Portland approves $2.6 million in settlements over park and pool incidents; parks bureau replaced hundreds of light poles

Portland City Council approved two ordinances on Wednesday resolving lawsuits tied to Portland Parks and Recreation incidents: a $942,600 settlement in a hammock‑related light pole collapse at Irving Park and a $1,660,400 settlement in a drowning at a city pool.

On the hammock incident, city attorneys told the council the pole to which a hammock had been tied failed and fell onto a child and an adult on June 23, 2022. The Parks Bureau contracted KPFF Inc. to conduct a structural analysis; KPFF found inadequate tie‑wire diameter, misaligned base hairpins and corrosion among potential failure causes and recommended immediate removal of poles with the same anchoring design. Parks inspected over 1,000 similar poles and removed about 300 of the same anchoring design, the bureau said.

City attorneys recommended approval of a $782,600 settlement for the claims by EF (a minor) and Daniela Araujo, and a $160,000 settlement for claims by Eva Levin. During council discussion, Councilor Kunal praised Parks for proactively inspecting and replacing poles and asked about enforcement of a rule that prohibits hanging hammocks in parks; Parks staff said the rule exists in Title 20, is posted in some parks and park rangers may enforce it but are not always present.

The council approved the ordinance on a recorded vote of 12 ayes.

Separately, the council approved a $1,660,400 settlement to resolve a wrongful death claim filed by the estate of M.A., a minor who drowned at a city pool in August 2023. Ryan Bailey, deputy city attorney and legal counsel on the matter, said city attorneys, risk management and parks reviewed the facts and exposures and recommended settlement. Councilors expressed sympathy for the family; there was no public testimony in either item. The drowning settlement also passed on a recorded vote of 12 ayes.

Parks officials said the hammock pole incident prompted a citywide safety response: inspection of poles in parks and replacement of those with the same anchoring design. Councilors noted the combined settlement amounts in the context of budget pressures and asked staff how many park rangers could be funded with the settlement money; Parks staff estimated a fully‑loaded park ranger salary would be about $133,000, and councilors noted the settlements roughly equated to the cost of several ranger positions.

The council adopted both ordinances after brief presentations by the city attorney’s office and Parks staff and without public testimony.