Editor's note: since publication, two projects were removed from the ballot because no local government was able to support their development, one of the Nature in Neighbohoods community choice grants requirements. They are noted below.
A slate of 28 parks and nature projects are headed to the final round of voting in Metro’s Nature in Neighborhoods community choice grants program. The program gives community members across greater Portland the opportunity to vote for the parks and nature projects that will receive grants totaling up to $2 million.
This is the community choice grants’ pilot round, and grants are for projects in Metro Council District 4, which includes all of the urban areas of Washington County north of Oregon Highway 8 (Tualatin Valley Highway) and areas west of Cornelius Pass Road.
Community members didn’t just vote for the projects. Ideas were created by community members earlier this spring. Community members then helped develop the ideas into projects that could receive funding from Metro’s 2019 parks and nature bond measure.
The 28 finalist projects will be further refined based on community input through another series of community design workshops. Once the final vote begins, several design expositions will be held so the public can see the updated designs and vote for their favorites.
Everyone in greater Portland who is 11 years old or older is eligible to vote, and the grant winners will be announced before the end of the year.
Here are brief descriptions of each finalist. This PDF includes more detail on each (it is 72MB).
Finalist projects
Adult play structures at park on Heckman Lane
Upcoming Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District (THPRD) park in North Bethany
This project would add adult-sized play equipment, such as bouldering walls, to a new park coming to Heckman Lane and 159th Avenue.
Adult play structures in Hillsboro
Various locations along Rock Creek Trail in Hillsboro
This proposal would enhance recreational and play opportunities for adults in existing parks, providing free, accessible play for adults beyond walking trails or sitting on benches.
Asian produce garden
Upcoming West Neighborhood Park in North Bethany
This garden would provide space for culturally specific gardening practices in Kaiser Woods Park, an area home to many Asian Americans. Native plants and pollinator habitat could be included as elements in the design.
Community agriculture under utility lines
John Marty Park in Beaverton
By converting underused areas under powerlines adjacent to residential neighborhoods, this project creates spaces for community gardens with pollinator plants.
Connecting people and habitat in Aloha
Recuerdo Park in Aloha
This project would build community gardens and natural areas, with the aim of making natural spaces more inclusive and increase health and welfare in diverse neighborhoods.
Covered outdoor play at Bard Park
Bard Park in Forest Grove
Building a covered shelter over the playground at Bard Park would provide year-round play. The shelter could include a green or living roof and other native planting elements.
Covered outdoor play at Evergreen Park
Evergreen Park in Hillsboro
A covered play space at Evergreen Park would expand the time of year play areas can be used, both in rainy and hot seasons. Shade structures could integrate green roofs with native plants.
Fruit loop and friends
Upcoming THPRD park at Southwest Pointer Road in Beaverton
This project would create a pathway with fruit trees and culturally significant edible plants, open to be harvested by the public and honoring Indigenous agriculture and Bracero workers.
Gleaning gardens for all
Upcoming THPRD park at Southwest Pointer Road in Beaverton
The proposal would provide new community garden spaces in the more densely populated areas of Beaverton and unincorporated Washington County.
Grow better community in Cornelius
East Baseline Street and 12th Avenue in Cornelius
By converting space adjacent to the Centro Mercado, this project would create a new community garden for community members to grow and harvest their own food.
Improve Reedville Creek culvert for beaver, lamprey, and fish passage
This project was removed from the final ballot because no local government was identified to support construction.
Reedville Creek at Southeast 51st Avenue in Hillsboro
The project would improve Reedville Creek’s wildlife passage under Southeast 51st Avenue. The creek is home to cutthroat trout and winter steelhead, and is very close to Rock Creek, which has documented Pacific lamprey spawning.
Keeping it rustic in Cornelius
Steamboat City Park in Cornelius
This project would improve river access for simple, rustic activities like picnicking and fishing at Steamboat City Park.
Learning and discovery garden at W.L. Henry Elementary School.
W.L. Henry Elementary School in Hillsboro
This project would expand and add amenities to a community garden space at the school, opening it to more families and community members. The project would integrate native plants and pollinator habitat to this space.
Native plant gardens in Hillsboro parks
Hamby and Rood Bridge parks in Hillsboro
This project creates native plant gardens in existing parks, providing opportunities for communities of color to learn about wildlife, habitat, and protection of the environment.
Nature play in Evergreen Park
Evergreen Park in Hillsboro
This project would add nature play elements to Evergreen Park in Hillsboro. Element would includes log play, tactile play and climbing structures
Pocket forests in Cornelius
Parks and neighborhoods in Cornelius
This project would create micro-forests within small parks such as Hordichok Park or properties in central Cornelius neighborhoods that face inequitable access to trees.
Pollinator habitat at Center Street Park
Center Street Park in Beaverton
This project would restore native meadow plants like milkweed to increase habitat and resources for pollinators such as butterflies and hummingbirds.
Pollinator pathway
Rock Creek Powerline Corridor in Beaverton
This project would create pollinator and bird-friendly habitat and provide interpretive information along the Westside Trail.
Pollinator pathway on the Forest Grove Loop
Upcoming southwest portion of Forest Grove Loop Trail in Forest Grove
This project would add pollinator and bird-friendly habitat plantings along with interpretive information on the southwest portion of the Forest Grove Loop Trail.
Refurbishing Shute Park
Shute Park in Hillsboro
This project would add new amenities to the park, including nature play elements and native plant gardens.
Re-Indigenizing the Forest Grove Loop Trail
Forest Grove Loop Trail in Forest Grove
This collaboration with the Native community would center the history of the Atfalati people through the addition of culturally specific design elements, such as gathering spaces and first food and medicine plantings.
Restoring nature in Hillsboro
Multiple parks in Hillsboro
This project would protect and restore wildlife habitat in significant locations throughout Hillsboro's natural area system. It could extend corridors of natural vegetation into turfgrass areas.
Serenity Park
Location to be determined in Hillsboro
This proposal would create a park space for communion, expression and mental health. The proposal emphasizes serenity and beauty.
To make it all good again at PCC Rock Creek
Portland Community College Rock Creek in North Bethany
This project would restore a 100-acre natural area at Portland Community College Rock Creek using traditional ecological knowledge led by Indigenous community members.
To make it all good again at Tualatin Hills Nature Park
Tualatin Hills Nature Park in Beaverton
This project would restore the natural area using traditional ecological knowledge led by Indigenous community members.
Updating the playground at Shadywood Park
Shadywood Park in Hillsboro
To improve the playground at Shadywood Park in Hillsboro, this project would add nature play elements and native plantings.
Wetland restoration at King's Bend
This project was removed from the final ballot because no local government was identified to support construction.
King’s Bend Natural Area in Cornelius
By restoring wetlands in the floodplains of the upper Tualatin River, this project would provide enhanced habitat for birds and other native species.
Wetland restoration at Kyle Park
Kyle Recreation Area on B Street in Forest Grove
This project would provide wetland restoration along Gales Creek at Kyle Recreation Area in Forest Grove.