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Hi, I'm Mike Abbaté, Director of Portland Parks and Recreation. You know, Washington Park
is one of the crown jewels of the Portland Parks system, and has been
ever since 1871, when it was originally called City Park.
More than three million visitors a year
come to Washington Park, to hike, to run
and to visit the world-class attractions: The Oregon Zoo...
the Children's Museum...the World Forestry Center
Hoyt Arboretum...the Japanese Garden... and of course,
the International Rose Test Gardens.
I want to tell you about some changes that are happening
at Washington Park starting this fall. You know, the volunteers and staff that have
worked at Washington Park
over the many decades have identified some
challenges at Washington Park that have persisted ever since the first
introduction
of the automobile. 32 years ago Portlanders came together to develop
a Master Plan for Washington Park, and even though
it's a bit outdated, some of the same issues
that were identified then, we still see in the park: security...
traffic, and lack of funding to invest into the park itself.
Over the last two years, Portland Parks and Recreation,
along with the attractions, neighbors and advocates
have worked together on a vision of a more vibrant
and safer Washington Park. This will include:
Better maintenance and security
A free park-wide shuttle service coming soon...
Improved safety for drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians...
and a new Master Plan for the park. We also recognize that in order to fulfill this vision,
we needed a new, steady source of funds.
Because so many of the park's concerns are related to travel and transportation,
parking revenues made sense as a viable,
and stable funding solution.
In December of 2012 the City Council moved forward a plan
authorizing a new parking system at Washington Park, to reinvigorate the park.
100 percent of all parking revenues
will be reinvested into transportation- related improvements
in and around Washington Park. We're working with all park attractions
and neighborhood associations to make sure that this transition is a smooth as
possible.
I hope you'll agree that Washington Park deserves the time and attention we're all going to give it.
Thank you for your investment, and enjoy your visit to the amazing
Washington Park