New document calls for more playgrounds, more recreation opportunities

Lake Oswego will soon have a new parks plan that will set the agenda for the next decade, and it will be quite different from the old parks plan.

The Lake Oswego City Council is set to have a study session on Parks Plan 2025 on Tuesday night, one of the final milestones before the expected approval of the new plan later this month. The tentative date for adoption of the plan is July 24.

"It's a good document," said Steve Dodds, chairman of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, at the public comment hearing held on June 27.

And it is certainly a thick document, as Parks and Recreation Director Kim Gilmer, her staff and consultants have sought to set out the goals for the future. The plan needs to be large enough to accommodate all the things Lake Oswegans would like to see happen.

"For the last year there has been a lot of work behind the scenes," Gilmer said. "The new plan has a very different focus from 10 years ago."

Back then citizens wanted the city to acquire new land and build more parks and recreation areas. Lake Oswego was largely successful at this. The new plan reveals how people's priorities have changed. Citizens have now expressed interest in:

n Investing in and maintaining park areas.

n Enhancing stewardship in maintenance and operations.

n Providing options for recreation - exercise, sports, play areas for children, nature appreciation.

n Filling geographic gaps to meet the city's goal of having a park within a half-mile of every home.

These results were obtained through extensive public outreach. To date, Gilmer said city staffers have made contact with more than 1,800 people. This outreach has been vital in setting the goals of the plan, and Gilmer said the plan should stick to what the public says it wants.

"If we start throwing things out, then it won't be based on our outreach," she said. "It makes the plan invalid."

Children, of course, are a big part of Parks Plan 2025. Gilmer said that more people in the child-raising 25-45 age group are moving to Lake Oswego, and so there is a need for more playgrounds.

"There are inexpensive ways to improve our recreation opportunities," Gilmer said.

But diversity is still a priority.

"We don't want to create look-alike parks around the city," Gilmer said.

The public hearing held last week attracted only a small turnout, but the city advisory boards on parks and recreation and natural resources heard from local historian Susanna Kuo, who noted that the plan now excludes heritage tourism. She urged the city to add recommendations that would promote interest in Lake Oswego's history.

"Experiencing history should be an option as well as experiencing nature," Kuo said.

Ultimately, the money available will determine just how many of the goals are accomplished. But the plan will be an essential tool.

"Some of the things may not get implemented due to the costs," Gilmer said. "But the plan sets us on track."

People interested in viewing Parks Plan 2025 can visit ci.oswego.or.us/parksrec/PRANA.htm.