Troutdale's College Nature Park Breaks Ground

The City of Troutdale is known for its beautiful parks and green ways. The city  is bordered by the Sandy River to the east and the Columbia River to the north. We are surrounded by natural features. Not the least among those natural wonders is the Columbia Gorge, which the city serves as the portal on the west end.

The newest addition to the green way and park space is the College Natural Park. The location is just to the east of Mt. Hood Community College.  The park is part of the original purchase by Metro's Oregon Green Space Bond measure.  The purchase includes 62 acres of beautiful pristine wetlands and forested area.  The college received a check for $260,000 for the parcel and the City of Troutdale had the entire parcel annexed into the city. Part of the property to the south was in the city of Gresham. The city has agreed to manage the property. The park is bordered to the north by Stark Street and to the east by Troutdale Road.

The new park will comprise of five acres and will include amenities such as trails and picnic areas for the public.  Also included will be several overlook vistas of a pond and Beaver Creek which flows north to south through the property.  Troutdale Road will also receive improvements.  On the west side it will be widened in order to allow on street parking.

Funds for the project include a $100,000 grant from Oregon Parks and Recreation Department.  Metro Open Space Bond funds, the City Parks improvement funds provided the financial collaboration so the project would be completed.

Construction is currently underway and expected to be completed by October of this year.

Troutdale residents will be able to enjoy the natural wildlife that inhabits the protected wetland and have a picnic or two in their newest park.