Info from Portland Water about Powell Butte Construction

WaterWorks | April 2010 

In this issue:

Design plans unveiled

Digging phase nears completion

Banners control dust, look great

Banners control dust, look great

With
the drier-than-usual spring weather came an increase in road dust,  so
the Portland Water Bureau added mesh banners to several sections of the
Old Holgate Trail immediately adjacent to the main haul road. The
banners help to reduce the amount of dust that could blow onto trail
users on dry days. Half of the banners carry a variety of messages and
colorful images about water and parks.

Learn more

Portland Water Bureau/Powell Butte Reservoir

Portland Parks & Recreation/Powell Butte Nature Park

Friends of Powell Butte

Northwest Trail Alliance

Read past issues

Visit our archives to read past issues of WaterWorks.

City unveils designs for park improvements

Portland
Water Bureau and Portland Parks & Recreation are excited to unveil
the design plans for the new buildings that will be constructed at
Powell Butte Nature Park. The public joined a 10-member citizens'
Project Advisory Committee to overwhelmingly support a "farm-cluster"
style for the new buildings, in keeping with the butte's history as the
site of a dairy farm. The park improvements include a caretaker's
residence (the farm house), an interpretive center (an out building)
and a maintenance building (a barn).

The
centerpiece of the new park center is the interpretive center, which is
the first building that the public will view when driving into the
park. The center is designed to be a flexible space, with large doors
than can enclose the space for classes or meetings, or be left open
for public access to the visual displays. There also will be room for
interpretive signage and displays on the outside of the building, and a
larger restroom facility. One design element allowed for the roof to be
extended so that additional displays could be placed in a covered
outdoor area. The center will house informational signage, interactive
displays and photos about both the water system and nature park.

The caretaker's residence will be constructed with exterior "faux" logs, a low-pitch
roof and a wrap-round deck. The 1,600-square-foot home will be suitable
for a single person or a family. The location of the building on the
hill to the southwest of the parking area will give the caretaker good
views over the entire park center to enhance security, and also provide
some privacy when the caretaker is off duty.

Portland Water Bureau and Portland Parks & Recreation will share a 5,000-square-foot maintenance facility. The building is placed in the background, west of the residence and designed in a barn-like style. To minimize the visual impact of the large structure, part of it will be built into the ground, giving it a low profile.

All
the buildings were designed with aesthetic considerations in mind, as
well as public safety, durability, sustainability, cost and impacts on
wildlife.

In addition to the new structures,
the park improvement plan includes a new trail plan. Look for a story
in the May issue of WaterWorks.

You can learn more about the park improvements at www.portlandonline.com/parks/pbdesign.

End in sight for digging

Excavation phase contractor Nutter Corporation is close to removing the last shovel of rock and dirt at the reservoir site. As of April 26, approximately 25,000 cubic yards remained. During April, an average of 400 trucks per day made deliveries to the Knife River Sand & Gravel facility in Gresham. Nutter was also able to take advantage of dry days and sunny weather that often allowed them to work on some Saturdays. With daylight savings time came the opportunity for crews to work one additional hour, ending the digging operation at 6 p.m. instead
of 5 p.m. Throughout the project, Nutter has maintained an excellent
safety record, both inside the park and on the public roadways.

QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS?
CONTACT TIM HALL, PORTLAND CITY WATER BUREAU | TimH@ci.portland.or.us | 503.823.6926