Orchard Park (Oregon)
Encyclopedia
Orchard Park is a municipal park in Hillsboro
in the U.S. state of Oregon
. Opened in 2003, the park covers a 21 acres (8.5 ha) along Rock Creek in the Tanasbourne neighborhood
. The park includes nature trails, a playground, and a nine-hole disc golf
course. Employees of the R.E.I.
store at the nearby The Streets of Tanasbourne
adopted the park in the city’s adopt a park program.
, purchased 21 acres (8.5 ha) of greenspace in 1997 using funds from a 1995 bond measure passed to buy greenspace in the region. The Nofziger family sold the property that was then along Cornell Road to Metro for $1 million. Cornell was later re-aligned to the north, with the old Cornell re-named Amberwood Drive.
Hillsboro was given the property by Metro to develop a park, with the city expected to spend $1 million on development according to initial estimates. The funds to develop the park came from fees developers were charged when building in the city. The park was originally named Nofziger Park, and was to be mainly a wetlands preserve as the property is situated in the floodplain
. It would also have trails along Rock Creek to connect to U.S. 26
north of the park.
During the summer of 2001, students from Hillsboro’s Miller Education Center
worked at the park site to improve the riparian area of Rock Creek and to gather data about the stream’s ecology. In 2002, the park was renamed as Orchard Park in honor of Hillsboro’s agricultural heritage, and construction of the first phase of park development began in July. The first phase built boardwalks, trails, wildlife viewing spots, bridges, and a parking lot, and was expected to be completed in December 2002. The old farmhouse remained standing through the first phase, with later development calling for its demolition along with construction of restrooms.
On June 24, 2003, the park was officially dedicated. The design of the park won the 2003 Oregon Recreation & Parks Association Design Award. The city had hoped to build a new library on a property just north of Orchard Park, but bond measures in 2002 and 2004 were defeated, and the city later acquired an existing building for the main branch of the Hillsboro Public Library
. The city considered adding a disc golf
course at the park when it opened, but did not build a course until 2005. The course cost $12,000 to build and was the first disc golf course in a Hillsboro park. Hillsboro’s parks department has offered free classes at the park to teach people how to play the game.
In 2005, Hillsboro was given a $675,000 grant from Metro to extend the Rock Creek Trail from the park south to Northwest Wilkens Street. As of October 2009, the city was still planning the trail extension. Future plans call for continuing the Rock Creek Trail all the way to Rood Bridge Park
on the south side of the city.
In 2006, R.E.I. donated $10,000 to the city to build a pair of boulders at the park that can be climbed
, and the next year the Hillsboro store’s employees adopted the park. The boulders and some other play equipment opened in 2008. As part of National Public Lands Day in 2008, R.E.I. sponsored a project to improve the park. The city plans on building a picnic shelter at the park as well.
and is largely a nature park, though it has some developed features. Developed items include the disc golf course, a play area, off-street parking, and restrooms. The free disc golf course covers 2000 feet (609.6 m), has nine-holes, and is the only course in Hillsboro. The play area next to the parking lot includes climbing boulders, swings, and spring rider
s.
The park has 3000 feet (914.4 m) of paved trails leading to 700 feet (213.4 m) of boardwalk
, several bridges, and three wildlife overlooks. The trails pass through wetlands, meadows, and wooded areas in several loops. Fauna and flora at the park include deer, beavers, herons, Douglas fir, hemlock trees, alders, cherry tree, dogwoods, elderberry, Ponderosa pine
s, and maples.
Hillsboro, Oregon
Hillsboro is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and is the county seat of Washington County. Lying in the Tualatin Valley on the west side of the Portland metropolitan area, the city is home to many high-technology companies, such as Intel, that compose what has become known as the...
in the U.S. state of Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. Opened in 2003, the park covers a 21 acres (8.5 ha) along Rock Creek in the Tanasbourne neighborhood
Tanasbourne, Oregon
Tanasbourne, Oregon is a neighborhood in Washington County, Oregon where NW 185th Avenue and U.S. Route 26 intersect. The area sits between Beaverton and Hillsboro, and is generally considered to be south of U.S. 26, north of Walker Road, west of 158th, and east of Cornelius Pass Road...
. The park includes nature trails, a playground, and a nine-hole disc golf
Disc golf
Disc golf is a disc game in which individual players throw a flying disc into a basket or at a target. According to the Professional Disc Golf Association, "The object of the game is to traverse a course from beginning to end in the fewest number of throws of the disc." Of the more than 3000...
course. Employees of the R.E.I.
R.E.I.
REI is a privately held American retail corporation organized as a consumers' cooperative, selling outdoor recreation gear, sporting goods, and clothes via some 110 retail stores in about 30 states, catalogs, and the Internet. The company opens four to six new stores each year...
store at the nearby The Streets of Tanasbourne
The Streets of Tanasbourne
The Streets of Tanasbourne is a shopping mall located in the Tanasbourne area of Hillsboro in the U.S. state of Oregon. Opened in October 2004, the center provides shopping to the Hillsboro/Beaverton area west of Portland, near the Sunset Highway...
adopted the park in the city’s adopt a park program.
History
Metro, the regional government in the Portland metropolitan areaPortland metropolitan area
The Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA Metropolitan Statistical Area , also known as the Portland metropolitan area or Greater Portland, is an urban area in the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington centered around the city of Portland, Oregon. The U.S...
, purchased 21 acres (8.5 ha) of greenspace in 1997 using funds from a 1995 bond measure passed to buy greenspace in the region. The Nofziger family sold the property that was then along Cornell Road to Metro for $1 million. Cornell was later re-aligned to the north, with the old Cornell re-named Amberwood Drive.
Hillsboro was given the property by Metro to develop a park, with the city expected to spend $1 million on development according to initial estimates. The funds to develop the park came from fees developers were charged when building in the city. The park was originally named Nofziger Park, and was to be mainly a wetlands preserve as the property is situated in the floodplain
Floodplain
A floodplain, or flood plain, is a flat or nearly flat land adjacent a stream or river that stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls and experiences flooding during periods of high discharge...
. It would also have trails along Rock Creek to connect to U.S. 26
U.S. Route 26 in Oregon
In the U.S. state of Oregon, U.S. Route 26 is a major cross-state state highway, connecting U.S. Route 101 on the Oregon Coast near Seaside with the Idaho state line east of Nyssa. Local highway names include the Sunset Highway No. 47, Mount Hood Highway No. 26, and John Day Highway No...
north of the park.
During the summer of 2001, students from Hillsboro’s Miller Education Center
Miller Education Center
Miller Education Center is an alternative school in Hillsboro, Oregon, United States. Part of the Hillsboro School District, it features programs that include two alternative high schools and a middle school. The school currently has three locations in Hillsboro and serves grades 7-12. The school...
worked at the park site to improve the riparian area of Rock Creek and to gather data about the stream’s ecology. In 2002, the park was renamed as Orchard Park in honor of Hillsboro’s agricultural heritage, and construction of the first phase of park development began in July. The first phase built boardwalks, trails, wildlife viewing spots, bridges, and a parking lot, and was expected to be completed in December 2002. The old farmhouse remained standing through the first phase, with later development calling for its demolition along with construction of restrooms.
On June 24, 2003, the park was officially dedicated. The design of the park won the 2003 Oregon Recreation & Parks Association Design Award. The city had hoped to build a new library on a property just north of Orchard Park, but bond measures in 2002 and 2004 were defeated, and the city later acquired an existing building for the main branch of the Hillsboro Public Library
Hillsboro Public Library
The Hillsboro Public Library is a two-location public library system in Hillsboro, Oregon, United States. First opened in 1914 in a Carnegie library building, the system provides services to a population area of 157,000 people. As of 2004, the system had a usage of 674,000 visits per year...
. The city considered adding a disc golf
Disc golf
Disc golf is a disc game in which individual players throw a flying disc into a basket or at a target. According to the Professional Disc Golf Association, "The object of the game is to traverse a course from beginning to end in the fewest number of throws of the disc." Of the more than 3000...
course at the park when it opened, but did not build a course until 2005. The course cost $12,000 to build and was the first disc golf course in a Hillsboro park. Hillsboro’s parks department has offered free classes at the park to teach people how to play the game.
In 2005, Hillsboro was given a $675,000 grant from Metro to extend the Rock Creek Trail from the park south to Northwest Wilkens Street. As of October 2009, the city was still planning the trail extension. Future plans call for continuing the Rock Creek Trail all the way to Rood Bridge Park
Rood Bridge Park
Rood Bridge Park is a municipal park in southeast Hillsboro, Oregon, United States. Opened in 1999, the park encompasses on the north bank of the Tualatin River at its confluence with Rock Creek. Rood Bridge is near Hillsboro High School and sits across the river from Meriwether National Golf Course...
on the south side of the city.
In 2006, R.E.I. donated $10,000 to the city to build a pair of boulders at the park that can be climbed
Rock climbing
Rock climbing also lightly called 'The Gravity Game', is a sport in which participants climb up, down or across natural rock formations or artificial rock walls. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a pre-defined route without falling...
, and the next year the Hillsboro store’s employees adopted the park. The boulders and some other play equipment opened in 2008. As part of National Public Lands Day in 2008, R.E.I. sponsored a project to improve the park. The city plans on building a picnic shelter at the park as well.
Amenities
Orchard Park is in the Tanasbourne areaTanasbourne, Oregon
Tanasbourne, Oregon is a neighborhood in Washington County, Oregon where NW 185th Avenue and U.S. Route 26 intersect. The area sits between Beaverton and Hillsboro, and is generally considered to be south of U.S. 26, north of Walker Road, west of 158th, and east of Cornelius Pass Road...
and is largely a nature park, though it has some developed features. Developed items include the disc golf course, a play area, off-street parking, and restrooms. The free disc golf course covers 2000 feet (609.6 m), has nine-holes, and is the only course in Hillsboro. The play area next to the parking lot includes climbing boulders, swings, and spring rider
Spring rider
A spring rider or spring rocker is an bouncy, outdoors playing device consisting of a metal spring beneath a plastic or wooden central beam or flange, with 1 to 4 plastic or fiberglass seats above it. When a person sits on it, the structure moves and bounces...
s.
The park has 3000 feet (914.4 m) of paved trails leading to 700 feet (213.4 m) of boardwalk
Boardwalk
A boardwalk, in the conventional sense, is a wooden walkway for pedestrians and sometimes vehicles, often found along beaches, but they are also common as paths through wetlands, coastal dunes, and other sensitive environments....
, several bridges, and three wildlife overlooks. The trails pass through wetlands, meadows, and wooded areas in several loops. Fauna and flora at the park include deer, beavers, herons, Douglas fir, hemlock trees, alders, cherry tree, dogwoods, elderberry, Ponderosa pine
Ponderosa Pine
Pinus ponderosa, commonly known as the Ponderosa Pine, Bull Pine, Blackjack Pine, or Western Yellow Pine, is a widespread and variable pine native to western North America. It was first described by David Douglas in 1826, from eastern Washington near present-day Spokane...
s, and maples.