Parks Community Program Committee

Thank you for the comment regarding a dog park in Molalla. The City of Molalla Park Committee has discussed a potential need for a dog park here in Molalla along with innumerable park needs of this community in recent meetings. However, development of a dog park has not risen to the top of park development priorities at this point but is not off the table for future discussions. One aspect that is usually present in dog park efforts is that local dog park enthusiasts generally raise funding and commit to park maintenance following park completion. Silverton is a good example of this process in action. Again, thank you for the comment and please keep an eye and ear out for future dog park discussions.  

Thank you for your question and we appreciate your input. You are correct that a wetland delineation is different from an environmental impact statement (EIS). The determination on whether an Environmental Impact Study will be conducted and what level may be required is made during the engineering phase of public development.  The many layers of regulation that must be abided during a public project may change based on the nature of the project, the funding source, and more.  The basis for environmental studies is NEPA, the National Environmental Policy Act.  NEPA applies only to federal agencies, projects funded in some part by federal funds and project requiring a federal permit, which does not apply to this project. Nor would an EIS illuminate what your question refers too, i.e., parking spaces.

Environmental impact studies are extremely costly and conducting one when it is not required would be an unnecessary and unauthorized expenditure of public funds.  If an EIS is required, that will be determined during the design process, and conducted accordingly.  However, due to the nature of the intended use (a nature park) it is not likely that one will be required, and the City’s policy of fiscal conservancy councils against expending funds on unnecessary items. 

As mentioned, State and Federal regulation on public projects is vast, and the nature of a given project determines which regulation applies.  While this may or may not have been the case historically, the City of Molalla follows all required regulations when conducting public projects.  We appreciate you highlighting your concerns and will ensure that all applicable regulations are followed on this project as well. 

Thank you for your questions.

First, moving the Disc Golf course to Ivor Davies Park was not discontinued due to the existence of wetlands or anything to do with “legal issues”. The process to relocate the course was discontinued due to excessive vandalism of the structures.

There are a number of items affecting the process of the development of Chief Yelkus Park. The City is well aware of the need to conduct a wetland delineation on the property prior to any construction. The Park Community Program Committee has elected to make Chief Yelkus Park a more natural park/green space and any natural or wetland, if any, located on the property will be incorporated into the park development process.     

In answering this question we are going to assume your question is in regards to the open Park Community Program Committee (CPC).  The City (Council) offered positions on the Park CPC to the community/public approximately six (6) months ago. We received an abundance of applications from community members who were interested in being part of the Committee. In this particular case we had a member resign and Council determined that we should ask the three remaining community members who were not originally appointed if they had continued interest. Council did actually appoint from a pool of community members or the public. However, if you are interested in participating in the Park CPC you only need to provide us with your email and we will provide you with packets and you can join the meetings and participate fully in the process.  

Thank you for your question.  Long park is not currently being looked at, but may in the future.  The focus right now is on Fox Park, Strawberry Park, and Chief Yelkus Park.