NWPRD Survey Asks Community: What Changes Would You Like to See at Sorosis Park?
Love Sorosis Park?
Changes are coming to Sorosis Park so make sure your voice is a part of conversation by taking part in NWPRD’s community survey.
North Wasco County Parks and Recreation District has been working to garner public input and funding for future improvements to Sorosis Park following the removal of nearly 80% of the trees in the park which were infected with pine beetles. NWPRD has surveyed a list of stakeholders, sought community input at local farmers' markets and other local events, and has created an online survey available in both English and Spanish for the community to share their vision for Sorosis Park.
The survey, which closes on September 8th, 2021 asks community members what they like about Sorosis Park, what existing park features they would like to see improved, what makes them feel welcomed to the park, what features and amenities they would like to see added, and what improvements the community would like to see completed first in the event of a multi-phased approach.
At the end of the survey, participants can choose to opt into a raffle to win a Fred Meyer gift card, although participation in the raffle is not necessary to submit the survey answers.
So far, 200 people have submitted their ideas about what Sorosis Park should look like going forward. Scott Baker, Executive Director of NWPRD said he would like to see that number double by September 8th and strongly encouraged locals to participate in the survey.
Sorosis Park play place has been a community investment enjoyed by children and families for several generations.
Disc golf is still a hot topic at Sorosis. The community survey has revealed both enthusiastic support and concern about the disc golf course located at Sorosis. A disc golf tournament will take place at Sorosis on Sept 11th, 2021.
“This is an urgent need for the community, for our little town this pine beetle was a natural disaster, and people felt it, and it does cut deep. The removal of those trees was not easy to do but it was the only choice,” said Baker.
“The pine bark beetle was so destructive because we lacked diversity in the park. We were decimated by one little thing. So just as diversity in tree planting makes the park stronger, diversity of thoughts and opinions can make our plans stronger,” said Baker. “And diversity in our community makes our community stronger. This survey is a way to celebrate our differences. If everybody is exactly the same it makes us susceptible.”
So far the survey has collected a wealth of ideas from the community including, replanting and shade trees, shade structures, playground structure replacement, walking path surface improvement, centrally located restroom facilities, and rentable shelters with kitchen facilities for reunions and family gatherings.
“What we were hearing from a lot of people in The Dalles is that they want to center their gatherings around food and family,” said Baker “So designing and developing the park to facilitate those kinds of gatherings will make our park more welcoming to folks.”
Sorosis Park is a community asset and regional landmark enjoyed by individuals and families across multiple county lines. Pictured: Tom and Sandy with their dogs Tildy and Marigold came from as far as Hermiston and Portland to sit in the shade, enjoy the view and have a picnic at The Dalles Lions Club Picnic Shelter at Sorosis Park.
Money squeeze a key issue in making improvements a reality
Baker said that from the input they had received it seemed as if many people were pushing for a $3 million remodel of the park, but that with current levels of staffing and funding, a $1.1 million ‘phase one’ plan would be a more achievable goal unless large benefactors or a large windfall emerged.
“My gut says just from looking and listening to folks and what they would like to see at Sorosis is that people want a $3 million park up there,” said Baker. “That’s probably unrealistic to do all at one time, unless there’s some fantastic windfall. I do think that $1.1 million phase one is achievable.”
Baker estimated that $100,000 of that funding could be used to replace site amenities such as picnic tables, trash cans, and more.
“We can really use help from our wonderful civic groups and the community to make up that last $100,000 to really give this park the love it deserves,” said Baker.
Pictured: Once the site of a green tube slide the lonely tower on the right now stands empty, after vandals damaged the slide by lighting it on fire, resulting in its removal. Several playground features, including a tire swing, a slide, two see-saws and a bouncy bridge have had to be retired from the playground in the last ten years due to age, vandalism, or other safety concerns.
Money and staffing are a significant obstacle to the parks district's goal to fund the project. NWPRD has an annual budget of $700,000 to employ two full-time staff, around twenty-five part-time staff, and operate and maintain 200 acres of parks as well as the Riverfront Trail and the swimming pool.
“The pool is not a money maker. It largely just breaks even and that’s kind of by design. We want the pool to be affordable to everybody, so we don’t want to rely on the pool to make money,” said Baker.
To add to the project's financial struggles, the removal of the infected trees, and subsequent stump grinding and clean-up to return the park to a safe environment cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and used up most of the short-term immediate monetary resources available to NWPRD.
At the time of writing NWPRD’s Sorosis Park Rehabilitation & Replanting online fund had raised only $1,585 of their $12,000 goal. Although the Park District had also separately raised about $200,000 for improvements to the park.
“If it’s just up to the Park District to do on our own, the park WILL become revitalized, but people might be unhappy with the amount of time that it will take,” said Baker.
The walking path around Sorosis has served generations of runners, walkers, cross country teams, and nature enthusiasts.
Baker said however that NWPRD could receive funding from The City of The Dalles and Wasco County for the project to speed up the process. NWPRD has asked both the City and the County for $400,000 each to make the improvements happen. '
Baker said he hoped the community would come out to show their support for Sorosis Park by letting their City and County officials know that funding the park project was a priority for them.
“One way people can help is to let City and County leaders know that Sorosis is important to them, because there are competing interests for these funds,” said Baker.
Sorosis Park is the home of a community time capsule spanning from 1787-1791 and 1987-1991.
“I think we see an unprecedented opportunity with the federal government sharing millions of dollars with our local city and county. We’ve requested city and county aid in rehabilitating Sorosis because it is a community asset and it’s a countywide and regional asset,” said Baker.
“These are funds that are coming to this community specifically for the purpose of infrastructure, and rehabilitation that benefits the entire community. When the legislator allocated those funds they specifically said special districts like our parks district or fire district and others are eligible as partners for this funding. So we’re relying on the City and County to make decisions about how they distribute those funds,” said Baker. “So it is my sincere hope that our city and county leaders will understand the important role that Sorosis plays in our community, understand that it is a critical time for Sorosis and see this as an opportunity to make it even better than it was.”
The Gerry Farmer tennis courts located at Sorosis Park.
The current plan for Sorosis
The first phase of the project after taking public comments will be to bring in a paid contractor who specializes in planting parks to ensure adequate diversity to make the park more resilient to events such as pine beetle infestations. Following the contractor's recommendations, and planning using community input, NWPRD would then begin redesigning the irrigation system.
The current irrigation system is over 60 years old and relies on hydraulic pressure to turn them on and off. Rodents, and roots have damaged the system, meaning many sprinklers no longer have pressure, resulting in ineffective irrigation, water waste, and contributing to NWPRD’s $150,000 a year water bill. Baker said they’d like to put in an updated system and cut down their water bill by as much as 10-20 percent. However, the design of the system would have to wait until planning had been completed.
NWPRD is currently utilizing short-term solutions to the irrigation problem such as above the above ground sprinkler post pictured in this photo.
NWPRD recently put in pacing stones at the Sorosis Park Rose Garden to improve walkability and beautify the space. Previously the garden walkway was paved with a red rock and sand.
Ways to support the Sorosis Park Improvement Project
Take the survey and share your vision for Sorosis Park.
Submit a public comment to The City of The Dalles and Wasco County officials.
Donate to NWPRD’s Sorosis Park Rehabilitation and Replanting Fund.
Volunteer to fundraise for the park improvement project.
Sorosis Park, once part-forest and part-park, is now mostly open fields, following the pine beetle infestation that lead to 80% of the trees in the park being removed.
About Sorosis Park
Sorosis Park has been a community investment for several decades. The park is a beloved community gathering space, play place, and exercise hub for dog walkers, runners, walkers, yoga and sports enthusiasts. The park is the site of several longterm community investments including a community time capsule, tiny outdoor library, softball fields, concession stand, tennis courts, volleyball pits, walking path, shaded picnic area, picnic tables, bbqs, horseshoe pits, disc golf course, play structure, exercise structure, and rose garden.
Pictured: Scott Baker, NWPRD Executive Director
“I just love building parks. I’m coming up on 20 years in Parks and Rec and when I reflect back, parks projects, trail projects, and construction projects are my favorite part of the last 20 years,” said Baker.
“What gets me jazzed is when I go up to Sorosis and I see the diversity of activities that are going on there- (We’ve got bootcamp classes, reunions happening in the shelter, kids playing on the playground.) that just puts a smile on my face and that makes it worth it,” said Baker.
A goal of the park district is to have a public park within a 10 minute walk of every resident in The Dalles.
