framework Study (January 2001). The study included planning and design concepts for four parks within the Urban renewal Area (URA) located between NW 10 and 11 Avenues, beginning at NW Johnson. The four parks include Jamison Square (completed 2002), Tanner Springs (completed 2005), The Fields, and a potential Riverfront Park. The Fields is situated within the Hoyt Street Yards portion of the Pearl District Neighborhood Association (PDNA).

In the early 1900s, the Pearl District was a major industrial and transportation hub of Portland, with extensive rail yards, warehousing, and manufacturing facilities. In the 1950s, many industrial activities were relocated as transportation patterns shifted from water and rail to surface transit on interstate highways and air. The low rents that soon followed created spaces for artists and small businesses.

The Pearl District of today began in the early 1980s with extensive planning efforts to convert warehouses and rail yards into mixed use development. Pearl District redevelopment gained momentum in the 1990s which resulted in urban mixed use with multi-family residential buildings, offices, and a broad range of retail shops and services.

The Fields project web page: http://www.portlandonline.com/parks/index.cfm?c=44338
For more information, call 503-823-5300 or visit portlandparks.org.