Last fall, BWNA’s Friends of Wilshire Park committee (FoWP) developed a wish list of park improvements, subsequently prioritizing five for unanimous endorsement by the board at the February general meeting: 1) convert the inoperative wading pool to a splash pad; 2) supply water for the off-leash dog area; 3) install a fence to fully or partially enclose the off-leash dog area (pending input from dog owners and other park users); 4) replace the wire fencing along Skidmore Street with an attractive split rail fence; and 5) install log and boulder seating adjacent to the toddler play area. Determination of these priorities took into consideration the relative cost of each improvement and the degree to which it would alter the scope of the park. In the past, each of these ideas has been met with resistance when informally floated to various Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) personnel—sometimes based on the concern that other neighborhoods would demand the same improvement, other areas are more deserving of PP&R’s attention, and/or resistance to changing the scope of any park as it currently exists. Undeterred, and fresh off of the successes of the NatureSpace area and replacement of dangerously broken-down equipment in the toddler play area, the FoWP will give it another try.
Splash pad installation is appealing because it’s already on an existing PP&R to-do list of backlogged park maintenance projects. Natural seating around the toddler playground is appealing for its low cost and the lack of any impact on park scope. Dog park improvement is appealing due to heavy use of that area and the legal requirement that unleashed dogs not be allowed to roam into park areas designated for other purposes including the jogging path, toddler play area, pavilion, NatureSpace, picnic area, and sports area.
None of these improvements will come without advocacy by multiple parties. The FoWP committee meets at 7:00 p.m. on the second Wednesday of each month via Zoom or, one fine day on the other side of the pandemic, in the basement of Bethany Lutheran Church on the corner of NE Skidmore Street and 37th Avenue across from the northeast corner of the park. For venue updates, contact FoWP Committee Chair Gary Hancock at outside503@aol.com or 503-367-0862. Newcomers are always welcome and input is appreciated!
Additionally, FoWP continues to collaborate with PP&R Northeast Parks Horticulturist Johnny Fain to enhance the partial plantings along the Skidmore Street side of the park as well as new plantings along the southern edge. To this end, a late-February weekend “planting party” was organized to assist Johnny in beautifying the park with 250 native plants. In accordance with COVID-19 protocols, volunteer gardeners were required to wear masks and appropriately space from one another.