open house.
(Photo © J. Maus)
After nine months of meetings, the 15-member Forest Park Single Track Cycling Advisory Committee will present their recommendations to Parks Commissioner Nick Fish and Parks Director Zari Santner tonight.
According to a statement put out by Portland Parks & Recreation, the report, “will represent the diversity of perspectives of the committee members, and they will each have the opportunity to share their opinions about the recommendations and the report directly with Commissioner Fish and Director Santner.”
Those opinions are likely to be very different, as there remain divergent views about how cycling opportunities should be expanded in the 5,000 acre park. Both sides of the debate have expressed dissatisfaction with the City’s process, a process that has been strained in part thanks to high-profile media coverage of an illegal trail and a report by the City Club calling for no expanded bike access until a battery of studies are completed (that report has been roundly criticized by bike advocates).
Following the presentation tonight, there will be a “brief period” for public comments on the committee’s recommendations and then Commissioner Fish and Director Santner will outline the next steps in the process. From here, Fish and Santner are expected to come up with their final set of recommendations to be put forward for implementation following a planning review by the Bureau of Development Services.
Stay tuned, and try to show up tonight if you’d like to weigh in. Sorry for the late notice, but details are below:
-
Forest Park Single Track Cycling Committee Recommendations Presentation
When: 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., Monday, June 14
Where: Room B, 2nd floor, Portland Building, 1120 SW 5th Avenue, downtown Portland