"We're building the park for Isaac"
August 9, 2011
We hope you saw KATU's great story, "We're building the park for Isaac," last Friday.
15-month old Isaac is the star of the piece about East Portland's Parklane Park, slated to receive new play equipment, drinking fountains, and expanded seating as part of our E205 initiative.
Writes KATU's Shannon Cheesman, "little Isaac isn't old enough to understand the impact of future plans for his neighborhood park but for those who are working hard to make a positive change in their community, he's their inspiration."
Because East Portland was incorporated into the city fairly recently, it doesn't have a rich tradition of parks and open spaces, and is home to numerous parks that lack amenities like playgrounds, paths, and community gardens.
While many sites have existing plans for development, the City don't currently have the funding to complete improvements. Nick believes East Portland deserves a down payment on those improvements now.
We know that modest, affordable improvements - community gardens, new playgrounds, benches - can make a huge difference for community members who use these parks.
With a $500,000 commitment from the City Council and a team led by the Portland Parks Foundation working to secure matching private funds, we'll bring improvements to a dozen or more East Portland parks in the next year and a half.
Tom Lewis, Centennial Community Association Chair and Parklane advocate, has this to say about Isaac: "He's our - for lack of a better term - poster child."