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Council backs staff recommendation to omit concentrated playground from Cromer Park enhancements
Summary
Milwaukie staff briefed council on Kellogg Creek restoration-related community enhancements at Cromer Park, recommending passive, visible amenities aligned with the 2015 master plan and that NCPRD commit to long-term maintenance. Council supported omitting a consolidated nature-play playground and asked staff to secure maintenance commitments by the next meeting.
Milwaukie staff presented design guidance and timing for community enhancements tied to the Kellogg Creek restoration project and asked the council to confirm priorities for Cromer Park.
"The Cromer Channel...it's going to look more like a delta and be very very natural," a parks staff member said as staff outlined staging plans and restoration baseline conditions; Grama Park will be used for equipment staging and must be restored at minimum to existing conditions, staff said.
Staff displayed draft community-enhancement concepts that included scattered nature-play features, an outdoor classroom, overlooks and a meadow reestablishment. But staff cautioned that Cromer Park—unctions as a remote, linear natural park and advised against adding infrastructure that would create long-term maintenance obligations without a clear operations agreement.
"I would not put a drinking fountain in Cromer Park," the parks staff said, and urged that any overlooks and boardwalks be designed to keep sightlines and minimize opportunities for illicit camping or hard-to-maintain features.
The North Clackamas Parks & Recreation District (NCPRD) and staff have discussed the designs; staff said NCPRD has not committed to operating new amenities and that the district is generally not building new parks until it secures an operating levy. Because of that posture, staff recommended that the city require written maintenance commitments in intergovernmental agreements (IGAs) before constructing features that would add city maintenance costs.
Council ebate and direction
Councilors raised safety and visibility concerns tied to the park's remoteness, noise from the highway and the existing problem of illegal camping under nearby infrastructure. Several members said they prefer features that bring more "eyes on the park" while remaining consistent with the 2015 Cromer Park master plan.
After discussion, the council supported staff's recommendation to omit a consolidated nature-play playground in Cromer Park, favoring passive, spread-out natural elements and improved sightlines. Staff was directed to seek written maintenance commitments from NCPRD (or other partners) and to return with any proposed features that would impose "significant new long-term maintenance obligations" for city operations.
Schedule and next steps
Staff said designers must know what amenities to include in the 60% design submittal by Aug. 31 to allow GreenWorks (the design team) to complete 90% plans on schedule; a project-wide public open house was planned for fall 2026. Council requested a follow-up report on operations and maintenance and asked staff to return with NCPRD—eedback by the Aug. 18 meeting.
This article uses direct quotes and summaries from the July 21 work session recorded in the meeting transcript.
