GREEN RIBBON COMMITTEE

September 11, 2001

Oregon Zoo

Notes of Meeting

Chair Hitchcock opened the meeting at 5:45 PM. Guests introduced themselves.

The chair asked for a moment of silence in recognition of the tragedy of events on the east coast earlier in the day.

Mike Houck stated the balancing that would need to go on for some sites, where a need for resource protection would need to be balanced with the desired level of use. He also wanted some discussion about the charge for this committee as compared to the need for a truly regional system for parks, open spaces and trails. Chair Hitchcock and Presiding Officer Bragdon both spoke to the need to keep the larger goal in mind, that this committee was undertaking an important but admittedly interim step towards building a regional system, and that the committee will undertake that discussion at a later date.

Sue Marshall handed out a paddler’s guide to the Tualatin and spent a little time discussing existing and planned-for sites, including those that are being considered by the Green Ribbon Committee

Site Reviews

The committee then continued its technical review of sites, beginning with Ancient Forest Access, concluding all natural area sites, leaving eight trail sites yet to be reviewed. Committee members were interested in a detailed projection of types and level of use at certain sites, e.g. possible camping—how much, where? Parks staff gave a possible, conceptual sense of these sites, but acknowledged that at a certain level of detail, it was difficult to say much until the master planning process had concluded.

For the Gales Creek site, a corrected map needs to be given to the committee, highlighting the northern rather than southern section of the site for possible first development.

Public Comment

Ms. Kellington submitted a letter on behalf of a property owner adjacent to the Weber Farm site. The property owner raises cattle and is concerned that public use of the Weber Farm site could disturb his operations.

Mr. Christenson spoke on behalf of his family who owns property adjacent to the River Island site. Barton Park, across the Clackamas River from him, already can be very noisy and intrusive at times. He worries that development and use of the River Island site will only contribute to noise and traffic problems.

Next Steps

Committee members will hopefully avail themselves of as many tour opportunities as possible. Committee members should rate the sites as soon as possible after technical review and viewing via tour. Rankings will be completed and tabulated at the next committee, so the committee can indicate which sites should move forward for fiscal analysis.

Next Meeting: 5:30 to 8:30 PM

   Tuesday, September 18, 2001

   Metro Council Chamber

   600 NE Grand