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Sunrise Park community garden: Parks staff to provide interim support while seeking alternate manager
Summary
Parks staff told the Parks Advisory Committee they will deliver mulch and provide interim support for the Sunrise Park community garden after the volunteer manager became unreachable; committee discussed adding backup contacts, a gardeners’ contact opt-in and limits on power-tool use for liability reasons.
Troutdale — Parks staff told the Parks Advisory Committee on Feb. 18 that the Sunrise Park Community Garden will receive interim support this spring while staff seeks an alternate or backup garden manager.
Jonah Jacobson said the garden has relied on long-term volunteer manager Michael Gray, but staff has recently been unable to reach him. Jacobson said the volunteer role is “essential” and that he plans to meet with gardeners and try to recruit a backup manager. The department will deliver mulch to the garden next Monday, he said, and will fill a limited, interim support role so that planting season is not delayed.
Committee members raised several operational concerns: who serves as the gardeners’ point of contact (the current signatory listed on gardeners’ paperwork was identified as Pepper Ann McAllister), whether gardeners may use power tools (Jacobson said no, citing liability), and whether plot holders should be given the option to share contact information with other gardeners. One committee member said plots are small (referred to during the meeting as roughly 9 by 4 feet), reinforcing the staff decision to prohibit general public power-tool use.
Tiffany, the committee chair, and other members recommended adding backup contact phone numbers to the gardeners’ paperwork and including a checkbox so gardeners can opt in to share names and contact numbers with other plot holders. Jacobson said he will not immediately remove Michael’s contact from the sign-up sheet but will add backup contacts (including his) and follow up with Pepper Ann and with gardeners on the information‑sharing checkbox.
Jacobson also said staff is prepared to help with volunteer onboarding paperwork; Molly King (the city’s volunteer coordinator, referenced during discussion) handles the formal volunteer approval process and will pass approved volunteers to parks staff for instructions. The committee asked staff to return in March with further updates on manager arrangements and any contract changes.
