Stewardship of the more than 4,600 acres of park land in Eugene is a multi-faceted effort that includes daily operations, short- and long-range planning and construction, renovation, and restoration projects of a variety of scales and budgets. The projects broadly fall in to three categories: park construction projects, natural area restoration projects, and planning projects. Funding for the projects comes from a variety of sources, including park maintenance and development construction funds, outside grants, and donations.

Construction Projects

Amazon Park Playground Renovation

Amazon Park playground got a big facelift! Renovations have significantly improved access for all visitors, and more equipment is on the way. Improvements to the playground include:

• New playground equipment
• Smooth, wheelchair-friendly surfacing
• New drainage
• New and wider concrete sidewalks
• New park tables, benches and receptacles
• Removal of the old wading pool and west play area (to be replaced with lawn)
• Renovation of the area south of the playground to include lawn, trees and benches

Our friend the dinosaur got a beautiful new paint job, and the fire engine is still ready to roll.

Last, but not least, our friends at the Eugene Parks Foundation are raising money to fund a whole band’s worth of playground instruments for Amazon Park. Look forward to the addition of:
 

• 1 large xylophone
• 1 small xylophone
• 1 set of standup chimes
• 3 bongo drums – large, medium and small

Interested in helping out? Visit the Eugene Parks Foundation project website.

Project Schedule: The playground area reopened in September. Look for new instruments in 2018!
Project Budget: $1,200,000
Project Contact: Emily Proudfoot, Landscape Architect, POS Planning
541-682-4915

Natural Area Restoration Projects

Oak Enhancement/Fuels Reduction

2017 Locations: Suzanne Arlie Park, Skinner Butte Park, Coryell Ridge, Wild Iris Ridge, and South Eugene Meadows
This project will build on an investment of work initiated under multiple grants from the Bureau of Land Management, Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, and the Willamette Wildlife Mitigation Program. Tasks will primarily include removing invasive species and overly dense small trees, and seeding/planting of native species.

The work is intended to satisfy three goals in our natural areas:

1. Restore oak habitat and associated wildlife species considered rare in the Willamette Valley 
2. Improve the health of mixed and conifer forests through selective thinning and invasive plant treatment
3. Lessen risk of a damaging wildfire by reducing dense, invasive vegetation and heavy fuel loads

Project Schedule: Summer and fall 2017
Project Budget: $75,000 of City of Eugene funding matched to more than $800,000 in grant funding since 2011
Project Contact: Emily Steel, Restoration Ecologist, POS Planning
541-682-4874

Example of "before" condition              Example of "after" condition
  

Skinner Butte and Whilamut Natural Area
Invasive Species Management

This project will be to abate negative impacts of invasive species such as English ivy, blackberry, English hawthorn, Siberian elm, and non-native cherry trees in these popular parks. The goals are to:

1. Maintain high quality wildflowers where present in the riparian forest 
2. Protect trees overgrown with ivy
3. Manage the spread of invasive blackberry
4. Continue the work that was undertaken in summer of 2017 at Skinner Butte to reduce fire risk by controlling invasive woody species such as English hawthorn, Siberian elm, and non-native cherry trees.

Project Schedule: Fall 2017-Summer 2018
Project Budget: $35,000
Project Contact: Lauri Holts, Ecologist, POS Planning & Ecological Services
541-682-4925

Delta Ponds Ludwigia Aquatic Weed Control

Floating primrose willow (Ludwigia hexapetala) is an aggressive, invasive aquatic plant threatening the Delta Ponds ecosystem. The City has been working since 2013 to control this habitat-altering weed at Delta Ponds and to keep it from spreading downstream into the Willamette River. Read more about this issue and the corrective measures that the City is taking.

Planning Projects

Parks and Recreation System Plan

PARKS and RECreate is a process to plan for the future and identify priorities for the next 10 to 20 years of parks and recreation in Eugene by:

• Addressing current problems
• Preparing for future population growth and trends
• Creating a vision to benefit current and future generations

Visit the project page to read about all the latest project and system visioning updates!

Suzanne Arlie Park Master Plan

The public process to develop a master plan governing future development of the entire 516-acre park began in early May 2016.


Short URL to this page: www.eugene-or.gov/parkprojects