Parking by the Little League field in Gresham's Main City Park used to be a plain gravel lot, abutted only by a nondescript park maintenance building. There was no physical link between the lot and the immediately adjacent Springwater Corridor, a 21-mile multi-use trail extending from Portland to Boring.
These days, the lot's relation to the trail couldn't be more different, thanks in part to a $775,000 grant from Metro. A large metal archway proclaims "Main City Park: City of Gresham," and a 15-foot-wide spur trail winds from the Springwater Corridor through the park directly to Gresham's Main Street.
The entrance and spur trail are part of a Main City Park renovation project completed about a month ago, designed to link the Springwater Corridor to Gresham's downtown.
"The previous setup was not inviting," said Mike Green, the construction project manager for the Main City Park project. "People on the trail would never give a second thought that beyond this industrial kind of buffer, there would be shops, restaurants, the whole downtown."
Metro Councilor Shirley Craddick, a frequent Springwater Trail user, agreed that access to Gresham from the trail used to be a problem. Craddick said that on her runs between Gresham and Boring, she would be stopped by bicyclists asking, "Where's Gresham?"
"They'd be a mile past it at that point and not realize they'd been in the actual city limits," she said.
Now, directly across the trail from the new entrance, a posted sign with an arrow invites trail users into Gresham. One side indicates "Historic Downtown Shopping District," while the other says simply, "Downtown Gresham."
An important goal of the park upgrade is to draw trail users into the downtown core and make Gresham a destination for people on long rides from other cities. This addresses one of the biggest challenges faced by Gresham's charming downtown district – the lack of awareness that it even exists to begin with.
"Downtown is framed by these big arterial streets, and people go right through it without realizing it's there," said Michael Gonzales, president of the Historic Downtown Gresham Business Association. "Once people discover it, they'll come back. But that initial introduction is the biggest challenge."
The trail project will help by directing traffic across Powell Boulevard, Gonzales said.
Local business owner Kevin Conord agreed that the largest obstacle to Main Street's businesses is exposure. Conord owns Jazzy Bagels, located on the corner of Powell and Main in Gresham. His is the first business visitors will encounter if they follow the spur trail through Main City Park.
Citing Portland's growing reputation as a bike-oriented community, Conord said that bicyclists from other cities are a key demographic downtown Gresham could benefit from attracting.
"I had a retired couple who rode in all the way from the Sellwood Bridge, had lunch, and rode back," Conord said. "We could have more outside business like that. Downtown Gresham has nice restaurants, farmers markets… There's a lot for people to see here."
While Conord agreed that the trail would help draw in business, he thought there could be even more at the trail junction alerting people to what Gresham has to offer. There's nothing at the trailhead to indicate particular businesses in proximity, which, said Conord, is something that could be improved upon.
"In my opinion, there needs to be something there to make people go beyond the park. More emphasis on what you could find in downtown," Conord said. "That way, people could look and say, 'Oh, maybe we're too tired today, but let's come back for this or that.'"
But even if trail users make it no further than Main City Park itself, the park is a compelling testament to Gresham.
Along tree-lined Johnson Creek, abundant birdsongs nearly eclipse the noise of traffic from busy Powell Boulevard. The park has sprawling green lawns, a play structure, picnic facilities, a Japanese garden maintained by volunteers, Little League fields and a skate park. And, of course, it serves as a trailhead to the Springwater Corridor, linking Gresham to the rest of the region via an active transportation channel.
"Main City Park is a multi-use community amenity," said Tam Driscoll, a Gresham city spokeswoman. "It's a central meeting place for Gresham, and has been for generations. There's a diverse user base of every age and interest."
As the demographics and needs of the community have changed, Driscoll said, so the park has evolved to reflect that. The trail project is one such evolution.
Other elements of the recent renovation included paving half of the previously gravel lot and replacing the other half with a natural meadow restoration area; building rain gardens to mitigate stormwater runoff from the parking lot into Johnson Creek; planting the creek's stream banks with native plants; and a new concrete bridge over Johnson Creek that has separate travel channels for cars, bikes and pedestrians.
In addition to the $775,000 contribution from Metro's Local Share Program for the Main City Park upgrades, state-level parks and recreation and transportation departments contributed to complete funding for the $1.1 million project.
The Local Share Program is part of a 2006 voter-approved Natural Areas bond measure. It allocated $44 million to regional jurisdictions to aid in preserving land, implementing restoration and park projects, and maintaining or extending trails. Local share provides direct investments in improving the quality of local communities and increasing the livability of the region.
"Parks inherently denote this idea of a green, happy place. Ultimately, that's the goal for us here," Driscoll said.