When: 1st Friday of each month through November Time: 10 AM – 1 PM Where: Pier Park maintenance building near the park entry off of N Bruce and N James.
What will be happening
Weeding and mulching the new beds of native plants to help give them a good start
Removing invasive plants like ivy and blackberry
Dragging fallen limbs into piles.
These events are being led by Portland Parks staff, including Dave Blado. Events are limited to 25 volunteers. Everyone is welcome.
One of the native plant beds that may need weeding and mulching to get a good start
Pier Park Forest
Over the past several years Friends of Pier Park has partnered with Portland Parks to plant beds of native plants. The native plants improve habitat for birds and other forest animals while enhancing the park’s beauty. As the plants grow in, Pier Park will begin to look more like a forest, at least around the new beds. Many of the native plants are small and still need weeding to give them a good start.
Invasives Removal
Every park in Portland has problems with invasive ivy and blackberry, some much more than others. Because Friends of Pier Park organizes annual volunteer events to remove these invasives, Pier Park is in a relatively good place. Join us to help keep it that way.
Removing fallen limbs
When limbs fall on the turf or near paths they create a hazard for park visitors and the equipment used to keep the turf areas mowed. Help pulling these limbs into piles near paths, especially after wind events, makes Pier Park safer and enhances her beauty.
Volunteers removing invasive plants at Pier Park, April 2025
Thank you
Join us on the 1st Friday of the month through November. We will be working between 10 AM and 1 PM. If you cannot stay the entire time, that is OK. Come out and help as long as you can. We appreciate you!
Thinking of Opening an Account* at iQ Credit Union?
Then, please, open it at the St. Johns Branch before September 12, 2025 … and mention this promotion!
As part of their mission of working together to make the Pacific Northwest a better place to live, work, and bank, iQ Credit Union is donating $100 for each new account opened at the St. Johns Branch by September 12, 2025. Mention this promotion when you open your account! Or, use the link below to download the PDF and take it with you.
April 19th was a beautiful day at Pier Park. Over 60 volunteers, including neighbors, couples, disc golfers, a Girl Scout troop, KOIN-TV Channel 6, SOLVE staff, Portland Parks and Recreation staff, and, of course, Friends of Pier Park showed up to beautify, protect, and help diversify the Pier Park understory.
Mayor Wilson speaking before the Pier Park Pick-Up. Friends of Pier Park Chair Steve Davis stands behind him.
Work included planting native plants and mulching beds, improving paths used by disc golfers, digging better drainage around some tee pads for the disc course, installing a raised basket for the course, picking up garbage, and pulling fallen limbs into piles for Parks staff to remove. There was even a very special project for the fairy garden!
Stephanie LaMonica with Mayor Wilson. LaMonica has written several grants that have helped pay for the many native understory plants you see at Pier Park.
Thank you to all of the volunteers!!!
Enjoy the photos!
Our Favorite Couples
Understory Planting and Mulching
Disc Golf Course Improvements
Invasive Plant Removal
Fairy Garden
Garbage Pick Up
An additional Thank You
To Dave Blado from Portland Parks, thank you for all the love you put into Pier Park. None of this could be done without your encouragement and help.
Dave Blado, horticulturist for Portland Parks, facing center, talks with SOLVE Staff at the Pier Park Pick-Up.
Join Us Next April to Celebrate Earth Day
Mark your April, 2026 calendar to come out and celebrate Earth Day by helping to beautify, protect, and improve Pier Park.
Friends of Pier Park Meeting Notes with Adena Long
Subsequent to the August 2024 Pier Park Pool Party and a series of posts on the FoPP website that are linked in the content below, Portland Parks Director Adena Long suggested she meet with the FoPP Board.
MeetingDate: 11/18/2024 Location: The Portland Building Call to Order Time: 5:30 PM In Attendance: Director Adena Long, Jill Hutchinson (Capital Projects Manager for Portland Parks), Kimberléa Ruffu (Parks Liaison), Steve Davis (FoPP Chair), Stephanie Lamonica (FoPP Vice Chair and 2023 Portland Parks Foundation Parks Champion), Katie Emry (FoPP Secretary), Mary Ann Aschenbrenner (FoPP Member), Will Lewis (FoPP member), and Keola Morley (FoPP Member).
Pier Pool in August 2024
Meeting Notes
Pool Repair Updates
Several pool contractors have looked at Pier Pool to determine the cause of the leaks. The decision is to replace all 22 original cast iron inlets around the pool perimeter along with the piping around the pool.
Additionally, there are leaks where the concrete walls meet the floor of the pool and in cracks crossing the pool floor that will be repaired. Leaks are identified by green markings.
While the contractors were identifying where the pool was leaking, they also discovered that the boiler needed to be replaced before reopening Pier Pool because it would not have lasted the 2025 season. The boiler will also be replaced as part of this project.
However, the World War II Victory Ship Pump, rebuilt a few years ago, is in good shape and will not be replaced.
2014 Parks Bond
Director Long reported that in the 2014 Parks Bond several pools across the City were identified as needing maintenance work. Pier Pool on that list. According to Director Long it was the only pool on the list that was not repaired.
Repairs to the pool outlined above are currently in the design phase. Permits are in process and bidding is happening. A contractor will be selected and construction is expected to start in March with the pool reopening in time for the summer 2025 swim season.
Additional Improvements
Fencing
Bear-claw style fencing will replace the current fencing around the pool. This is being done with Federal Pandemic funds. The new fencing will arch out around the top making climbing over it and into the pool more difficult.
Park Benches
A total of five ADA accessible benches, defined as having an armrest, back, and being close to an accessible path, will be added to Pier Park and installed as weather allows, in the spring after winter rains subside enough to allow concrete pads to be poured.
Benches Note
Park benches were one of the requests made at the Pier Park Pool Party held in August of 2024. Read “Pier Pool Officially Closed. Now What?” and specifically the section of the post titled, “Pier Park, No Benches for You” for background information.
We should also note that Chair Davis along with Stephanie, Keola, and Carol Meckes who conducted the original research and comparison of park benches between Pier and other parks, walked the park with Parks personnel on September 4th to identify future bench locations. Conditions factored in include ADA accessibility, clearance from overhanging branches, scenic views, and pedestrian traffic patterns.
Continuing Advocacy Needed
Even with these repairs, because the original pool cement will continue to degrade over time, the lifespan of Pier Pool is estimated at 5 – 10 years.
Director Long recommended lobbying our new District 2 Directors to fund the capital program and help Portland Parks be financially sustainable and able to replace Pier Pool’s shell and other assets as well as provide continued maintenance. She indicated that PP&R needs a $600 to $800 million bond for current assets. That does not include maintenance money for new facilities.
District 2 Councilors
In November the following councilors were elected to represent our district:
Elana Pirtle-Guiney
Sameer Kanal
Dan Ryan
Q: Is the planned North Portland Aquatic Center a replacement for Pier Pool?
A: No!
Director Long was asked if the planned North Portland Aquatic Center was intended as a replacement for Pier Pool. She replied, “No. The aquatic centers are not meant to replace any of the outdoor pools.”
Director Long went on to say that the Portland’s outdoor pools are needed as summertime cooling centers.
The first response was from Adina Long, Director of Portland Parks and Recreation, on September 4th. She wrote,
Thank you for your continued stewardship of Pier Pool. My team has passed on several questions that your group has inquired about and my responses are attached. If you are interested in meeting in person, please reach out to so I can schedule a meeting.”
The second response was from Kellie Torres, Chief of Staff, Vibrant Communities Service Area, on September 5th. We should note that Kellie Torres attended the Pier Park Pool Party on August 13th. She wrote,
Thank you so much for reaching out and sharing you and your neighbor’s concerns about the issues in Pier Park, particularly regarding Pier Pool. I completely understand how disappointing it must have been for you and the community to have the pool out of commission for the entire summer. Please know that your voices are important, and we truly appreciate your passion and investment in improving the park.
Attached to this email, you’ll find a PDF that provides detailed information about the status of Pier Pool, the repairs needed, and Portland Parks & Recreation’s (PP&R) ongoing efforts to address these challenges. We also tried to address all the questions we heard asked during the community meeting on August 13th.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any further questions or if I can assist you in any other way. I am always happy to provide updates or discuss how we can best support the neighborhood in the future.
Thank you again for your continued advocacy.”
Kellie Torres’ response included a 4-page PDF file. It is titled Friends of Pier Park Blog Post Response and addresses primarily the Pier Park’s Missing Funds: An Injustice to Our Park and People post.
Where We Go From Here
Friends of Pier Park is working on next steps, crafting a response, and ensuring an equitable solution for our Park and Pool. We will be scheduling meetings with Adina Long and others at the City of Portland and will keep you informed.
Remember to vote!
Candidate for Mayor, Keith Wilson, sent a representative to the Pier Park Pool Party who spoke emotionally about his own children needing to learn to swim and said, “Social infrastructure is infrastructure.”
District 2 candidates who attended included:
Debbie Kitchin who wants to focus on parks and equitable access, restoring pools, parks and equitable development.
Laura Streib who suggested we get in contact with Kidz Outdoors who has worked with George Park on installing a new and improved playground/park. She also suggested contacting the Portland Parks Foundation.
Tiffani Penson who is committed to accessible and accountable budgets and said, “Part of an answer to our question is that an accessible and accountable budget should clearly illuminate where the money is going, and potentially direct more to Pier Park.”
Bob Simril said that because of his childhood and background he is focused on equity issues and, if elected, will approve funding for disadvantaged neighborhoods first.
While he was not in attendance, District 2 candidate, James Armstrong commented on the Pier Park’s Missing Funds post saying, “This was a very well put together explainer and budget analysis. Thank you for putting this summary together and for advocating for your community park.”
Portland, Oregon talks about equity and inclusion, but clearly those values are not extended to poorer communities in North Portland. See how city resources are sourced to already privileged communities by examining what has happened to public access to swimming in three Portland neighborhoods.
As a mom of three living in St Johns, I am struggling to get my children into the limited 1 class per session swim lessons through the city. The recent threat of Pier Pool being closed is yet another hurdle for North Portland residents to fight to keep their community flourishing. … I am so incredibly disheartened. Our ability as parents to create a safe and enriching childhood for our kids seems impossible as of late. Public officials are failing the communities in North Portland. I want to live in a city where the officials listen and act with our best interests in mind, not the easy answer.“
Kathleen, mother of 3 in St. Johns
2014 Parks Replacement Bond
This picture is of page 8 from the 2014 Parks Replacement Bond handout, a 14-page PDF file.
In 2014 voters approved a Parks Replacement Bond to repair and maintain infrastructure in Portland’s aging Parks facilities.
While several indoor and outdoor Portland pools were identified as needing maintenance, only three received funds. In this article we will explore what happened to two of the pools that did not receive replacement bond funds and compare them with one that did.
Three Pools
Columbia Pool
Columbia Pool, located in North Portland’s Portsmouth neighborhood, was a destination pool and heavily used year-around. Portsmouth is the poorest neighborhood in the City of Portland with the highest poverty rate and lowest median household income. Columbia Pool did not receive funds from the Parks Replacement Bond.
Columbia was an outdoor pool it until it was covered in 1975. This is a picture of Columbia Park Pool circa 1972. Photo courtesy of Vintage Portland.
Built in 1927, Columbia is the oldest of the three pools being compared.
In 1975 the need for a year-around pool in the Portsmouth neighborhood was considered so great that the existing Columbia Pool was covered. The pool became a favorite of water aerobics classes, swim team practices, and high school swim meets. It offered swim lessons, a swim team all year, and winter-time exercise for lap swimmers. Swimmers from NW Portland and downtown came to this pool as well as those living in North Portland.
Columbia Pool water aerobics class. Photo courtesy of Portland Parks and Recreation.
Columbia pool was closed in 2020 because it was not maintained.
Pier Pool
Pier Pool is located in St. Johns, a struggling and diverse neighborhood just north of and adjacent to Portsmouth. This pool did not receive funds from the Parks Replacement Bond.
Photo is titled “Bathing beauties at Pier Park Pool” and dated June 25, 1941. Photo from Vintage Portland.
The twinship of Pier Pool and Grant Outdoor Pool goes back to World War II and the Henry J. Kaiser shipyard north of Terminal 4 in St. Johns. In addition to the hundreds of Liberty ships, Kaiser also produced Victory ships using mass production and assembly line techniques. Production was sped up by pre-assembling sections of each ship and then welding them together. According to the National Park Service website, by 1944 the average time to build a ship was 42 days.
The launching of the Liberty Ship SS William Clark from a Kaiser shipyard in Oregon during World War II. The steel plate aloft is the keel plate for the next ship to be built, the plates being lowered into place as the just launched ship hit the water. Kaiser Permanente photo.
While some of these ships were lost in the war, many survived to return for disassembly and reuse. Both Grant Outdoor Pool and Pier Pool received World War II Victory Ship ballast pumps to pump and circulate the water in their pools.
Pier Pool is truly a community pool with parents waiting on the deck while their children take swim lessons or participate in swim team, local adults enjoying lap swimming, and youth swimming and playing. On the free swim days children line up around the block to get into Pier Pool.
Pier Pool on a typical summer day. Photo courtesy of Portland Parks and Recreation.
Pier Pool was closed in June 2024 because it was not maintained.
Grant Outdoor Pool
Grant Outdoor Pool 1950’s
Grant Outdoor Pool is located more centrally in Portland, in the Grant Park Neighborhood. The 2014 Replacement Bond funded an overhaul of Grant Outdoor Pool’s mechanical systems. The project ensured that residents continued to have access to what Portland Parks described as, “this fun and invigorating community pool.” Improvements included replacement of major mechanical systems; plumbing, pumps, motors, pipes, chemical controllers, sanitation systems, gutters, deck drains, and filters. Many ADA improvements were also made, including repair of cross slope issues and installation of two new pool lifts with straps.
Grant Outdoor Pool picture courtesy of Portland Parks and Recreation.
Like Pier Pool, Grant Outdoor Pool was originally powered with a vintage Victory ship pump. However, it has the good fortune of being located in the affluent Grant Park neighborhood. In 2016 Grant Outdoor Pool enjoyed a renovation and remains open because it was maintained.
Additionally, due to what Parks described as difficulty in finding a contractor, Grant Outdoor Pool did not open for the summer 2016 season until July 25th. (Watch the KGW TV news video about the opening.) To “make up for lost time” it remained open through the end of September that year.
In 2016 Portland Parks saw the value of making up for lost swim lessons and kept an outdoor pool in an affluent neighborhood open an additional month. Today, in 2024, access to swim lessons does not carry the same importance, at least not in poorer neighborhoods.
Three Neighborhoods
All statistics in this section are taken from Portland Civic Life Mapping and compare the neighborhoods where Pier Pool, Columbia Pool, and Grant Pool are located (St. Johns, Portsmouth, and Grant Park respectively) by childhood population, income, property values, health, and race.
St. Johns and Portsmouth each have more than twice the number of children than in the Grant Park neighborhood.
Portsmouth, the neighborhood where the first pool was closed, is the poorest and most diverse of the three neighborhoods. It rivals the adjoining neighborhood of St. Johns, where the second pool was closed, for numbers of children at the ages Portland Parks directs its swim lessons. Portsmouth has more Black residents. St. Johns has more Hispanic/Latino residents. By comparison, Grant Park has few of either and shockingly fewer children than Portsmouth or St. Johns. The statistics show that Grant Park is a wealthy neighborhood.
St. Johns
Portsmouth
Grant Park
Children ages 0 – 4 (population)
747
620
161
Children ages 5 – 9 (population)
705
700
300
Children ages 10 – 14 (population)
754
731
382*
Children ages 15 – 19 (population)
583
647
263
Poverty rate (% of the population)
14%
34%
5%
Median Household Income ($)
$75,600
$62,000
$135,000
Households Earning Less than $75,000 (%)
52%
59%
30%
Median Home Value ($)
$380,000
$385,000
$700,000
Food Insecurity (percentile)
76th percentile (76% of other Portland neighborhoods have less food insecurity)
85th percentile (85% of other Portland neighborhoods have less food insecurity)
16th percentile (only 16% of other Portland neighborhoods have less food insecurity)
Black Community (population)
1,224
2,060
108
Hispanic/Latino Community (population)
2,732
2,362
220
Statistics taken from Portland Civic Life Mapping.
Two Outcomes
Portland talks about equity and inclusion, but clearly those values are not extended to the communities of St. Johns and Portsmouth. As we demonstrate here, city resources are clearly sourced to already privileged communities, such as Grant Park. This leaves all youth and community members in St. Johns, Portsmouth, and most of North Portland without access to pools as summer cooling centers, without the opportunity to learn how to swim, and without the opportunity for aquatic recreation.
We are calling on the City of Portland and the community to advocate for the maintenance of our existing pool systems, something we have had to do historically in North Portland. It is not equitable nor just to disproportionately maintain these indispensable community resources in more affluent neighborhoods while abandoning them in the poorest.
Crucial Climate Infrastructure
Like air conditioners, pools allow people the opportunity to cool down in our increasingly hot summers. In addition to evaluating the inequality in funding for public pools in the City of Portland, we feel that Portland should also look to examples, such as New York City, where climate change is sited as a direct reason for a capital investment to improve and build public pools.
The Atlantic recently ran an article describing pools as crucial climate infrastructure.
Investing in swimming pools is “one of those very tangible, real, and just-under-our- nose [solutions] that seem all too obvious,” says Shandas. Americans would miss a significant opportunity to deal with extreme heat if we fail to recognize and protect the enormous value of our existing public infrastructure. Much of the climate and conservation movement recognizes the importance of natural and wild spaces for our health and resilience against climate change. Our urban spaces deserve that same respect.“
Excerpt from The Atlantic, “The Decline of America’s Public Pools” (August 12, 2024). Vivek Shandas is the founder of the Sustaining Urban Places Research Lab at Portland State University.
Portland seems aware that access to water can make life more bearable in our hot summers. Working with Human Access Project, Portland Parks opened a swim space on the Willamette River directly under the St. Johns Bridge. This is now the only available swimming opportunity on the North Portland peninsula. It does not include a lifeguard or swimming lessons.
Access to the Willamette River is an enhancement to the community recreation of North Portland, but it cannot replace municipal pools and their important contributions to swimming instruction and recreation. As the Human Access website states, “Beach suitable for beginner to intermediate swimmers and children with close supervision… Because of the depth of water at the adjacent dock, the dock is only recommended for advanced swimmers.”
Cathedral Park swim area under the St. Johns Bridge. Photo courtesy of Human Access Project. Note dog playing in the water along with couple wading.
It will be a shame when erasing access to swim instruction and safe swimming locations results in increased drownings for our most disadvantaged communities. But that is the trade off the City of Portland is willing to make.
*Note from statistics table, row 4, column 4: Anecdotal evidence indicates and these statistics suggest that parents may “move” to an address in the Grant Park neighborhood temporarily when their children are applying to enter Grant High School and then “move” back after they have been admitted.
After years of maintenance neglect, Pier Pool’s 84-year-old pipes have sprung a leak. Pier Pool opened on June 20, 2024 and closed by the first heatwave of summer.
You may or may not be aware that the Pier Pool’s water pump is from a World War II Victory Ship. Several years ago when this pump was reconditioned, Portland Parks maintenance staff told Friends of Pier Park that they were refurbishing — and not replacing — the Victory Ship pump because, “The pipes are so old that a new pump will blow them out.” The realities are that pipes rust, and neglect of basic maintenance is endemic within Portland Parks.
Better times in the deep end … a swim class, lap swimming, and water aerobics on the right at Pier Pool
What you can do
Pier Park Pool Party
Join us for a Pier Park Pool Party on Tuesday, August 13th at 6:30 pm, Picnic Area H, conveniently located across from the entrance to Pier Pool. Friends of Pier Park is inviting each of the City Council candidates for District 2 (our district) as well as friends and neighbors.
Below is a sample email. Feel free to copy and paste this email, edit it as you see fit, or write your own. Thank you for helping us motivate the City of Portland to get Pier Pool back up and running. Every voice counts.
Sample email
Pier Pool has served generations of North Portland residents. Dedicated in 1940, it is a summer gathering place for our community, a place where families go to play and safely enjoy the water, and a place to cool off in the summer heat. It is also where thousands of our children have learned to swim over the years. In this section of the City, on the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia Rivers, learning to swim is a critical skill. It is a skill that can save lives.
This is also a section of the City with a diverse and low income population. On free swim days the line to get into Pier Pool extends around the block.
This year Pier Pool opened on June 20th and was closed before our first heatwave. Due to neglect and a tragic lack of maintenance, Pier Pool joins other Portland Pools in standing closed during the most important season. We are requesting that the City of Portland redouble efforts to fix and reopen Pier Pool ASAP. After the closure of Columbia Pool several years ago, this is the only public pool in our section of the City, the only pool available to so many children.
Pier Pool Opens Thursday June 20th and closes August 23rd
Located at N Seneca Street and St. Johns Avenue, Pier Pool is the only North Portland public pool west of Interstate 5 open this summer.
Swimmers at Pier Pool
Pier Pool Swim Schedule
Lap Swim Schedule
Monday – Friday:
11:10 AM – 1:15 PM
3:45 – 6:15 PM
Saturday – Sunday:
11 AM – 1 PM
Water Fitness class at Pier Pool
Water Fitness
Tuesday and Thursday:
11:10 AM – 12:05 PM Aquaerobics
Summer Swim Team
Monday – Friday:
11:30 AM – 12:30 PM
Play and Open Swim Schedule
Monday:
1:30 – 3:30 PM Open Swim
6:30 – 8 PM Opern Swim
Tuesday:
1:30 – 3:30 PM Open Swim
6:30 – 8 PM Family Swim*
Wednesday:
1:30 – 3:30 PM Open Swim
6:30 – 8 PM Opern Swim
Thursday:
1:30 – 3:30 PM Open Swim – FREE OF CHARGE
6:30 – 8 PM Family Swim*
Friday:
1:30 – 3:30 PM Open Swim
6:30 – 8 PM Opern Swim
Saturday – Sunday:
11 AM – 1 PM Family Swim*
1:30 – 5 PM Open Swim
*Family Swim: Children under 16 years of age must be supervised by a parent or guardian in the water. Shallow side only during Saturday and Sunday Family Swim.
Swim Lessons
FREE Swim Lessons
Register on Friday, June 21st between 5 and 7 PM at Pier Pool. Free lessons are the week of June 24 – June 28.
Regular Swim Lessons
All classes are 30 minutes long and are offered Monday-Friday for 2-week sessions. There will be four learn-to-swim sessions as follows:
July 1 – 12 (closed on July 4)
July 15 – July 26
July 29 – August 9
August 12 – 23
Register in person at Pier Pool or online.
Admission and Passes
Ages 0 -2 are free but must be supervised by an adult.
It feels like no time has passed since the Pier Park summer concerts. Yet, the seasons move from summer to fall: the trees are changing color from green into shades of yellow and red, the air is cooler, the days shorter, and our season of rain has begun. A walk through Pier Park is a wonderful way to get into the holiday spirit!
No Ivy Day Recap
We had a smaller-than-usual turnout for our No Ivy Day volunteer work event on Oct. 28th. Nevertheless, the volunteers who did brave the cool temps got a lot of good things done.:
The Rhododendron beds near the playground and Woodland Garden were weeded and mulched.
The disc golf course was switched to the winter layout with four new temporary holes and tee pads created so that hillside holes that showed heavy ground wear could be taken out of play for undergrowth restoration this winter.
In 2015 or 2016 a Sequoia was removed from Pier’s Sequoia Grove to make way for the pedestrian and bike bridge between Pier and Chimney Parks. The Sequoia was growing near the Pier Park end of the bridge that passes over the railroad tracks.
Most of the Sequoia went to West Moreland Park to build a nature park and playground in the Sellwood neighborhood, but some slabs of the felled Sequoia were saved for future use in Pier Park. After being transformed by a local artist into benches and fundraising by Friends of Pier Park we now have three benches at Pier made possible by the fallen Sequoia.
Come out and enjoy them! Two are in the children’s playground and one is along the path by the Grove.
