February 11th is National Make a Friend Day. What’s the easiest way to make friends? To go to Pier Park! Whether you’re interested in basketball, skating, walking, disc golf, biking, playing, swimming, picnicking; you’ll be able to find others with the same interests!
If you don’t know much about disc golf, skating, or basketball, just ask someone who does!
Here are some example questions to help you get started!
Do you have any restaurant recommendations around here? What’s your favorite restaurant?
Are you reading any good books right now? I’d love some recommendations. How about shows
What’s a book you hated that everyone else loved, and vice versa?
Do you have any podcast suggestions for my commute?
Whom would you want to be your Amazing Race partner?
What’s the best “hidden gem” around here?
What’s your favorite thing to do around here on the weekends?
Where did you live before this? What are the biggest differences you see?
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.
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.”
One afternoon, four bands of local Portland talent–two bilingual–and 100s of towering, cooling trees in the most beautiful of North Portland park settings. And did we mention a splashpad and playground for the kids? I think we just did! Heck yeah!
Pack your picnic and non-alcoholic drinks and come join us for a summer’s day of music. (Leashed dogs always welcome in our park.)
2-2:30 Lupita Zamora, bilingual acoustic Folk
2:45-3:15 Joshua Josué, Chicano Rock / Americana artist in the tradition of Hermanos Gutiérrez, Los Lobos & Enrique Bunbury
3:30-4:30 Dina Sage & The Wild Flowers, Americana band featuring guitar, dobro, mandolin, upright bass and two female singers. Traditional country, bluegrass and originals
5:00-6:30 Paul Nourigat, Singer/songwriter, multi-genre Americana, incorporating folk, country, blues and rock
Portland Parks and Recreation just made it official: Pier Pool will not reopen this summer. And we know why: decades of non-spending and neglect. They say the closure’s only temporary. We need to make sure that truly is the case.
Let’s Grow this Momentum
Under the canopy of Doug Fir just behind the Pool, nearly 80 of you showed your support and care and interest by attending our Pier Pool Party. We couldn’t be prouder of the turn out. So, a big THANK YOU to all our neighbors and the City candidates who stood together for our pool! You show that we have people-power on our side! Your collective presence, concern and desire to learn and help reopen Pier Pool will move us forward. Let’s keep that going!
Like many of you, we feel the same, that our end of North Portland does not get the same consideration as other Portland neighborhoods when it comes to funding. And while the City prides itself on its equitable stance, we know that does not play out in communities like ours. At the Pool Party, we shared some PP&R financial information that points directly to that claim. It’s clear to see, that, compared to Parks our size, Pier Park receives considerably less spending from the City. You can see for yourself here and here.
Pier Park, No Benches for You
In addition to that financial information, consider this: the number of benches with backs for park visitors in Pier and other parks. How many does Pier have? One of our neighbors shared her research that clearly shows, just in benches alone, Pier Park is short-changed. This leaves our older population and others who could use a bench here and there feeling unwanted and not considered in our park.
McCoy Park, 3.82 acres, 18 benches
Wallace Park, 8.4 acres, 9 benches
Kenton Park, 12.5 acres, 12 benches
Chimney Park, 18.39 acres, 1 bench
Laurelhurst Park, 32.7 acres, 14 benches
Columbia Park, 35 acres, 14 benches
Pier Park, 85 acres, 0 benches
PP&R: Where is the Love?
Even for the Pool Party, the City left us feeling short-changed again. For, they couldn’t send someone who might provide a path forward, or any hope, for that matter. Instead, their update was about the closure, delivered by a very lovely, kind City programs employee, The Director of Sports and Aquatics. And you know the old adage about the messenger…. But, why oh why didn’t they send a facility person? Or someone of upper management? Or anyone in a position to answer the tough question: “What can Friends of Pier Park and the community do to reopen Pier Pool?”
Candidates Share their Support, and their Answer
At the Pool Party, we did pose that question, “What can Friends of Pier Park and the community do to reopen Pier Pool?” to the Zone 2 and Mayoral candidates in attendance. Granted, this question appears simple and straight-forward, but it is loaded; it contains historical and socio-economic context, as well as what having a swimming pool means in general for any community (promotes safety in learning to swim, give kids something to do, etc.). Plus, it was totally on the spot. As you might imagine, we got a range of replies. Three of the candidates gave partial answers, we’ve put those in bold.
Danny signing a picture he drew at the Pier Pool Party. The picture reads, “We deserve a pool,” and depicts a broken water pipe.
Bob Simril Because of his childhood and background he is focused on equity issues and, if elected, will approve funding for disadvantaged neighborhoods first.
Mike Marshall Focused on addiction recovery and he loves Portland.
Debbie Kitchin Wants to focus on parks and equitable access, restoring pools, parks and equitable development.
Laura Streib Suggested we get in contact with Kidz Outdoors. They have worked with George Park and are installing a new and improved playground/park. She also suggested contacting the Portland Parks Foundation.
Jonathan Tasini 40-year union member and part of the neighborhood emergency response team, led a ban on gas powered leaf blowers. His advice, “Create a campaign big and loud.”
Rev. Nat West His rep spoke about West’s 15-year of small business ownership.
Keith Wilson His rep spoke about Wilson going to Roosevelt High School. Take away, “Social infrastructure is infrastructure.” The rep also talked emotionally about his own children needing to learn to swim.
Tiffani Penson. Committed to: cleaning up unsafe and unsanitary conditions, accessible and accountable budgets, maintaining budgets. This is part of an answer to our question, that an accessible and accountable budget should clearly illuminate where the money is going, and potentially direct more to Pier Park.
Elana Pirtle-Guiney Her rep said Elana is focused on affordability, equity, effective government, and expanded access.
Let’s Get to Work!
That all said, what’s the take away? We’ve got a lot to do. According to a Pool Party attendee who accompanied a City Administrator employee, Portland Parks and Recreation wants all this to go away, and that’s why they sent who they sent. Well, that’s not our plan, because we want our pool. We’ll see who gets elected as our three Zone 2 representatives, and our next Mayor, in November, so make sure you get out there and vote! We also look forward to joining forces with Friends of Columbia Park who want to do all they can to keep Columbia Pool, too.
S.O.S! Save Our Swimming (Pool)
Let’s keep ideas coming! And forming partnerships and synergies that might guide and deliver. Talk to your friends, co-workers, neighbors because you never know where a solution will be found. With your energy and interest, we can find a way together to keep the momentum going, address the financial and neighborhood inequities we’re seeing play out here, and get action to reopen and save Pier Pool!
Because bottom line is, we’re not being taken seriously, yet.
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.
Use this self-guided walk through Pier Park to find unique points of interest in your favorite Portland Park. Learn new things and discover what makes Pier Park special.
Just download the one-page, two-sided PDF of written descriptions and artist renderings with a checklist of the interest points. Challenge yourself and your friends by tracking the interest points you find. A Spanish version is also available.
The Pier Park Discovery Walk is brought to you by Friends of Pier Park with big thanks to:
Ginger Edwards. We were inspired by Ginger Edwards and the North Portland Parks advisory group that created a Discovery Walk for Arbor Lodge Park. We thank Ginger for the idea.
Annika E., a Roosevelt high school artist. We thank Annika E. for the beautiful renderings of these Pier Park points of interest.
Lupita Zamora, who provided translation services for the Spanish descriptions handout. We thank Lupita for helping make this experience accessible to more families and Pier Park neighbors.
When the bridge over the tracks from Pier Park to Chimney Park was built, it was necessary to fall one of the Sequoias in Pier Park’s Sequoia grove to make way for the bridge. Much of the Sequoia went to build a nature playground at Westmoreland, but some slabs of the felled Sequoia were saved for future use in Pier Park.
One of the three Sequoia benches with Friends of Pier Park member Jared Cowley and artist Aren Lawler.
Those slabs were recently delivered to Portland Parks and Rec after being transformed by local artists into benches ready for installation. Here are some photos of the three benches being delivered by the artist Aren Lawler and others.
You will soon find the largest of the three benches sitting along the path in the Sequoia grove where the source tree grew. The smaller two benches will be placed in the meadow next to the playground near the splash pad.
The larger of the Sequoia benches (foreground) will placed in the Sequoia grove. The smaller one (background) will be placed in the meadow near the playground.
We thank all of the Friends of Pier Park that have contributed funds to support the creation, installation, and ongoing maintenance of these benches.
The need for more benches in Pier Park is something we often hear from our Friends. We’ll keep that as an ongoing focus.
