Phase one of Sorosis Park Rehabilitation Project underway
Dan Lockwood, owner of Alpenglow supervises the installation of the new irrigation system.
By Cole Goodwin
Crews are laying the groundwork for a rebirth at Sorosis Park. The next months work intends to mark a green and efficient future for our community’s playground as grass, trees and recreation take a turn for the better.
The Park which takes in an expansive view of the Columbia River at 300 E. Scenic Drive is the jewel in Northern Wasco County Parks and Recreation Districts crown with 35.98 acres, tennis courts, a playground, disc golf course, picnic tables, shelter, bbq pit, softball fields, volleyball sand court, and a running trail. Most people growing up or visiting The Dalles can quickly relay a memory of the beloved area.
This first phase of improvement will include the installation of a new irrigation system and pump house improvements, tree planting, and rehabilitated lawn areas.
The current condition of fifty percent of the lawn at Sorosis park is dry and yellow.
The total cost of this phase is $1.02 million. The City of The Dalles and Wasco County have each contributed $400,000 to the project or $800,000 total, and the remainder comes from North Wasco County Parks and Recreation District funds.
Crestline Construction has been hired as the general contractor and began work at the park on September 19th, 2022 and work will continue until October 15th, 2022.
No work will be done during the Kiwanis Steak Feed on Sept. 8th or during the Cherry Fling Disc Golf Tournament on Sept 10th.
Portions of the park, including the parking lot, may be closed during construction. NWCPRD asks that park users please stay clear of the construction zones.
“Phase one is a great stand alone project. Most of the work in phase one is work that is being done underground. We’re installing a new irrigation system and doing earthwork,” said Scott Baker, NWCPRD Executive Director.
Alpenglow Landscape of Parkdale has been subcontracted to install the irrigation system.
Alpenglow workers Will Pruett and Michael Peacher installing irrigation piping at Sorosis Park.
“We’re putting in a new controller two-wire system that has decoders in the valve boxes which will tell the controller which valve it is. And a booster pump to boost the pressure of the irrigation system,” said Alpenglow owner Dan Lockwood.
The new system will also be much more user friendly than the current one.
“The new controllers are going to be nice; there’s going to be a flow sensor that’s going to learn how much water each area uses as the system goes on, and it can sense flows that are out of the normal, which is useful for detecting breaks. And it has the capability to be weather based, meaning it can take data from local weather stations and adjust irrigation based on the weather,” said Lockwood.
A panorama shows how dry much of the park has become due to irrigation system failures and mass tree removal.
“It’s a nice upgrade. It’s going to be easier on everybody. The current controller right now is very cryptic and is made to be plugged into a computer, so trying to do something in the field is kind of tough,” said Lockwood. “It’s going to be a nice improvement for the park's staff.”
“Irrigation technology has improved in leaps and bounds since the old system was installed, in some areas forty years ago and in other areas sixty years ago,” said Baker. “Our water usage is substantial; we spent over $150,000 on water last year. So, any improvements we can make from both a budget standpoint and a conservation standpoint to be good stewards of the environment are really important.”
“We’re putting a lot of emphasis on coverage, water conservation, and energy conservation. And one of the ways we’re doing that is installing a variable frequency drive on our pump. And that just means that it’s a type of pump that uses significantly less electricity than a standard pump,” said Baker. “The irrigation alone at this phase costs north of $600,000. It might be short term expensive but it’s long-term inexpensive.”
So how much will the district save with the new system?
Baker said it’s not possible to tell how much the district will save on water at this point.
“We’re bringing acres and acres of the park into irrigation that haven’t been irrigated in so long, acreage coverage is rising by approximately 20% so that it will be tough to compare. But I’ll be able to answer that question after a full watering season,” said Baker. “Right now only about half of the park is being irrigated successfully.”
That half is thanks to numerous improvements made during the last five years.
“Over the last five years we’ve made improvements to all the areas between the shelter and the college and behind the tennis courts and softball fields, and those areas are looking great and are really lush and green, but if you only drive by the park along scenic you might not be aware of how much of the park is in good shape,” said Baker.
A panorama shows some of the areas where irrigation improvements have been made in the last five years.
Lockwood said that the system's installation was coming along well thanks to good dirt conditions.
“It’s nice dirt; it’s not riddled with rocks; that’s the worst,” said Lockwood, noting digging trenches is much easier in gentle lome.
Once the irrigation is installed, and the dirt is moved, crews will let the soil rest before reseeding to create a multi-use lawn area. The frisbee golf course will be slightly modified as a result but will still be an 18-hole course.
Frisbee golf is a popular activity at Sorosis park.
After irrigation and groundwork is finished, landscapers will begin planting trees in the northwest corner of the park which is designed to be a forested area. Seventy trees will be planted.
“They will be big trees, many of them will be 10-12 ft tall,” said Baker “All of them will be over 6 ft tall.”
A map of the phase one rehabilitation project.
The park concept also calls for a variety of trees so as not to repeat the mistake that befell the pines several years ago.
“The pine bark beetle was so destructive because we lacked diversity in the park. We were decimated by one little thing,” said Baker.
“So we’re planting a variety of trees,” he said. “In the northwest corner of the park there will be a forest floor, incense cedars, Doug firs, Oregon white oak, northern red oak, giant sequoias and western hemlock.”
Instead of grass, barks chips will form the base for a forest floor understory. Understory plantings, which will come in a future phase, may include rhododendrons, sorrel and mountain laurels.
NWCPRD also plans to install planting beds all along Scenic Drive to beautify the entrance to the park. Fundraising for the plantings will begin in the spring of 2023.
“I'm just really happy to see this project progressing,” said Baker.
Two park goers enjoying a sit at a picnic table said they were glad to hear that the park was undergoing rehabilitation.
“That’s cool I’m glad to hear that,” said Tyler Burkhart. “I thought it might just be knd of falling apart.”
“Growing up it was such a spot, and then when I moved back a couple of years ago, it had changed a lot,” said Marcy Huteson
“It feels like … gutted now, just a shell. I used to walk up here a lot,” said Burkhart.
“Yeah you grew up nearby,” said Huteson.
Community input for improvements to the park closed in September of 2021. Improvements to the park which were favored by the community included replanting trees, a new irrigation system, a pavilion, a basketball court, lighting improvements, additional parking and a new play structure.
Most of those improvements will be completed during later phases in the project or after funding has been secured.
“The community has asked for $4 million in improvements, and we can’t do that all at once, so there’s going to be phases,” said Baker.
“We know that the treetop playground is at the end of its useful life and will need to be replaced or removed within the next two years. So, we’re planning for that replacement now. It’s going to be an expensive undertaking, so we’re looking at grants,” said Baker.
“The current structure is also not super accessible, and we want to build a playground that’s fun for everyone of all abilities.”
Kids playng at tree top.
OSU Master Gardeners have taken over stewardship of the rose garden at the park. The Rose garden has seen multiple improvements, including a drip irrigation system, a concrete paver path, and the repair of the Vogt fountain.
The Memorial Rose Garden at Sorosis Park.
For the first time in decades the Vogt Fountain is once again operational.
“I really appreciate the residents of The Dalles sticking in there with us through this process. I can understand from an outside view that it may have appeared like nothing was happening but I assure you we have been working very very hard on Sorosis, and it takes time,” Baker said. “Getting public input takes time.”
“And we’ve been waiting for cooler weather to plant grass seed. And so, I understand that it’s been dry up there, and it looks depressing. I get it. I feel it too. But I’m hoping that people understand and trust that we’re doing our best, and we’re making progress, and it’s gonna look really good when we’re done, and I think we’re gonna have a really great result. And we couldn’t have done it without the City of The Dalles and Wasco County.”
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