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Neighbors give comments on Water Bureau park

LEE PERLMAN
THE MID-COUNTY MEMO

Hazelwood Neighborhood Association board member Linda Robinson, standing, has a lively discussion with Hazelwood Water District headquarters neighbor W.C. Silvey, seated at far right, during the meeting held last month at the former Hazelwood Water District headquarters.
MEMO PHOTO: TIM CURRAN
As Portland City Commissioner Randy Leonard is learning, even offering new city services to folks who have long lacked and needed them can be tricky.

This became clear last month at a community-planning meeting for what is being called Hazelwood Commons. The four-acre property on Northeast Holladay Street between 114th and 117th Avenues, formerly the headquarters of the defunct Hazelwood Water District, is owned by Leonard’s Water Bureau, and is largely unused. Leonard is proposing to develop the land for public use as part of a citywide pilot project. It will be called Hazelwood to honor the local neighborhood, Commons to distinguish it from Portland Parks Bureau property. He proposes to let the East Portland Neighborhood Office use part of an existing 5,100 square foot building on the site rent-free. Finally, he plans to upgrade unimproved Northeast 117th Avenue, the logical route to the building, so that it can serve that function.

What could be wrong with that? Nothing, but Leonard didn’t offer to fix and pave Northeast 114th Avenue.

“It has potholes all over it, and lots of traffic,” resident Meredith Crowley complained.

“I’ve lived here since 1937, and 114th is the crossroads,” agreed W.C. Silvey.

Leonard replied, “I can only do what I can with what I control. I can absolutely justify im-proving 117th as a route to this facility. I don’t control the Transpor-tation Bureau. How do I justify fixing up 114th?” He argued that making 117th useable would lessen the burden on 114th, and he promised that Water Bureau trucks would use the proper street.

The calls for improving 114th Avenue continued. At one point Ross Monn, chair of the Wilkes Community Group, said impatiently, “This man is trying to do something positive. The problems with 114th should go to your neighborhood association.”

East Portland Neighborhood Office Executive Director Richard Bixby conceded, “It’s clear that there are issues with 114th. It makes sense; it’s a through street.”

There were similar debates over use of the land. Some residents complained that there is currently an “awful, awful” problem with off-road vehicles. Hazelwood Neighborhood Association board member Gayland German said use of the area, as an off-leash dog park is inappropriate. “It’s your park; you set the rules,” Leonard said.

But which “you” was that? Several people suggested that a community garden would be a good use for some of the land. Leonard said that a new community garden in Lents was very popular. Hazelwood board member Linda Robinson said, “It would be used primarily by people in this area. It brings regular people on a regular basis.”

Silvey objected, “Community gardens are for areas with apartments and high density. Most people in this area have back yards. If they want a garden they can plant one.” When people pointed out that adjacent parts of Hazelwood were not so fortunate Silvey replied, “But this is our community park for our neighborhood. The people around here are the ones who will use this park, not people south of Glisan.”

Another resident said, “I’ve spoken to people who have lived across the street from parks, and heard positives and negatives. I appreciate that the neighborhood around here has a say. You’re planners, but you don’t live here, and this isn’t Lents.”

One city official present suggested that the land could hold a soccer field. This raised concern that it could attract too many people from elsewhere. Sandra Zubak asked, “What’s to say that people who come for games won’t stand on my lawn?” Similar concerns led those present to reject a soccer field, and other potential “attractors,” in favor of more modest improvements such as play equipment, benches and a horseshoe pit.

Leonard said that positive activities that bring people to the commons would also cause them to “take possession” of the land and counteract illegal activities there. To this, another Hazelwood Water District headquarters neighbor Nancy Campagna replied, “There’s vandalism here, and nobody hears or sees it. Just because it’s a community park, people will suddenly take notice?”

City officials eventually decided to delegate planning of park improvements to a subcommittee. Meredith Crowley and W.C. Silvey were among those selected.

Use of the building as a neighborhood office proved relatively uncontroversial. Bixby said that such a facility would attract relatively few visitors, and even fewer crowds.
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