Park district lays out plans

With the exception of the west side of the district, The Dalles has a good mix of parks, Baker said, and the master plan focuses on how to make those parks better.

Although new parks aren’t in the plan, “there are a couple of areas that could use small community parks, mostly on the west side,” he said. The district hopes to work with the school district to make school property more “park like” to increase park and recreation opportunities. “For example, the tennis courts at The Dalles High School are locked up in the afternoon because the district doesn’t have anyone to close them in the evening. But that’s what we do, lock things up at night,” he said.

The master plan provides a detailed vision for each park in the district. The plan was drawn up with input from a paper and online survey in English and Spanish; community stakeholder and partner interviews; targeted outreach to the Mid-Columbia Senior Center, The Dalles High School and others; and open house events at The Dalles Farmer’s Market, the Daddy Daughter Dance and the Cherry Festival.

Community priorities were developed, which included the following: Improving district parks; partnering with the school district to meet recreational needs; development of parkland in under-served areas; development of multi-use paths along waterways; more programing for all ages; diversification of funding sources; and building stronger community resilience.

In addition to a comprehensive plan for district parks, the district was encouraged to look at developing trails in addition to the Riverfront Trail along the Columbia River. “The community would like to see trails along Mill Creek, and Chenowith Creek as well,” Baker said. The mouth of Chenowith Creek, at the west end of town, is currently skirted by the Riverfront Trail and the community would like to see additional trails along the creek, which trends south beyond 10th Street, Baker explained. He said work continues to extend the Mill Creek Greenway across Second Street to Sixth.

The district is also looking to expand programming beyond their current programs focusing primarily on ages 8 to 14. “We are looking to add more adult and senior programs, and for age 4 and up,” he said.

Programing, in addition to parks, will remain a priority in future plans, Baker said. “Programing builds community,” he explained. “We are bringing people together that might not otherwise meet, like our adult softball teams.”

In addition to individualized future plans for each park, the district is looking to include design elements to give a common identity to the district’s parks. Some of the design elements at Lewis and Clark Festival Park will be used in developing City Park, for example, as the district works to create a cohesive identity throughout.

The plan as presented to the council is still in process and open to change, Baker said. The district can be contacted by phone at 541-296-9533, or by email at info@nwprd.org.

When completed, the 20-year Master Plan will be adopted by the parks board, and then submitted to the City of The Dalles to become part of the city’s comprehensive plan.

Detailed plans for each park are as follows:

Current home of the Northern Wasco County Aquatics Center, with a pool and splash park; district offices; traditional play area and skate park. Planned improvements include additional parking, a picnic shelter, pickleball courts, pump track at the skate park; a mini golf course, a bike skill area and a multi-use path.

Currently includes rock beach smallcraft launch area, restrooms, traditional play area, the Riverfront and nature trails and a covered picnic shelter. Planned improvements include additional picnic shelters, improved paddlecraft launch area, an amphitheater and an RV Park with restrooms, showers and a bike-in tent camping area. A park host site would be located at the west side of the park.

Currently includes a rose garden, covered stage, traditional play area and restrooms. Improvements would include moving the stage, adding new entry stairs, new restrooms, a shelter to house the Farmer’s Market, a picnic shelter and concrete walkways throughout. Additional off-street parking would also be added.

The 14th Street Reservoir property is currently unused except as a district maintenance facility. Future development would include adding off street parking, lawns, a restroom, pickleball courts and two fenced areas for off-leash dog use: One for large dogs, another for small. Both large areas would be subdivided to allow “rest and recovery” time for turf recovery. A trail is shown scaling the slope to connect to Sorosis Park, however that area is labeled as having “limited recreation value” and should be considered for other uses.

Plan for a sports complex was presented, but no location or land was linked to the project. “There is a real need for this,” explained Baker. The design incorporates a clover-leaf design with room for four baseball/softball fields and two soccer fields, which overlap. A traditional play area, parking, restroom and concessions and filed house are also incorporated into the master plan design.

A plan was submitted for Kramer Field that shows “what could fit,” said Baker. However, because the fields are owned by the county it is hard for the district to invest in those fields. The submitted design allows for four Little League fields (with overlapping soccer fields); and four baseball/softball fields overlapping with two soccer fields, plus additional parking, restroom and concession facilities. “It shows what would fit if you used the whole thing,” Baker said. “We could really host some tournaments.”