Parks commissioners add multiple projects — including St. Helens golf course — to master plan

The Parks & Trails Commission voted to add a package of projects to the city parks master plan, including renovating the Japanese garden, designating the Milton Creek Forest Reserve, pursuing an ADA fishing and non‑motorized boat pier at Great Cliffs Park, extending the boardwalk, improving the Cliff Trail and placing the St. Helens golf course on the master plan for further study and potential acquisition.

The motion, offered as a single “bulk” item and seconded, carried on a voice vote. Commissioners said adding items to the master plan is a nonbinding first step that helps prioritize projects for grant funding and signals interest to the city council. One commissioner summarized the practical effect: placing an item on the master plan “elevates it in the city’s priorities and enables us to pursue grants.”

Earlier in the meeting, local resident Dave Lawrence urged the commission to consider the city purchasing the St. Helens golf course, telling commissioners he had coached at the high school for years and that the course “has been a focal point of the community” and could generate revenue to support other parks. Lawrence said volunteers and local clubs stood ready to help repair and maintain the course if the city pursued a purchase or restoration.

Commission discussion focused on funding constraints and process: multiple speakers emphasized the city currently lacks discretionary funds and that placing a project on the master plan is the first formal administrative step before any council-level decision, grant application or budget allocation. As one commissioner put it, “That’s the first step — it may just sit there,” underscoring that master-plan inclusion does not guarantee construction or acquisition.

What happens next: staff will forward the master-plan additions to city council as part of the master-plan process and the commission will await any direction on grant opportunities or council interest. The commission did not commit city funds for acquisition or construction at the meeting.

Note on attribution and names: the transcript includes the public commenter as “Dave Lawrence” and a resident who identified herself variably as “Nancy Reed” and “Nancy Reid”; this report uses the spelling "Nancy Reid" where she spoke later in the record. Vote tallies were not recorded by name on the record; the motion was adopted by voice vote.