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Troutdale parks committee lays out 2026–27 capital priorities; staff seeks grants and community help
Summary
Committee provided input on the parks capital list and the 2026–27 budget, backing grant-seeking for Helen Althouse trails, discussing a $100,000 prefab restroom proposal at Sharon Nesbitt Park, surfacing needs at Imagination Station (previous estimate ~$200,000), skate‑park siting, equipment storage design costs, and a proposal for a city park ranger.
Troutdale Parks Advisory Committee members spent the meeting reviewing capital requests and offering priorities for the 2026–27 parks budget, emphasizing liability-driven repairs and grant-backed projects while exploring low-cost community art and volunteer options.
Parks staff told the committee they must submit proposed budget worksheets imminently and asked members to identify high-priority projects from the parks master plan and CIP. Staff recapped several items: Imagination Station surface rehabilitation (previous quotes in the neighborhood of $200,000; last year’s budget was reduced to $50,000), a proposed $100,000 prefabricated restroom for Sharon Nesbitt Park (a Portland Loo–style unit; staff said a porta‑potty rental plan exists as a contingency), and a Metro Nature in Neighborhoods pre-application for Helen Althouse Park focused on trail rehabilitation, invasive-plant removal and forest-floor restoration. The staff member said the Metro grant would likely fund up to two-thirds of a project and that roughly $50,000 in local match might leverage a $150,000 total project if the pre-application is successful.
Operational and facility proposals included a $990,000 parks share allocated to the equipment dry-storage design (parks’ share of a countywide/public-works project) and $35,000 for a material staging/processing station (parks proportion). For Beavercreek Canyon, staff reported in‑house replacement of about one-third of the boardwalk and proposed a $40,000 recurring allocation for trail work with volunteer partners such as Trailkeepers of Oregon.
Committee members widely supported community-led, lower-cost arts options (student murals, utility-box painting, volunteer mural events) and discussed skate-park options: a full skate park remains a long-term master-plan item but members proposed micro parks and repurposing underused fenced tennis courts as interim, low-cost solutions. Several members expressed concern about safety and parking at one previously proposed skate-park site.
Security and staffing also drew attention. Staff said contracted park-security services cost roughly $50,000 per year with a recent $10,000 rate increase; multiple members advocated for a permanent city park ranger position that would combine maintenance, outreach and limited enforcement functions and argued such a role would improve community relations compared with contracted officers.
No formal budget votes were taken; staff will submit the proposed worksheets to the budget committee and members were encouraged to attend the April budget hearings to advocate for priorities. Staff also listed follow-up items (community garden, skate‑park presenters and a Historic Landmarks referral) for the next meeting.
