Parks Advisory Board - March 17, 2026

Agenda

1. 6:00 Call Regular Meeting to Order
2. 6:05 Meeting Minutes
   1. Review/Approval of the February 17, 2026 PAB Minutes
3. 6:10 Citizen Input & Correspondence
4. 6:15 Welcome new PAB members
5. 6:25 Summer Park Tours Discussion
6. 6:45 Park System Plan Update – Tom/Ellen/Justin/Rob
7. 6:55 Administrative Updates – Tom Riggs
8. 7:10 Park Updates – Tim Farrell
9. 7:20 Good of the Order
10. 7:30 Adjournment

Next Regular Scheduled Meeting: Tuesday, April 21, 2026 - Hybrid meeting, online via Zoom webinar, or in person in Room 118, Development Services Building, 150 Beavercreek Rd, Oregon City, OR

Minutes

Members Present at DSB 118: Justin Ostrander, Mike Ferrell, Sarah Furber, Louise Lopes, Steve Galzer, Brian Echerer, Cary Watters

Members Present Via Zoom: Chad Parker

Members Not Present: Walter Hull, Don Morgan, Tom Hester, Angela Pederson, Rob Smoot Staff Present at DSB 118: Tom Riggs, Sarah Ectman, Barb Guthrie, Tim Farrell

Staff Via Zoom: Ellen Rogalin

1. Call To Order
   Justin called the meeting to order at 6:01 pm
2. Meeting Minutes
   Justin called for the approval of the February 17, 2026, meeting minutes. Chad called for the motion to approve minutes Sarah 2nd the motion. Minutes were approved.
3. Introductions of New PAB Members and Staff
   We have three new members; Tom started with the introduction of parks staff, our names and what each member does for the Parks. Later on, during the meeting we will talk more directly to the new members with questions from them to PAB members and staff, and from PAB members to new members.

4. Citizen Input & Correspondence
   I do share with you from time-to-time comments/reviews from our customers, i.e. positive remarks about the clean restrooms, friendly staff, great place for family outings. And as you know, it is not all roses out there. Negative input helps us correct things that we have not considered or have overlooked due to the heavy volume of work that it takes to keep the parks in working shape. The comments involve Wagon Wheel Park—concerning the parking fee at that location. After reviewing the comments, I think we need to improve our sensor sign (QR code signage).

   We have three categories of parks; (1) fully developed parks, i.e. our camping parks with parking fees of $9 per car; (2) limited-service parks that charge $5, which Wagon Wheel is one, and one unusual park, Boring Station, where it is one dollar an hour. That was a request by the community of Boring to try a different approach there, it is a fairly small park. Residents go there to play at the playground or access the Spring Water Trail. It is not a park that people would go to and spend a good portion of a day at.

5. Welcome New PAB Members
   Welcome new members of PAB. We are pleased to have three new PAB members to join us , so thank you for being here. We wanted to set aside time tonight, if you would like to share a little more about yourselves; we then will have the current PAB members ask a few more questions, in particular those that missed the meeting on February 17.

   Carry Watters spoke of her being born in Oregon and has lived in the Oregon City area most of her life and has spent time in our parks, especially the ones along the Molalla River corridor. Steve Glazer spoke of his love of the outdoors, primarily his family are cyclists, and Steve and his son are competitive mountain bikers. Seve has spent the last 17 years in IT finance, analyzing risk exposure due to asset utilization. Brian Echerer was introduced to Madrone Wall Park by Sarah Furber (current PAB member) and worked with Brian to develop our current metal detecting policy for our parks. Brian has worked on non-profit boards and has a keen desire for doing his part in civil service in the community. He wants to save the history of the parks. Giving back to the community is most important to him. He also talked about his work with metal detecting and his most usual finds. Current members shared with the incoming members a summary of their particular backgrounds.

   Tom reviewed for the new PAB members how our fee system works, when and how they are increased and how the pay stations at our parks collect day use fees. Examples include our $9 parks, our limited-service parks at $5.00. Also. Tom explained the PAB runs a little more on the casual side. We are not always very strict about Robert’s Rules and speaking order of precedence. If you have something you want to talk about, you can request it to be put added to the agenda for the next meeting.

6. Summer Park Tours Discussion
   I wanted to get input from the PAB about our summer tour schedule, i.e. if there were any specific requests for parks to include on our schedule. In the past, we have always done the tours in the summer months- but for the last few years we had to cancel July and August due to the high heat temperatures. So, this year we have decided to do something different, schedule the first two “summer” tours for May and June, with one or possibly two in the fall. For July and August, we will be having the PAB meetings in the DSB, room 118. Possible tour sites will be in May at Carver Park. We are seeking grant funds for some of the flood damage caused at Carver in conjunction with the Clackamas River Basin Council. It will include reparation project work on Clear Creek, and we will try to have a CRBC representative to come out on site and walk us through the project. Then in June, Metzler Park, there are some new trails that have been built since the last time we visited that park and can go over some other planned projects, that are tourism funded. In September, we are thinking of looking at Feyrer Park, the new added walk-in sites and other new amenities.

7. Park System Plan Update-Tom/Ellen/Rob
   Rob and Justin serve on the System Plan Public Advisory Committee, and Tom asked Justin to speak about the meetings he has attended. Justin mentioned that the project team has not met with that group recently, just updates for general content.

   Next, Tom asked Ellen to speak to the PAB: she explained that we are developing a system plan for all of Clackamas County Parks, trying to develop an identity from a holistic property arrangement portfolio standpoint, to create a unified identity for County Parks. The consultant group has pulled together citizen input groups, PAB members Rob and Justin, county staff members Ellen and Tom. The group is focusing on practical mechanisms for achieving a level of service and will endure long-term fiscal sustainability. We have not had a Clackamas County Park System Plan since the year 2000.

8. Administrative Updates-Tom Riggs
    
   • BLM updates-It was brought to our attention by our caretaker at Wilhoit Springs Park that there may be tree clearing of the trees adjacent to Wilhoit. BLM is potentially going through some program changes, and the concern was the impact of losing that many trees around Wilhoit have to the park. We got clarification from BLM that it is not actually related to the trees around Wilhoit. There is a website for public comments about the BLM;s changes- Tom will send out a link for this site to PAB members. Tom did find out that the land outside of Wilhoit is active timberland, it’s pm a rotational harvest, and that rotation happens to be coming up in 2029-2030.
   • Tom asked if any PAB member knows of a recently retired engineer who still has their stamp and is looking to do some pro-bono work. Barton Park in the East campground has a picnic shelter that we converted to hammock camping that has not been used, and we are looking to convert the shelter area into a fourplex bunkhouse. The issue is that to get the permits to do this conversion we need the engineering plans for the shelter, and we have been unable to chase these down. There were no plans for that structure. It was built by the County Bridge shop.
   • Chad is working with a group of disc golf players to put in a course at Hebb Park. Tom and Tim has walked the group through the general layout that we are thinking about and they indicated their ideas. Our main concerns were keeping it out of conflict areas with our boat users at the park, which is the lower section with the parking lot and the boat ramp access point. The group that contacted Chad when the area they had developed into a course was shut down when they learned that the County said that it was outside of their use permit. This group is more than willing to volunteer the work to make this happen at Hebb Park. This group will work directly with Tim Farrell to map this out and get the work done.
   • Tom shared photo of the flood damage that Barton and Carver suffered last December. Also reviewed was damage on Clear Creek and the bridge at Metzler.
   • Mark and Tom are working with the NW Steelheaders for funds and work on the access road to Feldheimer boat launch area with a wider approach/turn area with additional parking.
   • County is moving forward with the transfer of the Hoodland/old Dorman Center to the Hoodland Fire Department.
9. Park Updates- Tim Farrell
    
   • We are in the process of hiring our summer seasonal parks staff, we received over 60 applications for both lead seasonals and regular assistant seasonals. Interviews will start tomorrow for the lead positions.
   • The Boring Station stage project is moving along, should be done by the start of summer.
   • I am working with the group of volunteers for the Hebb Park Disc Golf Course; the group are supportive and committed to see that project implemented. We are working on the plotting of the disc course, and they will contribute baskets, etc. Will work on signage for the course similar to Metzler’s course.
10. Good of the Order
    Another project moving forward is putting out a proposal for the management contract for the Stone Creek Golf Club. Sarah Eckman asked for a volunteer from the PAB to sit in on the review panel for a new management contract for Stone Creek, Cary offered to sit on the panel- Chad asked for a motion to appoint Cary to the golf club review committee, Steve seconded the motion, all were in favor, PAB voted to appoint Cary.
11. Adjournment: Justin called for adjournment at 8:05 pm 
    Mike called for the motion to adjourn, Sarah second.