Parks advisory board urges council to decline placement of historic tugboat Lady B in Willamette Park

The Parks and Recreation Advisory Board on March 17 presented a unanimous and strongly worded recommendation that West Linn City Council deny placement of the historic tugboat Lady B in Willamette Park.

Vicki Handy, co-chair of the advisory board, told the council the board had considered the issue multiple times (presentations and discussions in December 2022, June 2023, November 2024, and again in March 2025) and repeatedly concluded the tugboat project is not aligned with park priorities. "The board unanimously and strongly advised city council 3 times to deny the placement of the Lady Bee in Willamette Park," Handy said, emphasizing location constraints and park programming pressures.

The board raised several objective concerns: permitting complications because the site is in a flood plain; loss of limited program space in an already heavily used park; child-safety risks and "attractive nuisance" issues; significant lead-paint remediation challenges if the vessel is preserved for public display; no clear exit strategy for removal; and insufficient fundraising — advocates reported they had raised approximately $25,000 of a projected $200,000 budget. Handy said the board expects higher costs for required mitigation and ongoing maintenance, and noted the parks department’s limited staffing to manage such an asset.

Councilors thanked the board for its diligence. The mayor said staff will factor the advisory board’s analysis into upcoming work sessions and that a joint meeting between council and the parks board is likely as the city continues to evaluate the proposal. No formal council action was taken at the meeting.