Friends of Lents Park

FLP meets 4/6; Master Plan @ City Council 4/13

2011-04-03T13:48:00.001-07:00

The final Master Plan for Lents Park will not be going to City Council for approval on April 6, as previously announced. It has been postponed, and will be heard at 2:30 pm on Wednesday, April 13 at City Hall. Hopefully this afternoon time will make it possible for a few more people to attend.

Friends of Lents Park is meeting again at 6:00 PM, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6, at Lents Commons, SE 92nd Ave and Foster to further discuss the Master Plan and how best to communicate our group's position.

We are almost at the end of a very important process that will affect the next 25 years of our park's life - a process in which Friends of Lents Park has played a very important role. Let's make sure EVERYBODY gets represented in our last round of comments as a group!

If you haven't done so yet, please read the Final Master Plan document. If you're having trouble viewing this online, we will have a paper copy to pass around at the April 6 meeting.

Final Master Plan goes to City Council April 6

2011-03-12T11:31:00.000-08:00

The final Master Plan has now been posted to the Lents Park Master Plan project page. Link to the page, which contains documents from the entire history of the project, is: http://www.portlandonline.com/parks/index.cfm?c=51590.
Link to the plan itself is: http://www.portlandonline.com/parks/index.cfm?a=340635&c=51821.

The final Master Plan will go to City Council for adoption on Wednesday, April 6, 10:15 a.m. at City Hall, 1221 SW 4th Avenue. This is a "time certain" item, which means it will not be heard before 10:15 a.m., but could be heard later, depending on if previous agenda items run over. Obviously, this is a weekday morning and many working people will not be able to attend, but testimony can be submitted ahead of time.

Friends of Lents Park will hold our next meeting on Sunday, March 20, at 4:00 p.m. at Lents Commons Coffeehouse, SE 92nd and Foster. We will be discussing the final Master Plan, deciding if we want to make any final comments as a group and how to present them (perhaps designate a person who can attend on April 6 on behalf of the group.) We will also need to discuss where we go from here as a group, now that the Master Plan process is almost over.

Everybody should understand that this is NOT another round of public involvement - these have already concluded. This is our chance to review the final version of the document, which was drafted by the City's contractor, Walker Macy, in response to direction received from the final meeting of the Project Advisory Committee, which was held on December 16.

Please help spread the word about the final Master Plan process and FLP's next meeting, particularly to those who don't have e-mail.

Master Plan Homestretch!

2010-12-14T14:33:00.000-08:00

The Lents Park planning process is in the homestretch!

1) Make plans to attend the final meeting of the Project Advisory Committee at 6 p.m. on Thursday, December 16 at Portland Youth Builders, 4816 SE 92nd Avenue. This is the meeting where your representatives will adopt the final Master Plan for Lents Park.

2) Contribute your opinion and prepare for the PAC meeting at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, December 15 at Lents Commons Coffeehouse at 92nd/Foster. We'll discuss the Friends of Lents Park final position on a few undecided elements of the Lents Park Master Plan.

If you can't make the meeting, you can email FLP's PAC representative, Kathleen, at lentspark@gmail.com to ask questions or express your opinion.

Deadline Nov. 22 for new round of public comment!

2010-11-17T12:44:00.000-08:00

The Lents Park Master Plan is in the final round of public involvement. Deadline is Monday, November 22 at 5:00 p.m. This is it! This is your final chance to have input into the redesign of the park before the Project Advisory Committee votes on a final map.

Once the PAC adops a final map and Master Plan, the plan will go to the Parks Director and Commissioner Fish, and from there to the City Council. While you will be able to share your opinions with all of these folks, you will not get another chance to have direct input on the details of the map. Don't miss this deadline!

Visit the Portland Parks website to view the map and fill out the comment form online.

You can also view paper maps and fill out a hard copy comment form at the Lents Commons Coffeehouse, SE 92nd and Foster, open Mon-Fri 6:30 am to 7 pm and Sat-Sun from 8 am to 7 pm. Parks staff will be at Lents Commons Saturday, November 20 from 9to 11 am to answer questions in person.

The remainder of this post is a "voters guide" prepared by Kathleen Juergens de Ponce, Steering Committee member for Friends of Lents Park, who is also FLP's representative to the Master Plan Project Advisory Committee. Kathleen has done her best to give you an overview of your options, without telling you how to vote. However, you should keep in mind that all of this represents one person's analysis. Keep an open mind, and decide for yourself!

So what will you be looking at, when you view the latest round of maps? First of all, you can forget all about most of what you saw on maps A, B and C from the last round. The proposals that were decisively rejected by the community in the last round (moving the gazebo down into a corner, moving the community garden up onto a hill, cutting lots of trees, eliminating tennis) have been removed from the maps. YOUR comments have been listened to and have made a difference!

This time around you will be looking at two maps, dubbed Alternatives A and B. If you picture the park as being divided into three sections, the north and south sections are the same in both maps. Only the central section is different.

Last time around, we had to respond to a lot of ideas that were generated by an outside consultant, some of which the City admitted were thrown at us just to see how we'd react. This time around, you will be seeing ideas that may be new to you, including ideas that were not included in the last round of maps. The difference is that this time the new ideas were generated by people from THIS community: your neighbors, friends, local representatives, including other FLP members. If the public involvement process had been structured differently, you would have seen these ideas sooner. But better late than never!

This time you also have the benefit of being able to hear what your neighbors had to say about some of these ideas, before you have to weigh in yourself. Three "listening sessions" were held the week of October 25. If you were not able to attend, please see the following posts for my notes on what was discussed. Again, it would have been a whole lot better to have these discussions happen 6 months ago, but we do not have the luxury of undoing the past. Let's make the best of what we have, and make sure your voice is included!

The following analysis makes reference to the results from the last round of public comment. The City has finally posted these results in a publicly available format. Check out this link to see what your neighbors said.

North third of the park:

Both maps are the same for this section, and almost all of what you see is the result of what the public said they wanted. The public overwhelmingly supported keeping Vavrek Field (the north side football/soccer field) where it is. There was clear majority support for improving Walker Stadium and converting to synthetic turf to make it multi-use. The adult basketball court is moved to north of the parking lot, which was the most preferred location. (Moving the basketball court makes possible the development of the natural area along the park's east side, which was also favored by the public.)

None of these decisions are likely to be revisited by the PAC, since they were the result of clear direction from the public.

The Lents Little League facilities are left alone, which was a condition of this Master Plan from the beginning. (The PDC just spent millions to relocate these facilities, so it would not make much sense to undo this decision.)

The most controversial aspect of this north section is the skate spot, which is shown on both maps along Holgate, next to Lents Little League. This was the most preferred of the three locations that were shown on the last round of maps....but it wasn't preferred by very much. There is no clear community consensus in favor of this location. Some concerns expressed are how close this location is to houses, and fly balls from the little league.

The listening session on "Active Recreation," held October 25, was the first chance the public really got to weigh in on where the skate park might be located. Three alternate locations were suggested. Check out my notes from this session (see following posts) and see what you think. If you favor one of these alternate locations, say so on your comment form!

South third of the park:

This section is also the same in both maps. Again, most of what you see is based on results from the last round of public comment. Clear majorities supported keeping the dog park where it is, expanding the community garden and adding a shelter (but without destroying the heritage chestnut tree!), keeping the tennis court and children's play areas where they are but with improvements, adding a spray feature to replace the wading pool, and adding a natural planting area along SE 92nd Avenue.

The Project Advisory Committee discussed the dog park at our last meeting and voted to add a water hookup and a bench. (Normally these are “details” that would not go into a master plan, but dog park users have been promised these improvements for a long time.) Left unresolved was the question of fencing. There are strong pros and cons for both fenced and unfenced dog parks, and the public has not yet been asked which they prefer. The PAC is leaning towards a series of partial barriers, while the discussion at the Oct. 28 listening session favored a partial fence. Check out my notes, and indicate on your comment form which you prefer!

In the last round of maps, the public was given the choice as to which corner of the park would be best for a “grand entrance.” The public favored the SE corner, but the question was not specific as to what a “grand entrance” might look like. This round of maps shows the “grand entrance” as involving lawns and garden in the SE bowl area, leading to a staircase up the hill, which leads to the natural area along 92nd. Not everybody is thrilled with the idea of a staircase, and some people have other ideas as to how that SE bowl area might be used. Check out the comments from the listening sessions, and say what you think!

Central section of the park:

This round of maps shows two alternatives for the park's central section.

ALTERNATIVE A: This alternative reduces the soccer fields to one, allowing for the space from the other field to be re-programmed for natural garden-type plantings. This is an idea which has been extensively discussed in the community over the past few months and has rapidly gained popularity, including with many FLP members. Many community members would like to see the central area of the park be less sports-dominated and more conducive to passive recreation. If the public involvement process had been differently structured, there would have been time for much more in-depth discussion and evaluation of this idea at an earlier stage, but we need to make the best of how things are.

The Park Director and Commissioner have set a condition on the Master Plan process that there must not be any net reduction of playable field hours. (Some of us, including me, support this condition, while others think it is unfair; regardless, this is the situation we have to work with.) In order to comply with this condition while still reducing the number of soccer fields to one, it will be necessary for the remaining field to convert to synthetic turf. This is because of the “down time” required by natural grass fields, while synthetic fields can take many more hours of use.

So in this scenario, in order for the public to get something that many people have said they want (more gardens and natural plantings) it will be necessary to accept something that the majority has said they don't want (synthetic turf on a central park field). This is a tough call. Your neighbors have had thoughtful things to say at all three listening sessions, so check out their comments and then make up your own mind.

The PAC has also voted to reorient the synthetic field northward, in order to provide for the largest possible continuous swath of natural plantings. This would require moving the gazebo, an idea which has not proven popular in the listening sessions.

Reorientation of the field would require removal of approximately 6 trees, but the increased plantings in this scenario might include as many as 60 (!) new trees. Some folks are thrilled with this, while others do not necessarily think more is better. What is going to happen to natural light and open space under this scenario? Where will people sit when the park holds concerts? Check out your neighbors' comments, and let us know what you think.

ALTERNATIVE B: This scenario keeps the park much closer to how it is now. The gazebo stays in its current location. A new picnic shelter and additional pathways are added, both of which the public favored in the last round of comments. The only change to the soccer fields is that one would stay a permitted field, while the other would become an open space available to the community (and would likely be used for soccer and other pickup games). Every few years the fields would “flip” to give the permitted field a chance to recover. This scenario for the soccer fields was the most favored option from the last round of public comment.

City's comment form:

Over my objections, the City has chosen to use a comment form that gives the public almost no options for weighing in on specific park features. Check out the comment form here.

People are asked to choose Alternative A or B for the central fields, say why, and then comment on a range of guiding principles. Although the form does not say so, the City has clarified that you are supposed to evaluate how well the alternative you favor embodies these principles. I.e., if you chose Alternative A, you are saying how well Alternative A “provides a variety of active and passive recreational opportunities”.....etc.

Does this sound confusing? Yeah. You are not given any boxes to check that ask you what you think about the different elements of the central fields scenario (reorienting the field, synthetic turf, moving the gazebo, increased plantings, 60 new trees, etc.) You are not asked what you think about the “grand entrance,” which is a new design element. You are not asked whether you favor fencing the dog park, a question that the PAC specific voted to refer to the public. You are not asked anything at all about the skate spot, a matter on which the City knows there is substantial concern.

As regards Alternative A vs. B, you are only given the choice between these two alternatives, with no defined option for anything in between.

Fortunately, our members are not known for allowing our options to be so easily limited. Write it in anyway! Use the lines at the end of the form to let the City know just what you think about the new elements of these maps. If you wholeheartedly favor either Alternative A or B, by all means say so, but if you favor some combination of elements or something in between, let them know!

The most important thing people should understand about this form is that just saying “none of the above” is not going to be a helpful answer, unless you give detailed feedback about what you'd like to see instead. This is the next-to-final map. At the PAC's next meeting, we are expected to vote to adopt the final map. There is no time to go back to the drawing board.

Your comments have already had a huge impact. We have already saved the park's trees and prevented some of the worst ideas from going forward. We have demanded - and gotten - a chance to have more meaningful discussions about the park's future. Your park needs one more effort from you to bring this process to a good conclusion. As always, thank you so much for your engagement on behalf of your park.

Kathleen Juergens de Ponce

P.S. If you would like to see a vision of the park that is dramatically different from the current maps, visit Facebook and search “Lents Park Non-A, B, C Master Plan.” This map was produced by Lents Creative, one of the stakeholder groups in our neighborhood. Whether or not you share this vision, it may spark some great ideas for your own comments.

"Sustainability" Listening Session, Oct. 30

2010-11-17T12:07:00.001-08:00

These are Kathleen's personal notes. I have tried to group similar topics together, but otherwise have followed the order in which the conversation happened.

I came in late to this session, so these notes may not be complete.

Two members of the Project Advisory Committee were present. We started off with 6 members of the public, but another 5 came in towards the end and participated actively. Besides Elizabeth and Sarah from Parks, and Bob from Central Services, we were joined by Leslie from the City's Community Garden program.

Community Garden

According to Leslie from the City, there is a waiting list for the Community Garden. This has been a bad gardening year, and there have been some drop-outs. (This may explain people's perception that there are actually lots of spaces available.)

When the community garden folks requested an expansion to the garden, they had envisioned this happening to the west side, not to the east. (Both maps currently show expansion to the east.) To the east you run into trees, and it's hard to grow under trees.

Some support was expressed for expanding the community garden to the west. Of course, this runs into the Dog Off-leash Area (DOLA). Maybe the garden could be "squeezed down" to make up for loss to the DOLA. We could also reconfigure so that the proposed new shelter for the garden also serves the DOLA. (Currently it is shown inside the garden's fence and would not serve both.)

Dog park hill is an important location for sledding when it snows.

Trees, Habitat, Pollinators

Trees are important for air quality mitigation plus a sound barrier from the freeway.

City Bureau of Environmental Services prefers map A for habitat issues, because of the additional trees. Birds will go back and forth between Lents & Bloomington Park.

BES wants to encourage moth-type pollinators. Bees are an issue for some path users because of bee sting allergies.

City wants to look into perennials and native plants that aren't such high maintenance. At Gabriel Park there is a perennial pollinator "mound" that has been successful so far.

Could there be volunteer maintenance? City currently has a "pesticide free parks" program that relies on volunteers.

Orchards work best as part of a community garden. If fallen fruit doesn't get picked up right away, it attracts yellow jackets. Could we maybe have nut trees instead of fruit? Leslie says there has been a lot of loss of nut trees in private yards recently, because they take up space.

One participant (FLP member Debbie) pointed out a tree to west of Community Garden. This was planted in memory of her late mother. Leslie says comm. gardens in various park contain memorial trees.

Open Space

Map A would add approximately 60 new trees (although this is not an exact number - details would be filled in at the schematic stage). One participant says "the more trees the better!" But overall, the majority of participants were concerned about the loss of open space that this would involve. This neighborhood loves its trees, but perhaps we don't need THIS many new ones. One participant said we do not want the park to become so full that we lose natural light. Another participant (with a nursery background) said 60 new trees is very ambitious, and we need to think of maintenance cost.

From a maintenance perspective, open swaths are easier to mow. New trees should be grouped into "groves."

Swales and Stormwater

There was a lot of discussion of how to better direct stormwater. Swales are old technology at this point. There is a lot of exciting stuff being done with permeable barriers.

One participant would have liked the proposal to terrace the community garden because of drainage issues. Regardless, the final plan will have better drainage for that hill in the SE corner. Drainage will be looked at in the schematic stage, along with details like lighting, benches, water fountains, etc.

Restrooms

New restrooms are great, but will they ever be open? This will depend on maintenance budget. But new, more open-style restrooms are expected to be less prone to vandalism which leads to closing.

The plan is to get rid of the port-a-potties that are now in the park. One participant said port-a-potties are not sustainable, since they require servicing by truck.

Maintenance Costs

While not formally part of this discussion, some important information was shared.

The City estimates approximately $6 million for development of the entire Master Plan, which includes approx. $800,000 for the synthetic field. There is currently no money in the budget for any of this; it would have to come from future bond issues. But without a Master Plan in place, we cannot get in line for any funds that may become available in the future.

Both maps A and B would be more expensive to maintain than what we have in the park now, because of the additional pathways. The synthetic turf needs much less maintenance than grass (would wash out over the lifetime of the field, when you factor in how much it costs to install).

The water for the proposed new spray feature would potentially be a high cost. (Spray feature has been popular among all respondents, and would replace the wading pool that has had to be eliminated due to new state law.)

As park improvements go, this Master Plan would not be TOO expensive, because there is not a lot of paving or new structures.

Miscellaneous

One participant described the SE bowl area currently as "wasted space." There is nothing going on there, no beauty.

"Community Spaces" Listening Session, Oct. 28

2010-11-17T11:11:00.000-08:00

These are Kathleen's personal notes. I've tried to group similar topics together, but otherwise have followed the order in which the conversation happened.

Four members of the Project Advisory Committee were present, along with 9 members of the public. We were joined by Allie, the manager for the City's dog off-leash program, and Bob Downing, central services manager for the parks (he was at all of the sessions, along with Elizabeth and Sarah from Parks).

Dog Off-Leash Area (DOLA)

Some feeling that the dog park isn't big enough to accommodate training of dogs.

Proposed expansion of the community garden to the east doesn't affect the dog park. BUT, the east side is where the DOLA boundary is not clear. East side of the community garden is often thought to be, or used as, part of the dog park.

Why can't the DOLA have a bags dispenser for doggie waste? There was a lot of discussion - people want this. This is a budgeting issue. To provide this for the entire parks system would be $100,000 a year. People bring "bags of bags" (reused grocery, newspaper, etc. bags) but this is a problem, because they come loose, blow around and turn into trash. Maybe there could be a better "stash spot" for the bags of bags.

"Doggie septic tank" was brought up as an idea. There are issues of technical feasibility with this.

Dogs run across 88th Ave. This is especially an issue with 88th slated to become a "bike boulevard."

Regarding fencing, participants in this discussion liked best the idea of a partial fence, along the streets only. One participant suggested a 20-foot "hook" inward from the street.

Gazebo

Again, it was hard to keep this conversation completely separate from the question of what we do with the soccer fields, but we tried to focus on the "community space" aspect of the question.

Overall, participants expressed strong concerns with moving the gazebo. Current location is close to parking and to proposed new restrooms and picnic area. Proposed new location in map A is less convenient. With new location, there is concern that noise will come "down the hill" to residences to the south of the park (although band shell may mitigate this). Wheelchair access will be better in current location. New location will be worse for sun in the eyes of audience.

Majority of participants rejected the idea that "we will move the gazebo, but keep it as close to parking, restrooms, etc. as possible," which was proposed as a compromise position. They did not favor moving the gazebo at all. One participant said moving the gazebo would "just be a waste."

There were also some concerns about how the scenario in map A will accommodate concerts. The symphony uses soccer fields. How would it work for them to play on the synthetic field? You wouldn't be able to bring food. One participant said, "synthetic fields are for sports, not for the people."

The conversation about the gazebo repeatedly veered into areas that have more to do with park management than design. Noise control in the park is a huge issue for neighbors, especially on the quieter 88th Avenue side. One neighbor described some noise levels as "unbearable." One neighbor sometimes hears events in the park from his house on 86th Ave. People at the bottom of the park say they hear "everything." The Revolution Church event over Labor Day is hugely unpopular - people do not like sitting in their homes and hearing they are going to go to hell. People understood (reluctantly, after much debate) that the City cannot discriminate against park users based on content.

Trying to report noise violations means you get the runaround. Portland Parks & Rec issues permits, but BDS enforces noise violations. There is only one noise control officer for the entire city. Try to report a violation, and each bureau refers you to the other. (Perhaps there are some ideas here for future areas of organization and advocacy for Friends of Lents Park.)

Participants were generally open to the idea of improvements to the gazebo that might result in better noise control. Maybe there could also be rule changes that put limits on amplified music, not eliminate it entirely.

"Grand Entrance"

A few long-term residents weighed in on the idea to put in a grand staircase at the SE corner. There were stairs before, by the tennis courts. They were taken out because there were too many problems. Bikers and skaters used the stairs for tricks, grinding, etc.

Keep the evergreen trees at the SE corner.

Some participants did not like the choice of the SE corner for the "grand entrance." (This was the location favored by respondents to the previous round of public involvement.) Some think the Holgate side is a more natural choice. One participant asked, so is this a done deal because of the previous responses? (Probably, but say what you think on your comment form! If the PAC gets overwhelming input to revisit this decision, it may happen.)

Kids' Play Area

Some participants favored putting the covered picnic area next to the play area, for birthday parties.

Participants were generally OK with the idea of a kids' basketball court going in next to the play area.

One participant said speed limits should be lowered around the park because of children playing. While this is outside the scope of this master plan, it has been done before, for example, in Spokane. The state controls speed limits, so you can write your legislator. There are other people in the neighborhood concerned about this issue - check out the "i love lents" listserve on Yahoogroups.

Synthetic Turf for Fields

While not formally part of the agenda for this discussion, the subject of the synthetic fields came up and some important information was shared.

Cost to put in a synthetic field is around $800,000. Yearly maintenance costs then go down to almost nothing, because synthetic turf doesn't need much maintenance. Maintenance fees for grass fields: at Delta park (high-intensity use) can run about $25,000 a year; here in Lents Park it runs around $7,000 a year. Over the long run (according to Bob Downing) synthetic fields are cheaper.

One participant asked why the City can afford $800,000 for a synthetic field, but can't afford a bag dispenser for the dog park.

One participant said his sons had played on synthetic turf and didn't like the feel of it. Playground improvements are more important than the money it would take to put in a synthetic field.

It was acknowledged that synthetic materials have improved a lot over the past few years and are now much more "natural" feeling.

Miscellaneous

One participant with 51 years in the neighborhood and multiple past service on committees said that this master plan is "the first positive thing the CIty has ever done for Lents Park." There are lots of promises, but the City never follows through.

"Active Recreation" Listening Session, Oct. 25

2010-11-17T09:02:00.000-08:00

These are Kathleen's personal notes. I have tried to group similar topics together, but otherwise have followed the order in which the conversation happened.

The topic of this listening session was "Active Recreation," which included the soccer fields, Walker Stadium, the football field, and the proposed new skate park.

About half the Project Advisory Committee was present, and a total of 21 members of the public participated at various times. The public participation was pretty evenly divided between "sports" people and "neighborhood" people, and included representatives of virtually all the different "sports" constituencies that use the park. There was a representative from the baseball players who use Walker Stadium, from the Spanish-speaking soccer players who use the central fields, and from Lents Little League. There were also several local skaters who had a background in skate park design.

More sports in the park?

Neighbors present talked about their desire for the park not to be turned into a "sports complex." This was an interesting perception, since the skate park is the only new sports feature proposed to be added. Neither of the maps currently under consideration would add MORE soccer, football or baseball, and both would restrict some areas available for pickup sports such as volleyball.

So we talked some about the perception that the park is being targeted for lots more sports to be added. This is coming primarily from the proposal to go to synthetic turf in Walker Stadium and for one soccer field in Map A. Neighbors pointed out that synthetic turf means fewer rainouts, which means more games actually get played, even if the scheduling is the same on paper. Synthetic fields are also lighted, which means play can continue until later in the night. Restricting permitted hours could help. Walker Stadium is currently permitted until 11 pm. The synthetic central field could be restricted to 10 pm.

Parking

One of the biggest issues for neighbors with sports in the park was associated parking impacts. One neighbor said that moving Lents Little League to the park had really affected parking on the west side. Some ideas were shared to get sports participants to take transit instead of drive. Maybe offer some incentives for coming on MAX? This is more feasible for soccer than baseball, where people are hauling a lot of gear.

One participant had an idea to increase parking: along the SW side of the park, take out the concrete barrier and convert parallel parking spots to angle parking.

Another participant suggested turning the north side football field into a parking lot. (OK, that one's unlikely to fly, but we were brainstorming!)

"Skate spot"

A lot of the discussion about the skate spot centered on its location. Much of the concerns about liveability involve how close the skate spot would be to residences.

In both maps, the skate spot would be located along Holgate, next to the northmost of the Lents Little League fields. From the last round of public comment, this was the location that was most favored by respondents out of the choices given, all of which were on the park's outer edge. But this location wasn't favored by a huge margin, indicating there is no clear neighborhood consensus in favor of this spot.

Some said the Holgate location would be best, because Holgate street is already loud. Others pointed out the danger of fly balls going into the skate spot.

Other possible location discussed for the skate spot. (Note, none of these were on the previous maps, so weren't included in the previous round of public comments. If you like these ideas, say so on your comment form!)

* In the SE bowl area, next to the playground.

* On map "A," to the immediate right of the synthetic soccer field, curving around existing trees.

* In the concrete area between the south edge of Walker Stadium and the jogging path (might require removal of 2 or 3 trees to be feasible)

Generally, the idea of moving the skate spot more towards the middle of the park was popular. But there are safety concerns with this. A more central location is harder to monitor and may be more likely to be used inappropriately.

The participants who have experience designing and building skate parks had some interesting perspectives to add. According to them, it is quite feasible to design a skate park around existing trees. The skate spot should be designed and constructed properly, or it won't get used. Good design will do a lot to minimize other uses the neighborhood might not want. A lot can be done to mitigate sound. Trees help. Concrete is the best material for mitigating sound - wood is much louder. They recommend covering the skate spot because of rain, but this would be a budgetary consideration.

Soccer fields

The treatment of the central soccer fields is the big difference between maps A and B. For purposes of this conversation, we tried to focus just on the "sports" aspects of this issue, although other matters are inextricably linked, such as location of the gazebo.

Overall, the idea of re-programming one central field from soccer to natural plantings (as shown in map A) was very popular. A majority of participants, including the soccer player representative, really liked this idea.

It was pointed out that map B doesn't really cut down to one soccer field. The open space that is available "first come first served" will probably also get used for soccer.

The soccer and baseball representatives don't like synthetic turf a whole lot for playing on, but didn't argue strongly against it.

There was some support for the idea of exploring if soccer can be moved from the park to the fields at the former Marshall High School. Portland Parks doesn't control this site, and this master plan can't mandate this change.

Another idea was whether soccer can be played on the outfields of the baseball fields. (I think the reference here was to the Lents Little League fields.)

There was clarification as to when soccer gets played. Primary season is August through November, which overlaps with baseball season. All grass fields are closed down December, January and beginning of February. In late February we have lacrosse and rugby, then the soccer secondary season starts around April.

Other sports issues

With the basketball court being moved in both maps, some are concerned there is not enough capacity for volleyball.

The plans to improve Walker Stadium are already done. Once a master plan map is finalized, the Project Advisory Committee will prioritize how the work gets done.

Listening Sessions coming up week of Oct. 25!

2010-10-25T12:28:00.000-07:00

Many exciting events are coming up in the Master Planning process for Lents Park. The week of October 25 the City will be holding Listening Sessions to give neighbors a chance to talk with each other and exchange ideas about what we want for the future of our park. These sessions are in part a response to concerns expressed by our group that the public involvement process has not been open enough, so we are pleased that they are taking place.

All Listening Sessions will take place at the Lents Commons coffeehouse, which is located at the corner of SE 92nd Avenue and Foster.

The first Listening Session will be held Monday, October 25, from 6 to 8 p.m. The topic will be “Active Recreation,” which includes soccer and football fields, the proposed new skate park and Walker Stadium.

The second Listening Session will be held Thursday, October 28, from 6 to 8 pm. The topic will be “Community Spaces,” which includes the gazebo and performance spaces, the dog park, children's playgrounds, and connections to light rail and Lents Town Center.

The third Listening Session will be held Saturday, October 30 from 9 to 11 am. The topic will be “Sustainability,” which includes community garden, natural areas and botanical plantings, and trees.

The following week after the Listening Sessions, there will be another Open House to present the Preferred Design map, although the map is already finished and will be available at the Listening Sessions as well. The Open House will take place Monday, November 1, from 6 to 8 pm, at the Pantheon Banquet Hall, 5942 SE 92nd Avenue.

Public comment on the Preferred Design map will start with the November 1 Open House and remain open until November 22. To make your comment, you can attend the Open House to get a map and comment form. You can also make your comments at any point between November 2 and 22 by going to the Lents Commons coffeehouse at SE 92nd and Foster during business hours, or online by going to www.portlandparks.org.

If you can't make it to the Open House, but have questions on the map that you would like to ask a live person, project staff and/or members of the City's Project Advisory Committee will be at Lents Commons on Saturday, November 6 from 9 to 11 am, and on Saturday November 20 from 9 to 11 am.

Emergency PAC meeting TONIGHT Tues. 10/19

2010-10-19T09:18:00.000-07:00

We now (on less than 24 hours notice) have a location for tonight's emergency meeting of the Lents Park Master Plan Project Advisory Committee (PAC).

Tuesday, October 19
6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
East Portland Community Center
740 SE 106th Avenue
Classroom 1

PAC meeting are open to the public and include opportunities for public input. Tonight's meeting is for the PAC to finish deliberations and adopt a Preferred Design map to be released to the public for the next stage of public comment. Part of the meeting will also be dedicated to a technical consultation between the PAC and Portland Parks staff regarding the proposal to re-purpose at least one soccer field as gardens and pathways.

As Friends of Lents Park's representative to the PAC, I am concerned about the current state of the process, which doesn't seem workable or democratic. Below is the text of an e-mail I have sent to the PAC and City staff as of this morning.

Kathleen Juergens de Ponce

===========================

I think the process is in trouble.

Even if we get a quorum of the PAC for tonight's emergency meeting (on less than 24 hours notice of the location), and even if we reach consensus on a map within the hour allotted, we are left with two problems.

(1) Under the working schedule, we are supposed to be finalizing the comment form by tomorrow, and we haven't even started. I suppose we could get this done by Friday...if the committee has time for another crazy hurry-up task. Do we?

(2) No flyer has been produced for the Listening Sessions, which are supposed to start in less than a week. To my knowledge, no publicity at all has gone out, other than the e-mails I've sent to my own group. Even if we get right to work on this (while working on the comment form?), I don't see many people being able to do flyer distribution until this weekend, which is only 1-2 days notice. This feels like a setup for failure.

I ask again, as my group has asked before, where's the fire? What's the rush? This is supposed to be a plan for the next 25 years. Let's prioritize doing it right over doing it fast.

Part of the problem I see is that the committee is supposed to be adopting a Preferred Design map, but that's not really what we're doing. Instead, we are continuing to generate and kick around new ideas (including ideas that have never previously been discussed in the neighborhood, such as moving the gazebo to the park's west edge). New ideas are great and need to be discussed! But why are we putting them in a map called "Preferred Design," when we have previously promised the public that this map will be a consolidation of THEIR public input?

Given where we're at, the process could move forward better like this:

* Have tonight's meeting go forward as a technical consultation with the parks people over the sports fields, which needs to happen anyway. Spend the rest of it having the PAC adopt a workable schedule for the rest of the process that we all take ownership and responsibility for, including fleshing out how the Listening Sessions will work.

* Do the Listening Sessions as a stand-alone part of the process, so that we can get direction from the public about the new ideas that are continuing to be generated. Postpone them a bit further, as needed to make sure that we have meaningful outreach.

* The PAC then meets to finish our deliberations over the Preferred Design map, which should be much easier at that point. We begin work by e-mail on the comment form.

* We then hold an open house to present the map, and open public comment for three weeks.

* PAC then meets to finalize the master plan, and it goes forward to adoption.

If people don't like these suggestions, then I'd like to see other ideas for how the procedural snarls outlined above can be resolved.

Draft map taken down

2010-10-11T20:30:00.000-07:00

The draft preferred concept map, which was was available on this blog until earlier today, has been removed at the request of the parks department. The parks department reps preferred to keep the draft under wraps except for PAC members. FLP disagrees, but complied with the request. Come to the PAC meeting Wednesday October 13, 6 pm, at Marshall High School, Room C44, to see the map and attend the meeting about it.

So how do you like the process?

2010-10-11T13:27:00.001-07:00

Back in September the Friends of Lents Park released a letter expressing serious concerns with the public involvement process for the Lents Park Master Plan (see previous posts). We called for the process to be slowed down and opened up to better reflect the community.

We were listened to! But have we gotten everything we need to have full confidence in this process? Our members will need to be the judge.

As detailed in previous posts, a delegation from the Steering Committee met with Parks Department staff and staff from Commissioner Fish's office. Out of this meeting, and the informal Project Advisory Committee meeting that followed, came a proposal for an expanded public involvement process. How this process will work has been further clarified by recent communications from the Parks Department. It will go something like this:

* The Project Advisory Committee (PAC) adopts a "preferred design" map, incorporating public input from the three previous concept maps. This is proposed to take place at the PAC meeting, Wednesday, October 13, 6 - 9 pm, at Marshall High School. This meeting is open to the public, so you can have input into this decision! (See the post immediately prior to this for meeting details.)

* The City, with input from the PAC, develops a comment form for the preferred design map, to be finalized by October 20.

* Three "listening sessions" will be held the week of October 25, for open-ended public discussion of what we want for our park. Proposed schedule is:
October 25 - Active Recreation, 6-8 pm, Lents Commons
October 27 - Community Spaces, 6-8 pm, Lents Commons
October 30 - Sustainability, 9-11 am, Lents Commons

We understand that the preferred design map will be available for review at the listening sessions, but formal public comment will not yet have opened.

* An Open House will then be held Monday, November 1, 5-8 pm (place TBD) to present the preferred design map. Public comment will open at this time, and will remain open until November 22.

* The Project Advisory Committee will meet again to review public comment on the preferred design map and adopt a final Master Plan to be forwarded to City Council.

The Steering Committee felt very positive about the idea for the Listening Sessions, and at a September 30 meeting of the Friends of Lents Park, the members agreed. However, the concern remains: how is the input from the Listening Sessions going to be translated into the final Master Plan? FLP has asked for the City and its contractor to hold off on generating any new maps until after the Listening Sessions happen. Instead, the City proposes to go ahead and generate the "preferred design" map now, along with the comment form that goes with it. It looks like the PAC will vote October 13 to go ahead with this (remember, that's the meeting you get to go to and have input). It would then fall to the PAC to find a way to incorporate what they hear at the Listening Sessions into the map and comment form that have already been written.

So how do we feel about this? Come to the October 13 PAC meeting and make your voice heard! If you can't make it to this meeting but have input you would like the PAC to consider, please contact the Friends of Lents Park representative to the PAC, Kathleen Juergens de Ponce, lentspark@gmail.com, or 503-331-0326.

Come to PAC meeting Oct 13!

2010-10-10T21:07:00.000-07:00

The next meeting of the Project Advisory Committee (PAC) for the Lents Park Master Plan will be this coming Wednesday. PAC meetings are open to the public and will include opportunity for public comment. Details are as follows:

Lents Park Master Plan
Project Advisory Committee Meeting #4
Marshall High School, 3905 SE 91st Ave
Room C44
October 13, 2010 – 6:00 to 9:00 pm

The PAC will be considering a DRAFT "preferred design" map for the park. This design is intended to incorporate the public comment given on the three concept alternative maps, and consolidate the public's preferences into one map. How good a job did the City's contractor do with this? Come to the meeting, and you tell us!

The agenda for this meeting calls for the PAC to adopt a finalized "preferred design" map by the end of this meeting. This will NOT be the final Master Plan map for the park. Rather, the preferred design map will be the new map that goes out to the public for comment. There will be another comment form, another round of public comment, and at least one more PAC meeting, before anything gets finalized and sent to City Council.

The draft preferred design map is not available for distribution to the public at this time, but the following are some links to the meeting agenda and other meeting materials:

Here is a brief summary of the thinking that went in to whether and how to include specific features in the Draft Preferred Design.

Lents Park Master Plan: Draft Preferred Design – Rationale by feature.doc

Here is the Summary of the Comment surveys that helped shape the thinking about the reshaping of the Master Plan
Lents Comment Summary.doc

Here is the formal meeting agenda
Lents Park Agenda.doc

Here is a link to the Portland Parks and Recreation outline of the Public Input Process
Public Input Process.doc

We hope to see you all there! The PAC is the citizen committee representing the community in this process, and this is your chance to let them know what you think!

Thanks,
FLP

So what is the Project Advisory Committee?

2010-09-28T02:38:00.000-07:00

The Lents Park Master Plan process is being overseen by a citizen committee called the Project Advisory Committee (PAC). Some committee members represent community groups with an interest in the process, while others represent the community at large. FLP's representative to the PAC is Kathleen Juergens de Ponce, an original founding member of FLP and current Steering Committee member.

The PAC will ultimately vote on the final Master Plan before it goes to City Council for approval. So get to know the PAC - they represent you in this process!

PAC meetings are open to the public, and we encourage interested FLP members to attend. The next one will be Wednesday, October 13, 6:00 p.m., location TBD.

PAC roster and meeting schedule can be found on the
City's project page for the Lents Park Master Plan. (This site is worth checking out in any case, since it contains a lot of useful information and background documents.)

Next FLP Meeting Thursday September 30

2010-09-28T02:29:00.000-07:00

Next Friends of Lents Park meeting will be:

Thursday, September 30
6:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Lents Commons Coffeehouse
SE 92nd Avenue & Foster

This will be a short meeting to check back in with our membership and discuss next steps. How are you feeling about the new public involvement process that has been proposed in response to FLP's concerns? What can you help do to make sure the community's voice is heard in this next round?

The Lents Commons closes at 7:00, so we will try to keep things brief. This new local business has been GREAT about hosting Master Plan-related events, so please consider supporting them with your business.

We had originally asked people to save this date for a possible meeting between the group and Commissioner Fish. It now looks like it will take quite a bit longer to get on the Commissioner's schedule. We'd like feedback from our members as to whether this is still worth doing, given the expanded array of new meetings that has now been announced.

Expanded Process would add "Listening Sessions"

2010-09-28T01:48:00.000-07:00

Prior to FLP issuing its letter on the Master Plan process, the next round of public involvement was going to look something like this:

Comment period closes on the concept maps. Comments are tabulated and analyzed. The City's contractor, Walker Macy, then gets to work consolidating the three concept maps into one "preferred concept." There is another open house where the preferred concept map is presented, then public comment opens again, prior to the map and Master Plan being finalized.

The FLP Steering Committee called for this process to be put on hold, based on the input we got from virtually all members we talked to. People's outrage at what they were seeing in the concept maps, and lack of confidence that the City was listening, caused us to conclude that it would be premature to proceed to the "preferred concept" stage. We called for another round of public involvement that would be more open-ended, that would engage the community in dialog about what we DO want for our park, instead of reacting to yet another map, which we feared would be full of yet another round of things we didn't want. We also worried that some of the community's good ideas that never got included in the concept maps in the first place might slip through the cracks without a chance to be considered.

We have been listened to!

Barely a week after our letter was sent, and a couple of days after FLP's delegation met with Commissioner Fish's staff, the Parks Department has announced a new, expanded public involvement process for the next stage of the plan. It's going to look like this:

Comment forms on the concept maps will be tabulated and analyzed (they're almost done with this), then summarized for the Project Advisory Committee.

The week of October 25, there will be three "Listening Sessions"
October 25: Sustainability
October 26: Active Recreation
October 27: Community Spaces

The preferred concept map will then be presented at an Open House to be held November 1, with a comment period open until November 22.

(Times and places for meetings are still to be determined. Dates may also be subject to change, based on input from Project Advisory Committee.)

So how is this better? Well, before we are faced with another map, we will have a chance to come together as a community and have open-ended conversations about what we want for our park and what changes we might be willing to accept. We will have the chance to hear the ideas of other community members and discuss them among ourselves before we have to respond to them on a form.

These events will be called "Listening Sessions" because the Parks Department, and the Project Advisory Committee for this Master Plan, will be there to listen to what the community has to say.

Topics for the three Listening Sessions will break down as follows:

* "Sustainability" includes community gardens, natural areas/native plantings, and trees.

* "Community Spaces" includes the dog area, paths, internal and external connections (to transit and Lents Town Center), playground/spray play, picnic area, entrance, and performance space/gazebo.

* "Active Recreation" includes Walker Stadium, sports fields, ball fields, tennis, basketball and the "skatespot."

Downside to this expanded process is that there are now more meetings for concerned citizens to attend. But this does not have to be a bad thing. Most of us have one area or activity in the park that interests us most. Make that the session you attend!

The FLP delegation that met with the City is feeling very optimistic that this expanded process will lead to a better result not just for our group, but for the entire community. Yes, we would have preferred the City to do this listening process at the front end, but better late than never.

We would like to know what our members think. Do you feel your concerns are being addressed? Do you feel any greater confidence in the Master Planning process? We would especially like input into the possibility of a meeting between our members and Commissioner Fish himself. Is this something you would like to see happen, or would this just be one more meeting?

So give us your feedback. Come to our next meeting (Thursday, September 30, 6:00 p.m. at the Lents Commons Coffeehouse, SE 92nd and Foster). Post a comment to this blog, e-mail us at lentspark@gmail.com or call 503-331-0326.

"Almost Final" Results from Concept Map Comments

2010-09-27T19:15:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everybody who put the time in to fill out the lengthy and complex comment form on the three "concept maps" in the Lents Park Master Plan process. We know this wasn't easy, but it had to be done! As of the September 15 deadline, a whopping 330 responses had been received. This is a very impressive response rate (other Portland parks going through similar processes have had responses in the low dozens) and speaks powerfully to the love this community has for our park.

We are still waiting for the Parks Department to complete analysis of these comments and release a final report to the public, but members of the Project Advisory Committee have been able to see "almost final" results. Some highlights are as follows.

I have deliberately held off giving firm numbers or percentages on any of these items, since these are preliminary numbers. Be aware that these numbers are subject to correction, and watch for that final report!

* Respondents overwhelmingly have said: Keep the trees! People voting to "preserve as many existing trees as possible" outnumbered people voting "OK to cut if replacement trees are planted" more than two to one.

* Respondents overall favor keeping the park largely the way it is. Of people voting for one of the three concepts, the overwhelming winner was Concept A, getting more votes than B and C put together. The most common remark made for favoring A was that it makes the fewest changes. The number of people voting "none of the above" was larger than the vote for B or C, and almost as large as the vote for A. Again, many comments under this item state that people like the park the way it is.

* Respondents seem to like the "Skatespot," with all three proposed locations getting more "like" than "dislike" votes. (For those of you who have liveability concerns about the skatespot, this issue is far from over. Stay engaged in the process, and there will be future opportunities to talk about this!)

* Respondents favor keeping the dog park where it is, with many comments calling for it to be fenced in its current location.

* Natural/botanical plantings were popular, getting twice as many "like" as "dislike" votes in all three areas they were proposed. (Combine this with the vote on keeping the trees, and it is clear that people are envisioning plantings that are compatible with the existing tree canopy.)

* Respondents overwhelmingly favor keeping the children's playground where it is.

* Respondents favor making Walker Stadium multi-use over keeping it the way it is.

* For the central fields, the most popular proposal was the one in Concept B, which keeps both fields as natural grass and "flips" which field will be permitted. (Combine this with other answers, and it's clear that people did NOT like the proposed reorientation of the fields in this concept, which would have sacrificed multiple trees in order to provide for a direct north-south pathway.)

* Regarding the gazebo, by a large margin people preferred the proposal in Concept A, which would relocate the gazebo but keep it in the park's open central section. The proposal in Concept B to move the gazebo to the park's SE corner received more "dislike" than "like" votes, but it was close. People overwhelmingly disliked the proposal in Concept C to move the gazebo to the SW corner. Of those making comments under this item, the most common by far was to keep the gazebo where it is.

* About 3/4 of respondents favored preserving the current gazebo, while about half said they wanted to see a band shell. (OK, there's some overlap here. Let's discuss it.)

* By more than two to one, people voted no on a "paved plaza area."

* By a large margin, people preferred the pathways as shown in Concept A, which proposes a pathway between the two central soccer fields without changing the orientation of these fields.

* By more than three to one, people supported keeping the soft-surface walking/jogging loop in its current location.

* Almost everybody liked the idea of expanding the community garden (but it's clear from other answers that they didn't want to sacrifice a heritage tree to do it). Almost nobody liked the idea of moving the garden up onto a terraced hillside.

* Support was overwhelming (more than two to one) for keeping the north side football field, formally known as Vavrek Field, in its current location. People split much more evenly on whether they wanted this field to be synthetic and lighted.

* Most popular location for the large covered picnic area was the proposal in A, but B was a close second.

* By more than two to one, respondents support keeping the tennis court.

* Respondents favored the proposal in A to move the basketball court by a large margin over the proposals in B or C, but a large number of comments favored not moving it at all.

FLP members should feel vindicated by these results, as it appears that the concerns and opinions expressed by members of our group are widely shared by the rest of the community. There is room here for the genuine aspirations of our community to continue being debated, while the more outlandish proposals of the City's hired contractor have been decisively rejected.

Kathleen Juergens de Ponce
FLP Steering Committee
FLP representative to the City's Project Advisory Committee

They're listening! Thursday meeting brings expanded public comment and focus groups

2010-09-24T00:32:00.000-07:00

Five members of Friends of Lents Park participated in a productive meeting Thursday evening at Lents Commons with city representatives close to the Lents Park Master Plan process.

FLP members Raymond Hites, Ken Park, Larry Sullivan, Kathleen Juergens de Ponce and Barbara Bader met with Elizabeth Kennedy-Wong,Community Engagement & Public Involvement Manager, Portland Parks and Recreation; Sarah Coates Huggins, Parks Project Manager for our Master Plan, and Emily Hicks, Commissioner Nick Fish's Policy Coordinator. We were joined by Cora Potter, representing the Project Advisory Committee.

In brief, the city reps seemed to listen closely to everyone's comments on the city's public outreach flaws. A result of the meeting will be an expanded open-house process with several focus groups as we move ahead with the planning process. Thanks to Cora Potter for the idea.

The upcoming meeting between all FLP members and some of Nick Fish's staffers is still in the planning stage. FLP wants the meeting open to everyone who cares about Lents Park. We hope Commissioner Fish will find time to attend that meeting with us all.

City responds to FLP by asking for meetings

2010-09-22T12:59:00.000-07:00

We're happy to report that in response to the Sept. 15 letter from FLP (see below), city representatives have requested a meeting. Several FLP delegates will meet Thursday with city reps.

In addition, Commissioner Nick Fish's staff wants to set up a meeting with all members of FLP. Kathleen Juergens de Ponce is working with Commissioner Fish's staff to set up the expanded meeting, which will take place here in the neighborhood. We are hopeful that Commissioner Fish will attend the meeting. Stay tuned for details.

Letter to Nick Fish snags meeting for FLP

2010-09-22T10:29:00.000-07:00

The steering committee for Friends of Lents Park emailed to Commissioner Nick Fish and associates a letter outlining the position of FLP members regarding the 25-year Master Plan process for Lents Park. It represents FLP's public comment as a group on the second stage of the process. This does not replace comment forms that our members have filled out as individuals.

In this letter (see below), we have attempted to summarize the main points on which we have heard overwhelming agreement from all the FLP members we've talked to. This document is not meant to express everything everybody wants to say. By all means feel free to contact Commissioner Fish directly with anything you might want to add. You can reach him at 503-823-3589 or nick@portlandoregon.gov.

We have already heard back that Commissioner Fish's people want to meet with us. The steering committee is putting together quickly a delegation for this meeting, so some of you will be getting phone calls. If you want to volunteer for the delegation, please call Kathleen at 503-756-2786.
---------------------------------------------------------------------

September 15, 2010
To: Commissioner Nick Fish Director Zari Santner, Portland Parks & Recreation Lents Park Master Plan Project Advisory Committee
From: Friends of Lents Park Steering Committee: Barbara Bader (Interim Member) Diane Camelli Kathleen Juergens de Ponce
Re: Lents Park Master Plan Public Comment on Concept Plan Alternatives

The Friends of Lents Park submits the following as public comment on the “Concept A, B and C” maps for the Lents Park Master Plan. Although our members have submitted individual comment forms, we believe it is appropriate to speak collectively on more fundamental issues of process and assumptions which the City's comment form is not designed to address.
These positions are based on three weeks of intensive engagement with our own membership and the surrounding community since the release of the three concept maps, including four public meetings and hundreds of contacts by phone, e-mail and in person. Our members and the community have overwhelmingly told us:
1. There is a fundamental lack of confidence in the entire Master Plan process, caused by seriously inadequate public involvement on the front end. We were never asked what we want for our park, but have had proposals for dramatic change simply thrown at us.
2. The City needs to slow down its Master Plan process and reopen it to open-ended public comment, even if this means we do not get a final Master Plan in place by January 2011.
3. Future planning processes should start with the understanding that this park is much-beloved in its current configuration, particularly the mature trees. There should be a presumption in favor of maintaining and renovating existing park features in their current locations, with those who would propose significant changes having “burden of proof” to show these changes are supported by the community. The City needs to ask us if we want changes and what those changes might be, not simply engage us in the “how” of rearranging our park.

Background
Friends of Lents Park, founded in May 2009, is the only stakeholder group in the Lents Park Master Plan process whose mission focuses only on the park. Our mission states:
“We seek to preserve, maintain and enhance Lents Park as Open Space in its entirety, for the enjoyment of future generations. We support the neighborhood and surrounding community in all uses of the park that are consistent with this mission.
Our group includes seniors and youth, long-time residents and recent immigrants, and participants in virtually every activity that takes place in the park. Although no one group can claim to speak for Lents, a diverse neighborhood of over 20,000, of all stakeholder groups we represent by far the broadest cross-section of people who use and love the park.
As Commissioner Fish will recall, Friends of Lents Park members helped start up this Master Plan process, following the defeat of the Beavers stadium proposal. Many of us had high hopes that this plan would be a vehicle to reverse years of neglect of our park and help us achieve the repairs and improvements we have wanted for years. Instead, our members are feeling betrayed and angry. Rather than a process which engages us as partners, the City's Master Plan is starting to feel like “the Beavers all over again” - another threat to our park which we must organize and fight.
Inadequate public involvement has caused a lack of confidence in the process
The City's three concept maps all contain dramatic changes that the neighborhood never asked for, some of which are so preposterous that they leave us scratching our heads wondering where these ideas came from. Over and over, we have heard our members complain that the City never asked them what they wanted for the park before drawing up these maps.
The City's first round of public involvement was supposed to accomplish this objective, but it was seriously inadequate. A survey was done, but it was left open for only a week and was filled out by only 132 people. A single open house was held in the park, with the attendees at this one event comprising almost all survey respondents.
The survey should have include more pertinent questions. Do you like the park the way it is? Does the park meet your needs the way it is? What changes would be necessary for this park to do a better job of meeting your needs?
The City's Project Advisory Committee (PAC) had no input and was denied access to the survey prior to the open house. Although a few improvements were made in this second round of public comment, we remain frustrated that our representatives had little meaningful input into the process.
Walker Macy, the city's contractor, has drafted three “concept alternative” maps for the park – and most of the changes in them seem to have been proposed on the contractor's own initiative, just to see how these ideas would be received. Our members have been outraged to

learn that $75,000 of our local urban renewal funds went to draw up these maps, especially since funds have been so scarce for other aspects of public involvement.
We believe that the 330 comment forms that have just been received, once they are tabulated and analyzed, will send a powerful message that the community believes the concept maps do not represent what it wants for Lents Park over the next 25 years.
Reopen and slow down The Master Plan process
Now that public comment has closed on the three “concept alternative” maps, we understand the next step to be that Walker Macy will generate one “preferred concept” map. There will then be another open house and round of public comment before the Master Plan is finalized in January 2011. Friends of Lents Park opposes moving on to these steps until there has been the opportunity for more open-ended community dialog about the park.
There are several reasons why our members feel it is inappropriate to proceed to a “preferred concept” map. First, all three “concept alternatives” are so flawed (particularly regarding tree removal) that we have no confidence in any combination of their elements. Second, it has become clear during public comment on the concept maps that some of the principal ideas being discussed in the community are not even reflected on the concept maps or in the City's comment form. These ideas should be given a place in the process.
In particular, we understand that community leader and PAC member Cora Potter has been actively lobbying for a new concept that would move at least some sports fields out of the park entirely, and re-purpose at least part of the park's central area as botanical gardens. In a straw poll taken at our most recent meeting, almost 1/3 of our members felt at least some of these ideas merited more consideration, but 100% of our members felt that they needed more information about these proposals and/or more time to think about it. We feel strongly that ideas such as Ms. Potter's deserve a fair hearing within the context of a City-sponsored public involvement process.
It is not written in stone that Lents Park needs a new Master Plan by January 2011. In fact, there will be no money to make the changes until there's a new parks bond – 2012 at the earliest. In our recent straw poll, 100% voted that meaningful community input on the park's future is more important than having a Master Plan in place by January. This is a 25-year plan. Let's take the time to get it right.
Our neighborhood resources are being used for the process, so we should have the final say in how they are spent. Make line item budget details available to the PAC, including unspent funds under Walker Macy's contract, and let the PAC help decide how these resources can be best allocated.
Presumption should be in favor of keeping the park as it is
Friends of Lents Park has received much feedback from our members that, given what they know from the process so far, they like the park the way it is. In particular, our members feel very strongly about preservation of the park's existing mature trees.

Our members are angry that this position is being ignored.
This does not mean our members are against any changes to the park. Rather, this is a question of fundamental assumptions. The City and Walker Macy seem to assume that dramatic changes are coming. Our members want any planning process to start with the love this community feels for Lents Park, and proceed carefully from there. Any proposal for significant change should meet a “burden of proof” that it is supported by the community. It's not enough to choose a plan by default because people failed to object.
If the final “vote” on the concept maps turns out to be “no” on most aspects of all three maps – and we believe this is a very likely outcome – the City and Walker Macy should, in the short term, repair and renovate the park in its current configuration. Then, slow down the 25-year planning process and roll out a meaningful public involvement plan. The community has been asking for this for years. It is also the most fiscally prudent option in the current economy.

Links to Sept. 11th Open House Flyers

2010-09-07T23:27:00.000-07:00

Here are the links to the Open House Flyers advertising the Sept. 11 event in English and in Spanish that you can print and post:

     English Friends of Lents Park Open House Flyer

     Spanish Friends of Lents Park Open House Flyer

Please contact us if you can help flyer the neighborhood:

     Friends of Lents Park (FLP): 503-331-0326
     Or send us an email with your contact info: email

Vision Dialogue

2010-09-06T23:13:00.000-07:00

Friends of Lents Park members are invited to a Vision Dialogue at 6:30 pm Tuesday at Lents Commons Coffeehouse (92nd/Foster). Join us for a respectful discussion of proposals for dramatic changes to come in Lents Park. This is a great chance to share our different visions for the park, so please come to make sure your thoughts are part of the discussion.

City Extends Comment Deadline

2010-09-04T10:25:00.000-07:00

Hooray! The City's given us a few more days to get the word out about potential changes in Lents Park. We have until September 15 to get out the info, distribute surveys and turn them in.

We'll have surveys at the Lents Park Open House Saturday September 11 at 1 p.m. at the Lents Park Gazebo.

Contact Friends of Lents Park if you want surveys for friends & neighbors.

See you next Saturday.

Open House in Lents Park!

2010-09-04T10:14:00.000-07:00

The City is making its plan for the Park's next 25 years! Let's tell them what we think about it!

Friends of Lents Park Open House
1 p.m., Saturday September 11
@ Lents Park Gazebo

All Lovers of Lents Park are invited to:

--See the City's plans!

--Get the most current information!

--Fill out the City's survey about the plans!

--Share your thoughts about Lents Park changes!

--Bring friends & family!

Deadline for survey comments has been extended to September 15. Let's use the time to tell city planners what citizens of Lents want for our park.

Is the Master Plan for Lents Park Your Master Plan?

2010-09-02T01:40:00.000-07:00

Lents Park Needs You Again!

Friends of Lents Park (FLP): 503-331-0326
The City of Portland is creating a Master Plan to guide development in the park over the next 25 years. They are now looking at three design alternatives for re-shaping the park, some of which make pretty dramatic changes. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but should not be done without input from the community.

The Comment Period Ends September 8!

Do you agree that one of the three proposed plans (link below) is what your park needs? You may feel the three "design options" are bogus, but if people do not say this on the comment forms, the City will take this as evidence that the neighborhood does not object to the proposed changes.

If you are not in favor of any of the three proposed plans and feel that a plan that makes improvements but also preserves the park is needed, please respond by clicking this link to send an email and FLP will make sure your voice is heard.

Actions:

*URGENT: Fill out your survey and get it in, if you haven't already done so. Spread the word far and wide for others to do it too! And remember, we are NOT limited to choosing between A, B or C. "None of the above" is an option, and we need to say so!

*Click here to see the online version of the plans: Three Plans

*Click here for the comment form: Parks Comment Form

*Paper maps and comment forms are available at Lents Commons Coffeehouse, SE 92nd & Foster, 6:30 am to 7:00 pm.

*200 more copies of the comment form, maps packet and related flyer are being distributed by hand. Call FLP if you want to deliver some copies of the comment form to your own family, friends, neighbors, etc.

*Lents Famers Market on Sunday and a big church event in the park on Labor Day are both opportunities to get comment forms filled out. Do you have time to put in on either of these days? Please call FLP for info and to volunteer.

*Donations are more than welcome to help pay for the mailing and other costs.If you can swing it, please kick in a few bucks to FLP. Give your donation to any Steering Committee member or call FLP.

Skatespot

For those who have doubts about the skatespot, but are willing to keep an open mind, FLP has video of a similar-sized facility at Holly Farm Park in SW Portland. We'll post that soon on this blog.

Input & Feedback

Feel free to research any aspects that concern you about the Master Plan. Please report back to the FLP with any information you find. We need input in particular from community gardeners and team sports participants. Kathleen Juergens de Ponce is getting in touch with Spanish-speaking soccer players.

Check out the City's Lents Park project page (follow the link from http://www.portlandparks.org/) for helpful background documents, including the skate system report and raw data from the first round of public involvement.

First FLP Meeting

Potential changes to Lents Park were discussed by some members of Friends of Lents Park (FLP) Monday evening, August 30. Though individuals have a variety of opinions on details of Master Plan "Concepts" A, B & C that were first presented to Lents residents at an open house August 26, the consensus of the group was that the park should be changed as little as possible, especially regarding the trees. Money should be spent on maintaining and upgrading -- not changing -- Lents Park. There are mixed opinions about the addition of the skatespot.

BACKGROUND ON THE MASTER PLANNING PROCESS:
The Lents Park Master Plan will be a "vision" document to guide development of the park over the next 25 years. It will be adopted by City Council and become official City policy.

Nothing that goes into the Master Plan will happen automatically. Projects will still need to be funded and approved individually. For the next 25 years, Master Plan projects will have a fast track through the Council. Any proposal that goes against the Master Plan will have an uphill battle. The time for citizen involvement is NOW!

The last Master Plan was completed in 1981, and most of the projects envisioned in it, such as the running track, have become reality.

The City has convened an advisory committee to oversee the Master Planning process. Kathleen Juergens de Ponce is on the committee representing Friends of Lents Park.

The Process

So far, FLP's mandate has been to make sure that no pro ball stadium or anything of a similar type or scale is included in the Master Plan. This is assured by by putting language in the Master Plan vision statement clarifying that "events" in the park should be "neighborhood scale events."

The City's process so far has included interviewing “stakeholder groups,” including Friends of Lents Park, and conducting a survey on park priorities. The survey was "open" for only one week and received only 132 responses. FLP committee reps protested that this was not enough time and does not constitute adequate input from the public. They were not told ahead of time there would be only a week, and were unable to get the word out to members during that time.) Despite assurances that input on park priorities will continue to be taken throughout the second stage of the process, we have only a brief window to make our views known.

The City's contractor, Walker Macy, crafted the three concepts for the "new" Lents Park. Please review the designs and complete the survey immediately.

Tuesday LNA Meeting STILL ON!

2009-06-23T12:59:00.000-07:00

One, two, three strikes they're out, with their dumb plan to build a pro stadium in our park!
Following on the heels of Merritt Paulson's announcement last Friday that he was withdrawing his Lents Park stadium proposal, Monday has brought yet more nails in the coffin of the Lents Park stadium plan. First, the Urban Renewal Advisory Committee has announced they are canceling Thursday's voting meeting and will not be allocating ANY urban renewal money to a stadium, based on the lack of a private sector partner. (See their letter, attached to the end of this message.) YOU all accomplished this, with your brilliant and eloquent testimony last Thursday, so give yourselves a hand! Second, Randy Leonard has finally woken up and smelled the coffee, and has announced he is asking PDC to look at other stadium sites besides Memorial Coliseum and Lents Park. The Oregonian reports "Lents Park is now firmly out of the running...." (Read story at
http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2009/06/portland_will_search_for_yet_a.html.)

YOU did this too, and even Commissioner Leonard is finally listening! So is it all over? Well, not quite. Friends of Lents Park is STILL asking Lents neighborhood residents to turn out for Tuesday night's Neighborhood Association meeting, at which a formal vote will be taken on the Lents Park stadium question. Why? So that there can never be any doubt that our neighborhood decisively rejected this proposal (as opposed to the Leonard theory, that an "uncivil" minority ruined it for everybody). So that our neighborhood will never get sandbagged again, as in March and April of this year, when the stadium was taken off the table and then put back on. So that we can finally put this behind us and move on as a neighborhood. The details of the meeting again: Lents Neighborhood Association General Meeting Tuesday, June 23, 2009 7:00 p.m. Lents Seventh-Day Adventist Church 8835 SE Woodstock Blvd. Bring picture ID to prove Lents neighborhood residency, and bring ALL adult members of your household. Boundaries of the Lents neighborhood are: Powell to the north, Clackamas County line to the south, 112th Ave. to the east, 82nd Ave. to the west. Then afterwards, let's celebrate with the Friends of Lents Park victory party/potluck, Saturday, June 27, noon - 3:00 p.m. at the gazebo in the park!

See you Tuesday night!
--The Friends of Lents Park Steering Committee

===============================================================
Here's URAC's letter:

Mayor Adams and Commissioners,
> > After conferring individually with members of the LTCURAC, I regret that the LTCURAC can not, in good faith, make a recommendation to allocate funding to the AAA Ballpark at the Walker Stadium site.
> > A key component to the success of any project is the presence of a willing and enthusiastic development partner, public or private. As of Friday, June 19, 2009 we were informed that key component is no longer a part of this proposal. This makes any further deliberation on the opportunities and challenges associated with the project difficult to conduct in a manner that addresses the project rather than the current circumstances. In addition, without additional input and details from the project proposer, we can not make an adequate and informed recommendation.
> > In order to allow our volunteer committee time to recoup and prepare to address other strategies for advancing the goals of the LTCURA plan, I am canceling the special meeting scheduled for Thursday, June 25. The next meeting of the LTCURAC will be on the regular meeting date of July 14, 2009.
> > Thank you, and City and PDC staff for your support during this process. The LTCURAC looks forward to exploring additional project opportunities in the future and to continuing to work with you on advancing the goals of the Lents Town Center Urban Renewal Plan, and the East Portland Action Plan.
> > Sincerely,
> > Cora Lee Potter
> Chair, Lents Town Center Urban Renewal Advisory Committee

Lents Park: It's not quite over yet...

2009-06-21T09:51:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends of Lents Park Members and Supporters:

Friday was an exhilarating day, with Beavers owner Merritt Paulson's sudden announcement that he is withdrawing his proposal for a stadium in Lents Park due to a "lack of community support" (read his letter at http://www.kgw.com/news/pdf/paulson.pdf). It looks like we've won this! However, the stake is not quite driven through the heart of this whoppingly ill-conceived stadium idea. Commissioner Leonard is resorting to blackmail, threatening to torpedo Major League Soccer at PGE Park if Paulson does not reinstate his proposal. The Oregonian, in a bizarre editorial Saturday, says "if the plug is going to be pulled on a baseball stadium in Lents, it shouldn't be Merritt Paulson pulling it" (http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2009/06/navigating_through_lents.html). And it appears some in our own neighborhood may still be trying to do an end run around the democratic process and woo Paulson back.
We know our members are tired and needing to catch up on home and family life. We know you want this whole sorry episode to be over as much as we do. But more action is still required to make sure this Lents Park stadium idea stays off the table for good! You all did AWESOME at Thursday's URAC meeting. Please help us stay the course and keep the bulldozers out of our beautiful park.
Read on for three upcoming dates that need to go on your calendar, and a couple of additional action items:

1. Lents Neighborhood Association Meeting, Tuesday, June 23, 2009, 7:00 p.m., Lents Seventh-Day Adventist Church (8835 SE Woodstock Blvd.)
This meeting was announced at the end of Thursday's URAC meeting, but Friday's announcement by Paulson threw into doubt whether this meeting would still happen. We have since confirmed that (1) yes, this meeting will happen; and (2) it will be devoted entirely to the stadium question, with a vote of neighborhood residents to be taken.

It is extremely important that ALL stadium opponents who live in the Lents neighborhood physically attend this meeting if at all possible. This includes ALL adult members of your household. Bring picture ID or other proof of Lents neighborhood residency, so you can cast your vote. If you can only do one thing for the anti-stadium campaign next week, make it this meeting!

Both Commissioner Leonard and the Oregonian are maintaining that Thursday's huge anti-stadium turnout at the URAC meeting was somehow not the "real" Lents neighborhood. While this is ridiculous, let's not give stadium backers any excuse for wooing Paulson back. Let's have the proper democratic vote that our neighborhood needs and deserves (and that Friends of Lents Park has been demanding for weeks) and make it clear once and for all that our neighborhood doesn't want this stadium!
Lents neighborhood boundaries are Powell Blvd. to the north, Clackamas County line to the south, 112nd Ave. to the east, and 82nd Ave. to the west. Anyone able to show proof of residence within these boundaries will be eligible to vote. LNA has promised there will be child care available at the meeting.

2. Possible Urban Renewal Advisory Committee (URAC) meeting, Thursday, June 25, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m., location to be announced.
At the end of last Thursday's URAC meeting, it was announced that URAC would meet again to vote on June 25th, with the location to be announced on PDC's website (www.pdc.us/lents). The status of this meeting is now unclear. With Paulson having withdrawn his proposal, URAC seems to have nothing on the table to vote ON. However, Commissioner Leonard and the Oregonian both continue to insist that "URAC should be allowed to vote."
As of this alert, PDC's website contains no confirmation that this meeting is going forward, nor any notice that it has been canceled. We will continue to monitor, and keep you informed. Meanwhile, please mark your calendars and check PDC's website yourselves. We can't afford to ignore this meeting, as it might provide a back-door way to get a Lents Park stadium back on the table.

3. Friends of Lents Park neighborhood victory party! Saturday, June 27, noon - 3:00 p.m., at the gazebo in the park. (Please note corrected date!)
Let's celebrate our victory in getting Paulson to take his rotten stadium proposal off the table! Hopefully by this time, the LNA and URAC processes will have run their course, and we will be able to safely say it is off the table for good!
Bring a potluck dish to share if you would like. Power will be on and a sound system set up, for any musicians who would like to entertain us. (If you can suggest a band, contact us at lentspark@gmail.com)
We apologize for the confusion over the date of this. Our first e-mail had no date specified, and the second one had an incorrect date. Saturday, June 27 is the correct date.

4. Write the Oregonian!
The Oregonian's Saturday editorial on the Lents stadium question (http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2009/06/navigating_through_lents.html) is nothing short of outrageous. The editorial board seems to join Commission Leonard in asserting that Merritt Paulson has no right to withdraw his own stadium proposal, and makes further bizarre statements, calling URAC "the only official body representing Lents on the subject." (Excuse me: we have a neighborhood association, just like every other Portland neighborhood, and it's going to meet Tuesday.) Their characterization of URAC meeting attendees is insulting in the extreme.
In fact, the public testimony component of the URAC meeting was quite orderly. 41 people testified, all but two of whom were anti-stadium. All testifiers respected the time limits, and their testimony was articulate, passionate and reasonable. The only testifier who resorted to insults was a pro-stadium business owner, who stereotyped the neighborhood as full of "crackheads."
Yes, Merritt Paulson and Randy Leonard were heckled and booed. The public should judge for themselves whether these men's behavior towards our neighborhood merited this reaction. Leonard's presentation at the URAC hearing was extremely insulting towards Lents residents, claiming that those against the stadium were uninformed. (Although the only example he gave of "misinformation" was the Portland Parks Board's estimate of trees to be cut down. At this same meeting, Beavers representative Greg Peden admitted that he couldn't say for sure how many trees would be cut down. The Portland Parks Board initially estimated 177 trees; the Parks Bureau has since released an estimate of 107 trees. In the absence of firm data from the Beavers, why should these numbers not be relied on?)
If you have time to write one more letter this week, the public needs to hear that the Oregonian's Editorial Board is full of it. Send letters to letters@news.oregonian.com, and limit to 150 words.

5. Please take a moment and complete PDC's "survey."
Click http://pdc.us/ura/lents_town_center/lentssurvey.asp for an online survey of urban renewal priorities in general and the stadium in particular. This is an online version of the same survey that URAC meeting attendees took at the meeting last Thursday. Although this survey does not ask outright whether respondents want a stadium or not, you will have the opportunity to say how important it is to have "amenities that make Lents an entertainment destination" (meeting attendees rated this the lowest possible priority) and to state what benefits a stadium is likely to have (an overwhelming majority of meeting attendees marked "no benefits.")
This is not a top priority, but provides additional ammunition for getting the stadium taken off the table for good.

Thank you all so much for your hard work on this campaign! Watch your e-mail and our website for updates.

2009-06-19T17:04:00.000-07:00

Victory!!!

Lents stadium plan off the table, says Beavers team owner Merritt Paulson
by Lisa Grace Lednicer, The Oregonian
Friday June 19, 2009, 2:05 PM

Photo Credit Doug Beghtel/The Oregonian

Portland Beavers owner Merritt Paulson today withdrew his attempt to build a minor league baseball stadium in Lents, saying it's clear that neighborhood residents strongly oppose the idea . . .

Fish to join Friends of Lents Park at Thursday rally; projects decoupled?

2009-06-18T16:53:00.000-07:00

Friends of Lents Park
Contact: Nick Christensen MojaveNC@comcast.net June 18, 2009

PORTLAND, Ore. — City Commissioner Nick Fish will join opponents of a plan to build a professional baseball stadium in Lents Park at a rally Thursday night.

The rally will be at 5 p.m. June 18 at the MOUNT SCOTT COMMUNITY CENTER, 5530 SE 72nd Avenue.

"Commissioner Fish recognizes that this project is a bad deal for Lents residents and Portlanders who care about their parks," said Friends of Lents Park organizer Kathleen Juergens de Ponce. "We hope our testimony tonight will convince the rest of the city council that this is a bad idea."
Friends of Lents Park has been invited to give 10 minutes of testimony at the Lents Town Center Urban Renewal Advisory Committee meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Mt. Scott Community Center. Several FLP members are planning on signing up to speak during the hearing's one hour public comment period.
FLP has heard through various sources that city officials have decided to "decouple" the MLS and Beavers stadium decisions, meaning the city can proceed with bringing MLS to the city while having a more comprehensive discussion about where to put the Beavers if they have to leave PGE Park. Once we have confirmed this to be the case, FLP will release a statement.
A transcript of FLP's testimony tonight will be available electronically. E-mail Nick Christensen at MojaveNC@comcast.net for information.

Friends of Lents Park
This grassroots group of Lents area residents seeks to preserve, maintain and enhance Lents Park as Open Space in its entirety, for the enjoyment of future generations. It supports the neighborhood and surrounding community in all uses of the park that are consistent with this mission.

Lents Park
The park is a 38-acre green space in the heart of Lents. It features walking paths, playgrounds, baseball diamonds, soccer fields, basketball courts and a community garden — all of which are teeming with activity most days of the week. It also has hundreds of old trees, many of which would be cut down for construction of a stadium.

End the madness at Lents Park

2009-06-18T14:24:00.000-07:00

Great Editorial in the Oregonian:

End the madness at Lents Park
by Steve Duin, The Oregonian
Wednesday June 17, 2009, 5:09 PM

In a city famous for its parks, Lents is one of the grander preserves, a sprawling, tree-lined sanctuary that serves as church, retreat and lemonade stand for a community that can't afford weekends at Black Butte.
That anyone would seriously consider tattooing this 38-acre wonderland with a minor league ballpark is as misguided as it is cruel.

Thursday update!

2009-06-17T19:51:00.000-07:00

Hello to Friends of Lents Park members and supporters:

First, an update on tomorrow's activities. The Urban Renewal Advisory Committee has released meeting materials for tomorrow night's meeting, including at least some of the "funding scenarios" they will be considering. Check our website www.lentspark.blogspot.com for links to the materials; also attached is a summary (prepared by FLP Steering Committee member Paulette Filz) explaining the various scenarios in "real numbers."

Second, and most importantly: URAC HAS AGREED TO POSTPONE THEIR VOTE! Tomorrow's hearing will still be happening at 6:00 p.m., and our rally outside at 5:00 p.m. Nothing has changed, except that in the interests of a fuller public process, they will not hold the actual vote until a week later. Your e-mails have made a difference, and our demands are being listened to!

Just a reminder, the schedule tomorrow will be:

4:00 p.m. Open House

5:00 p.m. OUR RALLY (outside, during last hour of open house)

6:00 p.m. URAC meeting starts

This will all take place tomorrow, Thursday, June 18, at the Mt. Scott Community Center (SE 72nd and Harold).

We have received assurances from Chair Cora Potter that public testimony will be taken at tomorrow's hearing. YOUR PARTICIPATION IS VERY IMPORTANT. For those of you who have not given testimony at a public meeting before, the following tips may be helpful.

DO sign up to testify. There will likely be a sign-up sheet, available at the start of the meeting or before. As soon as you arrive, get inside the building and get your name on the sheet.

DO speak out as a resident of Lents. The URAC members are charged with representing us, and they can't do that unless they hear from us! Nobody is a bigger expert on your park, or your neighborhood, than YOU. People may attend this hearing who have PhD's in forestry or urban design, but if they do not live in Lents, their testimony will not count as much as yours.

DO tell your friends in surrounding neighborhoods to come and testify too! The Lents Town Center Urban Renewal Area includes significant parts of five neighborhoods besides Lents: Powellhurst-Gilbert, Brentwood-Darlington, Mt. Scott-Arleta, Foster-Powell and Creston-Kenilworth. That means it's their money too! And their urban renewal programs that may get the axe! (And they don't even get a stadium out of it!)

DO limit your testimony to two minutes, which is likely all the time you'll have. A good guide, if you're preparing written remarks, is about a page and a half typed, double-spaced. Ideally you will get the chance to rehearse and time yourself.

DO get the facts about the stadium project and the urban renewal funding proposals. Besides the URAC meeting materials mentioned above and attached, you can go to our website and follow the link at "Friends of Lents Park Documents" for our stadium fact sheet and other important documents.

DON'T be intimidated by all the facts and figures. If you are not able to read and analyze everything quickly enough to prepare "technical" testimony, that doesn't mean what you have to say isn't important. The public simply has not been given enough time here, which is why we pushed so hard for a vote to be delayed. (Thank them for that, by the way.) Your feelings about the park, and the stadium proposal, are valid and deserve to be heard.

DON'T be profane or engage in personal attacks, as that will allow our message to be more easily dismissed. We can be outraged and passionate while still coming across as reasonable!

See you there tomorrow night! Together we are winning this!

Kathleen Juergens de Ponce

for the FLP Steering Committee

URAC vote postponed, Friends will still rally before Thursday hearing

2009-06-17T19:49:00.000-07:00

PORTLAND, Ore. — Members of the Lents Town Center Urban Renewal Advisory Committee have decided to postpone a vote on whether to fund construction of a professional baseball stadium in Lents Park.

The committee will still have a meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday, June 18, which will follow an open house from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Mount Scott Community Center, at the corner of Southeast 72nd Avenue and Southeast Harold Street.

According to an e-mail from staff at the Portland Development Commission, 13 members of the URAC were polled as to whether a vote should occur on Thursday. "The vast majority preferred to postpone the URAC vote," the e-mail said.

The vote is now scheduled for a 7 p.m. meeting on Thursday, June 25. A location has not been decided.

Opponents of a plan to spend $42 million in urban renewal money on a professional baseball stadium in Lents Park are planning a rally during the June 18 open house.

The rally is scheduled for 5 p.m. Thursday, June 18, at the Mount Scott Community Center.

More than 800 people have signed a petition expressing their opposition to the plan to build a stadium for the Portland Beavers in Lents Park. That petition will be submitted to the URAC at its June 18 meeting.

Several members of Friends of Lents Park are planning on testifying before the URAC.

Friends of Lents Park
This grassroots group of Lents area residents seeks to preserve, maintain and enhance Lents Park as Open Space in its entirety, for the enjoyment of future generations. It supports the neighborhood and surrounding community in all uses of the park that are consistent with this mission.

Lents Park
The park is a 38-acre green space in the heart of Lents. It features walking paths, playgrounds, baseball diamonds, soccer fields, basketball courts and a community garden — all of which are teeming with activity most days of the week. It also has hundreds of old trees, many of which would be cut down for construction of a stadium.

-30-

Meeting Tuesday, rally Thursday, vote Wednesday?

2009-06-15T20:30:00.000-07:00

Friends of Lents Park invites all interested parties to our general meeting 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 16 at the Lents Park Gazebo. We'll be bringing everyone up to date on the latest proposals, and our plans for a rally at Thursday's meeting of the Lents Urban Renewal Advisory Committee.

The first details of the final proposal for the Beavers stadium inside Lents Park were released Monday on the URAC's Web site (under Meeting Agendas and Summaries.)

The URAC will have an open house from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, June 18 at the Mt. Scott Community Center, 5530 SE 72nd Avenue. That will be followed by a URAC meeting at 6 p.m.

At 5 p.m., join us in front of the community center as we protest the sparse public involvement process proposed thus far.

And be sure to contact URAC members and Portland city commissioners asking them to slow the process down, as we have demanded. Click here for contact information.

We're also asking the Lents Neighborhood Association have a ballot vote Wednesday to give its representatives to the URAC guidance on how to proceed.

Friends of Lents Park demands on public participation

2009-06-15T20:24:00.000-07:00

As the elected representatives of the Friends of Lents Park, a citizen group with a mission to preserve, maintain and enhance Lents Park, we must protest the shockingly undemocratic processes proposed to be used in the Beavers baseball stadium siting and funding decisions.

Since the Lents Park stadium option was placed back on the table, Lents residents have been told – by our neighborhood association, our urban renewal advisory committee, and the city – that the public involvement process would begin once a “final deal” was reached between the city and Portland Beavers owner Merritt Paulson. A June 1, 2009 e-mail which our group received from Amy Ruiz of the mayor's office quotes Mayor Adams as saying “only if we can come to terms with Merritt on a stadium deal in Lents will we approach the issue with the Lents community.”

Frustrating as the lack of any officially-sanctioned public involvement process has been to date, Lents residents have looked forward to the point when the city/Beavers plan would be finalized, its details disclosed to us, and the public involvement process would begin.

That time is now. We understand that the city has concluded its negotiations with Peregrine LLC, Merritt Paulson's company, and as of last Friday have received a city/Peregrine “Term Sheet.” However, the public involvement process we were promised is nowhere to be found. Instead, both the city and our URAC seem determined to fast-track the stadium siting and funding decisions, by processes that appear designed to exclude public input.

On less than a week's notice, we have learned that our URAC intends to hold an “open house” at 4:00 p.m. Thursday, June 18 at the Mt. Scott Center, at which the final city/Beavers plan will be presented to the public, along with URAC's own “counteroffer” (which we understand may include scenarios for allocation of less than the full requested $42.3 million). At 6:00 p.m. that same evening, the URAC will then hold a hearing at which they discuss and vote on the funding scenarios.

This is an outrageously undemocratic process, which our members intend to protest with a 5:00 p.m. rally outside the meeting site. Lents is a working-class neighborhood, most of whose residents cannot reasonably make it to a 4:00 p.m. “open house.” Those few who can will then need to digest what they learn in time to prepare testimony for a hearing just two hours later – assuming that URAC Chairwoman Cora Potter allows public testimony. Those who cannot physically make it to this event on such short notice will have no opportunity to testify at all.

Even worse is the lack of notice to the entire Lents Town Center Urban Renewal area, which includes significant parts of several neighborhoods, including Lents, Powellhurst-Gilbert, Brentwood-Darlington, Mt. Scott-Arleta, Foster-Powell and Creston-Kenilworth. The Friends of Lents Park will go “all out” to inform our own neighborhood of this meeting, but residents of the other five neighborhoods will likely not even know the meeting is happening – although virtually all urban renewal projects for this URA for the next five years are at stake.

Once the funding decision is railroaded through our URAC, the city council then proposes to “take direction from URAC.” An undemocratic URAC decision, reached without meaningful public involvement, cannot be the basis for the city's stadium siting decision. We urge all city commissioners to attend Thursday night's “open house” and URAC meeting, to see for themselves what kind of process they are proposing to rely on as representing the will of the citizens of Lents and the Lents Town Center URA.

We are also outraged by intimations that the city council intends to fast-track its own siting decision. The June 1 Amy Ruiz e-mail goes on to say that if URAC approves the money, “the council would also consider a plan for further public involvement and process on everything from the design of the stadium, to parking, replacement of park space, and a Good Neighbor Agreement.”

“Everything,” that is, except the critical question of whether or not to build a professional baseball stadium in our public park. The mayor apparently intends to allow the Lents community a voice in the “how” of stadium construction but not the “if.” This is completely unacceptable.

ON BEHALF OF THE FRIENDS OF LENTS PARK, WE DEMAND:

That the Lents Town Center Urban Renewal Advisory Committee postpone any vote on stadium construction funding until a full and fair public involvement process is conducted with all affected constituencies, including but not limited to the residents of the Lents neighborhood. We call upon any URAC members who disagree with the undemocratic process proposed by Chairwoman Cora Potter to make whatever motions are required to postpone this vote.
That the Portland City Council postpone any vote on siting a Beavers baseball stadium in Lents Park, until a full and fair public involvement process can be conducted with the residents of the Lents neighborhood and other park users.
That prior to any voting meeting of URAC or city council, the Lents Neighborhood Association conduct a special membership meeting, at which votes will be taken on stadium siting and the allocation of URA funds. If the leadership of URAC refuses to postpone the June 18 vote, we demand that LNA schedule an emergency membership meeting prior to that date.
As regards the Lents neighborhood, our expectations for a full and fair public involvement process are as follows:

Multiple community open houses will be conducted, at which the details of the final city/Beavers plan will be disclosed and principal players will be available to answer questions. At least three open houses will be scheduled to accommodate neighborhood residents' differing work schedules: one on a weekday night, one on a weekday, and one on a weekend.
The open houses will be facilitated by a trained, neutral facilitator. “Pro” and “con” presenters (including the Friends of Lents Park) will be given equal time. Translation services will be provided in the principal languages spoken in our neighborhood, including Spanish, Vietnamese and Russian.
Besides question-and-answer sessions, the open houses will include time for attendees to voice comments/concerns about the stadium project. City commissioners will send staff members to each open house to hear these comments.
The full schedule of open houses will be adequately noticed to the neighborhood via a mailing to all households, in all principal languages spoken by the neighborhood. The mailed notice will include contact information by which more information can be obtained and by which testimony can be submitted by those unable to attend the open houses. The language of the mailed notice will be neutral as to the “pros” and “cons” of stadium construction.
All votes then scheduled by the URAC and by city council will be on adequate notice to the neighborhood and will include opportunity for public testimony, with translation services available in the principal language spoken by the neighborhood.

Yes, such a public involvement process will likely take months – this is the nature of public involvement. We are unimpressed by arguments that baseball stadium siting and funding decisions must be fast-tracked to facilitate the Major League Soccer deal. If MLS is so important to the city that it must stay on schedule at all costs, then it should be decoupled from baseball stadium siting. The city can find a temporary venue for the Beavers to play, or work out a temporary deal to share PGE Park, while additional stadium sites are considered and a proper public involvement process is conducted for each site. The Lents neighborhood should not be expected to sacrifice the livability of our community, and our right to a democratic process, for the sake of Merritt Paulson's soccer deal.

City officials should keep in mind that a fast-tracked decision to site the stadium in Lents is guaranteed to lead to legal appeals from neighborhood residents, which will likely tie up the MLS/baseball deal even longer than an extended public involvement process.

We are equally unimpressed by arguments that no funds are available for public involvement. In the midst of the worst recession of our lifetimes, our city council is considering spending $88 million in taxpayer money for the combined MLS/baseball deal. Are we really supposed to believe that a few thousand cannot be found for adequate public involvement? And given the generosity about to be shown to him from the public coffers, millionaire Beavers owner Paulson should be expected to pay his fair share of the public involvement costs.

We demand that all decision-makers in the stadium siting and funding processes keep their promises to Lents residents and fairly fulfill their duty to represent us in these decisions. Don't short-change public involvement for the sake of Merritt Paulson's profits. The Lents neighborhood, and the taxpayers of the entire city, deserve better.

- The Friends of Lents Park Steering Committee

Community demands thorough public involvement process in stadium decision

2009-06-15T20:06:00.000-07:00

With a formal proposal to construct a professional baseball stadium in Lents Park expected any day, Lents community members from all over the spectrum are demanding the Urban Renewal Advisory Committee allow for adequate public participation.

The URAC has scheduled an open house from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, June 18 at the Mount Scott Community Center in the working-class southeast Portland neighborhood. After that, the URAC is scheduled to discuss the proposal and decide how much money to allot toward the project.

A rally of Lents residents upset with the lack of transparency and public involvement is scheduled for 5 p.m. Thursday outside the center.

“We welcome Thursday’s meeting as an opportunity to get a first look at the plans for our park,” said Friends of Lents Park spokesman Nick Christensen. “But we also acknowledge that many of our members work during the day, and may not get to the Mount Scott Community Center in time to comprehensively evaluate what’s being planned for their neighborhood.”

As of Monday, no second reading of the proposal was scheduled — whatever a majority of URAC members agree to will be forwarded to the city council without public comment on whatever proposal the URAC drafts.

Just as important, URAC members will not be able to go back to their respective constituencies to see if the proposal is acceptable to the neighborhoods and interests they represent. The Lents Town Center Urban Renewal Area includes significant properties in five neighborhoods other than Lents, and portions of three more neighborhoods.

URAC leadership has refused to establish an adequate public participation process, saying a vote will only be delayed if a majority of board members ask for that.

They’re in lock-step with the city. In a June 1 e-mail, Amy Ruiz, an advisor to Mayor Sam Adams, wrote that if the URAC approves funding for the stadium, “the council will consider a plan for further public involvement” on the stadium’s aesthetics.

In other words, they’ll have public participation on how to build a professional stadium in a park used by thousands weekly — but not if a stadium should be built at all.

Friends of Lents Park is asking that the Lents Neighborhood Association hold an emergency meeting Wednesday, to allow Lents residents to vote and give guidance to its representatives to the URAC.

And the organization is calling on the city to use all of its resources to provide the Lents neighborhood with information about such a meeting.

“This is a city council that somehow, in this economy, thinks it can find $88 million to keep Merritt Paulson happy,” said Friends of Lents Park organizer Kathleen Juergens de Ponce. “We expect they can find a few measly thousand for adequate public involvement."

New Facts Revealed by Commissioner

2009-06-14T00:45:00.000-07:00

In a new position paper from Commissioner Amanda Fritz, some shocking new facts about the stadium deal are revealed, including (a) the REAL cost of $42.3 mil in TIF financing will be $85 million counting interest, and (b) the construction contract for the new stadium will be "no bid," with Paulson selecting the contractor with no input from the city. (She does, however, overlook livability issues, saying the stadium would be "a nice amenity for Lents.")

http://blogs.wweek.com/news/files/2009/06/skonica-60009061118120.pdf

A very belated thank you

2009-06-14T00:26:00.000-07:00

Without a low interest, payment deferred loan through the PDC to repair my falling down house, my life would not be so good right now.

I was a single mom and extremely poor, in 1998, and my 80+ year old home had a crumbling basement, faulty wiring, and the roof was caving in. The PDC helped me repair those problems which allowed me to keep my affordable home (my mortgage was much less than rent anywhere else), and because I could afford to be poor awhile longer, I was finally able to go to college. I earned my Masters this year, and I earn a heckuva lot more money, too, so I can finally start paying back that loan.

If I hadn't had stable, safe, affordable housing, I would still be working for minimum wage. A new stadium would not have helped me.

People who need help don't have the luxury to wait and see, or to take long term risks. That?s a rich people thing. I know urban renewal funds help much more when applied directly to the immediate problems and not indirectly through superfluous public attractions.

So thank you to those who are working to keep Lents Park free and open and to keep our Urban Renewal funds in our coffers where they can keep working for homeowners and small business owners. I promise, now that I've finally graduated, I will spend more time helping my neighbors and community.

For those who are opposed, I hope you consider how many people have benefited from low income loans for critical repairs. There are many others like me.

Thank you!
Twila Nesky

Chakwin: Allow time for review of proposal

2009-06-12T19:26:00.000-07:00

Note: The Lents ~~Neighborhood Association~~ Urban Renewal Advisory Committee (sorry about the error on Friday night's post) is scheduled to vote on the ballpark proposal at its June 18 meeting (6 p.m., Mt. Scott Community Center). The proposal the URAC will be voting on -- or starting from as it discusses what proposal would be acceptable to it -- has not yet been distributed.

Below is a letter from Lents Neighborhood Association Chairman Damien Chakwin.

To whom it may concern,

As the Chair of the Lents Neighborhood Association I find it my responsibility to protest the amount of time that the neighborhood will have to view the proposal offered in conjunction with the Ball field.

We as a neighborhood are entitled to the due process of being able to know exactly what the offer ism considering the 20,000 people who live in Lents will have to adjust and adapt to what is the outcome of this vote.

I have spoken to many people who are in favor of the stadium and many people who are against the stadium both have good reasons for the way that they feel. One thing I know that both sides agree on as a neighborhood is that we are going to bear the brunt of the financial burden out of the URA, not to mention the changes in the neighborhood, both good and bad, and deserve to be a part of the process.

The URAC was explained to me as a representational board that covers not only Lents but other connected neighborhoods and businesses. So on top of the 20,000 residents of Lents we have these other neighborhoods that are supposedly affected but, are they to the same degree? That remains to be seen.

I am asking the City Council, the PDC, and the URAC respectively to allow the residents of Lents their due process, The ability to get the information and assess it and then tell all the parties involved that we either welcome the proposal, we do not welcome the proposal, or we need changes to make it work.

To all involved, those who know me will tell you that I am not a politician, I am a very plain speaker who generally speaks what is on my mind. I want to ask every single one of the people who are getting this E-mail, would any of you want to have this happen in your neighborhood with out having the ability to weigh in on the project. Granted this process has come late in the game but, it was off the table then back again, Lents was flexible when the ballpark came back to Lents, I am now asking all the people involved to give Lents the same flexibility.

When a proposal can be enacted and the people affected are not part of the decision then the proposal becomes an edict and not enforceable in a free democracy.

I as a resident of Lents and as the Chair of the Lents Neighborhood Association respectively ask that the members of the URAC postpone the vote until such time as the Lents neighborhood has time to review the proposal and respond through the neighborhood association. We will disseminate this information to the neighborhood with all the due diligence allowed considering our circumstances. We would welcome suggestions from the city council as to ways to speedup the distribution of the material or support in our efforts or get the material out to the neighborhood.

Respectively Yours
Damien A. Chakwin

Study: Beavers in Lents will have lowest attendance in Triple-A

2009-06-11T22:21:00.000-07:00

PORTLAND, Ore. — An independent study by consultant HVS, Review of Lents Park Site and Proforma, has concluded that an average of 3,222 fans are likely to attend the average Beavers game in Lents Park. In 2008, the Beavers reported selling an average of 5,607 tickets nightly.

The study was requested by the office of Portland City Commissioner Dan Saltzman.

Attendance that low would drop the Beavers to the lowest draw at the Triple-A level, and on par with teams like the Single-A Salem (Va.) Red Sox and Double-A Binghamton (N.Y.) Mets.

The study also found that "the surrounding residential housing will also limit the timing of concerts, the park's ability to book larger exhibition games, and the types of promotions permitted at the ballparks such as fireworks."

Only four of 30 Double-A teams averaged less than 3,000 fans a game in 2008. Of the 60 Single-A teams, 24 are drawing more than 3,000 fans a game in 2009. (See list below.)

The report further puts in doubt claims that a Beavers Stadium in Lents Park will do anything for the neighborhood other than create quality of life issues for neighbors.

"If the Beavers draw small crowds and aren't profitable, why would they stay in Lents?" said Nick Christensen, spokesman for Friends of Lents Park. "Then we're stuck with a stadium in our park and a $42 million bill."

Members are planning to attend Thursday's Lents Neighborhood Association meeting, which is scheduled for Thursday night at the New Copper Penny, 5932 SE 92nd Avenue at Foster Road. The ilovelents.com Web site says the meeting will start at 6 p.m.; however, the most recent Thursday meeting at the New Copper Penny was also listed as a 6 p.m. start but didn't start until 6:30 p.m.

This grassroots group of Lents area residents seeks to preserve, maintain and enhance Lents Park as Open Space in its entirety, for the enjoyment of future generations. It supports the neighborhood and surrounding community in all uses of the park that are consistent with this mission.

Lents Park
The park is a 38-acre green space in the heart of Lents. It features walking paths, playgrounds, baseball diamonds, soccer fields, basketball courts and a community garden — all of which are teeming with activity most days of the week. It also has hundreds of old trees, many of which would be cut down for construction of a stadium.

2009 Minor League Baseball Attendance
Teams averaging between 2,750 and 3,250 fans per game as of June 9.

Team City Class Attendance
Harrisburg Senators Harrisburg, Pa. AA 3,228
Charlotte Stone Crabs Port Charlotte, Fla. A 3,143
Lake County Captains Eastlake, Ohio A 3,117
Myrtle Beach Pelicans Myrtle Beach, S.C. A 3,101
Quad Cities River Bandits Davenport, Iowa A 3,080
Peoria Chiefs Peoria, Ill. A 3,065
Potomac Nationals Woodbridge, Va. A 3,049
Salem Red Sox Salem, Va. A 3,016
Binghamton Mets Binghamton, N.Y. AA 3,008
Daytona Cubs Daytona, Fla. A 2,998
Stockton Ports Stockton, Calif. A 2,965
Great Lakes Loons Mildand, Mich. A 2,960
Rome Braves Rome, Ga. A 2,955
Mobile BayBears Mobile, Ala. AA 2,933
Carolina Mudcats Zebulon, N.C. AA 2,927
West Virginia Power Charleston, W.V. A 2,908
Clearwater Threshers Clearwater, Fla. A 2,873
Augusta GreenJackets Augusta, Ga. A 2,868

Friends of Lents Park documents

2009-06-10T23:12:00.000-07:00

- List of members of the city council, Lents URAC, Lents Neighborhood Association, click here

- Facts about the Lents Park stadium proposal, click here

- Report on impact of Triple-A stadiums on other cities, click here

- Portland's Comprehensive Plan, including details on goals that a pro stadium in Lents Park would hinder, not help, click here and here

- Friends of Lents Park Mission Statement and Points of Unity, click here

- Our petition, click here

- PDC budget scenarios for for the Lents Urban Renewal Area if the stadium is built, click here

Two important radio shows on KBOO

2009-06-09T20:44:00.001-07:00

Coming the next couple days on KBOO are two great chances for Lents residents to speak out on the proposed professional baseball stadium in Lents Park.

At 8 a.m. Wednesday, June 10, Mayor Sam Adams will be on the "Locus Focus" show discussing Portland's commitment to sustainability. What's sustainable about building a professional baseball stadium in a park? Call in and ask the mayor how this fits into a green Portland.

At 8 a.m. Thursday, Voices from the Edge features Friends of Lents Park organizer Kathleen Juergens de Ponce. Commissioner Randy Leonard has also been invited. They welcome callers at 503-231-8187 to share their perspectives on the stadium plan.

That's on KBOO 90.7-FM.

---

Thanks to the 50 or so of you who came out to the gazebo tonight to help! Tonight we set up a great game plan to fight this terrible idea.

Friends of Lents Park meeting, 6 p.m. June 9

2009-06-08T16:10:00.000-07:00

The Friends of Lents Park will have its next meeting at the Lents Park Gazebo at 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 9.

Please bring something to sit on, and feel free to bring your dinner along, if this is the time you would normally be eating.

Although we are still trying to get to know our neighbors and hear people's concerns, this meeting will not be primarily a "speak-out" like last time, but will be focused on organizing people to get our message out to decision-makers and the public. Come prepared with ideas for things you would like to see this group DO to save our park!

A number of you last Wednesday indicated a willingness to be contacted to help. WE NEED HELP in many areas. If you think you can help in any of the myriad ways we need help, please come to Tuesday's meeting prepared to identify yourself, or e-mail lentspark@gmail.com.

Thanks so much for your interest, and keep on speaking out to save our park!

A response to Commissioner Leonard

2009-06-06T23:25:00.001-07:00

On his blog this evening, Commissioner Randy Leonard posted an update on the plan to build a professional baseball stadium in beautiful Lents Park. He also took a swipe at opponents of the plan, saying his information was "contrary to speculation and misinformation."

He certainly couldn't be referring to Friends of Lents Park, because the plan on his Web site looks pretty much like every plan we've seen so far.

While we appreciate Commissioner Leonard working on the weekend to reach out to constituents, there are many concerns that weren't addressed in his posting today:

Mitigation for neighbors of the new stadium, whose houses will be, in some cases, less than 150 feet away from the stadium. Baseball stadiums have floodlights, public address systems, fans and sometimes fireworks, and games regularly last past 10 p.m.
A plan to compensate for the dramatic loss of funds from the Lents Urban Renewal District, as outlined by a budget proposal from the Portland Development Commission.
Details on what other events are planned for the stadium besides Triple-A baseball. Will it host concerts, college baseball games, Major League exhibition games, games from other sports, etc.?
An explanation as to why a baseball stadium in Lents Park will foster new urban development when no Triple-A stadium built outside a city's downtown core has brought development to the neighborhood around it?
Information on parking. Trips on MAX to other areas in Portland will be very, very long (26 minutes to Gresham, 30 minutes to Pioneer Square, 53 minutes to Beaverton, 63 minutes to Kenton, 79 minutes to Hillsboro), and many fans will drive to a stadium with 200 parking spaces. Where will their cars go and how will that impact stadium neighbors used to seeing a lush, family-oriented park outside their doors, not streets jammed with parallel parkers?
Real details on access for the community to the new stadium. Will the gates be open to all comers the rest of the year? How much will users be charged to use the stadium? What insurance requirements will the city and Beavers have for teams wishing to play at the field? Will local leagues be able to use the stadium on game days?
Real details on mentoring and community involvement plans from the Beavers. Considering Triple-A players start batting practice at about 4:30 p.m., that doesn't leave a lot of time for mentoring during the school year (Marshall High School gets out at 3:15 p.m.)

Our questions aren't about tweaks in the plans. Our questions are about how we are supposed to live with a stadium in our park, as it is planned right now.

PDC report: Urban renewal funding would be decimated by stadium construction

2009-06-05T22:51:00.000-07:00

Meeting materials are available for the upcoming meeting of the Lents URAC (a date has not been set), and the news is not good for redevelopment funding for Lents.

The PDC came up with four budget scenarios for the URAC:

• No stadium

• A $42 million stadium with a 30% set-aside for affordable housing

• A $42 million stadium with a 15% set-aside

• A $42 million stadium with a 15% set-aside and a $15 million loan to the Lents URA

Some lowlights:

"In the first five years, all programs would be eliminated. PDC would likely have no tools available in Lents to assist small businesses or do business recruitment or retention." After that, programs would be reinstated but not to their full level.

"In the first five years, the only project likely to be funded would be the Foster/Woodstock Streetscape. All parks and street paving projects would be cut." A reduced Johnson Creek project might happen in the final six years.

"In the first five year period, all programs would be cut and all redevelopment, acquisition/land assembly and revitalization projects and programs would be suspended. There may be no funding for the Johnson Creek Industrial Area project in early years, and only about $5 million in later years."

"In the first five year period some programs and projects would be minimally funded."

"There may be no funding for the Johnson Creek Industrial Area project in early years."

"In the final six years of the URA, all planned infrastructure projects would be eliminated, including facilities, Johnson Creek Flood Mitigation, parks and transportation improvement investments."

"The impact would likely be discontinuation of all housing programs and projects, other than limited home repairs or homebuyer assistance."

"In the final six year period, programs would be reinstated, but at significantly lower levels than originally planned."

Source: Portland Development Commission (PDF)

A thank you, a reminder, and an invitation

2009-06-05T14:51:00.000-07:00

THANK YOU!

This week, more than 150 Lents residents gathered in our park to show that this neighborhood does not want pro baseball just feet away from homes. Your presence helped set the stage for a real conversation, not just a procedural approval.

There's much left to be done. City Commissioner Dan Saltzman has written a letter outlining the terms he needs to see met before he will vote to approve the stadium. Conspicuously absent from that list is livability for neighbors. Write to Commissioner Saltzman at dan@ci.portland.or.us and tell him why you're concerned about plans to build a stadium in your neighborhood park.

Friday nights at the Lents Town Center are a special time, where the community gathers, neighbors chat, and, yes, foes on this ballpark deal converse about other things. It was wonderful to see 150 of you out at Lents Park on Wednesday evening. Come on down to the Lents Town Center for QT on the LTC and have a burrito at El Pato, a sandwich from Ararat or a hearty dinner at the New Copper Penny, then join the neighborhood at the plaza on the northwest corner of 92nd and Foster.

And if you have time Sunday, we encourage you to head on out to the United for Oregon March, where many members of Friends of Lents Park will gather to protest this proposed grab of our parkland. For more information, e-mail us at lentspark@gmail.com.

Friends of Lents Park meeting tonight!

2009-06-03T16:11:00.000-07:00

The Friends of Lents Park will be meeting in the Lents Park Gazebo at 6 p.m. tonight, June 3. Come join us and bring your concerns about the proposal to build a pro baseball stadium in Lents Park.

Press release: Stadium neighbor's life would be turned upside down by Beavers Ballpark

2009-06-02T10:31:00.001-07:00

Contact: lentspark@gmail.com
lentspark.blogspot.com June 2, 2009

With pictures of Victor Ponce Jr. in his Little League uniform on the mantle, the last thing you'd expect to find in the Juergens-Ponce home on Southeast 92nd Avenue are opponents of bringing pro baseball to Lents.

But turn around from the photographs in their living room, and look out the huge window facing west, and you'll see why Beavers owner Merritt Paulson's dream is the Ponce family's nightmare.

"I can't imagine how our house can remain at all livable, or sellable on the residential market, with a professional baseball stadium just a few feet away," said Kathleen Juergens de Ponce. "With homes this close, there is just no mitigation of the livability impacts."

The Ponces moved to Lents in 2005, shortly after getting married, with plans on raising a family in the southeast Portland neighborhood. Moving from a small apartment in Northeast Portland, the family was particularly enamored by the view of the park across the street.

Their first child together, Tenoch, was born in early 2008. Juergens de Ponce is eight months pregnant.

Sitting in her living room, Juergens de Ponce can read the numbers of players playing at Walker Stadium. Her husband found a stray baseball in their yard while mowing the lawn over the Memorial Day weekend.

But that park could become a baseball stadium under a proposal being pushed by the Beavers and City Commissioner Randy Leonard. That means 72 nights a year of stadium floodlights filling their living room, 72 nights of public address announcements and walk-up music for each batter, and who knows how many fireworks nights and other specials that draw large crowds into a residential area.

That's particularly bad for 48-year-old Victor Ponce-Juarez, Kathleen's husband and a welder with an irregular schedule — some shifts start at 4 a.m.

"I work with heavy equipment under hazardous conditions," Ponce-Juarez said. "Somebody could get killed on my job if I don't get enough sleep to function safely."

For 12-year-old Victor Ponce Jr., the proposed Triple-A park would detract from his little league experience.

"When I'm playing baseball in the park, I want to hear the cheers of my friends and family, not the roar of the loudspeakers from a big-league stadium," he said. "Kids use the park for soccer games, birthday parties, and just hanging out. A professional stadium will interfere with that."

The Ponces are available for interviews prior to Wednesday's 6 p.m. meeting of Friends of Lents Park. Contact lentspark@gmail.com for information on interviewing the Ponces.

Friends of Lents Park
This grassroots group of Lents area residents seeks to sustainably and collaboratively preserve and improve Lents Park and the Lents neighborhood for the enjoyment of future generations of Lents residents.

Lents Park
The park is a 38-acre green space in the heart of Lents. It features walking paths, playgrounds, baseball diamonds, soccer fields, basketball courts and a community garden — all of which are teeming with activity most days of the week. It also has hundreds of old trees, many of which would be cut down for construction of a stadium.

-30-

Letter to the council: Save the beautiful park

2009-06-02T10:16:00.000-07:00

A game-changer for Lents? You bet it is and not for the better.

Lents Park is a small, beautiful community park that has just been renovated for Little League. There are two soccer fields, horseshoe pits, basketball courts, a children's play area, a walking path, small dog park and Walker Stadium, all sitting in a residential neighborhood with one-lane, each way streets surrounding it in an already highly - congested traffic area.

The Oregonian's Editorial on May 31 uses the Triple A Team, the Express in Round Rock, Texas, as a favorable example for building a stadium at Lents. The Texas stadium is on the OUTSKIRTS of Round Rock, not dumped in the middle of a residential area.

When "urban stadiums"(residential areas) is Googled, the results show they do not make money. Far from it, they end up costing money with increased crime, more taxes, noise, traffic and lowered property values. In hindsight, they are considered mistakes.

Will the "triumvirate" of Randy Leonard, Sam Adams and Merritt Paulson buy out homeowners who don't want to live across the street from a stadium with all the problems? I don't think they'll be able to sell their homes otherwise. Let's see, increased crime, panhandling, littering, noise, late night games, overflow parking, tail gate parties and fans drinking before, during and after the games then getting in their cars and heading home. Wow, what a deal. Those homes should sell in a heartbeat!

How about those three night games each week (some during the school year), starting at 7:05 p.m. and finishing late - extra innings 11:00, later? Perhaps the "triumvirate" will be there for security, traffic control and noise abatement so school kids and all residents can get some sleep.

The weekend games should bring traffic on 82nd and 92nd (and side streets) to a total standstill (guess we taxpayers can pay for widening the roads in a year or two!), that is, if Mr. Paulson's claim that attendance peaked at 100,000 the past year is correct and not just a figure pulled out of midair to justify the new stadium. I find that figure hard to believe. According to people who have attended games the stadium was almost empty with attendance of only a few hundred.

Why are there no figures posted on any of the Beaver websites pertaining to game attendance or gate receipts? Why does a team that has had trouble in the past filling a stadium deserve a new one and why does it have to be dumped in the middle of a residential area?

While Mr. Leonard is contemplating his baseball stadium and soccer project and the huge expense, ultimately, to taxpayers, Oregon has big-time budget problems and people are trying to stay afloat in a miserable economy. Perhaps he should get his mind off of sports and on to something more important….like easing traffic congestion or keeping residential areas "residential", keeping those areas safe and as crime-free as possible and saving one the few parks for everyone to enjoy - not just baseball fans. He wasn't elected by Mr. Paulson and the Portland Beavers fan base.

Please research those cities that have put stadiums in residential areas and now regret doing it. Those of us who live in S. E. Portland and will have to cope with the problems of this proposed stadium should be your first priority. There is, I am sure, other properties more suitable for a baseball stadium than a little community park, surrounded by homes in an already highly congested traffic area. Why not Delta Park?

Portland is the last major city in this country to have a City Commissioner form of government. If the Lents Park fiasco is the best it can do, it's time for a change.

Anyone who votes for this sleazy, ever-changing, cockamamie, backroom deal has lost my vote.

Susan Oja

SE Portland resident

Scenes from Lents Park 6.1.09

2009-06-01T19:59:00.000-07:00

Children enjoy a warm summer afternoon on one of Lents Park's softball fields.

Photo by Paulette Filz.

Friends of Lents Park to hold meeting Wednesday

2009-06-01T14:30:00.000-07:00

Friends of Lents Park, a grassroots organization of Lents area residents seeking to save Lents Park as an open, accessible neighborhood asset 365 nights a year, will meet Wednesday, June 3, to discuss its opposition to a plan to close parts of the park.

The meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the gazebo at Lents Park, which would have to be moved to make way for the risky 9,000-seat stadium planned for the Portland Beavers.

Construction of a stadium could cost the Lents Urban Renewal Area about $42 million, money which would otherwise be spent on developing new businesses in the neighborhood, and making home ownership more affordable for prospective Lents residents.

At the same time, a stadium would make parts of Lents Park inaccessible on 72 game nights a year. Neighbors of the park would no longer see children playing baseball outside their windows, instead being forced to look at stadium spotlights and listen to public address announcements lasting well past 10 p.m.

"While a stadium is being pitched as a panacea for development in Lents, history has shown that minor league stadiums outside of downtown areas do not spur development," said Nick Christensen, a Lents resident and group member. "The stadium plan is based on too many suppositions and too much risk to Lents residents, while Merritt Paulson has little-to-nothing invested in the economic growth of the neighborhood around Lents Park."

Lents Park is a 38-acre green gem in the heart of Lents. It features walking paths, playgrounds, baseball diamonds, soccer fields, basketball courts and a community garden — all of which are teeming with activity most days of the week. It also has hundreds of old trees, many of which would be cut down for construction of a stadium.

LTE: Neighborhood would be difficult to convert to businesses

2009-06-01T14:21:00.000-07:00

The following is a letter to the editor submitted by Friends of Lents Park's Kathleen Juergens de Ponce.

Visit the proposed Lents Park stadium site and two things will immediately strike you. First, the park is residential on all four sides. The houses on SE 92^nd, including mine, are literally just across the street. How can these residences possibly remain liveable, when faced with the loudspeakers, floodlights, amplified music, etc. of 72 Beavers home games per year?

The second thing you will notice: there is no "stadium friendly" commercial development anywhere nearby, nor suitable vacant sites for such development. The new restaurants and coffeehouses of the Lents Town Center are a half mile downhill. Commissioner Leonard would have us believe that stadium-goers will ride down one more MAX stop to eat, drink and shop. Does any sane person find this plausible?

Leonard says the corner of SE 92^nd and Holgate would be "the perfect spot" for restaurants. Unfortunately for him, the three commercial sites at this intersection are already occupied, one by a gas station (highly problematic to convert to a restaurant) and one by an auto shop which owns its land.

The only way the Lents stadium plan will work, either for liveability or for economic development, is if the City of Portland is prepared to condemn or otherwise displace existing owner-occupied homes and locally-owned businesses. What’s Leonard’s plan for getting rid of us? And are the City and the public prepared to stomach the costs and implications of such a plan? My neighbors and I sure as hell are not! Join us in fighting this whoppingly ill-conceived stadium scheme.

Friends of Lents Park, second meeting scheduled

2009-05-29T22:34:00.001-07:00

Want to save Lents Park?

Have more questions than answers about the plan to build a 9,000 seat Triple-A baseball stadium yards away from beautiful homes, on top of a community ballfield and at the expense of decades-old trees, not to mention 72 nights a year of peace and quiet?

Come to the next Friends of Lents Park meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday, June 3 at the gazebo in Lents Park (bring a chair!). We'll discuss our mission and plans of action for preserving Lents' true community gem for future generations of Lents residents.

We oppose the use of $42 million in urban renewal money to tear up our park for a baseball stadium. That's not how you make a community a better, more enjoyable place to call home.

Questions? E-mail lentspark@gmail.com.