City details bridge completion, trail access and boat ramp plans; cultural reviews could delay fishing access improvements

City parks staff told the Parks & Recreation advisory committee the new pedestrian bridge structure and ornamental steel are complete but “the stuff that needs to be completed on the bridge is all asphalt work and railing” and approach paving where lookout benches will be installed. The staff speaker said the bridge’s finish was intentionally left as a sealed patina rather than painted.

Staff confirmed the bridge sits notably higher than the prior structure and does not itself provide the same fishing access. Committee members raised concerns that some longtime fishers and people with mobility limitations cannot reach the river from the bridge. The staff speaker said fishing access could be created elsewhere inside city‑owned parkland but noted multiple regulatory and permitting constraints around the Umatilla confluence area.

The city noted it had to navigate numerous permitting agencies during construction: the Army Corps of Engineers, the Department of State Lands, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), and the Oregon State Marine Board. Staff said the parkland involved was acquired with a Land and Water Conservation Fund grant; that status means federal guidelines and cultural‑resource reviews apply to changes to the site. The speaker warned that cultural‑resources work near the boat ramp and river could be expensive and time‑consuming — “six figures” for archaeological and relocation studies was cited as a possibility.

Staff updated the committee on other infrastructure: the city replaced a 12‑inch water main under the river with an 18‑inch main; the bridge ended up “about 8 feet higher” than the old structure, and the city plans additional trail connections. The committee was told Umatilla County received roughly $6.0–$6.1 million from the state legislature for a regional trail that will start at the bridge and extend toward Echo; county bids are expected next month and construction could begin in the next 2–3 years.

On the boat ramp, staff said FEMA funds will pay to replace the ramp but not a dock that would support fishing; the dock would be paid for with city cash if approved. Staff said a redesigned ramp and a small dock are being planned so boats can tie up to cleats and pedestrians can fish off a short dock, but that the Army Corps of Engineers has said some historic pier installations “should never have been put in” and leasing issues complicate replacement.

No formal committee vote was taken on fishing access, but staff asked the committee to consider whether to pursue specific access improvements and cultural‑resources budgeting during future meetings.