North Parkrose Target Area Coordinator Krystyn Czarnecka receives directions on where to spread soil in the new park from Multnomah County corrections officer Jana McCallum. After four years of planning and fund-raising, the new park (tentatively named Senn’s Park) is finally being built at the corner of Northeast 112th Avenue and Prescott Street. See Memo Pad item on page 6.

Photo by Tim Curran

The Multnomah County Sheriff’s Work Crew, composed of inmates, is helping to bring the first park to Parkrose.

Despite its name, the Parkrose neighborhood has never had a real park. About four years ago, the Parkrose area neighbors, with the help of the North Parkrose Neighbors Target Area, began planning their park.

Told by city officials that there was nothing available in the Park Bureau’s budget for developing this new one-acre site, the neighborhood agreed to raise the funds and manage the work necessary to make it happen.

With a small budget from the Target Area (funded by the city’s Bureau of Housing and Community Development) the necessary supplies have been purchased and equipment has been rented, but the cost of labor was far out of reach and the job was much too big for volunteers to manage on weekends. Work included clearing the property, digging trenches for irrigation pipes, moving piles of soil and compost for planting, and hauling lots of rocks - all jobs requiring heavy manual labor.

Multnomah County has stepped up, and beginning in October, has allowed incarcerated inmates convicted of traffic violations, shoplifting, or minor assaults to help the community in exchange for the chance to work outside. When they learn that they are involved in the first construction steps that will lead to a playground, grassy lawn and gardens, inmates are often pleased to be involved in providing such an important service.

“That will be great. I used to go to school not very far from here - I’ll be coming back to see how it turns out,” said an inmate with about one month left on his sentence.

“Without these crews coming out and putting in hours of tough manual labor, we’d be a long way from imagining a park by next year”, said Krystyn Czarnecka, the Target Area Coordinator. “This work has to be done to the city’s specifications and has to pass inspection all along the way. The deputy and sergeant supervisors know what they are doing and the men put out a huge effort every day. Everyone comments on how much had changed after just one day’s work.”

The current schedule calls for establishing the basics: fence, water and grass. In November, the students from Parkrose High School’s Environmental Projects class will be planting over 400 native shrubs and plants and several trees. This will complete the first phase of work. Fundraising continues so that amenities such as benches and tables, play equipment and a walking path around the park can all be put in place.

For more information, please call Project Coordinator Krystyn Czarnecka at 503-256-2330 ext. 26.

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