Troutdale staff report tree work, sidewalk repairs and a Metro pre-application at Feb. 18 parks meeting
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Summary
City parks staff told the Parks Advisory Committee they have completed structural tree pruning, started sidewalk repairs near Llewellyn Park and submitted a Jan. 27 pre-application to Metro’s Nature in Neighborhoods grant for Hillman Authouse Park. Staff said 32 trees were planted at a recent Friends of Trees event (22 funded via IRA grant).
Troutdale — At its Feb. 18 meeting, City of Troutdale parks staff reported a string of maintenance and planning activities that they said aim to prepare parks for spring and strengthen the city’s urban-forestry program.
Jonah Jacobson, representing city public-works staff, told the Parks Advisory Committee that crews have been performing structural pruning and trimming at several parks, using a new John Deere deck mower to clear blackberry brambles and conducting brush removal in Columbia Park Woods to improve sightlines. He said crews have also taken down and are repainting weathered park entry signs and plan to install a new Sunrise Park sign later this year.
“Check that out,” Jacobson said of the volunteer planting and maintenance work. He reported that Troutdale hosted a Friends of Trees event that planted 32 trees in total, including five at Sharon Nesbitt Park; 22 of those trees were funded through Friends of Trees’ federal Inflation Reduction Act grant, which reduced costs for residents and the city.
Jacobson also described recent sidewalk work near Llewellyn Park and at the Harlow House/Robin’s Way trailhead. He said the city submitted a pre-application to Metro’s Nature in Neighborhoods grant for restoration and improvements at Hillman Authouse Park ahead of the Jan. 27 deadline and that the city will learn in March whether it will be invited to submit a full application.
Committee members asked for photos and more detailed tallies of where trees were planted and whether plantings replaced previously removed street trees. Jacobson offered to provide photos for committee review and a count of replacement plantings at the March meeting. He said the urban-forestry management plan and street-tree manual — work funded by a grant and led by Duda Consulting — will be provided to city council for review this spring, likely after the budget process.
The committee asked that images and project updates be included in public-works quarterly reports and suggested the department consider social-media posts to highlight volunteer events. Jacobson said he would share photos and follow up with the committee.
The committee did not take formal action on the grants or planting report during the meeting; members asked staff to return with more data in March.
