(Photos: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)

As you might have already heard, Portland Parks & Recreation is facing a budget gap of $6.3 million. To right the ship, the bureau has proposed eliminating over 50 full-time employees, reducing admin costs, closing community centers, and more.

One element of the Parks budget we’re watching closely is how operations and maintenance dollars will be allocated. Or whether they’ll be allocated at all.
[Read more…]

The money follows a first year of strong demand and a successful partnership with nonprofit partners.
(Photos: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)

In a nod to its success and a commitment to create local off-road riding opportunities, the City of Portland has committed another $1 million to Gateway Green. [Read more…]

Saturday’s inaugural Gateway Green MTB Festival confirmed what many advocates have known for a long time: When the right trails are put in the right place, off-road cycling can reach people with a very wide range of ages, cycling abilities, and backgrounds.
[Read more…]

A look at the center of the park that includes a new entrance, shaded picnic area, new trails, and more.
(Prepared by Greenworks)

The dream is so close!

Over 10 years after the idea was first envisioned, the final build-out of Gateway Green is imminent. And we just got our hands on the plans. [Read more…]

The current design.

Yes Gateway Green has been open for nearly nine months now, but it’s still very much a work in progress. In the next few months the City of Portland will finalize the design plan and they want your help to make it as good as possible.
[Read more…]

This just in from PBOT…

Friends of Gateway Green achieves major milestone in increasing access to park.

Gateway Green wayfinding signs have been installed! Many thanks to Tom Badrick, Linda Robinson, and the army of community volunteers who saw this project through. Funding for preliminary planning and siting was provided by Prosper Portland. The signs were designed by Propel Studio. The last $5,000 to print and install the signs came from People for Bikes community engagement grant as part of PBOT’s Gateway to Opportunity project. Throughout these past 2 years, Friends of Gateway Green have been championing this effort to provide increased signage to help Portlanders more easily access Gateway Green Park by foot and bicycle. This was truly a team effort and we are so appreciative for all who made these 20 signs possible.

Pictures are courtesy of Tom Badrick.

Really sorry for the late notice here folks, but figured better late than never. This is a great chance to have a say and be a part of Gateway Green! Note the deadline for applications is 10/15 – that’s this Sunday night.

Help Shape the Future of Gateway Green

We are recruiting a diverse group of community advisors!

Portland Parks & Recreation and our leading partner Friends of Gateway Green are looking for interested Portlanders to serve on the Gateway Green Project Advisory Committee.

This group will help shape a refined park design to guide natural habitat restoration, improve pedestrian and bicycle access, and expand opportunities for a variety of recreation and outdoor activities for people of all ages and abilities.

Park enthusiasts, outdoor adventurers, hikers, runners, and cyclists are encouraged to apply!

Gateway Green is a 25-acre park site is located just east of Rocky Butte between I-205 and I-84, at the intersection of the I-205 regional trail and the future Sullivan’s Gulch Trail. Opened in June 2017, the park currently has off-road cycling, walking and running trails, and the Dirt Lab, a pump track and bike skills area. This is a car free park, with transit access at the nearby Gateway Transit Center, and access for pedestrians and cyclists from the I-205 multi-use trail.
Learn more about Gateway Green at www.portlandoregon.gov/parks/74068.

Interested is helping to shape the future of Gateway Green?
An Interest Form with more information, timeline and application is attached and available online https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GatewayGreenAdvisor.

The application process ends on October 15 at 5:00pm. Questions? Contact Barbara.Hart@portlandoregon.gov or 503-823-5596.

Photo of rope tied across trail at Gateway Green today.
(Photo: Source not yet known)

We’re trying to find out more information about two incidents of tripwires placed across public right-of-way in Portland this week.

The first one was on Monday at NE 16th and Irving. The @pdxalerts Twitter account reported, “Police to NE 16/Irving, someone strung fishing line across the street, caller was clothes-lined by it.”

And the second one was reported by a bicycle rider at Gateway Green this morning. Brent Wick posted the image above to a local email list with the message, “Just a friendly reminder/heads up. there have been some trip wires spotted at the Gateway Green recently. Please be careful over there, Recommend a slow pass thru there before you hit the shred button.”
[Read more…]

(Photos: J. Maus/BikePortland)

“Allow me to share a visual representation of our mission statement,” said Northwest Trail Alliance board member Joceyln Gaudi as she waved her hands toward a crowd of onlookers at the opening of Gateway Green on Saturday. “You are in it!”

Never again will off-road cycling advocates have to try and explain what they’re working for. Never again will they have to scour the Internet for stock images showing kids enjoying an urban mountain bike park. Now we have one of our own.

Gateway Green isn’t just the realization of an 11-year vision by community advocates, it’s the embodiment of the benefits urban off-road cycling can bring to Portland. It’s like the off-road version of Sunday Parkways.

And like Sunday Parkways, it appears to be an instant hit.
[Read more…]

Gateway Green will offer an impressive array of off-road riding experiences.
(Photos: J. Maus/BikePortland)

Believe it or not the opening of new bike trails at Gateway Green is just over one week away. Dubbed the “Dirt Lab,” the new park’s skills area, jump lines, and single-track trails will offer an enticing combination of riding experiences unlike anything Portland has ever seen before.
[Read more…]